Submitted by STREAMOFCONSCIOUSN3S t3_y868cd in rva
Just wanted to say it. They're so good.
Comments
resident16 t1_iszd81w wrote
Nate’s also made me wait a hour for two bagel sandwiches. What the hell!!
shalomfromus t1_it0t5zk wrote
I find “I waited an hour (or longer) for my meal” posts like this fascinating. I’d be so impatient after like 15 minutes I’d peace the fuck out.
I’m not even being snarky! I honestly don’t know how people have such patience and self control.
resident16 t1_it22sac wrote
I’m right there with you. Only reason I waited was because I had to pay during the online order.
Stitchmond t1_it21fg6 wrote
Amen
Saxmuffin t1_iszsuco wrote
Did you order online and schedule a pickup? If not that’s on you
resident16 t1_it017qw wrote
I ordered online but did not schedule a pickup. To be honest I just assumed a bagel place would be quick.
darockerj t1_iszelc9 wrote
I remember liking them when they had them at the café at my old job, but I don’t think I’ve had one since. Might be nostalgia goggles.
IMO Chewy’s has the best bagel in town, but Nate’s lost me even more when I started having to wait so long for my order.
crono_fan t1_iszo50d wrote
I haven't tried any of these places but I am curious what you mean by "real bagels". What is the distinguishing factor between a Panera bagel, per your example, and a real bagel
MaybeZoidberg t1_it027wt wrote
A bagel is typically boiled before baking. This is why a traditional bagel has two distinct textures, the soft and chewy inside, with the slightly harder “outer shell” type part around it. Panera bagels are allegedly not boiled at all, but rather steamed, making them by definition not a traditional bagel and arguably just flavored bread with a hole in it. This is a common gripe for northerners like myself living in the south or from those few southerners with a discerning bagel palette. Historically in RVA, many places either trucked in real bagels from somewhere else, or made/procured non-traditional “bagels” leaving crummy options all around. As someone born in NY and a bit of a bagel-nazi, I’ve found Nate’s to be tolerable but not particularly good, Cupertino’s to be standard but not reliable (like they fell off the back of a truck in Bushwick), and Chewy’s to be my favorite so far.
crono_fan t1_it05rj9 wrote
Thanks for the info! This honestly clears a lot of things up, I didn't know it goes so deep with bagels.
diocboedskes t1_it0lakb wrote
Yup, spot on. Cupertino’s falls in the flavored bread camp with Panera. They may boil their bagels but it sure doesn’t taste like it. Gotta boil to get that chewiness.
Saxmuffin t1_iszszps wrote
Have you lived in pa/ny/nj? Nate’s is a real bagel and there is no real pizza in Richmond imo
DefaultSubsAreTerrib t1_it24kbm wrote
> Chewy’s is the only good bagel in Richmond
Chewy's makes a competent sourdough loaf that coincidentally is shaped like a bagel---a "bagel-shaped object" or "BSO" if you will. However, they make a poor bagel.
JulianVanderbilt t1_isydf3i wrote
Best in Richmond metro by a pretty wide margin. (No offense to Nate’s.) Bodos out in Charlottesville takes the Best in State title though.
JustDyslexic t1_isydn1o wrote
Have you tried Chewy's in Carytown?
JulianVanderbilt t1_isydu06 wrote
Yeah, it’s perfectly fine. On par with Nate’s or maybe a little better. Definitely a good bagel, but Cupertino’s/Bodos still take the trophies home in the Vanderbilt Virginia Bagel Cup.
NuttingOnNutzy t1_isyenxg wrote
I wish I understood the Bodo’s hype. It feels like they’re made to be enjoyed as bread for sandwiches. I can’t imagine eating one untoasted with cream cheese
washuffitzi t1_isyi30p wrote
A huge part of the Bodos hype comes from the overall experience, rather than just the bagel itself. Bodos will get through 100 customers in the time it takes Nate's to go through 10, and they're half the price of Nate's. That said, I go for the sandwiches, so you're probably right there.
lemon_difficult90 t1_isymxlo wrote
As best I can tell - and I ate my share of Bodo’s while I was living there, but usually sandwiches, lol - the thing about being anti-toasting is that the bagels are so fresh you wouldn’t need them toasted. A lot of the bagel shops I’ve been to up in NY have a similar vibe, except they seem to take it as a slight if you want your bagel toasted. I worked at a bagel shop in Norfolk in high school (imo: Yorgo’s is not as good as Bodo’s, on par with Cupertino’s, significantly better than Nate’s, and I’ve not tried Chewy’s yet) and they do toast bagels, but very likely only because they don’t make them throughout the day. It all seems kinda silly to me - sometimes you just want a toasted bagel, and that’s totally fine - but there’s no explaining pride.
wizer1212 t1_isyxomp wrote
I have bagels brought down by folks from up north
There’s def something diff in water but sure can do a good bagel
Danger-Moose t1_isz0qbu wrote
The notion of water playing a role in bagel taste has been largely debunked.
Charlesinrichmond t1_iszp5cj wrote
Also for pizza I note
[deleted] t1_isyyrpi wrote
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NuttingOnNutzy t1_isywlu4 wrote
If I’m eating a bagel in the morning, there isn’t a reason for it to not be freshly made. In my experience baking, bagels and other bread don’t have noticeable textural changes until they’ve been out for 5hrs. Nate’s does not toast any of their bagels, which makes it super obvious when they’re not fresh and sometimes I would suspect, from the day before. The last bakery I worked at had a man who would come in and ask us to microwave his croissant. A toasted bagel could never offend me after having to frequently torture a baked good in such a vile way.
lemon_difficult90 t1_isywxw2 wrote
A microwaved croissant? Holy smokes. That actually is a slight. Like, an affront to butter itself.
NuttingOnNutzy t1_isyyc68 wrote
He might as well have been asking me to microwave one of my children, all the labor and love that goes into making a traditional croissant :(
lemon_difficult90 t1_isyywrx wrote
Y THO
I cannot be made to understand.
NuttingOnNutzy t1_isz0645 wrote
He was probably sad our French pastries didn’t taste enough like a croissan'wich from Burger King
JulianVanderbilt t1_isyewjg wrote
I toast but eat them with only cream cheese. Not at all a bagel sandwich guy, personally.
The boiling is where it’s at for me!
NuttingOnNutzy t1_isyfe59 wrote
Chewy’s are slow proofed and kettleboiled too. Nice glassy exterior with a chewy but not dense interior
Danger-Moose t1_isykq8m wrote
I've only had their retail (from Little Green Grocer) and those were not at all glassy exterior. I'm also the biggest fan of sourdough bagels.
ManBMitt t1_it0aeo6 wrote
Nate’s >>> Chewy’s
Herculicia t1_isydthb wrote
Have you tried Chewy's Bagels yet? IMO waaaaaay better than Nate's, though I haven't tried Bodos or Cupertino's so I'm not sure how they stack up.
STREAMOFCONSCIOUSN3S OP t1_isygp75 wrote
I haven't had Chewy's. I should try them but what comes to mind with the name Chewy's is the petstore e-tailer haha.
AwsumMcCoolName t1_it051rb wrote
You're not far off, the place is named after the owner's dog.
Not that it matters, but I'm an avowed Cupertino's stan. Chewy's is miles better than Nate's, though.
kipfoot t1_isyin8t wrote
It's amazing to me that Chewy's bagels are more expensive than Essa-a-bagel on W 32nd street in New York City. It's an odd LCOL city item flipped on its head.
Charlesinrichmond t1_iszpd2s wrote
Because it's a specialty luxury item here and a run of the mill item in NYC
kipfoot t1_it579jw wrote
That's a reasonable way to think of it, and I'd think of them as a luxury item if they were the quality of an ess-a-bagel bagel.
Charlesinrichmond t1_it58rr6 wrote
ok, purporting to be a luxury item? I clearly need to try essa bagel. Had Russ and daughter bagel this summer, and it was really disappointing. I used to love H&H way back
CarlCasper t1_isynza1 wrote
I’m sure they are great but don’t sleep on the bagels trucked in from NYC by Europa on West Broad. The egg everything bagels are outstanding.
coconut_sorbet t1_isyrir2 wrote
I was there a week ago and they were out of everything bagels. I should start calling daily...
[deleted] t1_it0a8tm wrote
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dreoerd t1_isz0otz wrote
I get a bag of bagels there every week. IMO better than Bodos if you follow the heating instructions.
Arviay t1_it09whi wrote
Wawa is better than Bodos, except according to anyone from Charlottesville
[deleted] t1_iszbaib wrote
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Seaguitar t1_it0drt2 wrote
I’ll have to try Europa, but your complaint is that Cupertinos isn’t fresh…but the bagels trucked in from NY are??
[deleted] t1_it0fglr wrote
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Seaguitar t1_it0gc1n wrote
That does, thanks! Love a good bagel so I will try to hit up Europa. Weird about Cupertinos that it sits out for so long. I love their sausage, egg, cheese on everything bagel. Don’t think I’ve had them plain so never noticed.
[deleted] t1_it0kf6e wrote
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hormonemonstrosity t1_it1vi2q wrote
I don’t know where you got that info from, but I am pretty sure they don’t sit out for 8-12 hours due to them being made overnight…. There hours wouldn’t allow that since they close at 130pm
[deleted] t1_it2mx25 wrote
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hormonemonstrosity t1_it2nsl9 wrote
I have been in the store at 7am and all hours of the day because it’s one of my regular stops. They do have a baking shift overnight if i am not mistaken, but to claim they sit out for 8-12 hours is kinda wild, they don’t get set out at 7pm or even 11pm, they don’t even get all of them made before then I believe. Do you understand how quickly food cools down after baking? Sometimes I have things (not from here) be cool before I even get to my car in the parking lot.
[deleted] t1_it2pank wrote
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hormonemonstrosity t1_it2qw8q wrote
We can agree to disagree for sure, I know for a fact that they have someone in there making the bagels until at least 3am every morning. It’s the beat option around without having to drive hours. I’ve never had Bodo’s so I can’t speak on an issue about something I don’t know.
[deleted] t1_it2rgee wrote
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hormonemonstrosity t1_it2tp9d wrote
I can mention it to the owner for sure 😁❤️ but I asbolutely do not work there, will never work in the food industry again
NuttingOnNutzy t1_isye9y5 wrote
I like Cupertino’s a lot. Personally, I think Chewys is the best locally. Nate’s was okay until they took away my favorite cream cheese and kept serving me stale bagels of sadness!
Bhadbhibe t1_it2rgji wrote
Chewy's has my favorite bagel in town, and it's worth it to note the service there is incredibly fast and friendly. I could be in a 20 person line out the door on a Saturday morning and still be on my way in about 15 minutes at Chewy's. Nate's could never.
Danger-Moose t1_isyzw5a wrote
Color me crazy, but I like the bagels from Wegmans (the kind in the display boxes, not the prebagged stuff) better.
InterstateExit t1_iszbi1m wrote
Wegman’s does a very good bagel. Not surprising since they are a NY-based company.
christember t1_isz84vk wrote
Oh yeah, for sure. And never a 55 minute wait.
moderatehill t1_iszcjpc wrote
Maybe I need to give Cupertino's another chance. Every time I have been the bagels were stale. Like left out on the kitchen table for 3 days stale.
TheDeadlyPineapple t1_iszoybz wrote
I should give them a go as well. Tried to go a while back and their website said they were open but no lights on and the doors were still locked.
ThrowRA99 t1_isze9jj wrote
Don’t like bagels but this seems as good of a time as any to ask what the best place is in Richmond for a good biscuit?
darockerj t1_iszf05v wrote
probably a source of endless debate and this might not be the best answer, but i love the wavy gravy at the fancy biscuit
i don’t eat meat, so my options for biscuits and gravy are very limited, let alone a biscuit paired with anything at all. super filling, not too expensive, and good coffee too.
Notthatianmcewan t1_it09iie wrote
I really like the biscuits from early bird biscuit. They are my favorite in Richmond. I love their raspberry and rotating jellies so I only gotten a biscuit sandwich like once or twice there.
Reilman79 t1_it0hdl4 wrote
Early Bird is on top for sure. Great breakfast sandwiches and their homemade pop tarts are so damn good
sleevieb t1_it0e56d wrote
Saison market
fishmapper t1_it2wny2 wrote
Southern biscuit company bag mix from the grocery store, make them with buttermilk. Add good crispy bacon, a runny yolk egg, and a slice of deli American cheese (no Kraft singles!)
ScrambledSkrinks t1_iszop4d wrote
Portland (I've come to the conclusion that the PNW is the only place for good biscuits and the south lost their touch)
Hanksdanks t1_it2jf8y wrote
This couldn’t be more false.
ScrambledSkrinks t1_it2mq3w wrote
waiting to be proven wrong (also I know I'm being inflammatory with that comment, I like seeing people's reactions)
Hanksdanks t1_it3mpul wrote
Lived in PDX for years. Pine state biscuits are fine but not worth any sort of line or wait. Had some of the worst southern food/grits in my entire life from screen door.
Unlucky_Ear_6037 t1_itqchig wrote
New Yorker who has eaten a metric ton of great bagels from Long Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and NJ. Good bad and in-between. Cupertino’s works for us. Just ate one for breakfast. Would it survive in NY? Sure, would they be highly rated? Not really. Nate’s for a breakfast sandwich bagel I didn’t mind but not my go to. Will try Chewy’s for sure. Value matters to me as I will eat these by the dozen when I buy them so Chewy’s may be out.
[deleted] t1_it0mpyy wrote
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fishmapper t1_it2w2oa wrote
Food Lion blueberry bagels are the best. Let’s fight.
[deleted] t1_iszqdb1 wrote
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diocboedskes t1_isz82ga wrote
It never ceases to amaze me how many people think Cupertino’s are real bagels. To me they’re on par with a Panera bagel. Chewy’s is the only good bagel in Richmond, with Nate’s somewhere in between (but Nate’s loses a lot of points for rudeness).