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Better Bagels
Better Bagels
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Disregard the Rumors: There Are Good Bagels in the Boston Area

From Chelsea to Newton to Cambridge, there are carbs aplenty

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Better Bagels
| Better Bagels/Facebook

Long known to play second fiddle (if not third or fourth) to New York City when it comes to bagels, Boston has fought back in recent years, with more and more options emerging, not just in the form of bakeries but also as pop-ups and farmers market staples — some of which have gone on to get their own full-fledged storefronts.

Here’s a look at some of the local places that have carved out a niche for themselves serving doughy treats and sandwiches.

Stay tuned for updates as well: More bagels are on the way. For one, a forthcoming spot in Harvard Square, Black Sheep Bagels, is slated to open this year, and it will serve pizza bagels, sandwiches, and more.

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Wicked Bagel

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Wicked Bagel offers more than a dozen varieties, along with assorted cream cheese spreads and sandwiches stuffed with eggs, bacon, ham, cheese, salmon, and chicken salad. Open daily at 6 a.m., this fairly new bakery features an open kitchen, for those hoping for an inside look at bagel making.

Wicked Bagel
Wicked Bagel
Wicked Bagel/Official Site

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels

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The name is the key to the menu at this Davis Square spot, which makes its bagels and doughnuts in-house each day. The shop took high praise from the Boston Globe, which dubbed the doughnuts worthy of a comparison to Verna’s, a longtime doughnut shop in Cambridge, and declared the bagels to be a solid version of the classic New York style. With a lineup of spreads ranging from honey walnut to jalapeño and dozens of bagel sandwiches, the options for a satisfying bagel meal feel boundless.

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels
Davis Square Donuts & Bagels
Davis Square Donuts & Bagels/Facebook

Iggy's Bread of the World

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A wholesale and farmers market staple across the region, Iggy’s also has its own storefront in Cambridge. In addition to its range of bread loaves and rolls, Iggy’s makes chewy bagels that are very seed-covered. As for style, Iggy’s says: “When we were developing them, we had hoped to make bagels like those in Montreal, but ended up with our own version altogether.”

An Iggy’s bagel
An Iggy’s bagel
Iggy’s/Facebook

Katz Bagel Bakery

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Across the Tobin Bridge in Chelsea, this 80-year-old bagel bakery claims responsibility for the invention of the pizza bagel (albeit with some contention). The family-run operation keeps it simple: bagels, cream cheeses, pizza bagels, and a selection of pastries.

Katz bagels Chelsea
Katz bagels
Ruth C./Yelp

Bagelsaurus

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What began as a pop-up inside Cutty’s sandwich shop in Brookline Village in 2013 now attracts lines down the street at its own storefront in Cambridge’s Porter Square. Owner Mary Ting Hyatt and her team of bakers sling bagels and sandwiches to hungry crowds week after week. Options include pretzel bagels with mustard butter and olive bagels with salami, brie, salted butter, and arugula. Bagelsaurus also makes bialys weekly and offers egg bagels on Fridays.

For a taste of what it’s like to walk into Bagelsaurus on any given day, here’s a look back on a feature from Eater Boston’s Breakfast Week.

A close-up of a bagel with cream cheese, sliced in half
Bagelsaurus
Katie Chudy/Eater

Somerville Bread Company [TEMPORARILY CLOSED]

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Though currently closed for renovations due to winter storm damage, Somerville Bread Company — which features a walk-up window in Union Square — is a great place to get freshly baked bagels (along with cream cheese from Somerville’s 7ate9 Bakery), not to mention loaves of bread. Check in with SBC on social media for updates on the return of the Somerville bread window.

Somerville Bread Company bagels
Somerville Bread Company bagels
Somerville Bread Company/Facebook

Mamaleh's Delicatessen

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Bagels can be as involved or simple as you like at Mamaleh’s Delicatessen in Kendall Square. Get a plain bagel with cream cheese for a quick breakfast snack, or sit down for a relaxed feast featuring a bagel platter complete with schmear, lox, pickles, and other toppings.

Mamaleh’s
Roasted sauerkraut and rye bagel at Mamaleh’s
Mamaleh’s/Facebook

Levend Bagelry

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Levend Bagelry boils and bakes its bagels out of Boston Public Market, offering a range of bagel options and seasonal sandwich specials. Founder Alex Jong started selling his bagels at pop-ups and farmers markets, also offering delivery to homes and offices, and was then able to crowdfund his move to Boston Public Market, where Levend now operates seven days a week.

Levend Bagelry
Levend Bagelry
Levend Bagelry/Facebook

Better Bagels

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Another pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar, Better Bagels has settled into its Seaport home nicely, while maintaining previous partnerships providing bagels for local cafes and pop-ups. A Boston’s Best winner in the Improper Bostonian, Better Bagels serves plenty of bagels, spreads, and sandwiches, as well as coffee and tea.

Better Bagels Better Bagels/Facebook

Pavement Coffeehouse

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Pavement Coffeehouse’s bagel roots date back to the now-renamed Bagel Rising that first opened at this same location in Allston in 2002. Owner Lawrence Margulies began selling his bagels wholesale to three Espresso Royale Caffes, before buying them out and later converting them — and Bagel Rising — into Pavements. Now with six locations around Boston and two more on the way to Lower Allston and Cambridge, there’s more opportunity than ever to embrace the glory of a Tequila Sunrise bagel sandwich, with bacon, egg, diablo cream cheese, and pico de gallo. Pavement’s bagels are kettle-boiled before baking to prevent too much rise while maintaining moisture, producing a dense and chewy bagel.

Pavement
Pavement bagels
Pavement/Facebook

Finagle a Bagel (Test Kitchen)

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This small local chain is a relative old-timer in Boston’s bagel scene, a satisfying stalwart that jazzed things up in late 2016 with the addition of a Newton “test kitchen” that serves boozy weekend brunch. Also available at Finagle: pizza bagels, breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches, and more.

Chicken bacon melt at Finagle a Bagel
Chicken bacon melt at Finagle a Bagel
Finagle a Bagel/Facebook

Kupel's Bakery

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This family-run business in Brookline has been open since 1978 and is known for its wide bagel selection, including whole wheat options and bialys. There are also dozens of cream cheeses and options for fully-loaded bagel sandwiches, named for towns and neighborhoods in the Boston area. Note that Kupel’s is closed on Saturdays.

Kupel’s Bakery
Kupel’s Bakery
Kupel’s Bakery/Facebook

Rosenfeld’s Bagels

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A Newton staple for almost half a century, Rosenfeld’s opened in 1973, when its namesake Mark Rosenfeld decided to give up a career in law to make bagels. Over time, the shop became a destination for families all over Boston, and it now serves more than 20 types of bagels, several spreads, smoked fish, and more bagel accoutrements. The establishment is also certified kosher.

Rosenfeld’s bagels
Rosenfeld’s bagels
Rosenfeld’s/Facebook

The Bagel Table

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Located at the Street in Chestnut Hill, the Bagel Table features OMG! Bagels, a local company that was the first pop-up at the Street. The Bagel Table serves OMG’s New York-style bagels with various spreads. It also offers a few “best of Rosie’s” treats, such as rugelach and thumbprint cookies, an homage to Rosie’s Bakery, which was the longtime occupant of the space before the Bagel Table opened.

The Bagel Table
The Bagel Table
The Bagel Table/Facebook

Exodus Bagels

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A longtime staple of farmers markets, Exodus Bagels now has its own permanent storefront in Jamaica Plain — and eventually it’ll open in Roslindale as well, in a space Exodus is currently using as a commissary. Owners Adam Hirsh and Priscilla Andrade perfected a recipe built on a quick sour starter. After shaping the bagels, they proof and rest them in cold fermentation for eight hours before kettle boiling with malt syrup and baking. The shop operates six days a week (closed Mondays) in the morning and afternoon.

Exodus Bagels
Exodus Bagels
Exodus Bagels/Facebook

The Bagel Place

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An outpost of a Burlington, Vermont shop, Newton’s Bagel Place bakes its bagels at the start of each day, with more than a dozen varieties. There are standard spreads, plus lesser-seen options like olive pimento and garlic and herb. In addition to breakfast sandwiches, there are lunch options available on bagels or assorted breads, plus soups, salads, and beverages.

The Bagel Place
The Bagel Place
The Bagel Place/Instagram

Local 338 Bagels & Coffee

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With more than 18 bagel varieties and 13 spreads, Local 338 keeps with the customization options of most bagel shops in the area. The West Roxbury shop also recently started offering gluten-free bagels and is one of a few places in Boston serving pizza bagels, in addition to breakfast sandwiches. Named for a now-defunct New York City bagel bakers union, Local 338 serves bagels that are made 90 percent in New York, then frozen and shipped to Boston for final prep.

The Mona Lisa Vito at Local 338
The Mona Lisa Vito at Local 338
Local 338/Facebook

Wicked Bagel

Wicked Bagel offers more than a dozen varieties, along with assorted cream cheese spreads and sandwiches stuffed with eggs, bacon, ham, cheese, salmon, and chicken salad. Open daily at 6 a.m., this fairly new bakery features an open kitchen, for those hoping for an inside look at bagel making.

Wicked Bagel
Wicked Bagel
Wicked Bagel/Official Site

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels

The name is the key to the menu at this Davis Square spot, which makes its bagels and doughnuts in-house each day. The shop took high praise from the Boston Globe, which dubbed the doughnuts worthy of a comparison to Verna’s, a longtime doughnut shop in Cambridge, and declared the bagels to be a solid version of the classic New York style. With a lineup of spreads ranging from honey walnut to jalapeño and dozens of bagel sandwiches, the options for a satisfying bagel meal feel boundless.

Davis Square Donuts & Bagels
Davis Square Donuts & Bagels
Davis Square Donuts & Bagels/Facebook

Iggy's Bread of the World

A wholesale and farmers market staple across the region, Iggy’s also has its own storefront in Cambridge. In addition to its range of bread loaves and rolls, Iggy’s makes chewy bagels that are very seed-covered. As for style, Iggy’s says: “When we were developing them, we had hoped to make bagels like those in Montreal, but ended up with our own version altogether.”

An Iggy’s bagel
An Iggy’s bagel
Iggy’s/Facebook

Katz Bagel Bakery

Across the Tobin Bridge in Chelsea, this 80-year-old bagel bakery claims responsibility for the invention of the pizza bagel (albeit with some contention). The family-run operation keeps it simple: bagels, cream cheeses, pizza bagels, and a selection of pastries.

Katz bagels Chelsea
Katz bagels
Ruth C./Yelp

Bagelsaurus

What began as a pop-up inside Cutty’s sandwich shop in Brookline Village in 2013 now attracts lines down the street at its own storefront in Cambridge’s Porter Square. Owner Mary Ting Hyatt and her team of bakers sling bagels and sandwiches to hungry crowds week after week. Options include pretzel bagels with mustard butter and olive bagels with salami, brie, salted butter, and arugula. Bagelsaurus also makes bialys weekly and offers egg bagels on Fridays.

For a taste of what it’s like to walk into Bagelsaurus on any given day, here’s a look back on a feature from Eater Boston’s Breakfast Week.

A close-up of a bagel with cream cheese, sliced in half
Bagelsaurus
Katie Chudy/Eater

Somerville Bread Company [TEMPORARILY CLOSED]

Though currently closed for renovations due to winter storm damage, Somerville Bread Company — which features a walk-up window in Union Square — is a great place to get freshly baked bagels (along with cream cheese from Somerville’s 7ate9 Bakery), not to mention loaves of bread. Check in with SBC on social media for updates on the return of the Somerville bread window.

Somerville Bread Company bagels
Somerville Bread Company bagels
Somerville Bread Company/Facebook

Mamaleh's Delicatessen

Bagels can be as involved or simple as you like at Mamaleh’s Delicatessen in Kendall Square. Get a plain bagel with cream cheese for a quick breakfast snack, or sit down for a relaxed feast featuring a bagel platter complete with schmear, lox, pickles, and other toppings.

Mamaleh’s
Roasted sauerkraut and rye bagel at Mamaleh’s
Mamaleh’s/Facebook

Levend Bagelry

Levend Bagelry boils and bakes its bagels out of Boston Public Market, offering a range of bagel options and seasonal sandwich specials. Founder Alex Jong started selling his bagels at pop-ups and farmers markets, also offering delivery to homes and offices, and was then able to crowdfund his move to Boston Public Market, where Levend now operates seven days a week.

Levend Bagelry
Levend Bagelry
Levend Bagelry/Facebook

Better Bagels

Another pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar, Better Bagels has settled into its Seaport home nicely, while maintaining previous partnerships providing bagels for local cafes and pop-ups. A Boston’s Best winner in the Improper Bostonian, Better Bagels serves plenty of bagels, spreads, and sandwiches, as well as coffee and tea.

Better Bagels Better Bagels/Facebook

Pavement Coffeehouse

Pavement Coffeehouse’s bagel roots date back to the now-renamed Bagel Rising that first opened at this same location in Allston in 2002. Owner Lawrence Margulies began selling his bagels wholesale to three Espresso Royale Caffes, before buying them out and later converting them — and Bagel Rising — into Pavements. Now with six locations around Boston and two more on the way to Lower Allston and Cambridge, there’s more opportunity than ever to embrace the glory of a Tequila Sunrise bagel sandwich, with bacon, egg, diablo cream cheese, and pico de gallo. Pavement’s bagels are kettle-boiled before baking to prevent too much rise while maintaining moisture, producing a dense and chewy bagel.

Pavement
Pavement bagels
Pavement/Facebook

Finagle a Bagel (Test Kitchen)

This small local chain is a relative old-timer in Boston’s bagel scene, a satisfying stalwart that jazzed things up in late 2016 with the addition of a Newton “test kitchen” that serves boozy weekend brunch. Also available at Finagle: pizza bagels, breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches, and more.

Chicken bacon melt at Finagle a Bagel
Chicken bacon melt at Finagle a Bagel
Finagle a Bagel/Facebook

Kupel's Bakery

This family-run business in Brookline has been open since 1978 and is known for its wide bagel selection, including whole wheat options and bialys. There are also dozens of cream cheeses and options for fully-loaded bagel sandwiches, named for towns and neighborhoods in the Boston area. Note that Kupel’s is closed on Saturdays.

Kupel’s Bakery
Kupel’s Bakery
Kupel’s Bakery/Facebook

Rosenfeld’s Bagels

A Newton staple for almost half a century, Rosenfeld’s opened in 1973, when its namesake Mark Rosenfeld decided to give up a career in law to make bagels. Over time, the shop became a destination for families all over Boston, and it now serves more than 20 types of bagels, several spreads, smoked fish, and more bagel accoutrements. The establishment is also certified kosher.

Rosenfeld’s bagels
Rosenfeld’s bagels
Rosenfeld’s/Facebook

The Bagel Table

Located at the Street in Chestnut Hill, the Bagel Table features OMG! Bagels, a local company that was the first pop-up at the Street. The Bagel Table serves OMG’s New York-style bagels with various spreads. It also offers a few “best of Rosie’s” treats, such as rugelach and thumbprint cookies, an homage to Rosie’s Bakery, which was the longtime occupant of the space before the Bagel Table opened.

The Bagel Table
The Bagel Table
The Bagel Table/Facebook

Exodus Bagels

A longtime staple of farmers markets, Exodus Bagels now has its own permanent storefront in Jamaica Plain — and eventually it’ll open in Roslindale as well, in a space Exodus is currently using as a commissary. Owners Adam Hirsh and Priscilla Andrade perfected a recipe built on a quick sour starter. After shaping the bagels, they proof and rest them in cold fermentation for eight hours before kettle boiling with malt syrup and baking. The shop operates six days a week (closed Mondays) in the morning and afternoon.

Exodus Bagels
Exodus Bagels
Exodus Bagels/Facebook

Related Maps

The Bagel Place

An outpost of a Burlington, Vermont shop, Newton’s Bagel Place bakes its bagels at the start of each day, with more than a dozen varieties. There are standard spreads, plus lesser-seen options like olive pimento and garlic and herb. In addition to breakfast sandwiches, there are lunch options available on bagels or assorted breads, plus soups, salads, and beverages.

The Bagel Place
The Bagel Place
The Bagel Place/Instagram

Local 338 Bagels & Coffee

With more than 18 bagel varieties and 13 spreads, Local 338 keeps with the customization options of most bagel shops in the area. The West Roxbury shop also recently started offering gluten-free bagels and is one of a few places in Boston serving pizza bagels, in addition to breakfast sandwiches. Named for a now-defunct New York City bagel bakers union, Local 338 serves bagels that are made 90 percent in New York, then frozen and shipped to Boston for final prep.

The Mona Lisa Vito at Local 338
The Mona Lisa Vito at Local 338
Local 338/Facebook

Related Maps