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There’s a new bagel place in town! In 2020, Courage Bagels opened in East Hollywood and caused a commotion in Los Angeles, generating hour-long plus waits. It was the first Montreal-style bagel place that opened in LA. Read my full review here.
A new contender has opened in January 2023 on the West Side! Founded by Sergio Espana, a former chef at Tartine and Gjusta, Layla’s bagels are a cross between Montreal and NY-style bagels.
In an interview with LA Eater, Sergio said: “What makes the bagels great is that we’re incorporating levain, better known as sourdough, into the mix to help break down some of the gluten making it easier to digest.”
Their bagel offerings are poppy, sesame seed, everything, plain or the daily special — besides bagels, you’ll also find matcha, teas, and a wide variety of coffee drinks. Occasionally, Layla offers pastries in limited quantities until they sell out, like their Babka Muffin or chocolate chip cookie. But the permanent ones are the banana bread and muffin (the flavor changes every day).
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I went there two months after they opened, on a weekday, which is the best time to go if you want to avoid the long lines on the weekends.
The employees are so nice and helpful! One of them saw me taking pictures and asked me about my order. He explained that Layla keeps a rotational menu depending on what’s available at the Farmers’ Market. This is surely a nice way to keep people coming back to try something different. The Pre-Jam bagel includes a seasonal fruit every month.
The Sammi’s Egg Sammy was another menu item that was ordered a lot.
If you go, remember that you don’t have to stick to one type of bagel! You can do half and half! I saw on Instagram their Pre-Jam seasonal bagel called Cara Cara. This seasonal bagel with cream cheese, topped with blood oranges from Garcia Organic Farm was the first that caught my attention! The cashier said that the Cara Cara was about to be taken off the menu very soon, so of course I had another reason to order it. For the other half, I got the Laika Bagel, which is their best selling menu item. I chose both bagels with sesame seeds.
Once I heard my name, I went to the counter where the employee handed me a box with the perfectly assembled bagels. It was very busy and the outside seating area was fully occupied, as well as the communal counter inside. I took a quick picture of the bagels while I waited in the corner of the communal counter trying not to disturb the diners.
“Oh My God, what did you order? That looks so pretty” said a girl who was taking pictures of her Sammi’s Egg Sammy. When I told her the names of the bagels, she said “Oh, wow! You can do half and half? Thanks for letting me know!” I saw from the window that two people were about to leave, so I excused myself. “Yeah, go, go!” she said.
At Courage Bagels, the bagels had a very distinct char and were crunchier. At Layla, the bagels were not too chewy and had a pillow-like texture on the inside, which I prefer. It was delicious!
The blood oranges on the Cara Cara were so juicy and fresh and surprisingly, paired very well with the cream cheese! I would love it if I could have this for breakfast every day! What better way to start the day than with premium fruit from the Farmers’ Market and freshly made bagels?
The Laika is a must-order. For me, the best part about this bagel was the way the ingredients balanced each other out.
The bagel was spread with Layla’s signature cream cheese and topped with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, capers and lemon zest. It was a burst of tangy, sweet and salty. I loved the thick flakes of salt on the heirloom tomato. I’m also a huge, huge fan of smoked salmon. This one was definitely premium quality and on the sweet side. To finish off, the capers added a nice salty and olivey flavor to the overall bagel.
If you’re not sure what to order, the Laika bagel has the most amount of different flavors! Then, when you get to the bottom, a generous spread of cream cheese and pillowy bagel awaits you.
Next to me, there was a mom with her five-year old who was indulging in his peanut butter and jelly bagel. This one is called The Babar, and it looked like this.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Layla Bagels, and if I lived closer to Santa Monica, I’d be frequenting it more often! The opening hours are 7 am to 2:30 pm every day, but if you decide to go near closing time, keep in mind that they might already be sold out!
April’s Pre-Jam bagel
Address: 1614 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Have you been to Layla Bagels?
