Aug 26th, 2009
Philadelphia Bagel Co.
When I first started work at my current job we’d get occasional visits from our Head Salesdude, who lives in NYC. He’d come down with a big bag of delicious fresh bagels and cream cheese. The big fluffy rings with the chewy outside and the light doughy inside were just perfect bagels. Nothing more nothing less but somehow the gold standard.
There were some sourpusses in the office though. People who said “what’s the big deal? They’re just bagels.” But a good bagel is not so easy to find in Philly! There’s South Street, with their recent Best of Philly win, and there’s some place north of Rittenhouse which is pretty mediocre. That’s all that comes to mind. Except for…
The Philadelphia Bagel Co.
The place is in a strip mall at the intersection of Washington Ave. and Delaware. You’ve probably seen it a million times but never stopped in. Next time you’re driving by in the morning do yourself a favor and check it out. Not only do they supply Whole Foods and most of the better hotels in the city, it also has a really nice selection of bagels, their own cream cheese blends, bagel pizzas and even my favorite, the bialy!
Their best feature though is their genuinely friendly and helpful attitude. If you ask for a bialy with cream cheese you may have a concerned bagelier (that belongs in the dictionary, btw) asking you if you’d like the top half placed upside-down, so the garlicky-oniony goodness doesn’t all fall off. There may also be a “hon” or “sweetie” thrown in for good measure if you’re a lady, and I can practically guarantee some heartfelt good wishes for the rest of your day. You canNOT walk out of there without feeling like you made a new friend. Plus they have salt bagels, which I love. And pumpkin cream cheese!
You can find an in-depth discussion of Philly’s bagel scene on Chowhound if you want. I’ll admit I have yet to check out South Street, so I’ll update this post when I do. But apparently I’m not the only one who thinks that Philly suffers from a lack of bagel options. Consider this piece from a bit on phoodie.info
As a Jewish boy raised on really good bagels growing up in D.C. of all places (not exactly a deli/baglery hotbed), I’ve been shocked since moving here twenty years ago Philly doesn’t have good bagels. Just about the only exception I’ve found is the bagel maker on Delaware Ave. in the strip mall where American Applicances used to be. There bagels are definitely the real deal, hot out of the oven after being wonderfully boiled. Good commitment to the basics with some allowance made for those weirdos who like things other than sesame or poppy seeds on their bagels. Don’t know the name, it might just go by “Bagels”…
That place is, without a doubt, Philadelphia Bagel Co.
1100 S Columbus Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5513
(215) 336-7211
