For members of the UPrep community looking for a bagel, everything is an option. Within two miles of campus are four dedicated bagel shops displaying delicious doughy discs. In order to order the best bagel orders, we’ve concisely ordered our favorite orders: an orderly one plain and one everything bagel. For ease and taste, they both came with plain cream cheese.
Blazing Bagels
Blazing Bagels was bustling like none other. We luckily dodged the crazy line, but others were almost out the door. The lengthy line moved
somewhat fast, as huge batches of bagels came out of the open kitchen every minute. While not as physically large as the crowds of customers would suggest, the store makes the most of their interior. Tables with chairs are scattered throughout and a high bar encircles the seating half of the store. We found a spot at the high bar and got our food at an okay time.
The wait for a bagel can sometimes be quite long at Blazing, likely due in part to its proximity to the University of Washington. Despite the lines, we believe it’s well worth the wait. We tried their everything and egg bagels (they were out of plain) and were not disappointed. Both had a perfect texture of moist, airy bread, paired with an every so slightly crunchy shell. The everything had a generous helping of herbs and onion, while the Egg was simply one of if not the best bagels we have ever had. The flavor was bursting in our mouths as we wiped delicious cream cream cheese off our faces. Five out of five big booms.
Hey Bagel
This new hole-in-the-wall bagel joint seems to be the most popular place at U Village. Even with our afternoon visit, we waited in a line
out the door. The customer service was spectacular, as workers did good work to minimize waiting time. There is no seating in Hey Bagel, so anyone wishing to eat there should get comfortable with takeout. They have a simple menu, with large bins of bagels by the line to the register, so it’s easy to see what’s available on any given day.
While some bagels are merely good, eating the Hey Bagel was like biting into a cloud. It was majestic. Each bagel was densely packed with flavor. However, for reasons we cannot understand, the Hey bagels aren’t cut. They are presented whole, and no knives are given. The cream cheese isn’t spread on the bagels; instead it is presented to the customer in a green plastic cup, which damages what would have been an otherwise great experience. However, these inexplicable service decisions were unable to ruin the experience. We give Hey Bagel four Big Booms.
Bagel Oasis
Bagel Oasis is situated less than a mile from UPrep. The interior is exactly what you would want from a bagel store: a cozy vibe from a spacious room provides
customers with chairs, booths and coffee tables galore. The menus are colorfully decorated with hand-drawn chalk writing and bright depictions of orders. Overall, a solid place to get out of the cold and enjoy a bite.
There is nothing wrong with the bagels at Bagel Oasis. They reasonably sized, well-cooked and simple, yet delicious. But that simplicity means that while tasty, the bagels are unremarkable. The most popular bagel, the everything, is so sparsely seasoned it tastes almost identical to the classic plain. The flavor wasn’t able to shine as we hoped. The cream cheese was no different: unremarkable once again.
The bagels are pleasant but mundane. While an overall basic bagel and environment, we would only feel comfortable giving Bagel Oasis three out of five Big Booms.
Einstein Bros
Einstein has been in University Village for as long as we can remember. This chain bagel store, slanted off in a corner in the massive U Village QFC felt compact, yet oddly dignified. A narrow space with only 3 stools has found a way to work, with clean wooden decor and large windows looking out
at the mall. They do a strong job of displaying the variety of bagels and schmear they offer. Likely in part due to us visiting midday, the store was completely empty, leading to a fast turn-around from ordering to receiving the bagels.
As usual, we ordered a plain bagel with cream cheese and their everything bagel with cream cheese. Their plain bagels are solid. We didn’t feel wowed in any regard but the bagels are well-supplied with cream cheese, an added bonus which we enjoyed. The everything bagel was well seasoned, but not particularly special. Our biggest complaint was from the lack of excitement with both the bagels and the atmoschmear, leading to an overall rating of three Big Booms.
