The Best Bagels in the US—Beyond New York

"Courage Bagels began as a street food operation in 2017, with founder Arielle Moss selling the Montreal-style bagels she made at home from a basket on the front of a red beach cruiser. In 2020, Moss transitioned the business to a brick-and-mortar store in Virgil Village with her husband, Chris Moss, and the rest, as they say, is an artfully topped open-face bagel and a 30-minute line down the block (a.k.a. Los Angeles bagel history). Courage’s bagels are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, smaller and thinner than a New York version and cooked in a wood-fire oven, pursuant to the Montreal standards. They’re served in biodegradable clamshells with a colorful abundance of toppings that match their cute names."