Seattle, WA

Seattle Has Suddenly Gotten Very Serious About Its Bagels

Published

2 years ago

September 16, 2024

Seattle Has Suddenly Gotten Very Serious About Its Bagels

Last year, Bon Appetit declared that we were in the middle of the Great Bagel Boom. This past April, the New Yorker described a “bagel renaissance” happening well beyond the borders of New York City. Writing in the New York Times, Karen Stabiner recently took note of just how long people are willing to wait for a bagel at Los Angeles’s famed Courage Bagels.

Along with identifying how the once-humble bagel has become so hyped, these pieces all have something in common. They reference trendy bagel shops in cities all across the country, including Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Portland — but not, pointedly, Seattle.

Up until recently, that wouldn’t have been seen as an oversight. When most people think of Seattle, they think of salmon, coffee, teriyaki, and hot dogs smothered in cream cheese and sauteed onion. They don’t think of bagels.

But they should.

The Seattle area has had bagels for a long time, but only recently could you say it boasts a bona fide scene. From local chains like Rubinstein Bagels and Blazing Bagels to pop-ups that sell out in hours, you could spend weeks trying to sample every bagel in the region. The modest bagel has moved beyond its Polish-Jewish roots and become a playground for some of the Seattle region’s best bakers to experiment with flavor profiles and presentation.

The options have become so varied that we can even start to create a taxonomy to classify them depending on what you’re looking for. Want a chewy bagel? Head to Madison Valley’s Mt. Bagel or Georgetown’s Bloom Bistro. Crave a bagel with crunch? Track down Hey Bagel’s latest pop-up or find Salmonberry Goods at the Ballard Farmers Market or its new Sunset Hill brick-and-mortar. Need to get a nostalgic New York-style fix? Make for Ravenna’s Bagel Oasis or 6th Borough Bagels in Olympia. Lox lovers need look no further than Loxsmith (Beacon Hill/West Seattle) and Old Salt (Fremont/Ballard). Seeking a bagel sandwich to savor? Head to Rachel’s (Ballard/Lake City), Howdy Bagel (Tacoma), Toasted (U District), Sully Eats (Fremont Sunday Market), or Backyard Bagel (Fremont).

And that’s just the tip of the sesame seed-crusted iceberg. Despite the influx of spots to score a bagel and cream cheese (or much more), there are no signs of this growth slowing down. Along with the recent openings of Backyard Bagel, Toasted, and 6th Borough Bagels, both Salmonberry Goods and Andrew Rubinstein’s Hey Bagel are eyeing brick-and-mortar locations by the end of the year. Meanwhile, many of the city’s “old guard” bagel slingers like Rachel’s and Rubinstein have recently added new locations. And considering that there are still plenty of bagel deserts around town (West Seattle, Columbia City, Queen Anne, and Rainier Valley come to mind), there’s no reason to think we’ve hit peak bagel.

What’s driving this proliferation? As Bon Appetit and the New Yorker noted, the entire nation appears to be swept up in this schmear sensation as each city and region attempts to establish its own version of the bagel. COVID-19 played a major role as well. Several Seattle-area bagel shops began as pandemic hobbies or pivots from restaurants needing to come up with an easy grab-and-go option (that’s how Manolin birthed Old Salt in 2020).

Don’t discount the impact of social media. The Instagram-worthy bagel sandwiches and presentations at Howdy Bagel, Toasted, and Westman’s remain constants in your feeds. And proving to all your followers that you made it through the Mt. Bagel line remains a badge of honor even a year after its return.

Then there’s the money factor. As the pandemic fades and prices rise, the desire to feel like you’re getting your dollar’s worth is paramount. Getting a bagel that causes lines and sellouts is pretty solid proof you’re not just on trend, but making wise dining decisions. It might just look like a bread circle but the bagel means a little bit more right now.

To say that Seattle bagels are “better” than New York’s is a fool’s errand. But there’s no denying that Seattle suddenly finds itself in the conversation among the many bagel boomtowns across the nation. The next time a major food publication puts out its roundup of the best bagels in the country, to leave out Seattle would be proof that it’s not actually paying attention.

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Seattle, WA

Detectives Investigating Drive-By Shooting in South Seattle – SPD Blotter

Published

11 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Detectives Investigating Drive-By Shooting in South Seattle – SPD Blotter

Seattle police detectives in the Gun Violence Reduction Unit (GVRU) are investigating a drive-by shooting this afternoon that injured a young man in the Rainer Valley and shut down multiple intersections.

At about 4:40 p.m., patrol officers responded to reports of a shooting at Rainier Avenue South and South Othello Street. Officers found three related crime scenes, with the initial location being the intersection of Rainier and Othello. There, officers recovered dozens of shell casings and bullet damage to a nearby business.

Police recovered additional ballistic evidence at the second scene, near Holly Park Drive South and South Myrtle Place. Officers discovered the third crime scene directly in front of the South Precinct, where they stopped one of the involved cars, a Tesla, that sustained significant bullet damage.

The driver of this car, an 18-year-old man, did not have any injuries. The passenger, also 18, sustained a grazing gunshot wound to his head. Firefighters arrived to treat his injury, and medics took him to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in stable condition.

Police determined that the suspects fired on the Tesla from another vehicle at Rainier and Othello. The victims sped away from the intersection and the suspect vehicle fled the area. Multiple cars drove away from the gunfire and pedestrians ran to safety. The Tesla sped off towards the precinct before being intercepted by officers.

Seattle police and King County deputies searched for the suspects but could not find them. Police did not make any arrests. GVRU detectives responded to the shooting. Police processed all three crime scenes and investigators conducted interviews at HMC. SPD’s Video Unit responded and recovered video footage from the area.

This is an open and active case assigned to GVRU. The circumstances leading up to the shooting are under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.

Incident Number: 2026-96231

*Seattle police officers close down an intersection in South Seattle as they search for evidence following a drive-by shooting.*

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Seattle, WA

Who are your all-time favorite late-round Seattle Seahawks draft picks?

Published

23 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Who are your all-time favorite late-round Seattle Seahawks draft picks?

We’re continuing our theme of Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft discussion today with a trip down memory lane.

The Seahawks have a deep history of finding some gems in the later rounds of the draft. Three Legion of Boom members were taken in the fourth, fifth, fifth, and sixth rounds, while Seattle’s first Super Bowl MVP was seventh-round linebacker Malcolm Smith. The only offensive touchdown scored in Seattle’s second Super Bowl win was by fourth-round tight end A.J. Barner, who might be on the cusp of stardom beyond the Seattle sports bubble.

We want to know your favorite Seahawks late-round draft picks of all time, but there is a clear restriction to eliminate some obvious candidates. A “late-round draft pick” is defined as no earlier than Round 4, which means Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett are ineligible as third-rounders. Once upon a time, the NFL Draft was longer than seven rounds—the Seahawks’ inaugural season had a 17-round draft—so if you want to really choose players from before the change-over in 1994 then go right ahead! Undrafted players like Doug Baldwin do not count because, well, they were literally not drafted.

You don’t have to reason that they were legendary, all-time great Seahawks. Chris Carson is not one of the top three running backs in Seahawks history but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a joy to watch a seventh-round pick become a quality starter whose career was cruelly cut short due to injury.

And yes, Michael Dickson (fifth-round pick) counts because punters are indeed people.

Refer to Pro Football Reference for the Seahawks’ draft history in case your memory needs jogging.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle area Iranian-Americans, activists react to ceasefire deal

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Seattle area Iranian-Americans, activists react to ceasefire deal

SEATTLE — People from Seattle to Redmond are speaking out about the ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump’s threat of massive attacks.

President Trump on Tuesday announced he would suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for two weeks as part of a temporary ceasefire brokered by the Pakistani government.

The suspension of attacks is contingent on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

ALSO SEE | Oil prices drop and stock futures jump as US and Iran agree to a 2-week ceasefire

Iran responded by claiming victory, saying ships will be allowed to pass through the strait, but only under the management of the Iranian military.

Shayan Arya is an Iranian-American with cousins and friends in Iran, who have detailed by phone their experiences being near recent warfare.

“In the middle of our conversations, the bombing started,” Arya explained. “And so she said, ‘Can you hear the bombs dropping?’”

He said he was concerned about power plants being bombed in Iran, and is grateful they won’t be targeted, for now.

Meanwhile, on the steps of Seattle City Hall, a group rallied against the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and actions.

On the steps of Seattle City Hall, a group rallied against the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and actions. (KOMO){ }

“Perhaps we should stop bombing the cradle of civilization and calling it freedom. We should be investing in people, the communities,” one woman chanted through a megaphone.

Counter-protesters showed up, leading to heated confrontations for a short time.

Arya said he feels relief, for now, amid the ceasefire, but that there’s ongoing concern about Iran’s future under its current regime.

“It’s just a matter of time [until the regime collapses], and at what price?” he asked.

CNN reports the White House is preparing for in-person negotiations with Iran to help broker a long-term peace deal.

The developments come just hours after the president posted a message online, threatening, “A whole civilization could die tonight… Never to be brought back again.”

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