Is there a better breakfast food than bagels? Chewy yet crunchy, the humble bagel is incredibly versatile. The dough itself can be baked plain or with cinnamon raisins, poppy seeds or just about everything. From there, it’s a journey of cream cheeses, schmears and other toppings.
A bagel can be a sandwich served hot or cold. It’s great on the go, a perfect hangover cure, and it definitely gets you through the day with some serious fuel in your stomach. The only problem with the bagel is where to find a great one!
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Luckily for San Francisco, our city offers some truly wonderful bagel spots that could give even the best New York deli a run for its money. Whatever you’re looking for, these bagels can not be missed.
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3170 College Ave., Berkeley / Website
Alright, so Boichik is technically based in Berkeley, but this spot is far and wide regarded as the best darn bagel spot in the region, the state, and just about the whole country, according to the New York Times. Emily Winston was born and raised in New Jersey, and her family adored NYC's H&H Bagels. When the shop went out of business in 2011, Winston began a five-year journey to perfect a recipe as close to her memories as possible. The result is chewy yet crunchy bagel so delicious, customers don’t mind waiting in line. You can also grab Boichik’s bagels at local grocery stores to recreate the magic at home, but if you haven’t had them fresh, don’t miss your chance.
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2535 3rd Street / Website
At the intersection of community and flavor, you’ll find Dogpatch favorite Daily Driver. Part barley, part creamery and part roastery, Daily Driver the bagels here are hand-rolled and wood-fired, creating a unique bagel experience that’s unlike anything you can grab in New York or Montreal. Bagels are dressed with the company's own home-made and organic butter and cream cheese. It’s a small batch outfit that’s ready to feed you fresh-made goods the old fashioned way, each and every day.
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235 Cortland Ave. / Website
While this local favorite currently lacks a brick and mortar location, Chicken Dog Bagels are worth going on the hunt. As of press time, it’s popping up at Avedano’s Meats in Bernal Heights, and it’s serving fresh hand-rolled and naturally-leavened bagels with organic cream cheese, sustainable fish and homemade jams Saturdays until they sell out. You can place an order ahead of time on Friday, but check the official Instagram for the latest news.
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5030 Geary Blvd. / Website
Serving New York-style bagels to San Francisco since 1962, House of Bagels on Geary Boulevard has become a neighborhood institution. Everything is baked fresh daily, from bagels to challahs, ryes, cookies and the latest addition: cragels—a mix between a croissant and a bagel. Order a classic bagel with schmear or Nutella, cream cheese and jam, peanut butter and jelly, and more options; or fill up on a bagel sandwich from egg and oven roast turkey, to a tuna melt, a classic Reuben and more.
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2049 Irving Street / Website
Open every day of the week from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m., good old Uncle Benny has served delicious, home-made bagels and pastries to hungry Bay area residents since 2009. Donuts are front and center at this store, but the bagels are nothing to skip. The pesto bagel and salmon with cream cheese bagel are popular options if you're craving something savory and filling. The BLT with avocado on the everything bagel is another delicious bite that can’t lose.
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3933 24th Street / Website
Another daily bagel spot, Noe Bagel offers customers top-tier schmears from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week. Putting its neighborhood right in its name, this fan favorite offers a variety of bagel sandwiches. We recommend the egg, cheese and sausage bagel breakfast; or the lox trim and cream cheese sandwich which reimagines the classic with tomato, cucumber, red onion, sprouts and pickle. You may also order schmears to go in plain, lite or flavored varieties.
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2320 Lombard Street / Website
More than just a bagel spot, this family owned-and-operated cafe serves all the coffee house favorites, including Ritual brand blends. We're here to talk about one thing and one thing only, and the breakfast bagel sandwich here comes with bacon, thinly-sliced avocado, egg and cheddar cheese on an everything bagel. That's the self-proclaimed specialty, but you can also get a smoked salmon bagel; a turkey, egg and cheese bagel; an assortment of bagels to go and more.
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1263 Fell Street / Website
It might have a silly name, but there's nothing funny about these bagels. The name is actually a portmanteau of the owner-founders last names, being Zack Schwab and James Lok. Schlok’s started as a pop-up, but it’s getting its own brick-and-mortar in NoPa, so you can grab fresh, hand-rolled bagels to go or delicious in-house schmears, lox and more any time you want. Customers can’t stop raving about these bagels, so be sure to check out the permanent location in January of 2022.
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Various Locations / Website
With locations all around the city and the Bay Area at large, Wise Son's is serving home-made bagels and breads with all the love of a family-owned business—because that's what it is! This place takes a lot of pride in its hand-picked ingredients, promising that the beef brisket is never administered hormones or antibiotics, and that its pastrami is smoked for nearly seven hours with hickory wood. Try the lumberjack bagel sandwich with pastrami, Swiss cheese, eggs and maple syrup on a cinnamon raisin bagel or a breading of your choice; or the veggie de-luxe with veggie schmear, salted cucumber, red onion, hippie greens and capers. Orders are available for pick-up and delivery, and they also serves soups, salads, sides and desserts.
Photography by: Rachel McDermott / Unsplash
