Sure, most spots offer a lox and schmear bagel sandwich, but how often do you see a pastrami egg n’ cheese? At Delirama, where pastrami is the star, the pastrami egg n’ cheese makes a solid start to your morning but is also a dish that highlights what should be the other star of this Solano Avenue spot: the bagel. (As if you needed another reason to visit.)

Saul’s is a Berkeley institution for its deli menu with Reubens and shakshouka, but the bagels are also worthwhile. After previously sourcing bagels, the shop now makes its own, ones that live up to the ideals of owner Peter Levitt. Try the bagel and trout, which comes with cucumbers, tomato, olives, and capers (along with the requisite swipe of cream cheese). Or for something hearty, but more breakfast-y, the mushroom egg bagel will do.

Boichik Bagels helped usher in a new era in Bay Area — nay, West Coast — bagels. Emily Winston is the mastermind behind Boichik Bagels, which has garnered plenty of press for bagels based on her memories of H&H in New York. Boichik has spread quickly throughout the Bay Area with good reason, and it’s a good first stop for your tour of Bay Area bagels if you haven’t already been. Try the Eggything Bagel, an eggy bagel with everything spice, and the hatch chile cream cheese.

If you’re open to chasing down a pop-up for your bagel fix, try Hella Bagels. It’s been running since 2020, but the business has gained fans in that short time and is good enough to sell out on weekends. Thankfully, the shop does preorders via its website, and there’s an option for delivery (but only for those living in specific areas).

House of Bagels remains a San Francisco mainstay since its opening in 1962, serving New York-style bagels for decades. The House earned fervent fans who swear by the shop’s offerings. The lox and cream cheese is a classic, and it may well be worth trying the shop’s rye if the mood strikes. For something a bit different, add on an order of bagel chips with hummus. (It is worth noting that the two House of Bagels on this list are related, but run by different owners.)

There’s an entire class of bagel pop-up-gone-permanent shops that opened across the Bay Area in recent years; Schlocks is among the favorites, managing to maintain the quality that ensured it’d sell out every weekend during its pop-up days. The bagels are rolled by hand and perfect for a caper schmear or chopped smoked lox. If you’re feeling fancy, add on some smoked salmon or trout roe, or go for a smoked ends sandwich with chopped smoked lox, blackened everything spice, and scallion schmear.

The wood-fired bagels from Daily Driver deliver the bite for which bagel enthusiasts are often searching, pairing a tight crust with a dense, bready interior. Pick up the poppy seed-forward Everything bagel, and don’t skip out on the dairy-based spreads here — the on-site creamery ensures the wonderfully cultured butter and cream cheese spreads are perfect for bagels.

Midnite Bagel first launched as a pop-up where fans would snap up owner Nick Beitcher’s sourdough bagels at farmers markets around town. Although Midnite opened briefly its own permanent shop, these days the brand is selling its popular specimens fresh out of the oven at its commissary kitchen in the Dogpatch, plus at the Ferry Building’s Saturday farmers market.

Holey Bagels are a staple of Noe Valley mornings with dense bready interiors and a light tang to each bite. There’s a variety of sandwiches to pick up if that’s what moves you, but otherwise, there’s a robust selection of schmears, including the typical chive or garlic and herb options, as well as sundried tomato or olive spreads to give your breakfast a little shakeup.

This is one of the current bagel pop-up favorites, especially as others have gone on to permanent spots. The line can get lengthy resulting in long waits, so smart folks should place pre-orders if possible. Expect bagels with a nice, almost baguette-like crust and a not-too-dense interior. The cream cheese is made in-house and comes in flavors like chive and scallions and horseradish and shallot; the bagel dog, meanwhile, makes for a good respite from a plain old bagel and cream cheese. If you’re an Everything bagel fan, this one comes loaded with poppy and toasted sesame seeds.

If you prefer your bagels on the fluffier side, then you might want to try Bay Area mini-chain House of Bagels. But beyond that, if you’re a fan of schmears, this shop offers an impressively wide variety. Fans of sweeter spreads will want to try the ube or honey butter to tug a bagel into dessert territory. There’s also a wide variety of savory spreads beyond the typical scallion schmear — although they make that, too.