Exodus Bagels — Restaurant in Boston

I had almost given up on trying to find a bagel in MA that measures up to NY standards. Outside of NY metro area, these are the best bagels I've had. Also the best challah I've ever had from anywhere. Their pandemic setup with online ordering and pickup is very quick, easy and felt safe.

I ordered plain, everything, and dark rye bagels. Pretty much no remaining hole, which is good for sandwiches. Cutting into it, I was surprised to see more/larger air gaps inside than I am accustomed to. But upon eating, it really had the right amount of chew and the crust was just right. It really just tastes like a quality NY bagel. I had practically given up on trying to find a bagel in MA that measures up to NY quality. I've tried Bagelsaurus, Rosenfelds, Iggy's, Bagel World... you name it. All disappointing IMO. After living in Queens for a couple years, I've been spoiled.

The everything bagel was my favorite. For the dark rye, the rye flavor was on the milder side. I could have used a little more, but at least it wasn't overpowering.

I also ordered challah, which you can only get on Fridays, and that was superb. When I first saw it, I was concerned perhaps it was baked too long because it looked a little dark, but it was perfect. Just perfect flavor and texture. Supple but sturdy, excellent crust, sweet but not too sweet. This is one of the few loaves of bread I would not hesitate to pay the hefty $9 price.

I also ordered the chicken liver pate... which is reminiscent of chopped liver but a little different. It's smooth like a pate, and seems to be a bit heavy on the schmaltz and the salt. It's enjoyable, but I'll probably skip this one in the future. It's good and worth a try, but I gotta warn the purists. If you want really good classic chopped liver, IMO you're better off getting it from Michael's Deli or Mahmelah's.

I also got the smoked salmon which was good. It's Acme brand, which IMO is pretty much as good as it gets except for Barney Greengrass and Zabars in NYC. At $12/8oz it's a very fair price, too. You can save a couple bucks getting the 8 oz Nova Pieces at Trader Joe's, which despite the TJ label I'm pretty sure is also sourced from Acme, but this seemed more tender and the slices were...

I don’t know if any bagel shop quite like Exodus Bagels. My GPS took me to what looked like empty storefronts, but I saw people with small white bags paper, suspiciously streaming from McGraw Street. Sure enough: bagels!!!!

This place is popular, and for good reason!

You never enter the store. Simply order at one window and wait for your order to be ready at the other. There are four graffitied be bucket chairs secured against the wall, but most people stood or squatted on the sidewalk instead.

There are stairs from the T, but you can go one street up to avoid them. Super easy.

I do NOT recommend turning onto McGraw. It is a dead end and people layer cars as they come in and out. Handicap parking is on the other streets so you won’t have far to roll.

This Roast Beef with Horseradish, Dill cream cheese, and lightly tossed greens on Challah bread (only available Fridays and Saturdays) is deliciously different from any sandwich or bagel ever, and I hope you try it!!!

They source iced coffee straight from West Roxbury’s Recreo, as well as hot coffee from Tandem Roasters in Portland, Maine.

For my 🦓 friends, they have really good...

Exodus bagels is a life saver. I had a few beverages last night and needed a pick me up. I ordered the Monumental avocado Sandwich, with an everywhere bagel (same as everything, but the seasoning is in both top and bottom of the bagel) and it comes with hard boiled egg, avocado, plain cream cheese, caramelized onion jam & dressed greens.

Y'all, the sandwich is PACKED. They do not shy away from the shmear of cream cheese nor avocado. And all of the ingredients are seasoned so there is such great flavors that work well together. Fortunately, I was able to split a sandwich with my friend who got the bubby, so I was able to try two sandwiches. In this one, you get housemade pate, roasted beets, dressed greens, ans horseradish/dill. Again, an awesome sandwich, though the Monumental was my favorite. I'll be adding bacon to it next time.

As I was eyeing my sandwich being made, the person making it proudly showed it off and my stomach was ecstatic. Yes, the wait can be long and yes, these bagels cost more than what you'd get at a franchise. HOWEVER, if you don't want to pay for quality then please don't leave a...