And the Greatest Bagel in Portland Is…

Brace yourselves, breakfast lovers - the search for the best bagel in town has ended, and the results are in!

After the recent explosion of new bagel shops in the greater Portland area, a panel judges recently came together for the Portland Press Herald to try bagels from all around the city to finally pick a definitive favorite. The paper purchased bagels from 6 local bakeries, including downtown favorites like Rosemont, Scratch Bakery, all the way to North Yarmouth's The Purple House. The panel that the PPH assembled included several ex New Yorkers, who are (with good reason) incredibly picky about their bagels. The panel even refused to eat several of the bagels brought to them, calling them "bread with holes." Ouch.

So what's the best bagel in the Greater Portland Area? Unsurprisingly, the honor goes to Scratch Bakery right here in Portland, which was the top pick for all but one of the panel of judges. Coming in a close second, however, was relative newcomer The Purple House, which also smokes it's own salmon to go with the bagels. The Press Herald reports, perhaps most surprisingly, that none of the top picks were traditional New York style bagels, which is especially impressive coming from such a tough crowd.

What's your favorite bagel around Portland? Tell us in the comments!