New York has always claimed bagel superiority with swagger that’s usually reserved for Broadway divas at Queens’ Citi Field but, this weekend, something seismic happened: Dallas took home Best Bagel of the Year at this year's edition of New York BagelFest. The land of brisket now has bragging rights over the land of bialys.
The winning bagel came from Starship Bagel, a shop already well-known to industry die-hards for transitioning from a local favorite to a national contender. (Past champs have turned their trophies into expansions, press frenzies and, in Starship’s case, a James Beard Award nod.) The shop won in a blind tasting judged by BagelFest’s nine-member “BreadHead” panel, where bagels were scored on flavor, texture, appearance and aroma, with flavor as the tiebreaker.
More than 2,000 attendees grazed through bagel samples from a global lineup, spanning Honolulu, Madrid, Montreal, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Seattle, Kingston and, of course, New York’s own titans. Utopia Bagels, Ess-a-Bagel and Town Bagel held court alongside newcomers like New Orleans’ Flour Moon, Tilly from Chicago and Tali’s, all the way from Hawaii. Even gluten-free devotees got their moment, thanks to Modern Bread & Bagel’s showing.
Award-wise, it was a banner day overall for the Southerners. Along with Starship’s big win, Potchke Bagel from Knoxville, Tennessee, took home third place overall, most creative and best bially. Fantzye Bagels from New York’s Hudson Valley snagged second place and dominated Schmear of the Year with a charred leek and lemon-caper spread.
Of course, the five boroughs didn’t go entirely without awards: Ess-a-Bagel won Best of the Boroughs with Utopia placing second. Baltik’s Bagel from Richmond, Virginia, stunned the crowd by winning People’s Choice outright.
The festival, which is produced by BagelUp, feels like a cross between a county fair and a culinary conference. Kids decorated bagel-themed crafts alongside judges debating crumb structure. Meanwhile, the annual Bagel Rolling Championship ended in a dramatic tie at 27 bagels in one minute. The industry-forward BagelFest Talks packed every seat, with deep dives on technique, hospitality, scaling and the increasingly complex business of the humble ring of dough.
For now, though, the headline writes itself: Dallas beat New York at its own game. New Yorkers may never fully recover.