Top of the Bagel, Solana Beach

There are a lot of steps to creating bagels. But rather than take shortcuts such as freezing dough and pre-baking items, the staff at Top of the Bagel Cafe complete every step in the early hours of morning. This helps them ensure their bagels are fresh, soft, and ready for customers by their 5:30 a.m. weekday opening time.

They begin by mixing the dough, which they then boil into perfect circles before baking them into fluffy, unsliced rounds. Once bagels have cooled slightly, chefs can slather them with one of the seven styles of cream cheese or lox, or slice them in half to create the shop's signature sandwiches. These include breakfast items made with scrambled eggs, or even open-faced melts topped with a gooey layer of cheese. In addition to bagels, they serve up a range of drinks, such as cups of coffee, smoothies made from fresh fruit, and sodas squeezed from fresh vending machines.