map by Madeline Veira

BY EMILY DEAN

Nearly everyone is familiar with, if not a fan of, the bagel: a dense, ring-shaped bread roll brought to America by Jewish immigrants from Poland. Bagels  are a lot like pizza: part of a different culture a century ago, they have become as American as apple pie. As the daughter of a Jewish New Yorker, I’ve grown up hearing complaints about how the South is lacking in places to get authentic bagels, so I set off on a quest to find the best bagel in Atlanta.

The first stop on my quest was Einstein Bros. Bagels (1676 Monroe Drive). Considering the chain’s national sprawl (they have

more than 700 locations throughout the United States, and 10 in the Atlanta area), I had high hopes upon entering the location. The interior wasn’t as nice as some of the other restaurants I visited; it looked more like a fast-food restaurant than a bakery.

I ordered a blueberry bagel, toasted, with plain cream cheese, which cost $2.97. My food arrived quickly, but the bagel was hardly warm. The cream cheese was spread on the bagel when I got it, but there was far too much of it: more often than not, a bite contained more cream cheese than bagel. While I appreciate the fact that Einstein’s cream cheese is heavily whipped, in such a large quantity it overpowered the bagel and almost tasted sour. The bagel itself was incredibly chewy inside and out, and, because of the overwhelming amount of cream cheese, I

could hardly taste the blueberries. I was ultimately left unsatified with Einstein Bros.

Next, I ventured to Belly General Store (772 North Highland Ave.). The store’s interior is charming, with long wooden tables adorned with flowers and exposed brick walls lined with glass soda bottles. Despite the pleasant decor, Belly didn’t provide the most enjoyable dining experience: the staff seemed slightly annoyed, the wait was relatively long and the music was too loud.

Regardless, I ordered a sea-salt olive oil bagel with veggie cream cheese for $3.78. When it arrived, my previous reservations about the restaurant vanished. The bagel was the largest of all the ones I tried, and it was toasted to perfection, charred in places, just enough to improve the presentation without affecting the taste. It was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the ideal combination for any bagel.

The veggie cream cheese, which was orange, accented the bagel perfectly, and was seasoned enough that I could tell it was veggie flavored but not so strongly that it overpowered the bagel.

My one complaint was that the bottom half of the bagel did not live up to the precedent set by the top half. The cream cheese had somewhat melted into the bagel, leading to a doughy and slightly soggy texture. I left Belly surprisingly satisfied, and though I cannot vouch for the authenticity of their bagels (mine tasted more like a foodie’s creative take on a bagel than a traditional Jewish bagel), they were nonetheless delicious.

The third place I visited, Bagel Palace (2869 N. Druid Hills Road), located in the heart of Toco Hills Shopping Center. The name, reputation and neighborhood of this deli gave me high expectations upon entering, and the multitude of bagels in metal bins on the back wall made choosing a flavor difficult.

I eventually settled on the cinnamon raisin bagel with cinnamon walnut raisin cream cheese, which cost $4.09. My bagels arrived very quickly and the waitress kindly brought us extra cream cheese. The bagel was slightly over toasted, to a point of being a little dry, which made the inside less fluffy and consequentially less delicious. The cream cheese, however, was expertly made, and not too sweet. Though Bagel Palace a offered superior product to Einstein’s, it did not measure up to its reputation or my expectations.

My final destination was Goldberg’s Bagel Company & Deli (3003 N. Druid Hills Road). Though there are multiple locations throughout Atlanta, I visited one in the same shopping center as Bagel Palace. Goldberg’s had the most bagel flavors, and I opted for an everything bagel with plain cream cheese, which cost $3.68. Before our friendly waitress brought the food, I had a chance to appreciate the restaurant’s decor, which featured cardboard cutouts of everything from playbills to bagels to Shrek.

Before trying the bagel I could tell it would be tasty, because it looked superior to the others I had devoured. The bagel was covered top to bottom with, well, “everything,” even on the bottom of the bagel, which I have found to be a rare but necessary attribute of good bagels. The inside was soft and airy, and the bottom half tasted just as good as the top. Goldberg’s hit the nail on the head when it came to the cream cheese, which was creamier than any of the others I sampled.

Goldberg’s offered the best bagels of all the ones I sampled, with Belly in a close second. Einstein Bros. offered an option that was quick and inexpensive: the bagel wasn’t terrible, but it left much to be desired. At the other three restaurants, I could really taste that the extra dollar made a huge difference.