Bernstein's Bagels — Restaurant in Portland

Update (Sep 2021): Visiting Portland for a weekend and Bernstein's is my first stop after the train ride. Just as good as I remembered, bagels are great, schmear is thick, tasty and creative!

Original (Feb 2021): Fantastic bagels with creative and delicious special schmear every week. I wasn't a fan of bagels until Bernstein's turns me into one. I wish I had discover this place earlier!!

When I lived in Portland, it became my routine to come here every week to try their weekly special schmear flavor and it never fails me. So far I've had Blue Bayou (gorgonzola blue cheese with candied pecans in cream cheese) and Rosemary’s Onion, both are delicious! I had their regular stuff as well like with scrambled egg, or their regular raisin schmear, tasty as always. I appreciate that every bagel is wrapped impeccably as if it were a piece of artwork, which really adds to the overall experience and enjoyment. These people obviously love what they are doing.

Keep in mind that they are really popular (because they are really good!) so there is a risk of their bagels or schmear selling out if you come too late. I have been here on a Sunday and they already sold out everything around 11:30am, so definitely come early, especially on...

I was already in the area for an iced matcha and didn’t want to drive home without food, so I walked over here after seeing it on Google maps. I was only barely able to get in the door because of the long line, but it moved very fast. I have to say, I instantly felt transported to Manhattan— it had the feel of a hole in the wall bagel shop in the Lower Eastside. Very cool.

I’d never heard of this place before and didn’t know what to expect. As a goth, I felt enticed to get a poppy bagel, but ended up getting a toasted garlic bagel with Holy Chiver schmear. The hot cashier with the mustache had good vibes. In total I was inside all of 7 minutes; they move like a well oiled machine back there!

Once I got to my car and unwrapped it, I immediately understood the hype. This was actually better than what I had in Manhattan. Possibly the best bagel and...

This is my favorite Portland bagel spot by far. I'm not sure why it doesn't receive more recognition; the bagels are delicious.

My move is to order a few bagels online and then skip the line and pick them up in the morning. Just bagel and schmear. I'll typically get a mix of Pumpernickel (when available), everything, and plain bagels. The Mama Lil's Peppers schmear and cinnamon raisin are both really good. I like the whitefish salad but I get it if that's not your thing.

I'm not generally a fan of bagel breakfast sandwiches (I'm a bagel purist, I guess) and so I didn't love their bagel breakfast sandwich the one time I got it...but that's to be expected since I don't generally like them. I liked it as much as I like any other. I just feel like it's not the best way for their bagels to...