The Seattle jalapeño cheddar bagel jamboree: Hey Bagel & Freshborn Bagels
Two more jalapeño cheddar bagels make their case for best in the city.
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Welcome back to The Seattle Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel Jamboree. You can read the previous entries here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Complete rankings can be found at the bottom of the post.
We’ve gotten a good sense of how most of Seattle’s JCBs stack up. The top four I’ve reviewed so far (Little Rachel’s, Bloom Bistro, Backyard Bagel, and Loxsmith Bagels) are all pretty negligible in terms of elite quality. However, we’ve been waiting for Hey Bagel to see how their version stacks up. It just so happens that I tried upstart Freshborn Bagels around the same time. So, we get the chance to add two more jalapeño cheddar bagels to the rankings.
As a reminder, while my general bagel rankings are based on whims and vibes, I’m handing out actual scores in the jalapeño cheddar rankings. Each bagel will get a score from 1-5 on Bagel Quality, Jalapeño Factor, Cheesiness, Middle, and Overall Experience, as well as an Intangibles bonus (which can add or remove points to the overall score). I’ll add all those points for a Total Score out of 25.
Initial Thoughts
I got lucky catching the Hey Bagel JCB when I did. They were supposed to make Fresno chili pepper bagels, but they had a mixup and pivoted. I should also note that this was a Monday at 10 a.m.; if you ever want to try to beat the lines, that’s the time.
It looked, as I expected it to, great. All of the classic qualities appeared to be present. Now, technically, they sell this as a jalapeño cheddar bialy. As such, there is no hole in the middle. However, we’ll get into why I quibble with that description shortly.
As for Freshborn, I first noticed the massive peppers on top. I don’t think I’d seen larger ones in the jamboree. I was intrigued. Otherwise, everything appeared to look as I’d want it to see from a JCB.
Bagel Quality
As expected with Hey Bagel, the bagel/bialy felt soft but crispy. The bottom was knockable on the edges but soft in the middle. It was doughy but crisp on the bite. There was a soft chew from the interior, but the bagel/bialy retained heft and sturdiness. It felt slightly oily in the way that a jalapeño cheddar should. Sometimes, a high-quality bagel can detract from the JCB experience, but that was not the case here.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
With Freshborn, the bagel was the ideal size and felt soft in the right way. The lightly brown exterior was slightly oily as needed but not overwhelmingly so. The interior offered a good chew and rebounded extremely well after each bite. This was a very buoyant bagel that held its own with the other ingredients.
Score: 4 out of 5
Jalapeño Factor
Hey Bagel went with the classic circular cut and offered up some big pepper rounds. I initially counted five peppers and noted, “I’d love to see at least one more pepper, preferably in the middle.” We’ll come back to that. The first bite's heat was subtle but built up with each successive bite, never overpowering the palette. As I reached the center of the bagel, I discovered there was a b-b-b-b-b- BONUS pepper tucked away under the cheese. Talk about a nice surprise.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
The Freshborn JCB also went with the circular peppers, but these suckers were massive. They absolutely covered the top of the bagel, ensuring that no bite would go un-peppered. I counted five, which was fine given the size, though I wouldn’t have been mad to find one more. They offered a nice flavor and a heat that built throughout the meal. It definitely got spicy but never overpowering.
Score: 4 out of 5
Cheesiness
Hey Bagel had solid cheese coverage across the entire top, as well as some of the sides. Because it was so fresh, the center was still a little oozy, a nice bonus. The cheesiness was subtle in a good way. I could always taste it, but it never overwhelmed the experience.
Score: 4 out of 5
Freshborn went with the classic cheese preparation of letting a slice melt across the top, which led to solid coverage, though there were a few bare spots. The cheesiness was present but not overwhelming. Balance was the name of the game in most categories with this one. There was also a nice little crackly offshoot that came with the bagel.
Score: 4 out of 5
Middle
As noted, this was actually Hey Bagel’s jalapeño cheddar bialy. I know Andrew will hate me saying this, but I don’t think this qualifies as a bialy. The line between the two has become fuzzy in recent years, especially the further you get from New York, but I know what a traditional bialy looks and tastes like. This looks and tastes like a bagel. And I’m not complaining, mind you, cause it’s delicious. But I have to call it like I see (and taste) it.
That said, thanks to the freshness and cheesiness of the center, the olive oil dusting, and the crispiness of the bagel, I felt like I was taking a bite of a slice of pizza as a mid-bagel snack. It was one of the most wonderful bites I’ve had in this entire experience.
Score: 5 out of 5
The Freshborn JCB's middle was ringed by a jalapeño pepper on top and closed off by a cheesy crust on the bottom. It was a pleasant amalgamation of all the flavors you want, though the cheese came through more here than in other bites.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Overall Experience
In both instances, I went into it expecting a great jalapeño cheddar bagel, and I got what I was expecting. With Hey Bagel, the entire thing was truly a meal, and I couldn’t stop eating it, especially after that middle bite, which reenergized me. As for Freshborn, it was incredibly easy to eat the entire bagel. I thought it brought the heat in a significant way that lingered but never tipped over into unpleasantness.
Hey Bagel Score: 4.5 out of 5
Freshborn Score: 4.5 out of 5
Intangibles
N/A
Final Score
Hey Bagel comes in with a final score of 22.5, while the total score for Freshborn comes in at 20, putting them in the upper echelon of Seattle jalapeño cheddar bagels. That’s probably not surprising for Hey, but it confirms that Freshborn is a serious player in the Seattle bagel scene. Go search them both out for your next JCB fix.
Seattle Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel Jamboree Rankings (5/5/25)
Hey Bagel, Little Rachel’s (Tie - 22.5)
Bloom Bistro (21.0)
Backyard Bagel (20.5)
Loxsmith Bagels, Freshborn Bagels (Tie - 20)
Cafe Argento/Safeway (15.5)
Rubinstein Bagels (14)
Westman’s (6.5)
Einstein Bros. (6)
Blazing Bagels (5.5)
Bagelbop (4)
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Sean, I love your reviews and have another contender for you to try out! I tried Sully's bagels at the Fremont Sunday market, and they had an intriguing one- everything topping, but an egg bagel inside. To this displaced New Yorker the bagels were all pretty good, especially the pastrami bagel sandwiches they have. (Also they have a chocolate babka french toast that was incredible.)