Hank's Bagels — Restaurant in Los Angeles

You go to a bagel bakery in the hopes of something that will beat out any non-bagel bakery in terms of freshness, taste, and maybe even cost.

After all, if all they’re making is bagels, and they’re not buying them from somewhere else – the way most Jewish delis have to do, or any restaurant for that matter –

Then in theory, the cost should be lower because they’ve got everything right there, all they’re doing is literally batching the dough, baking it, and selling it.

And it’s just a teeny bit of bread after all- this is NOT a whole loaf, something that can allows you several servings- it’s literally meant for one person only, and hopefully FILLIG enough that it serves as a meal.

So to take advantage of the fact that you’re in pseudo-flush surroundings, and out of greed, need to up-charge every single customer with something called a “slicing fee“ –(??!) literally, they will charge you to toast your bagel, even though IT COSTS THEM NOTHING MORE then - let’s face it, what good is a bagel if it’s not toasted??? -

That’s the kind of obnoxious greed and lack of authenticity and compassion that we don’t need.

If you’re going to pay upwards of $15 for a bagel with cream cheese and a tiny slice of lox, you would hope the bagel would at least come toasted.

There’s some funny comments by others, so I didn’t come up with this, but they are correct: these bagels are served as if it’s supposed to be some sort of salad in the middle – sprouts, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, capers, and the tiniest bit of Cream cheese which is more like bad salad dressing – instead of a proper serving – and way too watered down to really be cream cheese, at that.

The bagel itself was disappointing. I had the “everything“ bagel – but the texture of the dough was mushy, and definitely did not taste like a proper bagel. And while Western Bagel is certainly no New York-style bagel – far too small and lacking in good flavor – at least they taste and feel like a bagel should.

Lastly, the portion was underwhelming considering the price tag. It definitely wasn’t a “meal“ the way a proper New York bagel with cream cheese and lox is…

There is no atmosphere to speak of, unless you enjoy staring at gleaming stainless steel. A giant portion of what goes on behind the counter is you getting to see, in theory, the bagels being made. There’s about four tables outside, right on the sidewalk, and if you require a beverage with your bagel, a small can of Diet Coke will set you back $2.50 + tax. A small coffee, almost the same.

The fact that there’s a Starbucks literally one door down probably insures if you want a decent cup you’re probably gonna go there. At least you get Starbucks rewards :-)

Cleary nice people (aside from the greed of charging you to slice your bagel) own this particular brand, as every single person you come in contact with is upbeat, present, and kind. (I’m guessing they get their bagels and salad dressing for free!)

Honestly, if you’re craving a good New York bagel, there’s a place just up the street that gets them flown in fresh from New York, so while they will be next-day fresh, instead of same-day fresh, they’ll be a heck of a lot more kind to your pocketbook, and a lot tastier.

Definitely do...

When the saving grace of a bagel shop is the outdoor seating, it’s not a good sign. Killing time while waiting for a friend at a local salon, I walked down Ventura Blvd and stumbled upon Hank’s. I’ve been in LA for almost two weeks and had been craving a sesame seed bagel so of course I stopped in. They only had everything, plain and Rosemary Thyme bagels. I opted for a plain with cream cheese, paid my $5.25 and sat outside at the sunny sitting area. I was impressed that the bagel was warm… thinking it was recently out of the oven I was especially excited about the freshness. Size was good, color ok, but didn’t look like a New York bagel. Still thinking optimistically, I took a bite- cream cheese nice but nothing special- bagel- overly tough and excessively chewy! When I swallowed that gob, I tried a second bite- still wanting it to be good-the flavor of the bagel itself was off… was this sourdough? Which I love but is the wrong dough for a bagel (iykyk) or -horrors!-was this zapped in the microwave adding to its chewy toughness? The bubbly outer crust convinced me it must be sourdough- oh no, no no! I felt like I was eating a bag of rubber bands instead of a bagel. I felt embarrassed that my New Yorker Bagel-radar was off or completely broken after years of not living there. Sorry Hank and your fellow Angelinos, this is not a proper bagel! I took only those two bits and tossed it in the bin. 5 stars for friendly staff and quick service. -No seating indoors as you can view the guts of the kitchen and see staff prepping for lunch orders and baking bagels which had a cool...

My family and I were in the area while on a trip and found this spot on Google. We combed through some reviews and photos and decided to give it a try and I'm so glad we did as it is one of the highlights of our trip, food-wise.

Their menu is bigger than I'd expect so it took us a while to decide but we opted for a rosemary sea salt bagel topped with egg and cheese as well as a turkey sandwich on a sesame bagel. Going in the morning, I want to say it was around 10 am, they were already sold out of sesame bagels for the day! We were disappointed but then one of the employees from the back came to say, "we actually have an odd bagel that we weren't going to sell, but let me show you and if you want, you can have it!" It really wasn't odd at all, but had a hole in the middle when all their other bagels are so plump that there's no real hole. We took it! I must say, the service was lovely.

After trying the bagels, I can understand why they sell out! Soft insides. Crispy exterior. Flavorful. What more could you ask for? I honestly still think about it, now that my trip has ended and I wish it was a local spot at home as I'd visit often. A must try!

It's also located beside a Starbucks so the two make a great pairing.

In addition to their bagels and sandwiches, you can also find some cute merchandise! Their aesthetic is really adorable.

For parking, we were fortunate to have free parking that day due to New Years but otherwise, it is paid street parking -...