Can I find a good Redmond bagel at... Rubinstein Bagels
Do these bagels taste different on the Eastside?
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While Blazing Bagels has planted its flag as Western Washington’s most all-encompassing regional bagel franchise, Rubinstein Bagels is coming for the crown.
Blazing Bagels has 5 locations across Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, and Issaquah, which remains the most of any local franchise. However, we recently learned that Rubinstein plans to open their fourth location later this year in Eastlake. That will give them three Seattle spots, the most of any local bagel franchise at the moment (national chain Einstein Bros. has four Seattle shops while Blazing, Westman’s, Old Salt, Loxsmith, and Eltana have 2 apiece).
Those three spots are joined by their 16001 Redmond Way location in Redmond, which was announced in 2022 and opened its doors in the summer of 2023.
As we’ve discussed before, a lot has changed between then and now. Namesake and founder Andrew Rubinstein left and started Hey Bagel, which now dominates my rankings. Meanwhile, my recent Second Schmear review noted that “the prices have risen but the quality has dropped.” Rubinstein now finds itself right smack in the middle of my Seattle rankings.
The Rubinstein in South Lake Union was the first brick-and-mortar bagel I ate that gave me hope for the Seattle bagel scene. I’ve since watched the quality seemingly come down as the business expanded. They’ve also been doing some, um, interesting promotions.
All of which made me very interested to head east and see how things looked in Redmond. I was also intrigued because they seemed to use the Redmond location to try out some new things, like bialys and booze. Perhaps I’d be able to recapture that previous sense of excitement around Rubinstein in their shiny new store, just in time for the next one to open.
So let’s find out.
And if you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Plain bagel as-is ($2.80)
Everything bagel with fried onion & chive schmear ($4.80)
THE EXPERIENCE
I hadn’t been to Redmond in a long time so it was pretty impressive to see everything going on there. Specifically, the building that this Rubinstein is in is a pristine mixed-use complex, which is across the street from another mixed-use complex currently under construction, all of which is ringed by other mixed-use complexes in various stages of development. It’s also smack dab in the middle of the downtown corridor. Suffice it to say, they chose well in terms of location.
The shop was quiet on this specific Sunday morning, leaving the large, stark interior feeling a bit cavernous. It’s a much bigger space than either of the Seattle spots, though I imagine it can fill up during the morning or lunch rush.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
My big concern heading into this review is that I would continue to notice the degradation of quality from my initial review of the company’s bagels. I was handed the plain bagel while waiting for the everything with cream cheese to be prepared and it definitely seemed at first glance like my concern was warranted. But would looks be deceiving?
TOP
The top of the plain bagel was weird. The coloring moved from golden brown to light brown in different spots, thanks in part to the strange texture. I noticed what looked like two indentations, possibly from someone’s hands, on one side. The top was hard and shiny in a disconcerting way. It was somehow both soft and firm to the touch. It felt like a bagel that had been through some battles before it got to me.
The top of the everything bagel was more muted and light brown, as they often are to account for not burning the seasoning. There was a light-to-medium seed hand here with barely any poppyseeds and no salt I could see. The top was soft to the touch.
BOTTOM
The bottom of the plain bagel was also shiny, as if it had been laquered. It was soft but firm to the touch with absolutely no crispness to speak of.
The bottom of the everything bagel was a dark brown and had gotten a bit more of a cook than the top. There was also some slight texture thanks to that bake, though it was still mostly soft.
INSIDE/BITE
The plain bagel was an extremely tough rip to get started. I noted the sourdough smell that marks their bagels. I also noted that it was a very dense bite and a tough chew, which could go either way based on how you like your bagels. I detected a slight salty flavor that seemed to be baked into the dough. Maybe I’m just a sucker for salt but I liked it. I found the bagel weirdly edible. While it looked weird and lacked any texture whatsoever, I couldn’t stop eating it.
As for the everything bagel, my immediate sense when I bite into it was that it was slightly stale. It didn’t help that the interior collapsed on the bite and got soggy thanks to the schmear. And it really didn’t help that the cream cheese flavor was mild-to-nonexistant. And it super-duper didn’t help that there’s no salt in the everything mix so there was a distinct lack of flavor all-around. I was out after two bites.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a very interesting experience, to say the least. On one hand, the everything bagel and cream cheese continued the downward trend I’ve been on with Rubinstein. However, despite appearances, I can’t deny that the plain bagel found a way to hold its own. And when it comes down to it, if you enjoy the bagel, aesthetics don’t really matter.
I still have my reservations about the general direction of the company but I would say this is on the higher end of Western Washington bagel stops outside of Seattle, for whatever that’s worth.
I should also note that there was a random everything bagel in my to-go bag that I didn’t notice until I was gone. I’m not sure if it was in there by accident or as a kind gesture of goodwill. Either way, the sentiment is appreciated, even though the bagel was dryer than sandpaper.
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
Rubinstein Bagels is perfect for the Eastside goyim. Bright and clean exteriors. A myriad of bagel and schmear flavor selections. There’s a bar in there for some reason. They’re all set.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?
On the Eastside, I’m not sure you can do better. However, as noted in my Second Schmear review, I remain convinced that founder Andrew Rubinstein took his better bagel recipe with him to Hey Bagel, which just so happens to routinely do Eastside bagel drops and pop-ups. Just sayin’.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (3/25/24)
Old Salt (Fremont]
Old Salt (Ballard)
Loxsmith (West Seattle)
Loxsmith (Beacon Hill)
Westman’s (Capitol Hill)
Westman’s (U District)
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (3/25/24)
The Bagelry (Bellingham)
Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)
Coquette Bake Shop (Bainbridge Island)
Rubinstein Bagels (Redmond)
Good Bagels Cafe (Anacortes)
Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon)
Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)
Big Apple Bagels (Bellevue)
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