Can you get a good bagel in Austin?
Shortly after we got married, Matt did something both wonderful & horrible: he took me to New York City and while there, we visited Daniel's Bagels (not far from Grand Central Station). Since that fantastic trip, I have been forever spoiled on finding a quality bagel in Austin.
As I learned in a very influential video (ha! check it out below - it's the band The Newsboys, believe it or not) during my formative years, if a bagel is "not boiled in water, it's just a roll with a hole."
While I can't say exactly that local places DON'T boil their bagels, I can tell you that there's something that's not quite right about bagels from Einstein's or Panera, and most definitely something not right among those sold in bags in the bread section, or individually in the donut section at the grocery store. If you ever had a real NY bagel, I think you'd see the difference. A real bagel has a dense, chewy interior and a crisp exterior (and no need to be toasted). The things you get at most places in Austin have soft bread-like interiors and flimsy crusts.
The best bagels I've found at a restaurant in Austin, believe it or not, are from Dunkin' Donuts, and only then if they're toasted (otherwise they're WAY too bready). These don't begin to compare to the joy that is a real bagel, but they'll do in a pinch, as a platform for cream cheese, if nothing else.
Runner-up is frozen Lender's bagels, microwaved a few seconds to thaw then toasted at home. These, also, aren't quite right, but do the job fairly well (and are darn cheap!).
Maybe I need to search out more locally-owned non-chains to find good bagels around Austin. We've found great bagels in Ruidoso, NM last fall (place is closed now, though - boo). Just last weekend, we got fantastic bagels at almost 8,000 feet in elevation, in Avon, CO.
If you know where I might find a good bagel in Austin, please let me know! If you recommend something good and worth visiting again, I just might buy you one to celebrate!
*By the way, I think Austin has a similiar lack of a good baguette. Maybe I'll comment on that hard-hitting topic sometime soon!
As I learned in a very influential video (ha! check it out below - it's the band The Newsboys, believe it or not) during my formative years, if a bagel is "not boiled in water, it's just a roll with a hole."
While I can't say exactly that local places DON'T boil their bagels, I can tell you that there's something that's not quite right about bagels from Einstein's or Panera, and most definitely something not right among those sold in bags in the bread section, or individually in the donut section at the grocery store. If you ever had a real NY bagel, I think you'd see the difference. A real bagel has a dense, chewy interior and a crisp exterior (and no need to be toasted). The things you get at most places in Austin have soft bread-like interiors and flimsy crusts.
The best bagels I've found at a restaurant in Austin, believe it or not, are from Dunkin' Donuts, and only then if they're toasted (otherwise they're WAY too bready). These don't begin to compare to the joy that is a real bagel, but they'll do in a pinch, as a platform for cream cheese, if nothing else.
Runner-up is frozen Lender's bagels, microwaved a few seconds to thaw then toasted at home. These, also, aren't quite right, but do the job fairly well (and are darn cheap!).
Maybe I need to search out more locally-owned non-chains to find good bagels around Austin. We've found great bagels in Ruidoso, NM last fall (place is closed now, though - boo). Just last weekend, we got fantastic bagels at almost 8,000 feet in elevation, in Avon, CO.
If you know where I might find a good bagel in Austin, please let me know! If you recommend something good and worth visiting again, I just might buy you one to celebrate!
*By the way, I think Austin has a similiar lack of a good baguette. Maybe I'll comment on that hard-hitting topic sometime soon!
posted by Becky Laswell at
6:02 PM
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