Backyard Bagel

"The crackly rings of bouncy yeasted dough at this Fremont counter are game-changing, and yet, it’s not annoying to get one (for now). Backyard Bagel’s snaking line progresses quickly, food flies out in less than five minutes, and the excellent coffee drinks—featuring Stamp Act beans—are not afterthoughts. There’s a beautiful simplicity in chewy everything bagels stuffed with whipped scallion schmear, eaten at one of the little indoor bistro tables inside. But don’t count out The Cali Crisp, a vegan sandwich full of avocado mash, bright corn salsa, and just enough Kari Kari chili crisp to tickle the sinuses." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"This onetime pop-up (under the name Aaron’s Bagels) has grown up into a storefront that serves warm, soft-but-still-satisfyingly-springy bagels alongside a lineup of creative schmears (are you more of a honey raisin person, or a capers and dill?). Backyard’s superpower is that it bakes bagels by the hour rather than baking them all at once and then toasting them, guaranteeing you a fresh bagel... unless they sell out, which can happen. This is a bagel you need to plan your day around." - Harry Cheadle

"Backyard Bagel (formerly Aaron’s Bagel) opened up a brick-and-mortar shop in July, giving its bagels, long a farmers market favorite, a permanent home. In its new form, Backyard is offering some creative schmears, like capers and dill, blueberry, and hot honey. It also has a fun selection of rotating sandwich options. Will you be able to get one of those sandwiches? Maybe not, since this is one of those places that sells out FAST. Get here early enough in the day to get one of its fresh, hot, flavorful bagels — you don’t even need to put anything on them." - Meg van Huygen, Harry Cheadle

"The crackly rings of bouncy yeasted dough at this Fremont counter are game-changing, and yet, it’s not too annoying to get one (for now). Backyard Bagel’s snaking line progresses relatively quickly, food flies out in less than five minutes, and they're not skimpy on the lox. For purists, there’s a beautiful simplicity in chewy everything bagels stuffed with whipped scallion schmear. But don’t count out The Cali Crisp, a vegan sandwich full of avocado mash, bright corn salsa, pickled onion, summer tomatoes, and just enough Kari Kari chili crisp to tickle the sinuses. The only catch? Sell-out happens around 11:30am, so don’t sleep through that Sunday alarm." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente

"A popular pop-up bagel operation (formerly Aarons Bagel’s) now has a permanent space in Fremont. Flavors made daily include jalapeño cheddar and poppy salt. There’s also a lox bagel sandwich, plus schmears like hot honey and vegan garlic and herb. We tried Backyard Bagel and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here." - kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo, gabe guarente