The pros: Trader Joe's Plain Bagels are very basic plain bagels.
The cons: These do not do bagels justice.
The verdict: For $1.99 for 3 bagels, this is a product that is ok to skip out on. Perhaps I'm just being snobby about this because I grew up in New York City. These were tolerable bagels at best and no I'm not buying these "Artisan" bagels again.
I'm not sure why the term "artisan" can be used here. Bagels are a product with a very short shelf life. They are best when enjoyed fresh out of the oven. If you ever see a good bagel store in or around NYC, you can be sure there will be a line out the door either in the morning or during the weekend. Where I grew up waiting on line for a fresh bagel was a weekend ritual. It was even an occasional weekday morning ritual. If a bagel store isn't busy, the bagels just aren't that good.
Trader Joe's Plain Bagels lacked the magic of good bagels. That magic starts with the baked outside. From the bag there should be some resistance on the outside. If toasted there should be a slight crunch. The middle is where the real magic happens because there should be a pillowy soft bread in the middle. It's the contrast that makes a good bagel. That just didn't happen here. The middle was sort of dried out and there wasn't a huge difference in texture between the outside and in the inside. A Lender's bagel is more enjoyable than this.
This is a no from me. Trader Joe's also makes a "Bagel Spinoza" brand of bagels, but that will wait for another review.
The bag of Trader Joe's Plain Bagels:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
How Trader Joe's describes this product:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? No, I have to express a level of disappointment here. I'm in New York and not far outside of New York City. I've always had great bagels. This just wasn't it. They are at best average bagels. They were a miss in terms of freshness. Even toasted they were still lacking. Besides, I expect more from Trader Joe's. There is no reason that they don't offer fresh bagels or even Rainbow or say Cheeto flavored bagels, but my local Stew Leonard's has them baked fresh that day. If I want bagels, I'd say stick with your local bagel store or if you are in the New York or Connecticut area, pay Stew Leonard's a visit.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Mario says
I steer clear of "bagged" or supermarket bagels, but if I must I will head on over to Stew's like you suggested. Now about those Cheeto flavored bagels... MUST TRY ONE SOON!
Henrietta Cohen says
Yup, totally agree. I just took a bite of Trader Joe’s everything bagel. It taste more like a really badly made onion roll. I am also a New Yorker and I don’t think this would even qualify as a bagel in NYC. Indeed, it’s a squishy onion roll with a hole in the middle. I hate to throw food in the trash but I think that’s where this is going . Or maybe toasting it will make it tolerable .
becomebetty says
Hey Henrietta! There is something to be said about the carbs around NYC. We do truly have the best bagels and pizza anyone could ask for. So as long as they dont come from a grocery store. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!