I-5 southbound & Montlake exit were wide open, found parking diagonal from Mt Bagel, and ended up 14th in line at 0836 on this sunny Friday (7/28/23). This was a grand improvement versus my initial try back on the 4th of July where the line was simply outrageous. There must be some correlation with lines and carbs in Seattle, lol.
Capitol Hill has various cafes and bagel centric spots, such as Eltana, Rubenstein's, Westman's, Oxbow, and now the return of Mt Bagel.
Yet again, I had been under a rock. Plus I ODed on bagels after living nearby Bagel Oasis in Ravenna decades ago. However, recent articles from Seattle Met, Eater Seattle, and Instagram posts definitely piqued my interest. And this, despite that I still have a dozen frozen from the Ben's Bread Ballard pop up. They are now open over in Phinney Ridge, as an aside.
Mt Bagel started as a popular pop up, then headed to Bend, OR, now returned to a neighborhood brick and mortar at 26th Ave E and E Valley St. This business definitely has quite the iykyk loyal supporters.
Pro tip: Line up between 8-830am. Storefront opens at 9am Tuesday through Saturday. These fresh, quality bagels sell out within the first hour or two. Updates are posted via Instagram.
This is a walk up set up with just one person handling transactions. No indoor or outdoor seating. There's also limited but free, non-zoned street parking. Note that the neighborhood grid is hilly and narrow. I'm sure this will be quite the challenge during inclement weather.
Unlike most of the folks ahead of me buying assorted bagels by the dozens, I just purchased two plain ones to sample. The bagels available include plain, sesame, poppy, salt, garlic, onion, and everything ($2.75 each, $28 per dozen). Evidently these bagels also freeze well per their website. Cream cheese is also available in 8 oz containers: plain ($6), scallion or spicy scallion ($9). The containers sometimes have original art drawn on the lids.
Other observations:
ADA accessibility: no designated disabled spots. Felt bad for an individual with a cane who parked nearby, but still had to gingerly walk over and stand in line. There is also a curved incline, no railing approaching the storefront. If you have mobility issues, definitely have someone accompany you if you can't manage with a 30-45 minute wait.
Payment: Cards only. No cash. I understand the streamlined process, but still a disadvantage.
Hopefully with continued success, more staff can be brought onboard to help at the storefront and deal with production to increase par numbers.
There's a pre-order system for delivery, but currently only open on Fridays at noon. There is also a limited delivery route - understandable with limited staff, van maintenance, and cost of gas.
Bagels are sold whole and ambient, no slicing or toasting available onsite.
Cream cheese is sold by the 8oz container, no schmears or other toppings available. Guess if you wanted instant gratification to dine al fresco or in your car, better pack the bread and butter knives, cutting board, your own lox, capers, pickled onions, prosciutto, etc.
Mt Bagel bagels have a fresh, nice flavorful interior, and manageable chew. read more