I confess that I don’t enjoy New York bagels. While my coworkers appreciated it when I delivered Noah’s Bagels with shmear, the doughy consistency never appealed to me. I recently learned about Courage Bagels, an eatery that features Montreal-style bagels. Not knowing what Montreal bagels are about, I invited my friend Jeff and checked them out.
Courage Bagels resides in East Hollywood’s Virgil Village, bordered by Los Feliz on the north and Silver Lake on the east. Previously, the Super Pan occupied the corner of North Virgil and Monroe Street, where Doña Elvia’s fresh Guatemalan pan dulce, hot tamales, and bolillos con huevos happily satisfied hungry diners.
They opened in October 2020 and caught the attention of bagel fans city-wide. Immediately, lines formed before they opened each day. Within a few months, Courage Bagels caught nationwide attention when featured in the NY Times article “The Best Bagels Are in California (Sorry, New York).”
Their popularity has stood the test of time as the lines to the order window remain long. Jeff and I were extremely fortunate that only a few people were in line. They have sidewalk seating available, but since their bagel sandwiches are served open-face, they can be consumed while standing.
Because bagel flavors are designed as a platform for their sandwiches, don’t expect to find flavors like blueberry, chocolate chip, or cinnamon raisin. They had sea salt sesame, poppy, everything, onion, and plain when I visited. “Burnt Everything” is their creation and is what most people select. I think the smoky flavor is reminiscent of char from a pizza crust.
Unlike NY bagels, Montreal-style bagels are smaller, thinner, denser, and have a smaller hole. They are scorched in the flames of a wood-fired oven, and biting into it, you experience the audible crack, and yet you experience a satisfying squish inside.
They focus on what they call “farm to bagel,” using fresh, local, and organic ingredients. Don’t expect to find a menu online. You’ll have to visit them in person to read their handwritten menu posted on their window – bagels, shmears, and toppings like salmon roe, heirloom tomatoes, persian cucumbers, parsley, and sometimes special additions like avocado.
The Run It Through The Garden (half $7, whole $14) is a harvest of fresh delights with cream cheese, heirloom tomato, cucumber, onion, caper, dill, lemon, pepper, and drizzled with olive oil. If you enjoy the taste and texture of fresh vegetables, this one is for you.
Winter in Sardinia ($16) is a hefty closed sandwich that uses “dealer’s choice” or their selection of the bagel that can hold up to the weight of cream cheese, wild sardines, parsley, dill cucumbers, capers, and olive oil. Fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper liven the sandwich even more.
If you’d rather not have a sandwich, you can choose from items like a bagel with cream cheese ($5), Rip & Dip (with grass-fed butter on the side), or Queso Crema and Tomate ($6).
Pro Tip: Courage Bagels ensures they have enough bagels to make their sandwiches. If you want to spread the wealth by picking up loose bagels ($3 each) for your friends and family, arrive before they post the “no loose bagels today” sign.
Courage Bagels, 777 N Virgil Ave, LA; 90029; couragebagels.com