Mt. Bagel — Restaurant in Seattle

This is hands down the best bagel in Seattle. Personally, I think the perfect bagel should have a chewy texture without being too hard—and even when toasted, the inside should stay soft. That’s exactly what they do here. They don’t toast the bagels or serve bagel sandwiches. They simply bake and sell bagels.

Even around 10 a.m., there’s usually a long line, but thankfully, they still have plenty of bagels available. The shop is tucked away in a residential area, so you might be surprised there’s even a store here. It feels like a beloved local gem—and it truly is. Next time, I’m definitely getting a dozen.

I got garlic, onion, and everything bagels. So far, I’ve only tried the garlic one, and it was incredible. There were bits of minced garlic on the crust, which gave it an amazing flavor—and it’s the kind of bagel you can’t find at most places, so it felt extra special. I imagine the onion one will be even better. The inside is super fluffy, the outside is crisp, and they’re nice and thick—each one is quite big.

Each bagel is $2.85. Totally worth it.

(2nd visit) I came back because the bagels were so delicious last time I visited. The staff is always kind, and the store is incredibly clean. Even though it was a weekday, people kept coming in—so impressive!

Today, I bought two bagels and a muffin. As always, the bagels were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I made a bagel sandwich as soon as I got home, with egg, tomato, some veggies, cream cheese, and Chick-fil-A sauce—it tasted just like something you’d get at a restaurant! The bagel’s flavor is just amazing.

I also tried the muffin, and it was fantastic—the crumb topping was super crunchy, and the inside was moist and soft. It tasted like something homemade, which I really loved. Most muffins are way too sweet for me, so I usually avoid them, but this one wasn’t overly sugary and you can tell they use quality ingredients.

I’ll definitely be back again for more bagels...

It's really hard for me to give this place a good review. Yes, the bagels are tasty, but the way they run their store is, to me, almost criminal. Waiting in line for Mt Bagel feels like waiting in line for bread during the great depression, only to get to the front to be told "sorry, ran out." Luckily, I made the cut off right before, but my heart aches for those right behind me.

In this day and age, it's inexcusable to run your shop in such an excruciatingly inefficient and nontransparent way.

1. Their storefront is only about 30 sq. ft. big, so most people need to wait outside. Rain or shine. Hot or cold. Wait outside. They don't care about you, the customer, enough to invest in a better system. Get sick. We just want your money.

2. They don't tell you they're running out until... well... they run out. "Less than a dozen left folks! Sorry!" If I could initiate a chargeback on my time, I would do that in a heartbeat. Bait and switch, anyone?

3. No parking lot or bathroom. I wouldn't want to live anywhere close to here, having my street clogged up every morning by random cars.

If I could give a low-cost suggestion, at least create a ticketing system so folks can wait in their cars. Even the DMV has that!

But hey, that's just me. If you're happy to wait, and have nothing better to do, then feel free to stand in that line and get...

TL; DR - Excellent bagels; loved the scallion cream cheese. Mt. Bagel are wholesale only,so there’s no slicing/toasting of the bagels going on here, no utensils or napkins either; it’s a truly to go experience.

First time visit. Waited maybe 15-20 in the line (didn’t feel long). Very residential area so it was kind of cool to see something in a vintage retail spot. Most people were leaving with one or more dozens, but the BF and I were only there for singles. We got one salt, one poppyseed, and an 8oz scallion cream cheese. Our toaster is broken so we ate them untoasted. Both were super delicious; the poppyseed is a sleepy flavor that people need to get back into imo. 8oz of cream cheese is enough for three bagels (we have some left over). My favorite part was how distinct the scallion flavor was, big pieces where you actually bite into a chunk and knew it wasn’t just plain.

Also, shout out to the person working the counter; she/they was friendly and expressed real appreciation for tipping (are people not tipping???)

I can only see this place getting more and more popular. Go now before the line becomes...