My roommate hears it far too often. It usually comes sometime after midnight, when I’m in bed, scrolling instead of sleeping. When I blurt it out, she tends to either laugh at me or immediately agree, blaming me for the suddenly developing craving.
The random need for a bagel, while weird, feels completely valid to me. Why wouldn’t you want a dense yet fluffy, flavorful hunk of carbs, slathered in cream cheese or piled high with toppings? My go-to order is always a fresh sesame seed bagel, sliced in half, with a light amount (because if it’s a good place, they will put on way too much) of scallion cream cheese on each side. There’s something about this specific combination — the slight crunch of the toasted sesame seeds, the soft pull of the dough, the light, oniony bite of the scallion — that makes it feel like the perfect food, no matter the time of day.
A truly fresh bagel shouldn’t need to be toasted, and if it does, it’s either not fresh or not a good bagel. This is all my own professional opinion, of course, but my credentials are solid: Bagels are the food of my people (New York Jews), and I inherited my particularity with food from my grandmother, who was born and raised in Brooklyn. She’s the kind of person who will take one bite, pause and decide everything she needs to know about a place. I like to think I’ve developed a similar instinct, especially when it comes to bagels.
The first time I decided to actually satisfy my bagel craving, I mass-texted my friends to meet at the Davis Square shuttle at 11 a.m. for an adventure. I don’t think I was very specific — I probably sent something more like “bagel,” “11 shuttle” and then went to bed. Still, everyone got the message and showed up the next morning, slightly confused but willing to make their way to Porter Square to try a spot called Bagelsaurus that I’d heard had great bagels.
By the time we got there, the line was out the door. We peeked through the windows at the crowded little shop. Inside, there were a few tables and a small window bar with stools, but most people were standing, waiting or squeezing past one another with paper bags in hand. The decor is simple, almost bare, with light wood and white everywhere. The shop definitely feels like a spot to grab your food and go, especially on a weekend morning when you can’t stand inside without bumping elbows with someone.
Something that really stood out to me was Bagelsaurus’ logo: a dinosaur with a bagel as the middle of its body. They sell hats and T-shirts with the logo, and I just thought it was really cute. My friend Will has started to refer to Bagelsaurus as the “millennial bagel spot,” and I really think that captures the overall vibe quite well.
The line moved fairly quickly, and soon we were standing at the counter, trying to order fast so we didn’t cause even more of a backup. Despite a menu of different cream cheeses, other spreads and various topping options, I stuck with my tried-and-true sesame with scallion. Multiple of my friends got bagel sandwiches (which I stole bites of) that were delicious. The eggs are warm, the cheese is melty and the butter soaks just slightly into the bagel without making it soggy. They even have a sandwich called the Classic Jumbo (go Jumbos!) with an over-medium jumbo egg, Cabot cheddar and mustard butter. They also have different special bagels depending on the day of the week, including a chocolate chip pretzel bagel that I can attest is amazing.
I think the idea of pretzeling a bagel is genius, because both bagels and pretzels are boiled before baking. Pretzels are boiled in water with more baking soda, which gives them that darker, shinier crust and slightly alkaline taste. Using that method with bagel dough creates something that’s still chewy but with a deeper flavor and a slightly more crunchy exterior. (I’m a baker, so excuse my tangent.)
When I finally got my bagel, still warm through the paper, the first thing I noticed was the texture. The outside was slightly crusty, giving way to an inside that was airy and chewy. The sesame seeds added a subtle nuttiness, and the scallion cream cheese was cold and smooth against the warmth of the bread, melting just enough. It’s the kind of sandwich that makes you stop talking until the whole thing has been inhaled.
The bagels are overall pretty big, going for $2.75 each. Everything there is fairly well priced, too, though smoked salmon will run you $7 just to add on top of whatever bagel situation you’re building. They sell basic drinks — simple coffee and a few sodas — but I wouldn’t go here expecting a full cafe experience or a fancy latte to go with your food. It’s really about the bagels, and only the bagels.
Since that first trip, I’ve been back to Bagelsaurus at least three times and will definitely keep going. I tried PopUp Bagels (which everyone raves about) last week because my hangry friend decided a bagel was her perfect food and Bagelsaurus is closed on Mondays, and I can honestly say it doesn’t live up to it. Not only are the PopUp bagels astronomically expensive, but they’re also smaller than the ones at Bagelsaurus and just not as good.
Just redescribing Bagelsaurus is making me want to blurt out “I want a bagel,” but it’s Passover, so wish me luck. As the perfect weekend brunch or weekday side quest, Bagelsaurus is definitely worth the trip and won’t make you go broke. I’m glad I’ve found a place to curb my bagel cravings until I get back to New York.
