When one thinks of bagels, I’d be willing to bet that the flavor profiles of Chinese and Dominican cuisine don’t come to mind. But tucked away in Vienna, VA is a small cafe called Bagel Street.
A family-owned small business with Chinese and Dominican influence, they take flavors from their culture and come up with some delicious combinations; scallion pancake bagel and guava cream cheese to name a few. It’s unexpected, but that’s exactly what makes it worth a closer look. From savory, loaded bagel sandwiches to creative flavor combinations, Bagel Street is proving that there’s a lot more you can do with a bagel than turn it into a traditional breakfast sandwich.
After seeing multiple people head to Vienna, I too mad the drive to check out Bagel Street. When i’m rating something, I rate every restaurant using two simple categories: price and taste, each scored on a scale of 1-5. Add the two scores together, and if a restaurant reaches a total of 8 or higher, it officially “8 that.”
For a breakfast item, I started with the “Sichuan Street,” a Sichuan spice dusted bagel with a slightly firm crusty exterior, and soft bite on the interior. The spice blend gave warmth to every bite, but not an overwhelming heat. On the interior the classic bagel sandwich ingredients of egg and American cheese were familiar upon first bite. But the switch of Chinese Sausage instead of regular breakfast sausage continued to lean into the flavors that the exterior of the bagel promised. It was then finished with hot honey for some more sweet hear and Kewpie mayo from extra richness. A breakfast bagel i’d happily make the drive back for.
From the lunch menu, I was intrigued by the idea of a scallion pancake bagel, so I went with the “Captain’s Catch,” which came with smoked tuna. cucumber salad and yuzu kosho cream cheese. Similar to the first bagel, the texture was ideal for a bagel sandwich, and the ingredients on the inside paired really well together. Freshness from the cucumber salad, the slightly smoky tuna was hearty and was complimented by the cream cheese that had a bright yuzu flavor that really brought the fish to another level. In hindisight, I picked out two of the menu items featuring Chinese-influence, and none with the Dominican, so it looks like i’ll have to go back!
Recap: During my visit, I tried the Sichuan Street breakfast bagel and the Captain’s catch lunch bagel.
Flavor: 4.5
Price: 4.0
Verdict: 8.5 / 10 – Bagel Street definitely “8 That!”
Bagel Street currently operates on Tuesday – Sunday from 7 AM – 3 PM, with Saturday and Sunday having slightly reduced hours and closing at 2:30.
You can find them at 523 Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA 22180
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@mr.8.that This small cafe is packing some serious flavors from their family influence, a MUST TRY 🥯 🇨🇳 🇩🇴 – Bagel Street – Vienna, VA Small Business, Restaurant Review, Food Review, Food Adventure, Foodie Finds, Virginia, DMV Eats, Bagels, Breakfast Sandwich, Cream Cheese, BEC #foodreview #smallbusiness #bagel #breakfastsandwich #DMVEats ♬ original sound – mr.8.that
