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Yes, there are finally good bagels in Philadelphia

On a recent Sunday morning, the line of hipsters and bagel lovers (and hipster bagel lovers) snaked out the door of a Fishtown storefront and around the corner. They had all wandered there in search of a certain form of manna: Philly Style Bagels, a for-now pop-up business that's aiming to help put Philadelphia, finally, on the map as a bagel town.

Philly Style Bagels' Jonathon Zilber is constantly rotating the bagels through the oven, so they bake evenly.   ( Michael Bryant / Staff Photographer )
Philly Style Bagels' Jonathon Zilber is constantly rotating the bagels through the oven, so they bake evenly. ( Michael Bryant / Staff Photographer )Read more

On a recent Sunday morning, the line of hipsters and bagel lovers (and hipster bagel lovers) snaked out the door of a Fishtown storefront and around the corner. They had all wandered there in search of a certain form of manna: Philly Style Bagels, a for-now pop-up business that's aiming to help put Philadelphia, finally, on the map as a bagel town.

If ever there were a sign that bagels - too long a schlubby breakfast afterthought in this city - are finally having their moment, this early-morning queue for hand-rolled, slow-fermented bagels might be it. Other signs of life in the erstwhile bagel desert that is Philadelphia include the spreading Spread Bagelry establishment, fancy flavors like za'atar and togarashi at Washington Square newcomer Knead, and even the high-concept bagels at High Street on Market.

It's about a changing mind-set, said Collin Shapiro, who with Jonathon Zilber started Philly Style Bagels, currently operating out of Pizzeria Beddia. "It's been treated more as a commodity than a specialty food. I think probably they sell the most bagels at Dunkin' Donuts. That says something."

Yet, there's also a longing for something more than that.

"People have these built-up expectations of what it should be - we're trying to create a new memory or experience," Zilber said.

When they open their permanent space in Fishtown, they hope this fall, they expect to serve bagels boiled in water sweetened with Yards beer rather than malt or honey, baked in small batches throughout the day, and dredged in toppings on both sides. Their everything flavor includes the standard seeds and seasonings, plus red pepper flakes and mustard seeds for extra kick.

The standard Philadelphia bagel offerings also didn't impress Larry Rosenblum, who was working in New York media five years ago, coming back to friends and family on weekends with gifts of bagels, fish, and Jewish delicacies.

"At one point, I realized I had 40 dozen bagels in my backseat, and I said, 'Wait a minute, somebody's telling me something here.' "

He opened Spread near Rittenhouse Square in 2011, serving Montreal-style bagels - a smaller and sweeter answer to what you'll find in New York, boiled with honey water and baked in small batches in a wood-fired oven. In the spring, he'll add a West Philadelphia location, and he plans more growth ahead.

Frequently, he attracts tourists visiting Spread from out of town, even out of the country. (On a recent morning, one asked the cashier in a heavy accent, "What is egg white?")

After all, the elevation of this humble hoop of dough is not limited to Philadelphia. In New York, where good bagels aren't hard to find, Black Seed Bagels is taking it to the next level with a Montreal-style bagel that draws long lines of carb-hungry pilgrims.

Philadelphia's answer to Black Seed might be High Street on Market, where baker Alex Bois has applied his artisan bread-baking sensibilities to the bagel, using whole grains and pre-ferments (sourdough starter and yeasted poolish) in the dough before boiling with brewer's rye malt syrup and baking in a deck oven.

Bois said it took trial and error (his first few batches barely survived the boiling phase), but he aimed to combine the best attributes of New York and Montreal bagels. He said that his bagel was still evolving - and that there was room to grow.

"People have mostly stuck to the confine of tradition" when it comes to bagels, Bois said. "When you start to break free from that and experiment a little bit, you get some really great results."

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We force-fed a food critic 10 bagels: Here are his mini reviews

For a long time, if someone asked me where to get a good bagel around here, I'd direct them about 100 miles north along the Jersey Turnpike to New York. But a recent survey - a roundup, let's say - has yielded pleasant surprises. I hand-delivered Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan 10 of the region's more promising bagels. Here are his tasting notes. - S.M.

Fill A Bagel & Breads

This popular Jenkintown bagel spot got moderate marks from LaBan. "It's doughy, chewy. There's no crunchiness on the outside. It's really dense - maybe too dense." The spot also offers a full compliment of sandwiches and schmears. 424 Old York Rd., Jenkintown, 215-887-8577.

Four Worlds Bakery

Made with whole grains and sourdough, this isn't your bubbe's bagel. It's chewy, crusty, and perhaps a bit too far on the rustic side, but with familiar toppings, it pretty closely resembles a bagel. "The whole wheat dough works best with toppings. Toasted, it's fantastic," LaBan said. 4634 Woodland Ave., Philadelphia, fourworldsbakery.com.

Knead

It's worth a visit for the creative menu, but Knead's bagel itself is middle-of-the-road. "It's got a very bouncy core and a pretty good chew, but a lightness that's a little bready to me. There's a dryness to it. But points for toppings. To me, this is the bagel as canvas for interesting toppings." 725 Walnut St., Philadelphia, 267-519-9920, kneadbagels.com.

High Street on Market

Moist and chewy in the center, the crust decorated with tiny blisters and generous toppings (including fennel, flax, and black sesame seeds on the everything), High Street's are bagels as luxury goods. "This is something that has evolved almost past what's necessary," LaBan said. "This is worthy of the national discussion going on at places like Blackseed." 308 Market St., Philadelphia, 215-625-0988, highstreetonmarket.com.

New York Bagel Bakery

This institution (conveniently next door to a smoked-fish shop) keeps it old school, producing bagels with a shiny crust, fine crumb, and interior chew. They're a little oversize for LaBan, but he proclaimed this "a legitimate bagel." 7555 Haverford Ave., Philadelphia, 215-878-8080, nybagelsinphilly.com.

Philly Bagels (two sites, Chestnut and South Streets)

One of Philly's few old-school bagel bakeries, these are New York-style bagels made in volume and baked throughout the day. They can be a little stingy on the toppings, but LaBan proclaimed them solid: crunchy and chewy in all the right places. "It has the chewiness you'd expect from a water bagel, but it's not too doughy." Chestnut Street Philly Bagels: 1705 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, 215-299- 9920, chestnutbagels.com. South Street Philly Bagels: 613 S. Third St., Philadelphia, 215-627-6277, southstphillybagel.com.

Philly Style Bagels

LaBan praised these as his clear favorites, citing the crisp exterior, moist center, and even coating of high-quality toppings, plus the faint malty sweetness from the addition of beer to the boiling water. "You can see the handmade nature of it. It has everything you want from a bagel: the texture and flavor, the crunch and chew." They're small, he added: Buy two. Pop-up shops, 9 a.m. Sundays at Pizzeria Beddia, 115 E. Girard Ave., Philadelphia. Permanent location (opening date pending), 1451 E. Columbia Ave., Philadelphia, phillystylebagels.com.

Redhouse Bagels

This longtime Bensalem standby produces bagels that are too large for LaBan's taste. "It's as big as my head!" he said. "It looks like Wonder bread inside. The crumb isn't dense enough." Though, he conceded, it did have a good chew, and an appealing crunch of cornmeal on the bottom. 1542 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, 215-244-0776, redhousebagels.com.

Rolings Bakery

This hard-to-find bakery produces chewy bagels that will do in a pinch. The ones we sampled were hand-rolled though hardly circular. "It's like the ugly tomato of the bagel world," LaBan said. 7848 Montgomery Ave., Elkins Park, 215-635-5524, rolingsthebakery.com.

Spread Bagelry

Compared to New York-inspired bagels, "it's a different food group," said LaBan, a Spread superfan. "It has a moistness, a sweet aftertaste, the wood smoke, great toppings. It's not as chewy as a New York-style bagel, but it has a handmade quality." 262 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 215-545-0626, spreadbagelry.com.