Oxbow in Montlake serves up artisan bagels with a mesmerizing crust, inventive cream cheese spreads, and a cozy vibe perfect for breakfast or a snack.
"Set aside the fact that Oxbow’s bagels have a shelf life of an hour or so before they turn into bricks. They have supreme “a pleasure to have in class” energy before that happens. The bagels at this Montlake bakery have a Magic Shell-like exterior, complete with a doughy toughness and slightly sour tang. Our favorite combination of the bunch is a garlic bagel, charred dehydrated flakes and all, spread with briny calabrian chili cream cheese. Don't forget to grab a scone or rye chocolate chip cookie as a little treat. " - kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo
"When the best bakery in town starts making bagels, it turns out those bagels are going to be really damn good. Oxbow is a Montlake breakfast operation from the team behind Sea Wolf, and their boiled and baked circles might just be as good as their bread. Fresh from the oven at 7am, the bagels have a crackly, Magic Shell-like exterior, complete with a dense chew and slightly sour tang. Our favorite combination of the bunch is a garlic bagel, crunchy charred dehydrated flakes and all, spread with spicy calabrian chili cream cheese. And be sure to grab a scone for an afternoon snack." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"When the best bakery in town starts making bagels, it turns out those bagels are going to be really damn good. Oxbow is a new Montlake breakfast operation from the team behind Sea Wolf, and their boiled and baked circles might just be as good as their bread. Fresh from the oven at 7am, the bagels have a crackly, Magic Shell-like exterior, complete with a dense chew and slightly sour tang. Our favorite combination of the bunch is a garlic bagel, crunchy charred dehydrated flakes and all, spread with spicy calabrian chili cream cheese. They often sell out around 11am, but they’re absolutely worth getting up early for. If you show up too late, an orange-glazed poppyseed scone is a good consolation prize." - Aimee Rizzo
"Sea Wolf Bakers’ long-anticipated Montlake bagel shop finally opened its doors in 2022, and it quickly earned a shout-out from food writer and bagel expert J. Kenji López-Alt. The blistered, shimmering crusts on these bagels are amazing to look at let alone bite into, and the shop is also serving a variety of spreads, quiches, pastries, and coffee to go." - Eater Staff, Alana Al-Hatlani, Sean Keeley
"In 2022, Sea Wolf opened this new Montlake shop in order to start making the baked goods they didn’t have the space for in their original location, namely bagels. And these are some good bagels! Crispy on the outside, that signature chewiness on the inside, and a telltale tang of sourdough. They also get a little creative with their spreads here, offering a Calabrian chili cream cheese that is excellent, if not an ideal pairing with cinnamon raisin bagels." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart, Harry Cheadle