Seattle bagel shop takes home 2 first-place prizes at Los Angeles competition
Apr 17, 2026, 9:00 AM | Updated: 9:02 am
Bagels on display. (Photo: Paul Zimmerman, Getty Images)
(Photo: Paul Zimmerman, Getty Images)
University Village’s Hey Bagel swept aside the competition at last weekend’s BagelFest West with two first-place finishes at the trade show in Los Angeles.
Andrew Rubinstein, owner of Hey Bagel and founder of Rubenstein Bagels, took home first prize for the best overall bagel and best sourdough bagel, according to The Seattle Times.
Rubinstein thought the competition would be stiff down in California, as the state’s bagel scene has grown over the years, and feared for how his product would stack up against fellow contestants.
“I was nervous the weeks before,” Rubinstein told The Seattle Times. “I was worried I would be embarrassed.”
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Hey Bagel sweeps competition with best overall, best sourdough awards
While the medal winners were being announced at the sold-out show, Rubinstein believed he had lost as he didn’t hear Hey Bagel’s name announced initially.
The panel of judges consisted of “bagel aficionados” and culinary elite who hand-selected the best bagel based on each participant’s plain bagel, putting a strong focus on taste and texture rather than its toppings.
En route to Hey Bagel’s victory for best overall bagel, it surpassed two California-native bagel spots: runner-up Hank’s Bagels of the San Fernando Valley and Boil + Bake from Costa Mesa, which took third. Rubinstein also snatched the No. 1 spot in the sourdough bagel category.
In 2019, BagelFest began in the Bushwick, New York neighborhood, and has since grown to the West Coast. The event acts as a breeding ground for industry professionals and bagel connoisseurs who want a taste of the best product in the region.
Located at 4610 Village Court N.E. in University Village, Hey Bagel is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The business offers a variety of six different standard bagels, along with other daily rotating specialties such as the Pepperoni Pizza or Caramelized Onion & Gruyere. Hey Bagel also serves coffee and a large selection of schmears.
Despite churning out 180 bagels every 20 minutes in the shop, inventory tends to sell out quickly as lines can stretch out the door and onto the sidewalk for a taste of local bagel royalty.
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