I am a self-proclaimed bagel aficionado. Bagels play a significant role in my life. They are the reason I had a roof over my head growing up — literally. My dad has owned a bagel shop in my home state of Michigan since I was eight years old.
It was only natural that I would be the reporter to taste test all of the bagel flavors at Mookie’s at Mugford in Marblehead.
For an establishment that has a wide variety of food, its selection of bagels is pretty impressive. They have plain, sesame, french toast, cinnamon raisin, and everything. I got one of each, toasted with cream cheese.
Everything
An “everything” bagel toasted with cream cheese is my go-to order at every bagel place. While I enjoyed Mookie’s everything bagel, it wasn’t my favorite.
One thing I liked about it is the bagel was coated all over in the “everything” mix. Every bite I took had the everything flavor.
But there was not enough onion, garlic, or salt and there were too many sesame seeds. If there was a better balance between all of the flavors, it would be perfect.
Sesame
This was the first time I had ever tried a sesame bagel so my standards were low. Again, like the everything bagel, the seeds covered the entire bagel which I enjoyed. I personally do not love the flavor of sesame, however if you do then this is the bagel for you.
Cinnamon Raisin
I used to hate this flavor of bagel as a kid because I was very anti-raisin. As I have gotten older I have developed an appreciation for them.
Mookie’s has an ideal cinnamon raisin bagel. The raisins are evenly dispersed and there are just enough. The cinnamon flavor is there but it’s not over-powering. I highly recommend this bagel.
French Toast
I was kind of disappointed in the french toast bagel. I was expecting a nice cinnamon flavor, like the cinnamon raisin bagel had, but unfortunately it just wasn’t there. The texture of the bagel was good but the flavor was lacking.
Plain
The plain bagel is my least favorite bagel of all time. It is so boring. But I won’t judge if it is your favorite. If it’s your favorite at Mookie’s, I especially don’t blame you. The crust of the bagel felt akin to those my dad sells and the center is the perfect density. I think it is the perfect bagel to use for a bagel sandwich.
All in all, my favorite bagel from Mookie’s is cinnamon raisin. If you ever see me at Mookie’s I will most definitely be eating a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted, with cream cheese.