After conducting blind taste tests, The Washington Post compiled a list of the nine best bagels in (and around) D.C., with four of the top contenders coming from Maryland—all available in Montgomery County.
According to The Washington Post, the selection process began with 18 popular bagel shops, which were whittled down to nine finalists after some spirited debate. For fairness, the panel sampled one plain untoasted bagel and one untoasted everything bagel from each shop. The judging panel, composed of lawmakers, chefs, and food editors, ranked the bagels on a scale of 1 to 10, using a blind tasting format. Each judge could enhance the bagels with plain cream cheese or butter based on their preferences.
Pearl’s Bagels in D.C. claimed the top spot, earning the highest overall score, including the best ratings for both plain (41 out of 60) and everything bagels (45). Notably, Pearl’s was the only shop to receive a perfect score (10) from any judge. Call Your Mother, with locations in Montgomery County and 15 locations across D.C. and beyond, including as far as Colorado, placed seventh on the list.
Montgomery County-based shops also made a strong showing:
- Ize’s Deli and Bagelry (11622 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda/Rockville) came in ranked at #8. Ize’s, a local favorite, has been around since the mid-’90s, originally opening as Manhattan Bagels before rebranding nearly 20 years ago.
- Bethesda Bagels, in business for over four decades, came in ranked fifth The shop has three Montgomery County locations: 4819 Bethesda Ave. and 10241 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, and 14929-D Shady Grove Rd in Rockville, along with locations in D.C. and Virginia.
- Goldberg’s New York Bagels was ranked second overall and has two locations, both in Montgomery County (4824 Boiling Brook Pkwy., Rockville; 9328 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring). “Since 2004 Goldberg’s New York Bagels have offered Washington DC and the surrounding metro area award-winning bagels and deli-style cuisine. We offer a variety of breakfast and lunch options including bagels, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Voted “Best Bagel” by the Washington Jewish Week and the “Top Nosh” award by the Washington Post, we have built our reputation by providing our customers with delicious food and superior customer service.”
