Goldberg's New York Bagels, Third Location Now Open in Cabin John Mall

[Heather]

I picked up a dozen from Goldberg's New York Bagels in Silver Spring yesterday. They may or may not be authentic NYC-style bagels, but they meet my three criteria: chewy exterior, correct ratio of inside to crust, and salt on the everything. They have a variety called a "black Russian" that I have never seen; it's a pumpernickel that smells oniony and has sesame seeds on the outside. We'll see how they keep in the freezer. The tub of veggie cream cheese I got to go with was nothing special and wildly over priced at almost $8/lb.

Several people ordered sandwiches while I was waiting to pay and they looked pretty good. They offer breakfast egg sandwiches, tuna salad, egg salad, veggie burgers, pizza bialys, and the usual cream cheese spreads.

Forgot to add:

Goldberg's New York Bagels

9328 Georgia Ave

Silver Spring, MD 20910

240-450-4177

[JPW]

I picked up a dozen from Goldberg's New York Bagels in Silver Spring yesterday.

Don't forget their location on Boiling Brook Parkway. Closed Saturday.

[DonRocks]

I stopped into the relatively new Goldberg's this morning, and was faced with a line almost to the door. On Sunday mornings, this place clearly has a following. I ordered a Sesame Bagel with Cream Cheese ($2.35) and a large coffee ($2.00 for a huge tub; they're using Quartermaine Barista Brava beans), The bagel itself was yeasty and somewhat sweet, the entire thing smelling like a cheese danish (not necessarily a bad thing), and having a slightly dried out texture. Based on this one example, I'd stop into Goldberg's again if I was in the area, but I'm not rushing back.

(It's in the same shopping center where York Castle used to be.)

Cheers,

Rox

[goldbergd]

I stopped into the relatively new Goldberg's this morning, and was faced with a line almost to the door.

I had been waiting for the opening since the sign first went up--and was not disappointed. While I have only taken out bagels without a schmear of anything, they have been fresh, slightly sweet and soft on the inside with a firm crust--the way a bagel should be. The taste reminds me of H&H bagels although just a little more doughy--but still much better than the flavorless and dry things I get everywhere else in DC that are basically just boiled bread. These are not for everybody--my son prefers soft fluffy store-bought bagels but these are authentic! I've been stocking up every weekend since it opened (but only on Sunday mind you since they keep the Shabbat!)

(By the way, should add-in case there is any confusion-that despite my username, I have no relationship to the owners of Goldberg. I'm just a guy from New York looking for a good bagel in DC.)

[Heather]

I picked up a dozen from Goldberg's New York Bagels in Silver Spring yesterday.

I will add that they freeze pretty well, and I'll go back because it's there's nothing better around Silver Spring.

[Anna Blume]

bump. sit-down place^? Heard from reliable source there's another really good bagel source in Silver Spring--is that The Bagelry?

[deangold]

I am a big fan of the Baglery. Their bagels are less fluffy and not as sweet. The crackle on the Goldbergs, however, is better. If I could ge tthe chew of the Baglery and the crackle of the Goldberg's, it would be a perfect bagel.

Vital way which is a tiny block long street that runs southeast from Randolph eastbound to New Hampshire southbound.

[Heather]

I've gone back to Goldberg's after a few disappointing dozens from Bethesda Bagels, and they are holding steady in quality if not in price.

[bookluvingbabe]

Did I spy a new location in Potomac in the Cabin John mall?

[sklarithy]

Spoke to a guy at their Silver Spring location two weeks ago. Confirmed Potomac location.

[DanielK]

Is it open yet? Patch story from two weeks ago.

[dcs]

Is it open yet? Patch story from two weeks ago.

Not Yet. Drove by this morning. Outside overhead sign up. Windows still covered over. Sign in window says "Coming Soon."

[dcs]

I can report that the Cabin John location was open for business when I went by this morning.

[Drive-by Critic]

Heartbreaking. Waiting all this time, schlepping all the way out to Rockville, and what do we get? New Jersey bagels at best. Sorry to perpetuate this NY-has-better-food-than-DC thing, but sometimes it is true. Certainly it is true as to bagels. There is nothing New York about these bagels. These bagels are to NY bagels what the Metro is to the New York City subway system - both trains, but only the latter can actually get you everywhere you need to go. For a flat $2.25, all day, all night. With express trains and dual tracks. The real deal unlike our pretend mass transit that costs a fortune, has limited coverage...

As soon as we walked in, I had a sinking feeling. It looked like every other bagel shop in Rockville. One line for everybody, both those ordering bagels and those ordering food. It looked run-down and depressing. They had chocolate-chip bagels. A shonda.

And sure enough, the bagels were meh at best. Flabby, soft, no crustiness, no chewiness. Very little flavor. Not even as good as Bethesda Bagels.

Sad.

[dcs]

Heartbreaking. Waiting all this time, schlepping all the way out to Rockville, and what do we get? New Jersey bagels at best. Sorry to perpetuate this NY-has-better-food-than-DC thing, but sometimes it is true. Certainly it is true as to bagels. There is nothing New York about these bagels. These bagels are to NY bagels what the Metro is to the New York City subway system - both trains, but only the latter can actually get you everywhere you need to go. For a flat $2.25, all day, all night. With express trains and dual tracks. The real deal unlike our pretend mass transit that costs a fortune, has limited coverage...

I have had worse bagels in New York, and I have had better. They are not all the same. The New York City subway definitely offers more enhanced service than the Metro for a flat fee, but I am not sure how this relates to bagels (except that you could probably get away with eating a bagel on the New York City subway but not on the Metro; then again, maybe not). Unlike some other places, a bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomato, and onion sets you back only 7 bucks and change at Goldberg's. In addition, both times I stopped in at the Cabin John location I most enjoyed watching the guy behind the counter get flummoxed by the cash register.

I am not sure what to make of the gratuitous crack on New Jersey. The best bagels I ever had in my life came from Watson Bagel. More here.

[Drive-by Critic]

I have had worse bagels in New York, and I have had better. They are not all the same. The New York City subway definitely offers more enhanced service than the Metro for a flat fee, but I am not sure how this relates to bagels (except that you could probably get away with eating a bagel on the New York City subway but not on the Metro; then again, maybe not).

Answer: it was an analogy. Two of the things are genuine and others are weak approximations. I used the analogy to describe how the bagels at Goldberg's do not merit the NY they use in their name.

Unlike some other places, a bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomato, and onion sets you back only 7 bucks and change at Goldberg's. In addition, both times I stopped in at the Cabin John location I most enjoyed watching the guy behind the counter get flummoxed by the cash register.

Answer: Not enough entertainment value to make up for the mediocre bagels.

I am not sure what to make of the gratuitous crack on New Jersey. The best bagels I ever had in my life came from Watson Bagel. More here.

Answer: I'm from New Jersey. It was neither gratuitous nor a crack. It was a literary device to suggest that the closest the bagels at Goldbergs come to NY is Exit 7A. Maybe I should have said Delaware. I don't pretend to be PJ O'Rourke, much less Rocks, when it comes to pithiness. But I do know bagels, and Goldberg's are not good bagels. Based on the consistency, I'm guessing that they rely on dough softeners, which is what causes bagels to have this doughy, mushy texture.

[dcs]

Answer: I'm from New Jersey. It was neither gratuitous nor a crack. It was a literary device to suggest that the closest the bagels at Goldbergs come to NY is Exit 7A. Maybe I should have said Delaware. I don't pretend to be PJ O'Rourke, much less Rocks, when it comes to pithiness. But I do know bagels, and Goldberg's are not good bagels. Based on the consistency, I'm guessing that they rely on dough softeners, which is what causes bagels to have this doughy, mushy texture.

So I take it you didn't enjoy the YouTube video.

[Drive-by Critic]

Let me say this without embellishment:

The bagels are not good.

Heather wrote (of the Silver Spring location): They may or may not be authentic NYC-style bagels, but they meet my three criteria: chewy exterior, correct ratio of inside to crust, and salt on the everything.

Which seems like the right criteria to me. The bagels we bought today (one each of egg, marble rye, and, for the shagitz who has been known to put grape jelly on his bagel, cinnamon raisin and honey wheat which I would not even include in the taste-testing) were flabby inside and out. No crustiness, no chewiness. Just big blobby, mushy, doughy things with an enormous amount of inside to crust.

[DonRocks]

Let me say this without embellishment:

The bagels are not good.

Heather wrote (of the Silver Spring location): They may or may not be authentic NYC-style bagels, but they meet my three criteria: chewy exterior, correct ratio of inside to crust, and salt on the everything.

Which seems like the right criteria to me. The bagels we bought today (one each of egg, marble rye, and, for the shagitz who has been known to put grape jelly on his bagel, cinnamon raisin and honey wheat which I would not even include in the taste-testing) were flabby inside and out. No crustiness, no chewiness. Just big blobby, mushy, doughy things with an enormous amount of inside to crust.

I haven't been to Goldberg's in over a year, but I did start to detect a pattern of consistent inconsistency. You must have caught a bad batch (it's pretty clear you know your bagels).

Maybe The Bagelry puts out a more reliable bagel (it's small, and a one-shop op).

[dcs]

I suspect the standard - bearers of bagels can actually be found in Montreal.

[DanielK]

I suspect the standard - bearers of bagels can actually be found in Montreal.

I guess if you like bagels for dessert, the Montreal ones are ok...

[ol_ironstomach]

They're far better than just ok, and hardly dessert-like. But I subscribe to the notion that like pizza, there's more than one worthy school of bagels to be admired...and plenty of uninteresting/meh/awful ones too.

[Cuddlyone]

What about Bagel City in Rockville? 1. Their bagels are not the size of frisbees and not doughy (think Einstein or Chesapeake). 2. The crust is crispy with a great bite. 3. The inside has a great chew, not too soft, not too hard. Downside: servers/cashiers are rude, but worth the aggravation. PS, the bialys are great too (but extremely oniony-I dump out the onions when I get home).

[DanielK]

I like both Bagel City and Ize's in Rockville. I haven't yet made it over to Goldberg's to compare.

[arldiner]

I'll swear by Bagel City. Not the absolute best bagels in the world, but probably the best I've had in this area. And on a purely aesthetic note, I'll take the interior, which hasn't changed in 20 years and looks straight out of NYC, over a place that looks like a panera any day. Ize's is good as well, although my personal bias lies towards my long history with bagel city. Given those are both within 10 minutes of Goldberg's, I found no reason for a return trip there after trying it.

[Bob Wells]

I picked up a dozen from Goldberg's New York Bagels in Silver Spring yesterday. They may or may not be authentic NYC-style bagels, but they meet my three criteria: chewy exterior, correct ratio of inside to crust, and salt on the everything. They have a variety called a "black Russian" that I have never seen; it's a pumpernickel that smells oniony and has sesame seeds on the outside.

I picked up a dozen from Goldberg's New York Bagels in Silver Spring yesterday. They may or may not be authentic NYC-style bagels, but they meet my three criteria: chewy exterior, correct ratio of inside to crust, and salt on the everything. They have a variety called a "black Russian" that I have never seen; it's a pumpernickel that smells oniony and has sesame seeds on the outside.quote]

Just thought I'd add that Bagel Bin up in Columbia also has Black Russian bagels. In fact, whenever I get up to Columbia, I stop in for one. it's a very flavorful bagel. I have a good friend who lives in Columbia and that is his favorite variety as well.

[DaveO]

39 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

A couple more comments about the Bialys at Goldberg's (Downtown Silver Spring) and Bagel City (which closed a few years ago).

I’m confused about Goldberg’s and/or my mind is playing tricks with me.   Was there not a good quality bagel shop either where Goldberg’s is located or nearby as far back as the 90’s??

My mind is telling me there were area wide top quality bagels due North of downtown Silver Spring in the 90’s.   I was picking up good bagels from there at the time.   Was that Goldberg’s???   It’s website says it opened in 2004.

[Cuddlyone]

Actually, Bagel City is still open, although I’ve given up on them. Bagels are not as great as they used to be and bialys are now just fat rolls with onions on top. My favorite bagel place is Georgetown Bagelry, but their bialys stink too.