Since the first bagel shop in Marin opened in 1989, bagels have become a staple of Marin cuisine. Whether you prefer your bagels soft and doughy or crispy and toasty, Marin County has plenty of bagels to satisfy any craving. From Barton’s Bagels in downtown San Anselmo to Boichik Bagels in Larkspur, you can enjoy bagel sandwiches, flavored cream cheeses, and nearly every bagel flavor imaginable.
Barton’s Bagels in San Anselmo has a cute, bustling, traditional bagel shop vibe, and their cinnamon sugar bagel is an absolute must-try. With its golden-brown, slightly crisp exterior and soft, warm interior, this unique bagel can be perfectly paired with a generous spread of creamy butter. As the butter melts into the warm dough, it creates a rich, velvety texture that contrasts beautifully with the bagel’s subtle chewiness, making this sweet and salty combo a fan favorite. The bagel is soft and doughy with a delicious amount of butter, but be careful; it will get your hands sticky.
Since it opened in the early 1990s, Barton’s has become a neighborhood favorite. The menu is reasonably priced, with simple bagels costing three to four dollars and bagel sandwiches closer to six or seven. The service is quick, the bagels are served warm and are available by the dozen. Bartons offers standard bagels but their selection of bagel sandwiches is limited and overall earns four out of five feathers.
Bagel Street Cafe, located in San Rafael, has the best sesame seed bagels, but make sure to arrive early because their bagels sell out quickly. The sesame bagel with cream cheese is toasted, crispy, and tan, with the perfect amount of cream cheese.
Bagel Street Cafe, located in Montecito Plaza, has a New York bagel shop vibe. With a darker interior and commercial light, it has a larger menu than Barton’s but is more expensive. A simpler bagel costs four to five dollars, while a bagel sandwich costs seven to 10 dollars. However, these bagels are worth every penny. Overall, both Bagel Street Cafe locations earn four-and-a-half out of five feathers for great flavor and ideal texture.
The moment customers walk into the House of Bagels shop in downtown San Rafael they will feel welcomed by the friendly workers and the homey cafe with the TV roaring. House of Bagels also offers gluten-free bagels inclusive of dietary restrictions. House of Bagels is the only bagel shop around that offers more than bagels, with their menu including soup and sandwiches.
House of Bagels boils and bakes their bagels fresh every morning, and you can tell by the delicious texture of these bagels. This fresh bagel has crispy edges that are perfectly toasted and loaded with cream cheese. The seeds from the everything bagel don’t overpower the flavor of the bagel itself and will not fall off and make a mess. If you are looking for a no-mess, tasty everything bagel head to House of Bagels. Overall House of Bagels earns 3.5 out of five feathers.
Finally, one of the six Bay Area Boichik Bagels locations is in Larkspur. The first Boichik Bagels opened in 2019 in Berkeley and has since gained popularity. Boichik Bagels is well known for its bagel sandwiches, and its authentic New York-style bagels were even reviewed in the New York Times.
The Larkspur location receives their bagels each morning from the factory located in Berkeley. The plain bagel with honey date tahini cream cheese, expensive at 5.5 dollars, wasn’t the showstopper of the day, as the bagel itself was spongy and lacked any crispiness desired from a toasted bagel. The cream cheese was tasty and creamy, but the sweet-flavored cream cheese didn’t pair well with the savory bagel. If you visit Boichik, you’re better off getting one of their specialty bagel sandwiches. Boichik earns three-and-a-half out of five feathers.
Overall, Bagel Street Cafe’s exceptional sesame bagel with delicious cream cheese is the best bagel in Marin, followed closely by Barton’s Bagels’ cinnamon sugar bagel with butter.
