You might have seen or heard about the 2024 Great Minnesota Bagel Showdown. There has been a lot of bagel talk around here lately, so when I found myself in the suburbs of Cincinnati – home of Cincy Jewfolk – I decided to hunt down some deliciousness from the great state of Ohio.
We’ll call this the Great Jewfolk Bagel Crossover – which also will force me to head back to the Queen City and its environs for more.
The friends I stayed with recommended a few bagel shops, but when I came across a 100% kosher one in Blue Ash, Ohio, I knew that was the one. Driving up to the strip mall where Marx Bagels is located, I first drove past a Bruegger’s. This Bruegger’s location is extremely close to Marx Bagels – walkable even. I was surprised and am interested in who goes to the national chain when the local shop is RIGHT THERE.
The history of Marx Bagels is interesting. It has been in business for over 55 years, and in my opinion, a food establishment around that long must be doing something right. The Marx is John Marx – a Catholic guy who happened to take over a bagel business. To his credit, in the many years that he owned and managed the shop, he never wavered from its kosher roots. I imagine the countless times it was suggested to John Marx to add meats to his bagel sandwich menu. So when this Catholic guy decided to sell the business, he found an Orthodox Jewish couple to keep the traditions alive.
The large, bright, fun space is the type of bagel shop I long for in Minneapolis – and besides my bagel nemesis, Bruegger’s, we don’t have one. While 100% kosher, Marx Bagels has gone a bit off the deep end with non-traditional flavors – everything from banana to pumpkin (please no). But since I could also get whitefish salad and lox spread there, I will let it slide. I should also mention that these bagels were about half the price of our 2024 winner – Jersey Girl Bagels.
Onto the review…as a reminder, here is the criteria we use:
Look (out of 5): Do your eyes say, “I need this?”
Crust (5): Firm, not crunchy, and distinct from the guts of the bagel
Fluffiness/Chew (5): Soft and pliable, but not “chewy.”
Taste (10): Nothing else matters if it tastes bad, so this is worth double points.
Intangibles/bonus (5): Any special shout-outs that didn’t otherwise get their due.
I ordered plain and combo (the Cincy way of saying everything). I also tried their bialy, and that might require a separate piece. Let’s just say that if you can’t make a legit bialy, why bother trying?
Look: 3
Some varieties looked better than others. The plain didn’t look great to me.
Crust: 4
This was well done – they had the hard exterior that I look for.
Fluffiness/Chew: 3
They were more dense than I was expecting.
Taste: 6
They were fine but not super great on their own.
Intangibles: 4
I am giving points here for still being 100% kosher, for having the things I want, like whitefish salad, and for being unapologetically Jewish. There were hostage posters in plain sight. They even had a full assortment of Dr. Brown’s.
Total score: 20
Not bad at all and I will return the next time I’m in Cincy. But I’ve been told I need to try Skip’s and The Bagelry first. Unfortunately, I was told the best deli might be in Dayton, a schlep.
That would end the first installment of the Great Jewfolk Bagel Crossover. But we went out one night in downtown Loveland. Parked next to a pretty awesome bar + liquor store combo was an adorable trailer called The Bagel & Deli Truck.
I had just eaten dinner but needed to see what this was all about. Their shtick is that they steam their bagels. What I didn’t realize is that their bagels are usually used for sandwiches – and not for how I would typically eat one. The steamed bagel was quite strange, resulting in more bread-like than bagel-like. The steaming gave the bagel no texture at all, and it was soft/mushy. I bet it’s great with sandwich toppings as a bread choice, but as a traditional bagel, I was highly disappointed. I was told it has been a popular late-night snack at Miami University (Ohio) for years – and definitely tastes better after a few drinks.
So, the steamed bagel. I tried it. And I’ll never have to try it again.
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