We Tested Six Local Bagel Shops—Here’s Our Review
Bread is my religion. I’m a monk devoted to dough, pious in the presence of pretzels. In my sourdough spirituality, we recite psalms of sweet rolls, praise pastries, sing whole wheat hosannas, and supplicate before scones. And we are forever on the lookout for the next cathedral at which to worship.
Luckily, it’s bagel season in San Diego. After years of our city’s scene being sparse at best, the bagel revolution is upon us. Pop-ups are becoming beloved; moving into brick-and-mortar shops; setting up permanent homes in which to mix, knead, proof, rise, boil, bake, and schmear. There has perhaps never been a better time in the history of this city to be a bagel buff.
But when it’s time for a late-morning communion, which bagel to choose?
In order to settle the debate of which bagel is most heavenly, we gathered product from a half-dozen of the city’s top shops for a blind tasting based on taste and all-encompassing enjoyment. (Judges’ score cards utilized a subjective amalgamation of criteria: aroma, crust, density, chewiness, overall texture, and overall flavor.)
Like all good scientists, we did our best to utilize a control sample, judging each shop’s plain bagel (no toppings, no spreads), rather than let flavors sway us. Then, we warmed, we ripped, we ate. And, most importantly, we judged. These are the results.
Big City Bagels Cafe
Score: 8.0
Various Locations
Owners Jennifer Reynolds and Kristee Gilbert have been holding down SD’s bagel scene for 30 years. Launched in Hillcrest in the ’90s, Big City Bagels quickly became a neighborhood staple before expanding to locations throughout SD (if you’re ever hungry at the rental car center at the airport, BCB’s got you).
Tasting Notes: Warm, inviting aroma with a gently crisped crust. While it didn’t offer any show stopping elements, judges appreciated its balanced flavor and satisfying density. A solid, dependable bagel that delivers on the fundamentals.
Flavor to try besides plain: Everything
Desperado Bagels
Score: 9.4
Ocean Beach
Desperado began as a pop-up slinging bagels out of owner Gerry Giuliano’s Ocean Beach bungalow on Sunday mornings and quickly drew local attention, frequently selling out in the early dawn hours. The bagel-scented Sunday sidewalks remain, but Desperado’s wares are now also available at some local coffee shops, as well.
Tasting Notes: If you like your bagels so fat they don’t have holes, get excited. Boasting a potent, yeasty aroma, these generously sized, chewy, firm-crusted pillows deliver a deeply satisfying maltiness that stands confidently on its own, no schmear required. Judges agreed these came close to perfection for fans of the traditional New York–style bagel. Damn good bread from skilled, no-frills baking.
Flavor to try besides plain: Everything
Mission Bagel
Score: 8.2
Pacific Beach
Owner and chief baker Gabe Rubin left a cushy job to pursue his round, doughy dreams with his sister, Hannah. Now, at the corner of Ingraham and Grand in PB, you’ll find the Mission Bagel food truck schmearing small-batch, NY-style bagels for lucky hungover or hungry neighbors—and those willing to make a pilgrimage.
Tasting Notes: With a satisfyingly chewy interior and a well-developed crust, this bagel offers a more restrained flavor profile, highlighted by a gentle, pleasant tang. A stress-ball, bouncy texture gives it a uniquely tactile appeal. Judges enjoyed the subtle nod to soft pretzels in both taste and mouthfeel, which lends a nostalgic quality.
Flavor to try besides plain: Poppy seed
New Wave Bagel
Score: 9.2
Leucadia
Utilizing 100 percent naturally fermented sourdough, Wayfarer Bread alums Cheryl Storms and Matt Cardwell built a loyal following with bagel pop-ups in Encinitas and Bankers Hill. Now, New Wave’s popularity is bringing it a permanent home on the Coast Highway in Leucadia.
Tasting Notes: Leaning more toward artisan sourdough than classic bagel, this entry sparked high-decibel debate among judges. For some, these were the standouts. For others, the texture felt too far from the norm. But all agreed the bread is killer, with big, stretchy air pockets hidden within a deeply caramelized, crunchy, almost pretzel-like crust. This is sourdough heaven.
Flavor to try besides plain: Marble rye
Nomad Donuts
Score: 9.1
North Park
The name is deceiving. Nomad’s donuts get the glory, but the bagels are not to be trifled with. Once a tiny 30th Street doughnut shop, Nomad is now a North Park powerhouse firing up Montreal-style bagels boiled in agave-sweetened water and baked in a custom oven.
Tasting Notes: Soft, dense, and highly distinctive, with a sweet, yeasty aroma; a notably sugary flavor profile; and a texture one judge described as “memory-foam mattress” (but in the best way). The intentionally smaller, sweeter, and denser French-Canadian-style can be polarizing for those used to the NY classics, yet most judges devoured them.
Flavor to try besides plain: Rosemary sea salt
New York Bagels & Cafe
Score: 7.4
Rancho Bernardo
For more than 20 years, New York Bagels & Cafe has been cooking up kettle-boiled bagels and hot coffee for Rancho Bernardo regulars. With flavors galore and hang-out-all-day vibe, the shop offers a cozy place to sit down, enjoy your bagel, and maybe do a crossword.
Tasting Notes: A notably neutral flavor profile. Overall, judges felt the taste leaned watery, not quite delivering the toasty, malty character of the competition.
Flavor to try besides plain: Cinnamon raisin
Desperado Bagels
Takeaways:
We learned that not everyone wants the same encounter when it comes to bagels. Some judges loved the sweeter flavor and Tempur-Pedic texture of Nomad, while others (notably the New Yorker among us) found them too sugary and reminiscent of English muffins. Some swooned over the sourdough-forward texture of New Wave, while others felt they were eating bread disguised as a bagel. That is all to say: “Best” is in the opinion of the eater.
So, with that in mind, and with full bellies and holy hearts, we bring you our winners. Blessed be thy bagels.
Best Sourdough Bagel
New Wave Bagel
Best Sweet Bagel
Nomad Donuts
Best Flavor
Desperado Bagels
Best Overall
Desperado Bagels
The post We Tested Six Local Bagel Shops—Here’s Our Review appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
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