STL restaurant review: bagel union

Bagel Union

Location: 8705 Big Bend Blvd,

Webster Groves, MO

Website: Bagel-union.com

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ 🤍 4/5

$$

It was not long a go when I heard about people lining up for 2 hours to get a bagel or two at Bagel Union’s pop-up events. Although I do love some high-quality bagels, I just couldn’t get myself to line up for hours outside. Not to mention, lining up outside the store for more than 15 minutes for anything in St. Louis felt a little crazy---basically, I’ve gotten VERY spoiled with having almost no waitlist for anything in St. Louis.

So once the long line of people curious about the new bagel place subsided just a little, I went to check out the store and their bagels myself.

Bagels at Bagel Union live up to their hype. All their bagels (everything, plain, poppy sesame, tzitzelnickel, onion, salt, etc.) have delightfully satiating chewy bite to them. Their variety of cream cheese spread sold either separately or on bagels in stores did not disappoint either. The cream cheese spread/schmear selection includes plain, scallion, veggie, lox, Luxado cherry cream cheese, in addition to whipped butter. On the website (in the pre-order) section, the cream cheese selection seems to be also included jalapeno cream cheese, but I didn’t see one available to purchase at the store.

Out of all the wonderful bagels, my personal favorite was their cherry crunch bagel. Delightfully sticky on the outside (think of caramel-kissed surface/outermost layer of monkey bread or cinnamon pretzel), cherry crunch was especially memorable because it is just very mildly sweet. Interior of cherry crunch is chewy and soft like the rest of the stellar bagels at this place. The complexity of flavor enhanced by natural cherry flavor makes every bite even more enjoyable.

<photo above> As someone who prefers savory to sweet, this bagel was a real winner. Don’t let the outer appearance fool you. Cherry crunch bagel may look extremely sweet but it really isn’t sweet at all. Try it please if you like cherries and want to try something unique. You won’t be disappointed.

<photo above> I ordered their Salmon Roe sandwich (whole 2 oz) which contains collins roe, cream cheese, pickled shallot, dill, and lemon oil. 1 whole bagel sandwich (so 2 open-faced slices as shown above) is marketed as whole; whereas a half a bagel (open-faced) sandwich is marketed as half sandwiches (half 1 oz). So don’t be surprised when you accidentally order the cheaper (half) version & get one small piece! Salmon Roe sandwiches are $11 for half & $22 for a whole sandwich. They are absolutely delicious…but the prices are pretty high for what they are…

key takeaways:

1) You can pre-order your bagels & skip the line by coming through the side door (tell them you have an order to pick up!). But you must pre-order at least 2 days prior on their website.

2) Go website for a weekday lunch (if possible)! to avoid long lines.

3) Make your own sandwich at home with the bagels you pick up. IT’S SO MUCH CHEAPER to do this! Please do go buy some good smoked salmon + dill & make your own! Their bagels are worth it!!