The Best Bagel Shop in Redmond

February 22nd, 2007
By: Grant Y

The fresh aroma of bagels and fresh deli meats tempts you from behind the counter at Mikie's Brooklyn Bagel in downtown Redmond. Open for business early, Mikie's serves up the best bagels in the area. Among the dozen or so bagels available are plain, wheat, egg, pesto, pizza, raisin, cinnamon and blueberry to name just a few. And that's just the bagel itself.

Chef Seattle's quest for bagels began when we heard from a number of people about a great bagel shop in the Redmond area. Seeing how Mikie's was frankly, the only bagel shop we could find, we decided to drop in.

Mikie's offered a variety of bagel sandwiches that range from the standard club, turkey, ham and also some specials. We decided on the lunch combo that included a bagel sandwich with twice the meat, chips (seasoned, dried bagel chips) and a small scoop of potato salad. Steve went with the Sloppy Mike, a meat lover's delight that consisted of corned beef, roast beef, turkey and dressings. Grant decided to go with his personal favorite of lox (that's smoked salmon, for the uninitiated) and cream cheese, with the added capers, tomato, onions and sprouts. Our combo cost about $7-$8 each, whereas a regular bagel sandwich was in the $5-$6 range.

Upon serving, we were pleasantly surprised with the size of our portions, which was nicely tilting the bagel over to one side with the amount of ingredients in the middle. Grant remarked that the lox was surprisingly fresh and flavorful, with good texture and quantity. Steve also gave the thumbs up with his Sloppy Mike, noting that the meat was good quality and tasted great. It was noticed that Mikie's Brooklyn Bagel made it known to their customers through their numerous signs and posters that they used high end deli meats for their sandwiches, which was the likely factor in taste.

Both reviewers also gave high praise for the bagels, which were crisp on the outside and just the right texture of chewy on the inside. Bagels can often be made too stiff or too mushy depending on the recipe or method of cooking, but Mikie's didn't suffer from any of those drawbacks.

As for the atmosphere, the shop was mostly unassuming and fairly small with about six tables. Our guess is that big rush comes in the morning for a breakfast bagel or a dozen pack for work, while lunch probably slows down with the office workers coming in at that time to sit down. The deli is clean though and has newspapers lying about and even a basket of free 'doggie bagels' if you decide to bring your furry companion.

Service is quick and food is prompt at Mikie's, which is nothing to complain about. Refreshments are self serve as with busing your table, so not much more to say other than expect a regular deli shop in that regard.

Our reviewers do however, were pleased enough with Mikie's Brooklyn Bagel that they decided to give an Editor's Choice award from Chef Seattle. While not the romantic date spot or established fine dining, Mikie's serves up a great bagel sandwich which anyone can appreciate during their lunch break.

Tips: Being a bagel shop, Mikie's is open early at closes early. Your best bet is to catch them during the morning hours before work or during lunch.