At this Whidbey Island gem (now with three locations), there are over two dozen bagel flavors, including the excellent rosemary, chive, and sea salt, and a creative “bahn mi” bagel with shredded carrot, ginger, jalapeños, and fish sauce mixed into the dough for a super savory bite. The classic everything bagel has a thin, less chewy crust and iis loaded with toppings both on the outside and inside.

Pinehurst’s neighborhood bakery and deli offers many excellent bagels, which are available for takeout onsite or a wide range of delivery around the city via a bagel club. Created by master baker, Josh Grunig, these bagels have a subtle sourdough tang and chewy, but airy interior. Great on their own with whipped lox schmear, the bagels are best enjoyed loaded up with pastrami, egg, and cheddar cheese for a messy and hearty sandwich. Grunig’s bagels can now also be found in Seward Park, at Muriel’s, a new Kosher dairy restaurant and pareve bakery.

Formerly the much-loved Porkchop & Co, this Ballard shop was reborn as a bagel spot during the pandemic. These perfectly chewy bagels are excellent across the board, with offerings like bagels topped with za’atar and shichimi togarashi (a Japanese chili pepper and spice blend). There are also great bagel sandwich options, like the Nick and Nora, a riff on avocado toast with chili crisp. The shop also serves special flavors each day of the week, with pepperoni bagels offered each Wednesday.

This not-quite-traditional Jewish deli in Ballard may have some unconventional items (like latke-pressed sandwiches), but owner Jonny Silverberg’s take on the classic bagel is top-notch. Boiled in barley malt syrup before baking, the bagels are shiny with a crisp exterior, nice chew, and soft interior. The satisfying schmears also come in a variety of flavors, including a great herbed caper option (don’t forget to top it with the lox, which is cured onsite).

This bagel purveyor has been a successful pandemic project by the lauded seafood restaurant Manolin. Smoked cod, kippered salmon, and coho lox sold on crusty and chewy homemade bagels or by the pound showcase this restaurant’s seafood expertise, while the beautifully blistered bagels display a mastery of bagel craftsmanship.

Rubinstein’s specializes in sourdough bagels, which gives the offerings a subtle tang and moist crumb, while still achieving the traditional bagel chew. There are over a dozen flavors here, from the basics to tempting novelties like cacio e pepe, shallot, and chocolate chip. This fast-growing bagel favorite has two locations, in Belltown and Capitol Hill, with plans for a forthcoming location in Downtown Redmond to open later this year.

This Capitol Hill restaurant (with a Ballard outpost) offers an alternative to the  bagels at other spots in Seattle with its wood-fired, Montreal-style bagels. Thinner, slightly sweeter, and less chewy, the bagels make for perfect sandwiches, including the grilled halloumi, egg, and arugula option. They’re also fantastic served with Eltana’s cream cheese spreads, such as the spicy garlic, as well as a variety of infused butters.

This walk-up window on Capitol Hill was among the first in the Seattle to really up the city’s bagel game, with a New York-style, dense and chewy bagel served with a variety of terrific schmears or as sandwiches. The house-smoked whitefish sandwich is the hidden gem of the menu — the smoked trout on an everything bagel making a salty breakfast wonder. There’s also a vegan bagel sandwich made with carrot lox, vegan schmear, and herb caper dressing that’s far from traditional but makes for a wonderfully bright and tangy bagel sandwich.

This small bagel business started by Jake Carter and his partner Daniel Blagovich out of their home during the pandemic has expanded into a robust delivery program and pop-up on Saturdays at the Proctor Farmers Market in Tacoma which also occasionally pops up in Seattle. The bagel lineup includes all the classics (plus a za’atar bagel), served with schmears or as innovative open-faced bagel tartines. Hand-rolled, the bagels are smaller than your average, but not too dense, with a crisp crust. Keep an eye out for a forthcoming brick-and-mortar shop on South Tacoma Way.