The Best Bagels In Los Angeles | Best Of The Best

People always say that Los Angeles has terrible

bagels

. I'm a former New Yorker and I'm on a mission to find the

best

bagels

in Los Angeles. I know there are good bagels in Los Angeles. We just have to find them. To help me on my quest to find the

best

bagels in Los Angeles, I'm bringing along my friend Evan Fox, owner of Yeastie Boys Bagels, to show me where the best bagels are in the city. Evan will take me to his Yeastie Boys truck, we'll go to Courage Bagels in Silverlake and Brooklyn Bagels in Westlake. We're here to eat bagels!

First, we headed to the Yeastie Boys truck parked outside Alfred Coffee in West Hollywood. This is the famous Evan Fox. He is the owner of Yeastie Boys, which is right behind me. Sure do it. Tell me how the Yeastie Boys came about. So in 2014, we were just making bagels in our apartment and just for fun. It was like, "Let's start a band," and we did, and we started taking them to people around town to see what they thought. People liked it and said, "We should do Coachella." So I contacted them and they said, "Yeah, great idea.

Let's go." A week later, we got our first truck and here we are, two trucks later. So what gives you the authority to take me around Los Angeles and show me the best bagels the city has to offer? I think I know what I'm doing. Sydney: Yeastie Boys trucks cruise around the city serving up their giant bagels loaded with delicious toppings. They offer classics like smoked salmon and cream cheese or more substantial options like bacon, gooey cheese, and egg. Then there are some options that are a little more, shall we say, wild like this one made with pastrami, fried eggs, melted cheese, and turkey.

But before we try their bagels, let's talk a little about what makes a good bagel in the first place. You can hear the... Crackle. Yes baby. It's got that shell, you know? You want to hear the, you want that shell. So tell me, when you were developing this recipe and your bagels, what were you looking for? What was your hope? I knew I wanted a chewy interior and I knew I wanted it big for sandwiches. Do you see these little bubbles here? That comes from the gas convection oven we use, as well as the fermentation time, which is very important when making a bagel, cold fermented like you do with pizza.

Any good bagel will have that. Besides boiling them, those three things, the most crucial component. I'm learning a lot. Yeastie Boys makes their bagels at Diamond Bakery in Fairfax, Los Angeles. It's a legendary institution that's been around since 1946 and offers bagels, pastries, and more. The bagels weigh 5 ounces each and remind me of what I can only describe as the best of both worlds between a Montreal-style bagel and a New York-style bagel. But we'll talk about that later. So you've perfected the sandwich bun? Yeah, honestly, historically you go to a bagel place and order vegetarian cream cheese, which contains like two pieces of carrot and a scallion.

UH Huh. - And it's like, wait, why don't we add plant-based cream cheese, turkey, bacon, fried eggs, sprouts, and tomato? It's just fun, you know? Yeah, I wanted like a bagel sandwich. That's what I need, like a Saturday or Sunday morning. Life with a hangover, in a big way. Absolutely. Well, we talked about bagels. I'm hungry. Evan: Let's go eat. Sydney: Let's go eat. It's lovely. Evan: Look at that. Sydney: And that's cream cheese, that's smoked salmon. That's the thing, and poppy seeds, it doesn't get any better than that. I love the texture you get with poppy seed bagels. - Me too.

It has just the right amount of mordant. There is also a lot of smoked salmon here. You know what happens. Do you know what you are doing. I'm glad you're taking me on a bagel adventure because you're the one. I. I mean, we just moved down the street and we see this truck all the time, and this is the second time, so I'll definitely be loyal to the bagels. Many people like cream cheese on both sides, bottom and top. Friend, just 2 to 3 ounces of cream cheese is more than enough. If you're doing up and down, it's too much for me.

At least that's my taste. I agree. - You know what I'm talking? Yes, it's not about the cream cheese. It's about the bun. Although there are people who are fans of cream cheese. I know many people who would happily say that cream cheese is their favorite food. I'm looking at you, Charlie Weisman. Charlie. True story, cream cheese is my favorite food. I'm excited to talk about it. That's gross. I'm already back in New York. Oh yeah. What I really love about these bagels is that the bottom is also like a pizza. Yes. - Like pizza dough on the bottom.

This is delicious. You know what happens. Thank you. So please show me all the other bagels I'm missing. Let's smash it. And let's show that Los Angeles has amazing bagels. The next day, I met Evan at Courage Bagels in Silverlake. We're here to get you the best bagels ever. Okay, so it's Sunday. - Yes. You left your truck. Yes, I left my business. To come here. - Yes. And eat Courage Bagels. It's worth it. Absolutely, they're set up in the Broome Street General Store, which is really kind of a boutique, and everything there is very expensive, but I want to buy it too. $70 candles.

Candles for 70 bucks, but you can also get really delicious bagels. I am very, very excited to try these. I'm a big fan of Montreal-style bagels. What do you think of Montreal-style bagels? Evan: My favorite style. Sidney: Really? Yeah. It's... So, not for sandwiches, but just for everyday bagels and bagels and cream cheese, just eating them, 100%. Can you explain to me what the difference is between a New York style bagel and a Montreal style bagel? Sure, sure, New York-style bagels are fat, plump, and chewy. It's almost like a mini Neapolitan pizza. They are so fat and chubby.

Montreal, they are usually boiled in honey, so they are a little sweeter. They are handmade. They're much thinner, crispier, and crunchier, and it's almost like you really have to sit there and enjoy them. Yes, what he said. Partners Arielle Skye and Chris Moss offer farm-fresh toppings like tomatoes, cucumbers, and traditional labneh for their Montreal-style bagels. I lost my job and I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do something. And I worked for a really bad company, so I was like, I need something real and pure and like with my hands.

And that turned into random bagels, and soon after I started selling them on my bike around the neighborhood. And then last summer we walked into a farmers market and now here we are. She is obsessed with the history of bagels and bread in general, which is so fascinating. So she started reading this book to me, and in this book she talked about how bagels represent Jewish courage, which we both love. And right when she said that, I thought, "That's the name, Courage Bagels." There is no commercial yeast, so everyone has wild yeast and we adhere to baking principles that are probably thousands of years old.

You know, the flour and water are left to collect the natural bacteria and yeast that are in the air, on people's hands, and in the flour itself. In this case, it is a much more digestible bread or bagel and also makes the flavor amazing. The texture, we get it really crunchy, almost like a glassine crust, but then inside it's tender, chewy and very flavorful. Sydney: What really sets these bagels apart for me is that you can burn them slightly. I know, it's a little weird, but it's super delicious. The one thing New York bagels definitely don't have is fresh produce like this.

Fresh tomato, fresh cucumber, even the onions smell good. Where do you get a tomato like this? Not in New York, that's for sure. Oh really. Alright, let's do it because I'm dying. It's so crispy. Yes, it's really good. Mmm-hmm, I love how it burns. It's a little nutty, and the labneh is, you know, very smooth and nice and, I think, light compared to traditional cream cheese. You should also put a little lemon juice here. Mmm-hmm, this rules. It's so good. Yes. This is California to me. 100%. Holy Cow. Yes. I think these are some of the best smoked salmon I've had in Los Angeles.

I was just going to say that. Yes. Where is this from? I don't know. I didn't even ask. I saw smoked salmon and said, "Yeah, give me smoked salmon." Smoked salmon are not like prosciutto, don't call me. It has to be as fine as this. You can call me. I'll eat any smoked salmon. Thank you for dropping off your truck today to come. I know, it's worth it. Crispy, crunchy, Montreal style. Very different than the other bagels we've had. I love it. Our last stop on this bagel tour is Brooklyn Bagel Bakery. The store opened in 1953, but had to close in 2015 due to a collapsing wall in the original space.

However, in 2018, it made a triumphant return and returned to producing some of Los Angeles' favorite bagels. I've been coming here since 1982. I came every day, and one Saturday I came, Saturday night, and they opened after Shabbat at 8 p.m. m., and I saw the fire lit, the oven just lit, and fresh rolls. in half an hour, an hour. Not many people can do something as original as here. It's incredible what they do. Sydney: Their production facility produces thousands and thousands of bagels for both in-store and wholesale. The bagels are a little smaller than what you can find in New York, but they definitely have a more old-school feel than other places we've tried.

I haven't eaten these bagels yet. Let's try them. And it has that nice touch that you want to hear. Yeah, oh wow, damn. If, according. I love poppy seed. The texture is very good. You have to try this. Yes, let's exchange. Here, take the other half of mine. Trade. Oh yeah, yeah, what are we doing? I did not expect that. And you know, what I like most about this is the size. Three and a half ounce bagel, that's what. Correct size. The reason I really like these. Yes. Sometimes when you roast it, the chewiness goes away.

Yes, and that's a common thing in New York, like they don't toast the bagel. You don't roast them. - Yes. They heat them here, that's how they do it, but they have that chewy texture. I like the crunch on the outside. The other thing I love is the original sign they have with the original prices. A quarter for a bagel, 25 cents. How are you going to get a baker's dozen for two dollars? It says if you buy $59 worth of bagels with cash, you'll get a dozen free. Ready for that. I think we did a good job eating here today.

And these bagels are great. I agree. Yes, correct size, good chew. A different method than Evan uses, so it's fun to see how Los Angeles has different types of bagels, and it's great to see that they have reopened and saved this legendary business. This is such a beautiful place. It is an institution without a doubt. The time has come. We've had some of the best bagels in Los Angeles and now I have to choose my favorite. First, the Yeastie Boys. So the thing about Yeastie Boys is that they are the best version of a New York style bagel combined with a Montreal style bagel.

And I'm from New York, but my mom is also Canadian, so she combines my two favorite things. Yeastie Boys bagels are big and heavy enough that you can load them with whatever toppings you want. I'm talking about cream cheese. I'm talking about bacon. I'm talking about smoked salmon. I'm talking about cheese. Next up, Courage Bagels. Courage Bagels are more of a Montreal style bagel. They're on the other side of the spectrum of bagels we've tried in this experiment, so to speak. They're very crispy on the outside, nice and chewy on the inside, but there are a lot of little pockets of airy dough, and that comes from the naturally leavened dough they use.

And there are little pools that you can fill with cream cheese or labneh or whatever other toppings you want, and I really, really liked that. And finally, Brooklyn Bagel Bakery. They definitely look more like an old school style bagel. It reminds me the most of New York of all the bagels we tried. They make a slightly smaller bagel, which is nice if you don't want to eat a giant sandwich and just want some cream cheese and smoked salmon. Nothing special, Brooklyn Bagel Company is perfect for that. It's definitely the place you'd go to pick up a bag of bagels to take to the office.

There is something for everyone in Los Angeles, and I think after seeing all the different bagels we tried, no one can say that Los Angeles doesn't have good bagels. We have proven that yes. Therefore, there. If I have to pick a favorite, it will be Courage Bagels. I know, I'm sorry, but they're Montreal style. I have a soft spot for that. It's my personal favorite. Everyone else, I'm sure, has a preference. But for me, it will be Courage Bagels. The reason I loved Courage so much was because the outside is so crispy and the inside is so light and airy.

It's not heavy. It is not dense. And I love that they give you the option to buy a burnt bagel because I love that nice depth of flavor you get from burning something just a little bit. And their dressings are premium. I mean, like I said, heirloom tomatoes, good olive oil, sea salt, labneh, za'atar. They include a whole range of interesting ingredients and the bagels are great, but when you add something unique like that, it takes it to another level.I hope I've shown you that Los Angeles has amazing bagels. We're having something of a bagel renaissance in Los Angeles right now, so I hope you'll try some of them.

Let us know if we missed anything and enjoy. Pablo, come here. Alright, so Paul and I are going to eat more bagels, right, buddy? He also wants to go get some dogs. OK Bye.