"Boil & Bake is worth the drive from Los Angeles. This Orange County operation has legions of fans who happily line up outside the Costa Mesa strip mall outlet, ready for breakfast sandwiches or whatever owner Carlos Perez has in mind. Try a bagel by itself, or with schmear, at first to appreciate the complex flavor that comes from its natural leavening process. Sandwiches here use ingredients sourced from local purveyors like Valdivia Farms heirloom tomatoes and La Bahn Ranch eggs." - Mona Holmes
"A fourth-generation Costa Mesa bagel maker, Boil & Bake partnered with the Prettys to supply sesame and plain bagels that Phil says are better than any he’s tried in Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco." - Mona Holmes
"Boil & Bake is worth the drive from Los Angeles. This Orange County operation has legions of fans who happily line up outside the Costa Mesa strip mall outlet ready for breakfast sandwiches or whatever owner Carlos Perez has in mind." - Eater Staff, Mona Holmes
"Carlos Perez and Luke Bramm built their audience by serving naturally leavened bagel sandwiches as part of a roving pop-up, selling at spots like Newport Beach’s Daydream Surf Shop and Neat Coffee. Perez grew up in the bagel business and Bramm oversees the kitchen. The gateway menu items are the fully-loaded lox sandwich with cured salmon, sprouts, and capers, and the O.G. with longganisa sausage, soft scrambled eggs, and aji cilantro crema double. Boil & Bake sells a la cart bagels in many flavors including everything, black and white sesame, and cacio e pepe." - Jenn Tanaka
"I set the tone for a day in Orange County with the bagel sandwiches at Boil and Bake: pick a bagel and spring for the house-cured lox topped with thin slices of Valdivia Farms heirloom tomatoes, sprigs of fresh dill, capers, and cream cheese. Hearty New York-style bagel sandwiches are stuffed with Le Bahn Ranch soft scrambled eggs and Nueske bacon, while the cheesy cacio pepe bagel makes for an ideal grab-and-go snack for the road." - Jenn Tanaka