Can I find a good Seattle bagel at... Kelly Cannoli
Does flying in New York bagels make all the difference?
Welcome to It’s A Shanda, one Northeastern Jew’s quest to find a decent bagel in Seattle (and beyond). If you’re interested in taking this journey with me, make sure you subscribe so you never miss a review. If you want to ensure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com.
If I’m being honest, I thought I had completed my initial round of Seattle bagel reviews. Aside from the random bakery and pop up, I didn’t see too many other bagel options around town that required a closer look. I do have my eye on a few bagels outside of Seattle and those reviews are sure to come. But I was ready to wrap up “round one” of this experiment and move on to second opinions and other ideas.
Then, one day, I drove over the Ballard Bridge into Magnolia. Just off 15th Avenue, I saw a sign that read “Bagels Overnighted From New York.”
You have my attention.
Kelly Wilson grew up in New Jersey where she “spent over 10 years working in Italian Restaurants and spent countless hours in their kitchens learning family recipes.” That’s where she learned about the value of a good cannoli. Specifically, the Sicilian cannoli. Starting as a catering business and pop up in 2013, Kelly Cannoli finally touched down in Lake City in 2018.
It was hard to miss the bright pink stand on the corner of Northgate Way & Lake City Way, and it didn’t hurt that their NY-style cannolis seemed to be a hit as well.
According to a write-up on I Fund Women, Kelly’s goal was to combine Northeast and Northwest cultures, by providing NY-style treats like cannolis and bagels in a drive-thru espresso stand. And things seemed to be going smoothly until January 2022 when a sinkhole on the property forced Kelly Cannoli to leave their home and find a new one.
That didn’t stop the cannolis from rolling, however. Not only did Kelly Cannoli find a new Lake City spot but they also expanded into the aforementioned Magnolia location, replacing Java Jazz, as well as a soft-launched spot in Snohomish.
Things seem to be looking up for the Seattle cannoli trade, but the New York theme of Kelly Cannoli means that the bagels play an important role as well. And as soon as I saw the sign promoting bagels straight from the source, I knew that I had to take a visit.
According to their website, the bagels “are overnighted twice per week, and there are no preservatives, so we freeze them on arrival to keep them fresh. We bake each one to order to achieve the crispy outside and warm, moist inside NY bagels are famous for.”
The question is, are the bagels worth the hassle of delivering all the way from the East Coast, or is it just a bit of cheeky marketing? Let’s find out.
And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Toasted everything bagel with plain cream cheese.
Untoasted plain bagel as is.
THE EXPERIENCE
Pulling into the lot off 15th Avenue, Kelly Cannoli serves up a feast for the senses before you’ve even placed your order. A hot pink building surrounded by palm trees serving NY-style food in Seattle. It’s a lot to take in.
Pulling up to the window, I was immediately struck by the prices of the bagels. $4 for one bagel, $5 for a bagel with cream cheese. Even by Seattle’s inflated prices, that’s high (for reference, most local bagel places will run you $2-3/bagel). I was already a bit dubious given that they ship and freeze their bagels, but the high prices meant my expectations were going to be through the roof.
I figured I was in trouble when I placed my usual order and realized how the bagels would be served. The staff was extremely friendly but I had obviously thrown them a curveball by asking for the plain as-is and not toasted. They still served it to me in a hot wrap because toasting/heating is requisite for all their bagels. Hmph.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
As soon as I was handed the plain I knew I was in trouble. The cold, rubbery bagel was clearly a wholesale concoction that required some kind of heating or toasting in order to be edible. There were also some grill marks along the top that I couldn’t quite figure out. You’d think I’d learn my lesson after Bagelbop but here we were.
As for the everything bagel, the toasting certainly helped. There was also a lot of crackling along the sides where they cut into the bagel to add the cream cheese, which was interesting. So there was some hope.
TOP
For the everything bagel, the seeding was a little lighter than I would prefer. The color of the bagel was pretty solid and the toasting process had added some character in the form of cracks. I got a little bit of crispiness on the touch.
The plain bagel had those aforementioned grill marks that I couldn’t quite figure out. Not sure if that was just from the storage process, but either way, kinda weird. The bagel was extremely uniform in terms of texture and color, which makes sense as a wholesale bagel. It was very cold and rubbery to the touch.
BOTTOM
When some cornmeal has been added to the bottom of the bagel to make it easy to remove from the oven, we call that the “cornmeal ring of doom” because it usually portends a bag bagel. So what does it mean when the cornmeal appears to be baked into the bagel itself?
INSIDE/BITE
Let’s just get the plain bagel out of the way real quick. I took one bite and confirmed what I already knew. The dry interior felt like I was biting into stale bread. It was pretty much inedible. “But Sean, that bagel needs to be heated up or toasted to be enjoyed.” I know and unfortunately, that’s the point.
As for the everything bagel, I will say that the first bite wasn’t that bad. There was a light crunch and a decent density inside. The interior of the bagel was pretty doughy, which is really interesting given the contrasting texture of the plain. The bottom of the bagel was pretty soft on the bite with no crunch detected.
Alas, each successive bite got a little worse than the one before it. The cream cheese was pretty acidic and unenjoyable. Perhaps it could have been a more enjoyable experience if the cream cheese were better quality. Instead, I quit after a few bites as my enjoyment degraded.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If I’m being honest, I knew going in that the “Bagels Overnighted From New York” were probably going to be wholesale factory bagels. It didn’t seem very likely they were paying for Ess-a-Bagel or Kossar’s deliveries twice a week. But given how blah the bagels were, I am left wondering what the point is, especially at that price point. I’m not a fan of Blazing Bagels but swapping these bagels out for those wouldn’t make much of a difference. Plus, you wouldn’t be paying to have something shipped across the country every week.
As it stands, these bagels don’t represent the ones I miss from the Northeast, so it feels wholly unnecessary, especially at that price. There are quite a few bagels made here in Seattle that I’d gladly eat instead of these “New York bagels.”
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
These bagels give “New York bagels” a bad name but they’re also exactly the kind that usually gets passed off as being “authentic,” which then gives us a nation full of goys who think this is what a good bagel tastes like. Much like a bad bagel, it’s a vicious circle.
But look, if you’re in a hurry and this is where you get your morning coffee and you just need something to get going, it’ll do the requisite job. But something tells me you should just splurge and get a cannoli instead.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?
This bagel reminds me of the kind of bagels I might get at a New Jersey diner. And so perhaps it’s authentic in that way. But it’s also worth noting those bagels were usually pretty bad and you were always better off waiting until you stopped by the local bagel shop instead. So I guess that’s my long-winded way of saying no, especially at $5 a pop.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR
Kelly’s Cannoli
Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my Seattle bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.
I'll skip the bagels here for sure, but I have to ask, even though it might not be in your realm: how were the cannoli? I assume those are made locally, and not flown in from NY.
I found Bagel Oasis >20 years ago, and as you have confirmed, they are indeed the best bagels in town. Always have been.
Not a fan of any bagel that needs to be toasted, but I appreciate the effort. I believe the bagels they overnight are or were "New Yorker Bagels" - https://www.newyorkerbagels.com