This Roseway bagel shop has accrued a legion of devotees who love the shop’s salty, gnaw-worthy bagels topped with an array of vegan-friendly options. The vegan bagels can come with dairy-free or traditional cream cheese, schmear in flavors like honey-almond or lemon-dill, and vegan carrot “lox” or “whitefish” made with hearts of palm. Ben & Esther’s is open for takeout.

New Yorkers and locals alike swear by this charming bagel shop with soft, robust, and chewy bagels made fresh throughout the day. Musician and former New Englander Noah Bernstein loads snappy salt, everything, and weekend pumpernickels with a generous shellack of house-made shmears, only improved with a free shake of za’atar. The original location in St. Johns has closed, but the last standing cafe is still kicking — be sure to get there early, because the shop often sells out on the weekends; it’s open for walk-up orders.

Beginning in 2011 as a small father-son coffee roasting operation, Spielman Bagels has expanded to four locations across the city. Unlike many bagel shops in Portland, Spielman uses a sourdough starter in its dough to achieve a unique tang, giving the bagels a traditional crisp exterior with a tart-fluffy interior well complemented by a swipe of cream cheese. The salt and herb bagel has proven to be a customer favorite. The four shops are all open for takeout at the very least, with three locations open for delivery and the Lovejoy location open for weekend indoor dining. The cafes also take online orders.

Occupying a tidy, white-tiled space on the edge of the Pearl District, this downtown bagel shop serves a wide variety of bagels. Bagels clock in on the smaller side compared to other Portland establishments, so patrons here tend to gravitate towards breakfast sandwiches like the popular Simon Benson, which includes Tails & Trotters ham, a sunny-side up egg, and American cheese. Bowery is open for takeout and delivery, which can be ordered online.

Located behind a brick facade and its telltale green awning, Kornblatt’s is a quintessential East Coast-style delicatessen along Portland’s vibrant NW 23rd Avenue. A standout on the menu is the nova lox and cream cheese bagel, which comes piled with glistening slices of brined-then-smoked salmon. If salmon isn’t in the cards, both the house whitefish and the sundried-tomato-and-basil-schmear make for substantial and delicious bagel toppings. Kornblatt’s is open for takeout and delivery.

This bagel slinger is the smallest of all on the list, housed within a food cart. However, its bagels embody the same chewy hallmarks as many of the others on this list. Occupying a space in the Cartlandia food cart pod, regulars tend to reach for pastrami bagel sandwiches or breakfast bagels with bacon, serve on crowd-pleasers like everything or sesame seed bagels. Grabbing a half dozen bagels to go also appears to be a popular choice here. Order for takeout online.