📍Backyard Bagel, Seattle

I've been hanging out in Seattle lately, which means I miss my New York City faves like bagels. Seattle isn't known for bagels but there are quite a few non-chain bagel places. Backyard Bagel is new. So on a Saturday morning, I decided to go on a 4-ish mile trek from downtown to try it out.

Backyard Bagel started as a popup during the pandemic. The way the owners tell the story, they found the recipe in the New York Times. Then they worked on it for months before offering it at farmers' markets. They say it is an NYC-inspired bagel with local ingredients. I don't believe in the popular NYC water theory so I have high expectations.

There was a pretty long line when I got there. The counter is right at the door with space for only 3-4 people before it goes out of the door. I would guess around 30-35 people were waiting ahead of me. The line moved pretty quickly. I didn't time it but maybe 20-25 minutes from arrival to counter. Then a few minutes more for my order. There are a few tables inside with a couple out front but when I was leaving I noticed there's a back patio area too. I'm not certain if the back area is open or just for residents of the apartment building upstairs.

I ordered the Ballard Lox Sandwich on an everything. The everything bagels were fresh. While I was ordering, I saw them bringing a new batch out. The bagel has all-around coverage with the seeds and spice. No surface was spared. The NYC bagel I desired would have had more chew but they focused on getting a good crust. The shape was uneven making it feel a bit rustic. I like that feeling because I'm reassured that it likely wasn't made by a robot.

The sandwich came together nicely with lox, dill and caper cream cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and pickled red onion. The description lists a sauce also but I wasn't getting too much of it. They put cream cheese on both sides which had started to thin out with how warm the fresh bagel was. The tomatoes and onions made for a slippery sandwich however, it never came apart on me. The cucumber added a little crunch. The acidity and sweetness of the pickled onions cut through a lot of the sandwich. It's a classic and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

There's a lot to like here even though they call a plain bagel: "naked". The naming is a bridge too far for me. Still, I took 6 bagels to go.

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