The Bagelry
8127 Mesa, 502-9222
701 Capital of TX Hwy. S., 347-1939
Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm; Saturday-Sunday, 8am-2pm
This locally owned chainette that has supplied steamed bagels to the shopping centers of West Austin since 1993 has scaled down its retail stores, but the Bagelry still offers daily bagel specials (including Hawaiian pineapple, pesto, and jalapeño flavors), muffins, cookies, brownies, and breads. They also have a line of bagel deli sandwiches that feature Boar’s Head cold cuts. For a hearty portable breakfast, try the Baco (rhymes with taco) — egg, ham, and cheese baked in a thick tube of bagel dough.
Crescent City Beignets
1211 W. Sixth, 472-9622 Sunday-Thursday, 7am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 7am-11pm
Austinites don’t need to go all the way to New Orleans to satisfy their hankering for some of the city’s signature foods. Crescent City Beignets addresses that classic Big Easy culinary craving: chicory coffee and hot beignets. These are the real deal — fluffy squares of crisply fried dough, smothered in powdered sugar, meant to be consumed immediately. Muffalettas, red beans and rice, and a variety of gumbos and étoufées fill the lunch and dinner menus, which vary daily.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Various locations, various hours
Those Einstein brothers, Melvyn and Elmo, are busy not only running bagel shops all over Austin, but all over the country, too. These clean, efficient, and service-oriented establishments offer 18 flavors of steamed bagels (softer than the more traditional boiled style); 11 varieties of Shmears; a host of sandwiches and egg breakfasts served on bagels, challah, or sourdough baguettes; and salads, soups, and roll-ups. The NY lox and bagel with cream cheese, chopped onion, capers, and a slice of tomato is very nicely done.
Hot Jumbo Bagel
307 W. Fifth, 477-1137 Monday-Friday, 6:30am-1:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 7:30am-12:30pm
Hot Jumbo Bagels has staying power. Emerging victorious from the Great Austin Bagel Wars of the mid-Nineties, HJB has been serving the same classic East Coast-style boiled bagels from the same funky Fifth Street location since 1979. The 27 flavors of bagels (including such interesting choices as milk chocolate, tomato Florentine, and peanut butter) are kosher-approved. Bagel sandwiches and breakfast tacos are also available.
Ken’s Donuts and Pastries
2820 Guadalupe, 320-8484 Daily, 24 hours
Fortunately for UT denizens, there is a doughnut fix handily within shouting distance of campus, and it is available when they need it, which is to say all the time. While Ken’s physical plant is unassuming to say the least, it houses a wide selection of high-quality doughnut-shop fare, including several flavors of cake and yeast doughnuts, éclairs, those jelly- and cream-filled favorites, bismarcks, and, of course, doughnut holes.
Krispy Kreme
Various locations, drive-through open 24 hours To the delight of its many fanatics, Krispy Kreme moved to town several years ago and remains a major player in the Austin doughnut scene. Founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, N.C., the franchise is famous all over the country for two things: its secret-recipe, yeast-risen doughnuts and the glowing red “Hot Doughnuts Now” signs. Hint: They make hot doughnuts from 5:30am till noon and again from 5:30pm till closing time.
Lone Star Bakery 106 Liberty, Round Rock, 512/255-3629 Tuesday-Sunday, 4am-3:30pm 1202 685 N., Pflugerville, 512/670-1970 Daily, 4am-9pm
Lucky for everyone, the Lone Star Bakery quickly recovered from a devastating fire several years ago, replacing the original building with one twice as big to serve as home to the “World Famous Round Rock Doughnut.” In break rooms and offices all over Austin, co-workers cross their fingers hoping some benevolent Round Rock resident will arrive with a box of the renowned Round Rock Doughnuts for happy group consumption. There are visions of these soft, warm, baby-chick-yellow clouds of pastry wafting out over the city each morning.
Mrs. Johnson’s Doughnuts
4909 Airport, 452-4750 Daily, 7pm-noon
An Austin institution since 1948, Mrs. Johnson’s must have passed millions of hot, fresh doughnuts out the little drive-through window to generations of early-morning commuters, after-church crowds, and famished students who, er, need to run out for something sweet in the middle of the night. In addition to the classic glazed doughnuts, there are apple fritters, cinnamon rolls and twists, cookies, brownies, and sausage kolaches. You can also pick up your dunk of choice: cold milk or hot coffee. Note that Mrs. Johnson’s is open all night, but not in the afternoons.
This article appears in October 10 • 2003.