There are few better things in life than a bagel. But even though Texas isn’t known for its doughy selection like New York, one of the best bagels around can be found in North Texas.
According to WFAA, Starship Bagel placed in five competitions at the 4th Annual New York Bagel Fest — winning first place in the Best Bagel section of the competition.
Starship Bagel received these awards at New York BagelFest 2023:
- Best Bagel (1st place)
- Rising Star (1st place)
- Best Newcomer (2nd place)
- Best Outside The Boroughs (3rd place)
- Best Showmanship (3rd place)
Starship Bagel Owner Oren Salomon studied the fine art of bagel-making in San Francisco and brought those ideas to his native North Texas, where he attended Solomon Schechter Academy (now Ann & Nate Levine Academy) in Collin County. Since July 2021, Salomon’s been serving game-changing bagels at his shop, Starship Bagel, in Lewisville, with a new location in downtown Dallas.
But what makes these bagels so special? Salomon previously told Local Profile that what makes Starship unique is the hearty coverage of spices and flavors.
“Typically, what most bagel shops will do is, like, very, very gingerly, like sprinkle seasonings on top. We fully dip on both sides, you get full coverage,” Salomon said. “And that’s something that everyone has noted about our bagels is that there’s so many seeds and so much flavor on the toppings. No other bagel shop in town does that.”
This year's competition featured over 30 renowned bagel shops from various corners of the country. The company believes that a bagel serves as a blank canvas for individuals to express their distinctive tastes and imagination, enabling everyone to craft their ideal bagel tailored to their liking.
“The bagel community has brought together people from all walks of life to enjoy this great food and honor its tradition that has been passed down for generations and innovated on in recent years,” a statement from BagelFest read.
