Best Bagel

7315 N. Oracle Road

Around this time of year, we start hearing the myth that will not die about how a turkey can drown during a rainstorm by looking up in the air and having rainwater go into their tilted nostrils. It’s definitely a myth and fortunately, the same applies to humans. That’s a good thing because, for decades, the mere mention of bagels in Tucson caused the noses of transplanted Easterners to tilt skyward while uttering something along the lines of “The only place you can get a REAL bagel is in New York City.” Apparently, that’s also a myth because the people behind this year’s BOT winner of Best Bagel hail from Boston! They feature a wide variety of bagel flavors and for 10 bucks, you get the Boston Dozen—12 bagels plus two free. Their cream cheeses include honey walnut raisin, smoked salmon, and garden vegetable, but then there is the welcome nod to the American Southwest—the El Diablo, which includes a mix of jalapeño, hot cherry pepper and sriracha.  Definitely not for the faint of heart. Their breakfast sandwiches come with a choice of ham, bacon, sausage or chorizo. And their gift from Beantown to Refried Beantown is a choice of cheeses that includes Pepper Jack, Swiss, American, Provolone, and, ahem, Cheddah!

2. The B-Line

3. Bernie’s Bagels