Can I get a good Seattle bagel at... Westman's Bagel and Coffee (U District)
We've been to one Westman's but could the second location change the game?
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.
In case you missed it, I was on KUOW’s Seattle Now last week to talk about, what else, bagels. You can listen to the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.
I recently came across an astounding bagel resource. The Everything is Everything project, which was an attempt by Mike Varley and Jessi Highet to visit and review every bagel place in New York City.
“202 bagel stores were reviewed on a zero to five scale with three ranking categories: Store, Bagel, and Spread,” says the website. “Marks of distinction were given to the standouts of each category, along with ‘Best of Borough’ honors.”
When I saw the metric they used to determine their bagel scores (an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese), you might imagine that I felt very validated. Beyond that, however, there was something that caught my eye about their findings. Not only did they visit every bagel place, but they also visited every bagel location.
They didn’t just review Tompkins Square Bagel or Brooklyn Bagel, they reviewed EVERY Tompkins Square Bagel or Brooklyn Bagel store. In doing so, they found differences, sometimes vast, sometimes subtle, between the locations.
That got me thinking about my quest. While a good number of bagel places in the region have one location, some of them have several. Perhaps, for whatever reason, some of those locations offered a better bagel than the others.
That’s how I ended up at the Westman’s bagel shop in University District.
I’ve reviewed the Capitol Hill Westman’s location twice and I didn’t come away too impressed either time. Given that this was the original Westman’s, born in 2018, I didn’t think at the time that I needed to also consider the U District option, which opened in 2022.
An interesting note in the Eater Seattle post about the U District shop was that “the bakery operation will also be moving from Capitol Hill to the new location, and the expansion will allow the business to add new items to the menu in the future.”
One thing that I complained about in both of my Capitol Hill reviews was that the bagels seemed stale. It made me wonder if there was something lost in transit from the U District and I might find a fresher bagel if I headed north.
And so I did.
If you want to know how I define a good bagel, you can find that here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Plain bagel as is
Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese.
THE EXPERIENCE
Unlike the Capitol Hill location, which always seems to be bustling, the U District location was quiet and empty when I showed up there on a Thursday morning. Tucked in a small retail cul-de-sac, it lacks the charming appeal of the sidewalk-friendly original version but does have a quaint ordering window and some tables out front.
One of the things I learned from my prior experiences is that the Capitol Hill location will toast your bagel unless you say otherwise, and I think that was probably the case here. When I said I just wanted a plain bagel as is, the cashier double-checked with me to make sure that was really what I wanted. I think I knew at that moment that I didn’t want the untoasted bagel, but I had to see it through.
It seemed like the cashier was the only person around that morning. Again, very different from the vibrant Capitol Hill spot. But he whipped up my order quickly and got me on my way.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
Something I remembered from my other Westman’s trips was that the bagels have a very uniform and smooth look. That continued to be the case here, though the shape was a bit more oblong than the previous versions, with one side of the bagel having more heft. Both bagels also had a very dark brown color.
Something else I noticed was that the plain bagel had a very pungent smell that I identified as za'atar. I like that flavor so I wasn’t against it but it was strange to have it emanating from a plain bagel. I thought perhaps it had been sitting near some of their za’atar-topped bagels but then I checked their menu and didn’t see za’atar as one of their bagel or schmear options. So…not really sure where that came from.
TOP
The plain bagel’s top was firm but soft on touch. I didn’t detect much of any crispiness anywhere either.
On the everything bagel, there was a decent seed hand at work. However, I didn’t notice any salt. There was salt on the initial Westman’s bagel I had so either it was very slight or I just missed it this time.
This bagel had been warmed so I felt like there was a little bit of crispiness there because of that. The top was firm on touch as well.
BOTTOM
The everything bagel’s bottom was firm and did seem to offer potential crispiness when I pushed on it, but not too much.
The bottom of the plain bagel had a nice-looking bake on it but that didn’t translate to much in the way of anything crumbly or crispy. It was very soft. I was hoping that some of those crannies and imperfections might translate to texture but I wasn’t sure. This seems to be a theme that runs through all my Westman’s reviews. The bagel bottoms look a lot better than they end up being.
INSIDE/BITE
The big complaint I had the first two times I went to Westman’s is that it felt like I was getting a day-old bagel based largely on the dryness inside. I think we can officially confirm here that these bagels are made ahead of time and they dry out by the time they’re served. That’s also probably why they prefer to toast them, in order to try to mask that.
Ripping into this bagel, I definitely detected a dryness in the interior. Biting into the bagel confirmed it. If there’s anything consistent about the bagels at both locations, it’s that they eat dry.
Remember that za'atar (or what I think was za'atar) smell? Well, it had also permeated the interior of the bagel. It ended up giving off a strange aftertaste and a curious hint of heat. I’m not sure if some spices got into the dough mix or somebody accidentally mixed the wrong ingredients but the end result wasn’t too appetizing.
As for the everything with cream cheese, I can appreciate that they load the schmear up with scallions so you get some sizable bits, but the problem comes with heating the bagel and turning the cream cheese into an oozy mess. Biting into the bagel, it all goes everywhere and you end up losing half of it to the plate after two bites.
The cream cheese also didn’t taste like scallion. I’m not really sure what it tasted like. But it wasn’t good. I wrote down “mealy” in my notes, which is not what you want out of a schmear. The scallion cream cheese was a positive on my first review, so perhaps I just got a bad batch.
As for the bagel itself, the bottom offered some crispness but the top and the interior collapsed when chewing, leading to a very mushy mouthfeel. Couple that with the strangeness of the cream cheese and a lack of salt on the toppings, and it ended up being a rather flavorless bite.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Alas, I think that we can be pretty clear on what to expect from Westman’s at this point, regardless of location. The bagel will be dry going on stale. You’re going to have to get it toasted for it to be edible. Consistency doesn’t seem to be a strong suit. And you’re not going to be getting anything fresh out of the oven.
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
As I said about the Capitol Hill location, Westman’s seems to have enough going on for the goys to be happy with what they're getting. I do wonder about the U District location’s long-term viability as it doesn’t have the same charm and foot-traffic appeal as the other spot. But for college kids in need of a quick breakfast, it probably does the trick.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews
If I were to tell Northeastern Jews to go to a place that serves dry/stale bagels, I don’t think I’d be allowed to do this newsletter anymore. Between that, the strange plain bagel smell/taste, and the “mealy” cream cheese, there are just too many shandas happening here. The U District has a few bagel places but unfortunately nothing that I would write home about. My neighborhood recommendation remains Bean & Bagel which benefits from keeping things really simple.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (7/9/23)
Westman’s (Capitol Hill)
Westman’s (U District)
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS
The Bagelry (Bellingham)
Howdy Bagel (Tacoma)
Otherside Bagel Co. (Bellingham)
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory (Mt. Vernon, Whidbey Island)
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