Kentucky may be famous for fried chicken and country ham biscuits, but a quiet bagel scene has been growing across the state, and the people who live here know exactly where to find the good stuff. From a small bakery in Berea to busy morning counters in Lexington, Louisville, and Covington, these shops boil, bake, and stack bagels that hold their own against the ones people brag about up north.
Some make their bagels in-house every day, one says its bagels come in from the Bronx, and a few even offer gluten-free versions that are hard to track down anywhere else. If you want a chewy bagel, a thick smear of scallion cream cheese, or a breakfast sandwich that keeps you full until lunch, here are seven shops worth saving for your next weekend morning.
1. Native Bagel Company, Berea, KY
Honey rosemary cream cheese is the kind of spread that makes people rethink their usual bagel order. At Native Bagel Company in Berea, it is one of the house favorites, and it pairs especially well with the shop’s cardinal bagel.
Berea is best known as a folk arts and crafts town, so it makes sense that its bagel shop leans into small-batch, handmade food. The bagels come out chewy and fresh, with the everything bagel standing out as a top pick…