Who doesn’t love a chewy bagel to start the day or toasted to perfection for a doughy snack? The bagel became an American breakfast staple, which brought with it several different sweet and savory combinations. Bagels get a reputation as being quintessential to the East Coast, New York experience (and the city does have some pretty unique bagel sandwiches). However, bagel lovers in Los Angeles are in luck with one viral bagel eatery. Calic Bagel is a small Korean bakery pushing the limits of what bagels can be since 2023. It fuses the Asian tangzhong technique, which cooks part of the flour with water before creating the dough and baking it, with traditional Jewish bagel-making. The bakery has been hailed as one of Los Angeles’ best spots for bagels by Los Angeles Times, Eater Los Angeles, Good Morning America, and local news stations.
Calic Bagel’s creations are so popular it has a sign outside regarding limited dough resulting in stuffed bagels selling out fast. The bagel store is everything but basic, offering a rip-and-dip style bagel rather than sliced bagels. The real star of the show is the stuffed bagel that is dipped in a secret garlic butter sauce and stuffed with cream cheese filling. Flavors include the garlic, habanero, bacon scallion, elote, pepperoni pizza, and potato bacon. It also offers two bagels as the minimum rather than one, which can be dipped in a range of schmears, including bacon scallion, hummus, basil sun-dried tomato, butter, ceremonial matcha, and more.
What customers have to say about Calic Bagel
Whether you’re team West Coast or East Coast bagels, Los Angeles natives get to enjoy one of the most talked-about bagel spots with Calic Bagel. The eatery has an average of 4.5 stars on Google reviews with the majority being 5-star reviews. According to one reviewer, the bakery’s signature creation hits the spot, “Calic Bagel is truly on another level. [Its] signature bagels — with cream cheese baked inside — are pure genius.” Another review on TikTok cosigns the fact that Calic Bagel is one of the most acclaimed in the city, praising the crispiness of the exterior and fluffiness of the inside, as well as the variety of flavors. One person on Instagram tried the savory bagels and called the habanero option a 9 out of 10 as a “phenomenal bagel” that delivers the right amount of heat.
The Koreatown bakery is praised for its highly flavorful bagels and buttery soft interior, but if you’re searching for a bagel that hits the old school tastes, you might not find what you’re looking for in this hot spot. A classic bagel lover might find themselves overwhelmed by the fusion-style bagels. However, for those willing to try something undeniably unique and culturally exciting, this might be the place to check out when passing through Los Angeles.
