Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels

Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels
Graphic with bagels, the text 'Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels', and the text 'Portland Oregon'
Restaurant information
Established2013 (2013)
Owner(s)Leah Orndoff
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Websitehhboiledbagels.com

Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels is a small chain of bagel shops in Portland, Oregon. The business was established by Leah Orndoff in 2013 and initially operated as a pop-up, at farmers' markets, and via wholesale. Since opening the first brick and mortar shop in Southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood in 2013, Henry Higgins has expanded to four locations. The business also has shops in the Northeast Portland part of the Kerns neighborhood, in Southeast Portland's Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, and in Northwest Portland's Northwest District.

Henry Higgins serves various varieties of New York-style bagels, as well as schmears, sandwiches, sides such as chopped liver and pickled herring, and baked goods such as bialys, knishes, and rugelach. The business has garnered a positive reception and was selected to represent Oregon in Eat This, Not That's 2022 list of the best bagels in each U.S. state.

Description[edit]

Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels is a small chain of bagel shops in Portland, Oregon; there are four locations,[1] in Southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta and Sellwood-Moreland neighborhoods, in the Northeast Portland part of the Kerns neighborhood, and in Northwest Portland's Northwest District. According to KOIN, the company's missions is to "provide Portland with a traditional NY style boiled bagel".[2] Among boiled bagel varieties are "everything", onion, and pumpernickel.[3] Bagel toppings include such as schmears, cream cheese, and fish.[4]

The menu also has sandwiches (including hot and cold bagel sandwiches),[4] deli sides such as chopped liver and pickled herring, and baked goods such as bialys,[5] knishes, and rugelach.[1] Other sandwich ingredients include capers, dill, lox,[6] red onion, and tomato.[4] Drink options include coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.[7]

History[edit]

Leah Orndoff started the business in 2013,[8] initially operating as a pop-up, at farmers' markets, and via wholesale.[9][10] The first brick and mortar shop opened at the intersection of Foster Road and 64th Avenue in Mt. Scott-Arleta (near Foster-Powell) in May 2015.[11] The shop had a seating capacity of 14 people, rotating artwork as well as mugs by ceramicist Cooper Jeppesen, and served coffee from Mudd Works.[9][12]

Photograph of the exterior of a building
In Northwest Portland's Northwest District, Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels operates in the space that previously housed Kornblatt's Delicatessen (pictured in 2022).

Henry Higgins has also operated a bakery on Northeast 19th Avenue,[8] in Kerns. In 2018, the business announced plans to open a third location on Tacoma Street[13] in Sellwood-Moreland, in the space previously occupied by Feastworks Delicatessen.[8] The shop opened on March 17,[6][14] with a seating capacity of approximately 25 people.[7]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Henry Higgins operated via delivery services like bicycle-based CCC as well as Caviar and Grubhub. Henry Higgins also sold groceries using these services.[15] The business expanded weekend hours in mid 2021, hosting "After Hours with Henry Higgins".[16] In 2023, Henry Higgins purchased the space previously occupied by Kornblatt's Delicatessen in the Northwest District.[17][18] The shop opened on May 15.[19]

Dave Barile has been the head chef.[8][20] Henry Higgins has used flour from Shepard's Grain and flour and seeds from Bob's Red Mill.[21] The business has been a vendor at community events, such as a Hanukkah food pop-up in 2002 and the Hanukkah Night Market at Eastside Jewish Commons in 2023.[22][23]

Reception[edit]

Henry Higgins ranked second in the Best Bagel category of Willamette Week's annual readers' poll in 2020.[24] Tanya Edwards selected the business to represent Oregon in Eat This, Not That's 2022 overview of the best bagels in each U.S. state.[21] In a 2023 review of the smoked salmon bagel sandwich, Meira Gebel of Axios Portland wrote:

The smoked salmon was lovely and salty, complemented by the creaminess of a thick smear of cream cheese and the citrus of squeezed lemon. The herbs and veggies provided a hit of cool freshness... My only note is that the sandwich didn't want to stay together. It kept slipping, but I happily continued to compile the pieces into perfect bites.[4]

Gebel also said, "Boiled bagels are a classic New York tradition, and at Henry Higgins, you can grab one without getting on a plane."[4] In the first Portland Bagel-Off organized by Jacob & Sons Deli in 2023, Henry Higgins won the People's Choice award.[25][26] Daniel Barnett, Brooke Jackson-Glidden, and Nathan Williams included the business in Eater Portland's 2024 list of ten "real-deal" bagel shops in the city.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Barnett, Daniel (2016-02-17). "10 Real-Deal Bagel Shops in Portland". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  2. ^ Pettigrew, Jashayla (October 26, 2022). "Boiled, baked & perfectly shaped: Try these Portland bagels". KOIN. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Fodor's Inside Portland. Fodor's. 2020-04-07. ISBN 978-1-64097-251-3. Archived from the original on 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e Gebel, Meira (October 31, 2023). "Bite Club: Smoked salmon at Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels". Axios Portland. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Searching Portland for Bialys, the Onion-Flecked Polish Cousin of the Bagel". Portland Monthly. ISSN 1546-2765. Archived from the original on 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  6. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-03-23). "More Doughnuts and Bagels Come to Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  7. ^ a b Leonard, Rita A. (2018-03-02). "'Henry Higgins Bagels', a Foster Road fixture, adding Sellwood location". The Bee. Pamplin Media Group. OCLC 55663345. Archived from the original on 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  8. ^ a b c d Forster, Tim (2018-01-04). "Henry Higgins Bagels to Set Up Shop in Sellwood". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  9. ^ a b Centoni, Danielle (2014-12-18). "Henry Higgins Bagels Launching Retail Shop in Foster-Powell". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  10. ^ "Bagel Wars: The Front Line". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  11. ^ Waterhouse, Ben (2015-06-09). "A new round of bagel shops keeps Portland schmeared". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. OCLC 985410693. Archived from the original on 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  12. ^ Centoni, Danielle (2015-05-29). "Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels Opens Retail Cafe". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  13. ^ Vithayathil, Joe (2022-01-25). "On the Go with Joe at Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels". KPTV. Archived from the original on 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  14. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-05-02). "This Knockout Bagel Shop Just Opened on N Russell". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  15. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-04-09). "Where to Get Breakfast and Brunch for Delivery or Takeout in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  16. ^ "Henry Higgins to Start Staying Open Late and Selling Fresh Baked Bagels Straight Out of the Oven". Willamette Week. 2021-06-07. Archived from the original on 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  17. ^ "Portland's oldest Jewish deli, Kornblatt's, closes by end of March". KGW. 2023-03-21. Archived from the original on 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  18. ^ Young, Jenny (March 21, 2023). "Post-pandemic restaurant recovery slowed by inflation, crime". KOIN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "A Guide to Portland's Latest Restaurant Openings". Eater Portland. 2021-01-27. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  20. ^ "Every Boiled Bagel in Portland, Ranked". Willamette Week. 2017-02-21. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  21. ^ a b Edwards, Tanya (2022-04-03). "The Best Bagel in Every State". Eat This, Not That. ISBN 1-59486-854-9. OCLC 177062677. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  22. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-11-22). "Where to Find Hanukkah Fixings Across Portland in 2022". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  23. ^ Harris, Emily (December 6, 2023). "Where to celebrate Hanukkah around Portland". Axios Portland. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Food, Drink, Restaurants". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  25. ^ "Jacob & Sons Deli Organized Its First-Ever Portland Bagel-Off". Willamette Week. 2023-08-07. Archived from the original on 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  26. ^ Smith, Suzette. "The Inaugural Portland Bagel-Off: Is the Bagel War Over?". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-07-04.

External links[edit]

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