Can I find a good Woodinville bagel at... Woodinville Bagel Bakery
Did I just see sprinkles on a bagel???
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 make sure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com.
The only thing I knew about Woodinville, WA before I started this newsletter was that they had wineries. As someone who doesn’t drink wine, it seemed unlikely that I’d feel too much of a pull to this Eastside enclave.
Then I started putting together my list of area bagel shops that I’d need to review and discovered Woodinville Bagel Bakery. At that point, it was only a matter of time before I headed east to see what all the fuss was about.
In 2013, Bigfoot Bagels closed its doors after 15 years, potentially robbing Woodinville of its only bagel shop. Out of its metaphorical ashes was born Woodinville Bagel Bakery. Hussein Patwa and AJ Ghambari remodeled the retail shop and kept the schmears coming. They sold the business in 2015 to Martin Tiongson who, per his LinkedIn, sold it last month. I can’t find any details on the new ownership, but it appears that the one constant through the years is Woodinville Bagel Bakery slinging bagels on a Sunday morning (and other mornings).
I decided to make a recent Saturday a hiking day and it just so happened that my chosen hike had me driving right past Woodinville. The stars had finally aligned and it was time to find out if some good bagels were lurking on the other side of Lake Washington.
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
Everything bagel with plain cream cheese ($2.80)
Plain bagel as-is ($1.30)
THE EXPERIENCE
The experience of finding WBB reminded me of suburban bagel shop experiences in New Jersey. I pulled into the strip mall off the main road, scanned the businesses for the one I was looking for, and spotted it lurking around the corner from the Starbucks and H&R Block.
Inside, it had all the trappings of your classic suburban bagel spot, including a bagel case that was maxed out with various flavors and options. The one that invariably caught my eye was the bagel topped with rainbow sprinkles.
*begins rant*
Look. I know I shouldn’t be throwing shade given what I was cool with during my trip to Japan, but I have to draw the line at sprinkles on a bagel. It doesn’t even make sense. Just get a doughnut! That’s why it looks appealing, right? Because it reminds you of a doughnut? So just go do that! You’re gonna order the bagel with sprinkles, bite into it, and think to yourself, “I wish this were a doughnut.” A bagel topped with sprinkles cannot possibly be good. I refuse to believe this. We used to be a country. A proper country.
*ends rant*
Sprinkles aside, nothing else seemed out of place. The shop was full of families enjoying their breakfasts and a steady stream of people picking up their orders. The staff was busy and the bagels were rolling. And the prices were very right, especially for the region.
I got confused when ordering and got an everything bagel with plain cream cheese because I only saw one schmear option, but looking at the online menu I can see that they actually have 11 different kinds. Still, it’s a lot of hazarai like “Walnut Raisin” and “Chipotle Bacon” so I’m glad I stuck with the plain.
UPON FIRST GLANCE
My first thought when I looked over the bagels was that this was what I was expecting: A glut of options. That said, I could tell this would probably be a better experience than Blazing Bagels, which takes that focus to an extreme. That said, as anyone who has seen my rankings would tell you, “Better than Blazing Bagels” is faint praise.
TOP
The top of the plain bagel was uniform with some slight crevices that were more like fissures. There weren’t many noticeable blisters or bubbles. The color was a golden brown and uniformly so. It was soft and crinkly to the touch. The exterior would break when I pressed on it, revealing a very thin, crackly exterior. The bagel itself was a good size with a long hole in the middle.
The top of the everything bagel was a light brown, featuring a dark brown nub on the side. The top was firm to the touch and didn’t break, perhaps in part because the bagel had been toasted. There was a medium seed hand that seemed light on onion and garlic. I also didn’t detect much salt in the mix.
BOTTOM
The bottom of the plain bagel had a smattering of cornmeal but nothing I would call a Cornmeal Ring of Doom (CRoD). It was firm but, like the top, broke when I pressed on it. It featured a dark ring full of blistering in the center but changed to light brown towards the middle of the bagel.
The bottom of the everything bagel was much firmer and almost knockable.
INSIDE/BITE
The plain bagel offered a very easy rip that fit with the easily breakable exterior on the top and bottom. There were some whisps of crunch on the bit but they faded away quickly. The bagel offered a medium rebound after each bite, re-inflating somewhat. Fairly quickly, I started to notice a strange taste from the interior. It seemed almost malty. I tried to work past it but found myself unable to keep eating. The sweet tang threw off any semblance of the classic bagel taste and smell.
The everything bagel also offered a tiny bit of crispness. However, the bagel collapsed pretty thoroughly on the bite thanks to a soggy interior. It was the classic problem of a toasted bagel and cheap cream cheese, creating a mushy, oozy experience. I also wasn’t getting any flavor from the everything seasoning since it lacked salt. Again, there was a slightly off-putting flavor in there, though I couldn’t identify if it was coming from the bagel or the schmear. Lacking texture, flavor, and crunch, there just wasn’t anything here to enjoy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I said above that my first impression was that this was what I was expecting. That holds for the taste test as well. I presumed that this was going to be on the level of Blazing Bagels, Einstein Bros., or Big Apple Bagels and it pretty much was. On one hand, I’m happy they’re out there. On the other hand, as usual, I wish the quality was more of a priority than the quantity.
I did have a nice hike afterward though, so that’s something, right?
Is It Good Enough For The Goys?
This is my dilemma. I want everyone to have access to bagels, I just wish that they had access to better bagels. So I suppose I have to be okay with it so the good people of Woodinville get their schmear fix. Hopefully, they come away realizing that a French Toast bagel with Tomato Pesto Garlic cream cheese isn’t the goal.
Is It Good Enough For Northeastern Jews?
Look, if you find yourself on your way to a hike or taking a drive into the mountains and need a bagel to keep you going, it’ll suffice. But next time, think ahead and grab a few Bagel Oasis, Mt. Bagel, or Old Salt ones for the road.
MY SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS SO FAR (3/11/24)
Old Salt (Fremont]
Old Salt (Ballard)
Loxsmith (West Seattle)
Loxsmith (Beacon Hill)
Westman’s (Capitol Hill)
Westman’s (U District)
OUTSIDE SEATTLE BAGEL RANKINGS (1/16/24)
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)
Woodinville Bagel Bakery (Woodinville)
Big Apple Bagels (Bellevue)
Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my Seattle bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Forward the link their way.
I’m with you on the WBB rating: meh. But Lord Hill park is one of my favorite local spots… glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your service! 🙏 Its weird how hard it is to find good bagels out here. What gives?
I tried Woodinville bagel bakery when we moved to Woodinville in 2017... And never went back.. sad I didn't enjoy the product bc I think they have a fun vibe. We preferred Panera bagels (next plaza over) although they are now fist-sized and not worth it... Now we tend to stick with Safeway bagels. We prefer them to Blazin.
There are some hidden gem bagel shops in NH, if you ever make it out there. When I'm in NJ area I spend all my calories on pizza and there's none left for bagels.