Adam B.
Yelp
Having lived in NYC for a good part of my post-college years, I can attest the bagels here are pretty solid. Maybe even better than what bodegas serve you in NYC; though probably not up to the level of those specialty shops/factories people make special trips for. Which, in California, means it's a pretty great bagel!
Everything Bagel w/ Pesto & Sundried Tomato Spread: The bagel had that perfect mix of crunch exterior (after toasting) and chewy interior. Loved all the flavorful speckled toppings, so I didn't have to choose. The cream cheese was actually better than what you get in NYC, since it had that California seasonal freshness. Smooth fresh cheese, vegetal crisp pesto and umami sundried tomatoes. A great way to liven up your breakfast.
The Classic on Onion Bagel: I asked if they could make this open-faced, like you'd have at brunch, but received a stern no. So I asked that they not cut it and I was able to deconstruct the bagel sandwich and then reconstruct the bagel as open face. The onion bagel was the good choice by me, adding some nice intensity along with the chives cream cheese. Normally I'm not a fan of tomato on lox bagels, but theirs was fresh and juicy and thin so it just worked. Just enough red onions and capers for tang, without being overwhelming. The lox was nice, no nasty fishy brown/gray bits. Only thing missing was some fresh dill, though still a strong showing for bagels in San Francisco.
Egg Salad, Tuna Salad, Red Onion, Cucumber on Garlic Bagel Daily Special: Tuna salad and egg salad together in one bagel is an intense breakfast! I was hoping to try their salads, so was happy to see both were in the Daily Special. The red onion and cucumber separated the two salads. The tuna salad seemed to just be like typical tuna fish sandwich filling, but on a bagel, which is weird for breakfast. The egg salad tasted like chopped devil eggs and felt a bit more breakfast appropriate. Though the whole time I was really missing the cream cheese, since I feel it's so necessary for a bagel. Kinda like if you put hummus on a bagel, it just doesn't feel right.