Rosenberg’s

Bagels aren’t exactly what I think of when I hear Denver. Now mention New York or New Jersey and absolutely, bagels are like a religion out there…but Denver, y’all are known for mountains, weed and maybe the Broncos, not bagels. Period. Well how wrong I was. Rosenberg’s is a Denver staple. They are a New York style Jewish Deli with bagels, pastrami, salmon and much more. This was also another establishment that turns pizza joint at night – such a great strategy, honestly. Anyways, back to the bagels. They pride themselves on their high quality bagels that are produced in the same fashion as those in New York. Tale has it that the owner actually gets the water to make these bagels from New York so they are the real deal and not some version that pretends to be something it isn’t. They offer a wide variety of bagel flavors and also have both classic and egg bagels to throw in to the mix, as if it weren’t difficult enough to choose between sweet, savory, meaty, basic. They’ve got the simple bagel and cream cheese and have a variety of schmears to slather on that delicious bagel. Or if you’re wanting something a little more substantial for breakfast, they have a selection of breakfast sandwiches featuring some combination of eggs, cheese and a meat. If you want something meatier or different, they have an entire section on their menu dedicated to various fish offerings – you will find so much more than your typical LOX on there. If fish isn’t your style, don’t worry, they offer savory sandwiches piled high with meats and cheese. They don’t just offer bagels though, they have tons of deli offerings to grab and go as well as a large selection of fresh pastries and Jewish staples – matzo ball soup, challah, etc.

We ordered 3 sandwiches (and no we did not need 3 nor did we finish them all, but they were some tasty leftovers). We grabbed a classic plain bagel with scallion cream cheese, the L.E.S. and the Jersey Boy. Let’s break these last two down. The L.E.S. is one of their deli sandwiches. It starts with an onion bagel (we swapped our’s to everything), then it is topped with coleslaw, thick cut housemade NY pastrami, melted swiss cheese, and finished with mustard. The pastrami was no joke – I was expecting some thinly sliced “pastrami” – you know that typical stuff you get at the grocery store. No, this was real…juicy and tender. I still have dreams of the first bite – like angels singing in the background moment sinking my teeth in to this thicc bagel. The Jersey Boy was just as incredible. It starts with an egg bagel (which we kept lol), has alight spread of ketchup and some house sauce on the bottom, double stacked taylor ham, fried egg, and melted american cheese. If you haven’t heard of taylor ham, you are not alone. I was introduced to it in college (only because I went to school on the East Coast – New England to be specific) and it is a very regional thing. Not even regional, but New Jersey specific. They are all obsessed with it – usually you will hear them reference a taylor ham or pork roll. Anyways taylor ham is like a mix between bacon and ham and almost deli meat. Really it is more closely related to bologna, but I think they might come for me if I describe it like that without more context. It is pretty good and if you have the option to try it, I highly recommend you do so – especially on a breakfast bagel!

To drool over all of Rosenberg’s delicious offerings, check their menu here.