San Franciscans have tried before. House of Bagels. Katz Bagels. Noah's Bagels. New York Bagels. But Manhattan expats have always claimed that nothing has come close to the real thing.
Until now.
For the past few months, Yankees and natives alike have been bursting down the doors at every pop-up in town for a sample of Schmendricks hand-rolled Brooklyn bagels. And while the company doesn't yet have a brick-and-mortar location (customers can pre-order or stop by the weekly pop-up) that hasn't stopped half of the city from getting its hands on the goods.
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"We make a bagel that is more savory, a bit saltier," said East Coast cofounder Dan Scholnick in an interview with Bloomberg. "They're denser, they're chewier. The outside is crispier."
Scholnick founded the company with his wife Deepra Subramanian and fellow couple David Kover and Dagny Dingman.
Boiling before baking, capturing the perfect malt, shunning toasters and refusing to offer any variety besides plain, poppy, sesame, salt or everything, the folks at Schmendricks are serious about bagels. So serious, that they've launched a New York bagel education class (seriously) at Saul's Restaurant and Delicatessen in Berkeley.
"A big and important customer segment is dissatisfied New Yorkers and East Coasters in general," said Kover to Bloomberg. "We get a lot of them turning up and they get very emotional about the bagels."
Some stubborn New Yorkers will surely hold firm, claiming that San Francisco will make a New York bagel when the sun rises in Ocean Beach and sets on Coney Island. But many--many--others swear by Schmendricks.
"Finally a real bagel makes its way to San Francisco," gushed one fan on Facebook.
"We'd have to wager these kids will go far," wrote Grubstreet.
Even Uptown Almanac naysayer Kevin Montgomery couldn't contain his excitement: "Schmendricks Brooklyn Bagels came along and changed the f***ing game. Finally, a puffy bagel that tastes like a proper meal, rather than some circular afterthought."
Want to sample some yourself? Follow Schmendricks on Twitter for pop-up and delivery info. (That is, until the company launches its rumored permanent location.)
In the meantime, check out our list of other local New York-inspired institutions that have managed to capture our hearts. (Or at least the hearts of HuffPost SF.)
