Best Bagels In Spokane
Bagels: More than just fat pieces of bread, the right bagel can take you back to your childhood, brunch moments with friends, places you’ve traveled — or just heartily fill you up.
Bagels seem simple: round bread made of easy-to-find ingredients with a hole in the middle. However, a bagel is so much more than that. While New York is known for bagels, the Pacific Northwest has its fair share of delicious places to find bagels. Here are the best of the best in Spokane, Washington.
Best Overall Bagel Experience: Ultimate Bagel
1217 N Hamilton St #B, Spokane | Due to COVID, you’ll want to confirm hours but generally they’re open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
With a name like ‘Ultimate Bagel’, these have to be the ultimate bagels, right? Knowing my own bias toward Ultimate Bagel, I decided to enlist in the help of family and friends to help me judge.
If you’re looking for thick, chewy bagels a la New York, hands down Ultimate Bagel is where you want to be. While not everyone I polled loved how thick the bagels were, what makes Ultimate Bagel the true best bagel place in Spokane is the sheer number of options in terms of bagels and cream cheese options.
My favorite bagel? Just a plain bagel with some tart-and-delicious huckleberry cream cheese!
Here is just a smattering of bagel options you can get at Ultimate Bagel:
- Everything
- Blueberry
- Orange Cranberry
- Asiago
- Jalapeno Asiago
- Garlic
- Onion
- Poppy
And many, many more. You can also get a variety of toppings, including huckleberry cream cheese, lox, pizza melts and bagel dogs.
No, you won’t find anything else besides bagels (and variations of bagels) at Ultimate Bagel. But that’s part of what makes Ultimate Bagel the best place to get bagels in Spokane: They do one thing, and they do it exceptionally well.
If you want the authentic bagel experience, hands down go to Ultimate Bagel. But if you’re looking for more options, keep reading!
Best Bagel If You Want Less Bread: Casual Friday Donuts
3402 N Division St, Spokane | Sunday – Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
With a name like Casual Friday Donuts, what in the world are they doing on a list of best bagels in Spokane — hear me out! While Casual Friday may specialize in donuts, they are an excellent location to get less thick and chewy bagels.
Not everyone is into the monstrous size of typical New York bagels — there are some who prefer their bagels with less heft. If that’s you, head over to Casual Friday Donuts. They have fewer choices than Ultimate Bagel, but you’ll leave with a manageable bagel and perhaps a few of their incredibly delicious, creative donuts, too!
Best Bagel Sandwiches: Maple Street Bistro
5520 N Maple St, Spokane | Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
If you’re looking for bagel sandwiches, you won’t find anything better than Maple Street Bistro, and that’s a fact I corroborated with many friends and family members!
While Maple Street Bistro doesn’t have the selection of Ultimate Bagel, it makes up for it in terms of taste. You can choose one (or all) four of their bagel flavors, all boiled and baked fresh every morning:
- Plain
- Cheddar (#1 recommended)
- Garlic parmesan (second favorite)
- Jalapeno pepperjack
Pro-tip? You can definitely get a bagel and cream cheese at Maple Street Bistro, but the best is pairing one of those bagels with MSB’s ‘Breakfast Club’ (ham, bacon, egg, swiss, cream cheese and honey mustard dressing) if you’re really hungry or their ‘Egg & Cheese’ (egg, cheddar and cream cheese) breakfast sandwiches.
These breakfast bagel sandwiches are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and you won’t leave feeling hungry after enjoying any one of their four tasty bagel options. All sandwiches are served with homemade baked applesauce, which really seals the deal for Maple Street Bistro!
Best Bagel For A View And Unique Options: Little Garden Cafe
2901 W Northwest Blvd, Spokane | Confirm hours due to COVID, but generally open Sunday – Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you’ve ever visited Audubon Park, chances are you’ve passed by Little Garden Cafe. But instead of passing by, stop in to try one of their delicious bagel options!
Little Garden Cafe is a neighborhood gem located directly across the street (across Northwest Blvd) from Audubon Park. The best way to enjoy LGC’s bagels? Getting them to go and having a picnic at the park!
You have several options for bagels from Little Garden Cafe, including:
- Plain
- Multi-grain
- Five-cheese
- Tomato asiago
- Cheddar everything
- Jalapeno
LGC’s bagels are in between Ultimate Bagel’s and Casual Friday’s/Maple Street Bistro: they’re thicker and chewier than Casual Friday and Maple Street, but not quite as thick and chewy as Ultimate Bagels. They’re a perfect in-between bagel!
My top tip? Turn your bagel into a sandwich and make it ‘The Works’. This will elevate your bagel from a simple bagel-and-cream-cheese combo to a bagel sandwich with alfalfa sprouts, tomato and basil mayo, plus the regular meat, cheese and egg combo. You pick your bagel flavor, meat, and cheese and say ‘Make it The Works!’
You won’t find bagel sandwiches like this anywhere else, and with a view like Audubon Park, Little Garden Cafe is a must add to your list of best bagels in Spokane!
You Can’t Go Wrong with Bagels in Spokane
There are a few types of cuisines Spokane does really well: brunch, breweries, coffee — and bagels. Almost anywhere you go in Spokane, you’ll find a serious bagel with some tasty toppings.
Where’s your favorite place to get a bagel in Spokane?
