"You need mountains, long staircases don't make good hikers"
"You need mountains, long staircases don't make good hikers"
Mt. Bagel leaves a giant hole in the Seattle bagel scene.
SPOILER ALERT: This entire project was supposed to culminate in me declaring that the best bagel in Seattle was far and away Mt. Bagel. That was before the small-batch delivery company decided to move far and away to Bend, Oregon.
I haven’t even eaten that many different bagels in Seattle yet and I already know this was going to be true because Mt. Bagel is one of the best bagels I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I’d put their starch circles in the same category as some of the best New Jersey and New York bagels I’ve had. It’s that good and it’s a huge loss to Seattle bagel eaters who would line up for hours on the rare days that they held a pop-up shop.
I’m extremely bummed to see Mt. Bagel go but there was also something very motivating about the news. Knowing that my go-to bagel (when I remembered to order them before they sold out each week) was gone means I need to come to terms with what’s left behind. And while I can’t say that I expect to find a bagel as good as the ones they’d deliver to my doorstep, I am excited to explore Seattle’s hyped (overhyped?) bagel scene and see what schmears I can suss out.
This newsletter, which has been on the backburner for a bit, is officially full schmear ahead (okay, that’s the last schmear pun, promise). I’ll have my first bagel review ready for next week and no amount of heartburn or toasted bagels will get in our way.
I’ve got a full list of Seattle bagel shops to consider but if you happen to have one in mind that you really want me to visit and review, let me know. And if you know any bagel lovers in the Seattle area who want to join in the conversation, please send the subscribe link their way.
And if you live in the Bend area, consider yourself very lucky. You just got gifted one of the best bagel shops in America.