14 Best Spots For Bagels In Denver, According To A Former New Yorker
When I moved from New York to Colorado a decade ago, the thing I missed most were hand-rolled, boiled-then-baked bagels. I missed them so much that I started making bagels at home because the local Einstein Bros. just didn't cut it. But now that I've moved from rural Colorado to Denver, I've gotten my bagel fix with a little less effort, thanks to the city's surprisingly robust bagel scene. And I'm not talking Bruegger's or Starbucks. These shops are rolling out (pun intended) some incredible bagels, including New York-style bagels, Montreal-style bagels, and bagels with Colorado flair. I'm talking about coming for the skiing, and staying for the green chili cream cheese.
This list of the best bagel spots in Denver and the surrounding area comes from my personal pilgrimage around the city to find a good bagel and also includes some recommendations from bagel-adoring friends and locals. I included some shops that aren't technically in Denver proper — since you only have to take a short drive to cross into Boulder or a surrounding town. So whether you're a local on a carb-fueled quest or a visitor to the Mile High City, leave room on your plate for one of these crispy, chewy delights because Denver is here to prove bagels aren't only an East Coast thing.
Rosenberg's Bagels in Denver
I would drive hours for a bagel from Rosenberg's, especially when my homemade bagels were over-proofed and collapsed when I boiled them. These bagels have a ton in common with New York's bagel scene. The owner, Josh Pollack, even tested the shop's water and made a machine to replicate the mineral content found in New York City's water so that the bagels would be as authentic as possible.
And, just like a New York bagel shop, Rosenberg's has a no toasting policy. Why? Because its bagels are baked fresh throughout the day, and there's no need to toast a hot-from-the-oven bagel. That means your cream cheese and lox on everything is perfect whether you're getting it first thing in the morning or as a lazy brunch. The bagels combine a chewy exterior with a pillowy crumb, and the shop's mini bagels are turning Denver's kiddos into bagel connoisseurs. For a true East Coast experience, order the Jersey Boy: double-stacked Taylor ham, fried eggs, American cheese, and SPK (salt, pepper, and ketchup) on an egg bagel. Rosenberg's also sells bagel chips and frozen pizza bagels, which are a serious step up from school lunches of the past.
Multiple locations in Denver
Zaidy's Deli & Bakery in Denver
After the original Zaidy's closed in 2020, it was given a new lease on life thanks to new owners Joel and Max Appel and Beth Ginsberg. The new owners expanded Zaidy's to include an in-house bakery to churn out the bagels (as well as challah and black and white cookies) that locals love.
This neighborhood joint bakes fresh bagels daily, topping them with house-cured gravlax and lox. As is a must for a really good bagel, each is boiled before being baked, thus giving it a fluffy interior and distinguished crust. And while Zaidy's commitment to a New York deli is strong, the shop does veer from bagel pretentiousness and is happy to give yours a toast if you'd like. If you're in for lunch, choose a bagel as the base for your favorite deli sandwich, like The Rachel with turkey, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing. Though, you can never go wrong with a lox and bagel sandwich, piled high with 3 ounces of lox and a hearty schmear.
(303) 333-5336
600 S Holly St, Denver, CO 80246
Moe's Broadway Bagel (Multiple locations)
East Coast boy meets Colorado girl, falls in love, then brings her back east to learn to make bagels. It's a love story that's been serving Boulder and Denver well since 1992. In true Boulder spirit, Moe's bagels are made with non-GMO flour, and its eggs are sourced from pasture-raised chickens.
A crispy crust, pillowy crumb, and 15-plus flavors to choose from make it easy to understand why the locals' love of Moe's is still going strong after more than 30 years. I am personally a fan of the Italian bagel, which is essentially an everything bagel with an extra bit of flavor from Italian seasoning.
I didn't know I cared about homemade cream cheese until I had some at Moe's. It's light, tangy, and fabulously fresh — somewhere between homemade ricotta and fresh goat cheese. It has all the flavor most cream cheese lacks, and it has since ruined the store-bought stuff forever. Thankfully, there are seven Moe's locations to get your bagel and cream cheese fix.
Multiple locations in Colorado
Woodgrain Bagels (Multiple locations)
The age-old competition between New York and Montreal-style bagels has caused some to choose a side, but I'm not one of those people. Put a fabulous handmade bagel in front of me, and I don't care what style it is — as long as it is delicious.
Woodgrain Bagels serves hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels in Boulder and Denver. It also crafts breakfast and lunch sandwiches built on classically simple bagel flavors. These bagels are true to the Montreal style; they're denser, have a slightly sweet taste, and have a larger hole than New York-style bagels. The wood-fired baking imparts a charming and rustic old-world flavor that's a nod to the bagels' roots. Plus, there's nothing better than the smell of baking bagels filling your lungs the second you walk through the door.
The bagels here are so delicious that I'd recommend trying one with nothing on it. Once have a sense of just how good these bagels are, come back for a Woodsman with ham, bacon or sausage, eggs, cheddar, avocado, and arugula on a bagel of your choice.
Multiple locations in Colorado
The Bagelry in Evergreen
If you're willing to hop onto I-70 in search of a bagel, don't miss The Bagelry in Evergreen. The shop has mastered high-altitude baking and has been making its bagels with locally milled flour since 1995.
The shop offers 15 bagel flavors every day, plus house-whipped cream cheese and a full menu of mouthwatering sandwich options. Alongside the classics, look for unique and mouthwatering bagel flavors like black garlic, French toast, jalapeño, or Mountain Power — a bagel studded with dried fruit and grains to get you through a day on the slopes. Keep an eye out for its hickory-smoked everything cream cheese, too. Its Evergreen location is ideal for Denver adventurers heading to the mountains and looking to fuel up on carbs and caffeine. I recommend getting a lunch bagel to go for the perfect mid-hike snack.
(303) 674-1413
1242 Bergen Pkwy, Evergreen, CO 80439
Leroy's Bagels in Denver
Leroy's Bagels has been rolling, boiling, and baking 16 flavors of bagels at its shop since 2016, including creative offerings like spinach asiago and jalapeño cheddar. The shop sells out nearly every day, thanks to a combination of devoted regulars and a booming wholesale business.
Gluten-free bagels and vegan cream cheese appeal to the young, hip locals in the Sloan Lake neighborhood, but there are also plenty of soft, chewy classics and house-made cream cheese to go around. If you're decidedly not vegan, consider the Cuban with ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard.
A second bakery location, a bit closer to downtown, is in the works. It's expected to add a full coffee bar to the daily breakfast offerings. When it doesn't sell out, the sustainably-minded shop donates leftover bagels to local charitable organizations or uses them for homemade bagel chips.
Multiple locations in Denver
Call Your Mother in Denver
This Washington, D.C. bagel chain opened its first location in Denver in 2023 and quickly expanded to a total of three locations within the city. The bagels are subtly sweet (like a New York and Montreal-style hybrid), perfectly chewy, and meticulously coated in seasonings.
The bagels are fairly classic, with a curated selection of only eight flavors. Don't sleep on the za'atar bagel, which has made me doubt my love of the everything bagel. Another must-have is the candied salmon cream cheese, which isn't just dotted with fish — it's made with 50% salmon. This spread is a perfect topping for the Gleneagle, a za'atar bagel sandwich with cucumbers, crispy shallots, and lettuce. Sliced lox can't compare, although the bagel shop offers that, too.
For adventurous cream cheese lovers, Cheez-It cream cheese might tickle your fancy, or you may prefer the sweeter apple pie schmear. And if you've never swapped the bacon on your breakfast sandwich for pastrami, now's the time to branch out.
Multiple locations in Denver
Rich Spirit in Wheat Ridge
Baking at high altitude isn't easy, but the brilliant pastry minds behind Bakery Four have figured it out. Now, the bakery has expanded beyond its incredible breads and mind-blowing croissants to rolling naturally leavened bagels at Rich Spirit.
The bagels embody a new-age, California-style approach, with a focus on high-quality ingredients and natural leavening. Though, they don't stray far from the New York technique of malted water and lengthy fermentations. The bagels ferment overnight for a crust reminiscent of a great loaf of bread and are only available from Thursday to Sunday. It now sells bagels to walk-in customers, which is a huge win for those of us who don't plan bagel cravings in advance. There are no sandwiches and no lines — just a half dozen (or more) bagels plus schmear (and lox, if you'd like) ready for you to pick up and enjoy at home.
10081 W 26th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80215
Brockmeyer's Coffee Tavern in Lakewood
Brockmeyer's isn't your typical bagel spot. In fact, it's not a bagel shop at all. It's a German coffee shop, beer hall, and bakery housed in a 16-sided circus-tent-like building. Owner Brock Coffman is taking everything he knows about traditional Bavarian pretzels and applying it to an array of foods, including bagels and croissants.
The pretzel bagels get a lye bath and can be the base of a breakfast sandwich or served simply with house-made cream cheese. The lye gives each bagel a chewy, dark crust and keeps the interior soft and tender. The pumpernickel pretzel bagel is about as German as a bagel can get—unless you top it with Black Forest ham. Or choose a locally inspired flavor like the hatch chili cheese bagel, studded with Colorado's favorite roasted pepper and topped with a pretzel-worthy sprinkle of salt.
(303) 935-8935
6340 W Mississippi Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226
Arvada Bagels in Arvada
Great bagels are worth hunting down, and Arvada Bagels is proof of that. There's no storefront, no website, and no menu. The flavors are posted on Instagram and orders are placed via a direct message. Pick-up is on Sundays at Arvada's Memorial Park — though in the summer, you might get lucky and spot the bagels in the wild at local farmers markets.
These bagels are seriously homemade — as in, made in the owner's house — thanks to Colorado's Cottage Foods Act. The brand's flavors lean traditional and often include plain, everything, sesame, poppy, onion, and salt, plus the occasional chocolate chip or cinnamon sugar. Each one is towering on the outside and is pillowy inside.
As of the date of publication, Arvada Bagels is on a hiatus for a home renovation project, but the shop is expected to open up again soon. When it's back up and running, I know I'll be heading to Arvada to get my hands on a black and white sesame bagel and a bag of crispy bagel chips.
Big Daddy Bagels (Multiple locations)
You probably didn't know you needed 18 flavors of bagels to choose from, but when it comes to these chewy, carby rings, is there really such a thing as too many choices? At Big Daddy Bagels, scratch-made East Coast-style bagels have been the name of the game since the 1990s.
The selection of sweeter bagel varieties makes this shop stand out; look for cranberry granola, oatmeal raisin and honey, and whole wheat and honey. The addition of the sweetener may be a nod to the state's iconic (yet ridiculed) pizza crust, which uses honey as a significant ingredient.
Is it true to a New York bagel shop? Maybe not. But the diversity of Big Daddy's menu is nothing short of impressive. If you're feeling savory, lean into the aptly named Papa Grande, which features an egg, cheese, bacon, hash browns, and chipotle mayo on your choice of bagel.
Multiple locations in Colorado
Rye Society in Denver
You don't need to graduate from the French Culinary Institute and cook at Per Se to make great food — but it doesn't hurt. Rye Society's owner and operator, Jared Rosen, and his family have been operating restaurants, groceries, and cafés in Denver since 1922. Rosen's background makes him uniquely qualified to turn Jewish classics, like the bagel, gourmet.
While the lunch menu highlights staples like matzo ball soup and pastrami on rye, the pared-down breakfast menu shouldn't be missed. A good Jewish deli would be remiss not to offer a bagel and lox — and Rye Society's Hebrew Hammer (with lox, tomato, pickled red onion, capers, cucumber, dill, and plain cream cheese on a bagel) fits the bill. I'll be planning a visit around Hanukkah to try to get my hands on the Hanukkah Hangover — a bagel topped with chopped corned beef, latkes, melted provolone cheese, and Russian dressing.
(720) 614-1135
3090 N Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
Good Bread in Denver
The motto at Good Bread Bakery is "Get Here Early — and for good reason. The bakery is only open from Thursday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon — though you'll want to follow the website's advice and show up on the early side, as it often sells out. The shop has a cult-like following, so be prepared to stand in line. You can also try your luck at Lula Rose General Store, a coffee shop across the street with the same owner.
The naturally-leavened bagels are crisp, chewy, blistered, and hard to come by. Along with the rest of Good Bread's carb selection, the bagel menu isn't published and flavors will vary. Though, we've found that one consistent offering is salt bagels — which are otherwise hard to find in Denver. This further cements the bakery's clout in Denver's niche bagel scene.
(720) 985-1595
1515 Madison St, Denver, CO 80206
Fleishman's Bagels in Boulder
A bagel food truck? This isn't the beloved coffee cart on a New York City street corner. It's located in the parking lot of Full Cycle, a bike store with a coffee shop and bar. The truck sells its hand-rolled and boiled from Wednesday through Sunday. It's the perfect spot for grabbing a bite, tuning your bike in the shop, and hitting the pavement for a carb-fueled cycle.
The menu ranges from bagels and cream cheese to egg sandwiches with creative toppings designed to fuel your adventures. Next time I'm in Boulder, I'll be ordering The Lucy Bagel with egg salad, avocado, and onion or The D-dog Bagel with cream cheese, white fish salad, tomato, and onion. Fleishman's Bagels also serves portobello Reubens on bagels or house-made rye, which allows vegetarians to enjoy this classic deli sandwich.
(720) 878-5067
2355 30th St, Boulder, CO 80301
Methodology
This list was compiled based on personal experience, recommendations from locals, and reviews from Denver-based publications. These bagel shops all made the cut because they met New York standards. Every bagel shop listed offers hand-rolled, boiled, and in-house baked bagels in classic flavors like plain, poppyseed, sesame, and more. But many of these shops also have unique and exciting flavors that make for an adventurous bagel experience.
While being able to walk away with a bagel sandwich is always a plus, I also included locations that offer bulk bagels. After all, it's hard enough to make bagels at high altitude — the least a diner can do is apply their own cream cheese. All the shops included have at least one location within or near downtown Denver.