Second Schmears: Little Market on Portage Bay
Can the crispiest bagel in Seattle keep its crown?
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UPDATE: Little Market has closed. 😢
ORIGINAL: Every once in a while I return to a bagel place that I’ve previously reviewed and find myself reconsidering everything I thought I knew. That happened to me during a recent stop at Little Market, which I have somewhat controversially said is the second-best bagel in town even after Mt. Bagel returned. The sensory experience of ordering their crispy bagels has stuck with me long after my initial visits and theirs is a Seattle bagel I can easily pick out from the crowd thanks to its perfect bake and blistered exterior.
About a month ago, I made an impromptu stop at the Portage Bay market and ordered a bagel. I was mindlessly looking around the store and not really paying attention so by the time the clerk presented me with the already sliced, already toasted bagel, it was too late. I gathered it up with the garlic and herb cream cheese and headed home. As soon as I bit into my bagel, I was concerned. It was cut poorly, with a top that resembled a bagel chip. The toasting had turned the whole thing into a crunchbomb. I was reminded I really don’t like that cream cheese flavor very much. And the experience left me feeling like this was a very mediocre bagel.
Uh-oh.
Had I erred somewhere along the way here? Had their standards slipped? Did I just catch them on a bad day? Did they stop caring about bagels? I knew I had to return and find out for sure. I don’t like the idea of people reading my reviews, trying a bagel I’ve hyped up, and thinking “What is this guy talking about?” That’s going to happen from time to time no matter what, but if I know I might need to adjust my rankings, I want to do it.
And so, I returned to find out for sure.
And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Sesame bagel with plain cream cheese.
Plain bagel as-is.
As with all previous Second Schmear reviews, we keep things relatively simple this time around. I’ll review this version of the visit and compare it to the first trip to find out what might have changed.
First of all, I want to note that, for the first time, the Little Market cashier asked me not only if I wanted my bagel toasted (no) but also if I wanted my bagel sliced (no). That’s something I’d always wished they’d offered and was very happy to see it in action.
In regard to the plain bagel, it was a very dark golden brown and as blisterly and bubbly as I’d come to expect from them. The bagel itself was incredibly crispy and very firm on both the sides and bottom. The bottom in particular was cripsy in a way I almost never come across. All of this pretty much matches what I had to say in my previous visits, and I’d even go as far to say that this one was even better at the things I like about Little Market bagels.
In keeping with the theme, the bagel offered an incredibly crispy bite full of texture. The super-fluffy interior rebounded nicely after the bite, giving the bagel a sturdy integrity.
As for the sesame bagel, I called an audible when I ordered it and opted out of the garlic and herb cream cheese and instead chose plain cream cheese. Those are your only schmear choices at Little Market, and since I wasn’t a huge fan of that flavor profile, I figured I’d be better off going the plain route.
The sesame bagel had a softer top than the plain. It also appears to be softer and less crisp than the version I got last year. Still, it was golden brown on the edges but lighter towards the interior of the bagel. There was a solid seed hand here (you should have seen the poppy seed bagel too). The bottom of the bagel was very knockable and had a healthy CROD (cornmeal ring of doom), but they’d clearly cut down on that from last year’s version.
This was also a very tough bite but in the best way possible. The interior of the bagel didn’t quite rebound in the same way the plain one did as it seemed less pillowy, but still very soft. I used all of the cream cheese provided in the accompanying container and it provided a really great flavor. There was none of the tang that comes with cheap schmear and it stayed put for most of the eating experience. Altogether, a very enjoyable bagel to eat.
WHAT I SAID LAST TIME
“Little Market is not the place you think of when you think about where to get a bagel on a Saturday morning. But it should be. There’s no conceit here. No attempt to remind you of the delis you went to as a child. No desire to mask mediocre bagels in wacky slogans or unique flavors. No accolades from the local food blogs or celebrity chefs. They just make some of the best bagels in Seattle and that’s that.”
WHAT I THOUGHT THIS TIME
Much to my delight, that sentiment stands. As soon as I saw the bagels, I knew they were going to be great, and they didn’t disappoint. This remains the second-best bagel in Seattle and I’m solid on that.
As for what happened in the prior visit, I have to assume that I caught them on a bad day and perhaps got a cashier who isn’t a bagel person. Hey, nobody’s perfect.
Having been here a number of times now, I think I feel comfortable saying that if you’re going to Little Market for your morning bagels, you should really try to get there right after they open (9:15-9:30). You’re bound to get their bagels at their freshest. My personal recommendation would be to get the plain cream cheese over the garlic & herb, with the caveat that I don’t think any garlic cream cheeses are particularly good. And if they don’t ask, tell them you don’t want the bagel to be sliced or toasted. I like to be flexible about people and their toasting habits but toasting these bagels, especially when they’re fresh, is an absolute shanda.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (11/12/23)
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS
The Bagelry (Bellingham)
Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)
Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)
Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)
Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon, Whidbey Island)
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I generally agree with 99% of what you write. However, I recently revisited Bagel Oasis after about a month of only getting Little Market bagels. Gonna have to disagree and put Little Market at #1. There was zero crunch on any Oasis bagels. Not even the plain. And even with the other bagels flavors, Oasis just generally comes in a notch lower than Little Market in overall flavor.
Oasis def wins in the cream cheese (esp scallion!) department. Kinda surprised you still reckon Oasis is #1. They're very good to great but LM takes the prize all day for me.
You should schedule a side by side duel to the death.
Who knew that little off-the-beaten-path-uppity market was a bagel source. Much less as a highly rated bagel source. We lived around the corner from the many previous occupants/market operators at this location. This one seems to have succeeded. Good to know. And, thanks too, Sean, for the schemer commentary.