I first wrote about WA-BAGEL earlier this year and they finally have a solid open date. They are officially opening on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. This Tokyo-meets-New York concept features a sweet and savoury selection of chewy, airy, and delicious bagels. WA-BAGEL is a counter service spot and will be open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Guests can also order and dine at the building’s spacious communal concourse, located just outside the shop. Japanese-style bagels are made with Canadian flour and unique techniques inherited from Japanese food culture. This gives the bagels a chewy and light consistency. Instead of mixing ingredients into the dough, they are instead rolled in which means every bite has some filling. I got a sneak peek before the official opening, so check out my full WA-BAGEL review below!
WA-BAGEL Review – Specialty Bagel Flavours and Premium Bagel Sandwiches
At launch, the menu will feature 10 flavours (from $2), as well as seasonal offerings, including: the Original Wa-Bagel, made with koji-yeast; Kinako, filled with a sweet and nutty roasted soybean powder; Red Bean & Cream Cheese, filled with a sweet red bean paste and cream cheese and topped with sesame seeds; and Mochi Matcha, filled with mochi, red bean paste, and chopped walnuts.
If those don’t tickle your fancy, WA-BAGEL has two topping options with its Original Wa-Bagel flavour – the Bagel & Schmear with a selected cream cheese flavour (plain, shiso ume, tofu hummus, maple walnuts), and a Toasted Bagel with butter.
For more filling options, there is a small menu of premium sandwiches that is created in collaboration with Miku and Minami’s talented team of chefs. The sandwiches are:
- Pacific – Smoked sockeye salmon with pickled red onion, cured cucumber, shiso, caper crisps, and shiso ume cream cheese on a plain bagel
- Montreal – Montreal smoked meat, miso caramelized onions, and Japanese mustard aioli, on a plain bagel
- Aburi Veggie – Assorted seasonal grilled and marinated market veggies with tofu hummus on a plain bagel
On my visit, I got the Pacific Premium Sandwich and the Kinako Bagel and Sweet Potato and Black Sesame. The highlight for me was definitely the Pacific. I love the use of so many Japanese flavours on such a classic combination. The shiso ume cream cheese is so savoury with just the perfect hint of sourness. It is a fantastic sandwich.
The Kinako bagel has plenty of soybean flavour and is a good ‘classic’ bagel if you’re not a fan of too much dairy. This bagel has a nice chewy texture, and definitely tastes better after a 20 second spin in the microwave.
The Sweet Potato and Black Sesame has plenty of sweet potato filling and is not too sweet. The crunch of the sesame seeds add a really nice textural contrast. Both bagels were pretty messy to eat however, so I wouldn’t recommend eating them while walking.
Worth a Try?
Yes, if you’re a fan of bagels this is a unique and delicious take that is worth trying out. I can see it being pretty busy during the lunch rush for the Downtown crowd. At lunch time, in addition to the bagels there will be a small selection of Aburi sushi options from Miku available.
WA-BAGEL by Aburi
Address: 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2X8
Website: https://www.instagram.com/wa.bagel/