Seattle bagel news: Big changes at Blazing Bagels & Westman's, Toasted opens in SLU
So much Seattle bagel news, so little time
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I have to apologize for the lack of bagel reviews lately. For the last two months, I’ve been either traveling or sick (or both!), which has dampened my ability to dine in. I hope to get my review legs back under me in the coming days. In the meantime, I have to catch you up on a lot of big Seattle-area bagel news.
Before we get to that, your LAST CHANCE to submit votes for the Mensch Madness Fakokta Four is Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. PST. We’re down to Hey Bagel, Howdy Bagels, Mt. Bagel, and Backyard Bagel to determine the best bagel in Western Washington according to YOU. The two bagel shops competing for the chomp-ionship will be announced on Thursday.
On to the news!
Blazing Bagels owner and founder Dennis Ballen announced his retirement in March “after 25 years of bagel raising.” Daughters Whitney and Jenna are taking over as the new owners of the five-location local chain.
Ballen has been an eccentric figure in the region’s bagel scene ever since he sued the city of Redmond over rules against his marketing tactics. After winning in federal court, he turned Blazing Bagels into a mini-empire, expanding to Bellevue, Issaquah, SoDo, and Ravenna and supplying bagels and sandwiches to many businesses around town. Whatever you think of the bagels themselves, Blazing has built a dedicated fanbase and is a local marketing powerhouse.
“To think that he started the business when I was 9, and now 25 years later, he’s (slightly begrudgingly) letting go (finally, ha)!,” wrote Whitney on Instagram.
In more changing of the guard news, longtime Westman’s owner Monica Dimas announced in March that she would be selling the bagel company after being diagnosed with Celiac disease.
“After 7+ years I’m stepping away as the owner of Westman’s Bagels and will be focusing on new projects,” she wrote on IG. “I’m excited to see what the new owners (you’ll meet them soon!) will bring to Westman’s and I know they will continue to evolve and build on these lovely neighborhood spots to continue to serve our amazing regulars and new friends too.”
Dimas teamed up with Molly Westman, a former Macrina baker, to open the original Westman’s in Capitol Hill in 2018. Two planned expansions in Pioneer Square and Seward Park never came to fruition, but a second location opened in the U District in 2022.
According to Seattle Met, “the new owners come from the tech industry, rather than the food world, but have yet to introduce themselves or discuss their plans for the business.” Maybe they can use AI to do something about that jalapeño cheddar bagel.
In the time it took you to scroll here, Toasted. opened another location.
After finally opening their U District home base in July 2024, co-owners Murat Akyüz and Jaafar Altameemi wasted little time building their bagel empire. The announced plans to expand to Bellevue in October, and followed that up with plans for a South Lake Union shop a month later. Their logo was then spotted outside a retail location in Pioneer Square in December. The Bellevue shop opened in February and the SLU spot opened its doors in mid-March. Their U District spot also got the coveted Zoe in Seattle bump.
It’s been a very impressive run for them Toasted. boys in such a short amount of time. Who knows how many locations they’ll have by the end of the year…
The hype around Andrew Rubinstein’s Hey Bagel has not slowed down one bit since opening in January. KOMO recently stopped by to see how the bagels are made and chat with Rubinstein about his process and ethos (Hey, I know someone else who did that…). The Infatuation also added Hey to their list of the best restuarants and bars in the U District.
More Bagel News…
Howdy Bagel got a nice shoutout in a Seattle Times piece about the food scene in Tacoma’s Edison neighborhood.
“Bloom Bistro serves South Seattle’s best bagels,” says The Infatuation Seattle’s Senior Editor Gabe Guarente. “In particular, the rosemary salt bagel—with its delicate herbiness—deserves some sort of yeast-based trophy.”
Port Angeles’s Atomic Bagels is hiring.
Backyard Bagel is looking to hire a baker.
Oxbow is hiring for a bunch of jobs.
Loxsmith’s Matthew Segal is looking for help funding a bagel-based kids book called Goldie’s Rainbow Bagels.
Zylberschtein’s is doing a hand-rolled matzo for Passover. That’s fun!
Bainbridge’s Briny Bagels continues to push the boundaries. Their latest creation is a graham cracker bagel: Cinnamon sugar graham cracker rocks with mascarpone chip schmear. If you try it, report back with your findings.
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Finally got to Howdy Bagel and they are legit. Worth the drive.