A new bagel spot already has a solid following.
Hella Bagels in Albany opened a few months ago and I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t extremely crowded when I went on a Sunday given how crazy lines were when Boichik Bagels and Poppy’s Bagels first opened. The menu is similar to Poppy’s Bagels with various bagel sandwich options but Boichik Bagels seem to have the biggest array of bagel flavors.
“Bougie Bagel”.
We started off with the “bougie bagel” with avocado mash, pickled onion, Feta cheese, and chili flakes on an everything bagel with garlic confit cream cheese. The fresh lime and pickled red onions really brightened up the richness of the other toppings.
“Lox Tycoon”.
Of course we had to try one of their smoked fish bagels and we opted for the most classic. The “lox tycoon” had nova lox with tomato, red onion, capers, and dill on an everything bagel with scallion schmear. Delicious!
Sesame Seed Bagel with Berries & Cream Schmear.
Lastly we tried a simple sesame seed bagel with the berries & cream schmear which was an unexpected flavor that we both enjoyed. The subtle sweetness didn’t overwhelm the cream cheese.
All the bagels themselves had a nice crust with that addictive chewy interior. I’d say that open faced sandwiches are very comparable to the ones I had at Poppy’s Bagels (maybe I liked Poppy’s Bagels by a tad)? However the bagels themselves at Boichik Bagels were slightly softer in texture but those still had that wonderful chew that you’re looking for. With so many amazing bagels spots within the area, it’s hard to say which is the best but Hella Bagels is definitely worth trying.