As a New-Englander and bagel lover moving to the other side of the country which has a legitimate fear of gluten, I took it upon myself to find the best and most authentic New York bagel places in this carb free city. Having grown up with my dad living in New York City, I became a bagel snob at a young age. PSA to people living in LA: bagels out of a store-bought bag are not real bagels, just, no. Luckily for me, after heavy googling and looking like a zoo animal when I asked locals for bagel suggestions, I discovered some hidden gems to give you the dose of New York bagels you need when living in SoCal.
Nosh Beverly Hills
For only $3.80 this bagel was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, perfectly toasted and had enough cream cheese. Bagel Nosh definitely wasn’t just bagels though – it was a breakfast place that was crowded when I got there and everything smelled amazing. Even after a small wait it was well worth it. They had a wide variety of bagels, cream cheeses and breakfast sandwich options, and it will probably be the cheapest but best thing you can find in Beverly Hills.
The Bagel Broker
Located right by the Grove, The Bagel Broker is giving Los Angeles the words they need to hear. Their motto is “Keep Calm and Eat a Carb.” Never have truer words been spoken. The Bagel Broker is a typical bagel place like those that you would find in New York: fast service, a few small tables, and full of people that don’t have enough time to sit and eat. When I went to order my bagel, I asked if it needed to be toasted and it was a clue when the guy helping me understood the question. If a bagel is fresh and still warm there is no need for it to be toasted, and luckily for me it was. This fresh bagel was perfect with the crunch you are looking for on the outside and a soft inside. To me the strawberry cream cheese was a bit sweet and artificial tasting but I will definitely be back to eat all the bagels.
The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel
This bagel place knows what’s important in life. Water is actually super important in bagel taste, and texture so this place was already showing they had the keys to success. This bagel was goooood – we’re talking perfectly toasted, perfect ratio of cream cheese to bagel, and only costing $2.99 #blessup. I’m about to spend all my money here. Brooklyn Water Bagel also had all New York decorations so you actually felt like you were in New York City when you walked inside.
Yeastie Boys
Bagels are no exception to the food truck frenzy happening all over the United States. Along with a successful food truck, Yeastie Boys also sell bagels at Alfred’s in the ally in Melrose. I had a cheddar bagel which cost $0.50 more, but was worth it. Since Yeastie Boys is bougie their bagels cost $5.50, but them boys know how to make a good bagel. Also, this bagel was filling, it was bigger than the other bagels I had tried thus far and had a mountain of cream cheese. But this isn’t the worst thing, it’s always good to have more cream cheese than less (that’s pro tip #2). This bagel had less of a crunch than others but was warm chewy and a top notch bagel option for LA.
New York Bagel Company
New York Bagel Co. was as it sounds, an authentic New York bagel. I tried their strawberry cream cheese and it was full of fresh strawberries so it tasted fresh, delicious, and not overly sweet. This bagel had the perfect crunch to it. However they didn’t have enough of that addictive cream cheese on it. With just a little more schmear, this place could actually compete with the New York Bagels in New York.
Bueller’s Bagels
Bueller…Bueller…Bueller… I like to think Ferris Bueller would have eaten a bagel here on his day off from school. Bueller’s bagels has a lot of variety in their types of bagels and spreads. They had quick service and again, understood if a bagel needed to be toasted. In case you’re driving there right now it’s cash only. The bagels are soft and fresh. I could have had some more cream cheese, but overall this bagel was just as good as some east coast bagel places.
Wexler Delicatessen
Get ready for your new go to spot for a breakfast sandwich. With in house daily smoked meats and fish their breakfast sandwiches are guaranteed to be amazing. As a normal bagel place though, this place was good but not outstanding. I had an everything bagel and I really appreciated that the everything bagel was seasoned heavily with everything! It was not like other places when it tastes like you’re eating a plain bagel with a random spice every 3 bites. For a plain old bagel and cream cheese place this is not the place, but for a bagel and lox or smoked meats place this spot comes in first.
Milo & Olive
An honorable mention would have to be Milo & Olive. This place was more of an actual restaurant than a bagel place which is why I’m not including it in the list but it was still good. The bagels were unique, they almost tasted like freshly baked rolls. They were very soft and had almost no crunch. The cream cheese is a different story… it was very buttery and crumbly which is not what anyone would want or expect. However, this bagel- roll hybrid they have is too good to be forgotten. So maybe get some M&O bagels to go and BYO cream cheese
Overall for a city that has a phobia of gluten and carbs there are some actually delicious bagels out here that you should all try.