San Diego has tacos. San Diego has burritos. San Diego does not, historically, have bagels. That’s been the reputation for years, and for most of those years it was accurate. If you moved here from New York or New Jersey and tried to find a proper boiled bagel with a thick outer shell and chewy interior, you were out of luck. You got bread shaped like a bagel and were told to be grateful.
That’s changing. In the last few years, a bunch of shops have opened that actually take it seriously. Some are run by East Coast transplants who got tired of complaining. Some figured out the water problem (yes, the water matters). A couple of them are genuinely excellent. Here are the 9 places worth going out of your way for.
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Marigold Bagels
Marigold started at the Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita, selling out every Saturday morning before most people finished their first coffee. The owner, Mike Rabinowitz, is from New York and spent years tweaking his recipe. When they finally opened a brick-and-mortar in North Park in December 2025, demand was so intense they had to pause production for a few days to catch up. That’s the kind of problem you want to have.
The za’atar bagel is the one people lose their minds over. Thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, salt. It doesn’t need cream cheese. It doesn’t need anything. Just eat it. The everything is solid, the plain holds up on its own, and the cream cheese is made in-house. Open Wednesday through Sunday, and still occasionally popping up at the farmers market.
North Park
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PL Bagels
This is the one that locals will drive across the city for. PL Bagels on Voltaire in Point Loma has been doing the same thing for years and hasn’t felt the need to rebrand or get trendy about it. People who’ve been in San Diego a while and know every bagel shop will tell you this is the one. People who moved here from Brooklyn will say it’s “not quite, but the closest I’ve found.” From a Brooklyn person, that’s basically a five-star review.
They do a jalapeño cream cheese that has a following of its own. Cash only. ATM on site. Get there in the morning for the best selection.
3704 Voltaire St #107, Point Loma
Nomad Donuts
The name says donuts, but the bagels have their own cult following. Nomad does Montreal-style: boiled in agave-sweetened water, baked in a custom oven. Different animal from a New York bagel. Smaller, denser, a little sweet, slightly charred exterior. If you’ve only ever had New York-style, this will rewire your expectations.
The rosemary sea salt bagel on its own is absurd. It doesn’t need anything on it. The breakfast sandwiches are good too, and they make their own schmears. Located on University Ave in North Park, right in the thick of it.
3102 University Ave, North Park
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Golden Bagel Cafe
Golden Bagel has been in Rancho Peñasquitos since 1995. That’s 30 years of making bagels and house cream cheese in the same spot while trendy bakeries open and close around them. There’s a reason people in PQ treat this place like a weekend institution.
Over 25 varieties baked on-site. The cream cheese is made in-house and they have flavors you won’t find anywhere else. The Golden Scramble breakfast bagel is a staple. They also have a location in El Cajon if you’re out east. Not flashy, not Instagrammable, just consistently good bagels that people come back to every week.
Rancho Peñasquitos + El Cajon
Garden State Bagels
Named after New Jersey, which tells you the intention. Garden State has three locations in North County (Encinitas, two in Carlsbad) and gets the most consistent praise from transplanted East Coasters. A family with NYC roots said this is where they go, and the whole family agrees. That’s a high bar when half the family grew up on proper tri-state bagels.
The whitefish salad at Costco in Carlsbad combined with a Garden State everything bagel is apparently a North County ritual. If you’re up in Encinitas or Carlsbad, this is the default.
191 N El Camino Real, Encinitas (+ two Carlsbad locations)
Ben and Esther’s
Vegan deli. If that makes you skeptical, fair enough, but hear it out. Ben and Esther’s does a classic everything bagel with lemon-dill cream cheese that converts people. The bagels are boiled and baked properly, and the texture holds up. They’ve earned a real following near SDSU and expanded to La Mesa.
This isn’t a health-food compromise. It’s a legit deli that happens to be plant-based. The lox bagel (made with carrot lox) is surprisingly convincing. If you eat dairy, you probably won’t notice the difference on the cream cheese. If you don’t eat dairy, this is the only place in San Diego doing it at this level.
College Area (near SDSU) + La Mesa
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New Wave Bagel
Artisan sourdough approach. New Wave does something different from everyone else on this list. The crust is crunchy, almost pretzel-like, and the inside has stretchy air pockets that feel more like good bread than a traditional dense bagel. It’s a New York transplant who started doing pop-ups in North County and just opened a permanent spot on Coast Highway in Leucadia.
Open Thursday through Sunday, mornings only. They sell out. The storefront is still finishing its kitchen buildout, so the full menu (sandwiches, toasting, espresso) isn’t live yet. Right now it’s bagels, schmears, and drip coffee. That’s enough.
312 N Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia (Encinitas)
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Big City Bagels (BCB Cafe)
Thirty years in San Diego. BCB boils fresh-rolled bagels daily in a 200-gallon kettle, which is the kind of detail that matters if you care about the difference between a real bagel and a round piece of bread. Multiple locations including Hillcrest and inside the San Diego airport (Terminal 2), plus they just took over the old Solomon Bagels space on 30th Street in North Park.
The menu goes beyond just bagels and cream cheese. Chicken pesto melts, pepperoni pizza bagels, full breakfast sandwiches. It’s a bagel shop that doubles as a lunch spot. Not trying to be artisan or trendy. Just solid and dependable, which after 30 years is worth more than any rebrand.
Multiple locations (Hillcrest, North Park, San Diego Airport Terminal 2)
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Inglorious Bagels
Inglorious Bagels in Carlsbad went the extra mile on the water problem. They use a filtration system designed to replicate NYC water chemistry, which is the kind of obsessive detail that bagel nerds will appreciate and everyone else will just taste as “this is a really good bagel.” They also use real Acme lox, not the vacuum-packed stuff.
If you’re in North County and the Garden State locations feel too far, Inglorious is the move. Smaller operation, less known, but the people who’ve found it tend to stay loyal.
Carlsbad
The Water Thing
People bring this up every time bagels come up in San Diego, so let’s just address it. New York bagels taste different partly because of the water. NYC tap water is soft, low in minerals, and comes from Catskill Mountain reservoirs. San Diego water is hard. The mineral content affects gluten development and the final texture of the dough. Some local shops have started filtering their water to match NYC profiles, and the difference is noticeable. It’s not the only factor, but it’s real.
The other factor is that San Diego just didn’t have the demand for decades. No critical mass of East Coast transplants demanding proper boiled bagels. That’s changed. The population grew, the transplants arrived, and now there’s enough of a market that people can actually make a living selling good bagels here. The scene is young, but it’s moving fast.
For more San Diego food guides, check out our picks for best brunch, best coffee shops, and best late night food.
