Maine Bagels Make a Name for Themselves
For many foodies, great bagels begin and end in New York City. So imagine the shockwaves when Saveur writer—and native New Yorker—Matthew Kronsberg published an article in 2016 titled, “Is One of America’s Best Bagels in…Lewiston, Maine?”
“That was a pivot point for us,” says Allen Smith, co-owner of Forage Market. All of a sudden, they were on the map. The shop, which began as a local specialty food market with a cafe and bakery, was suddenly a destination. “Bagels started taking over. And then [we] just listened to what our customers wanted and morphed this business into the cafe and bagel bakery they were looking for.” Today, Forage has two locations: the original market in Lewiston, as well as a larger space on Portland’s bustling Washington Avenue.
At a bit after 7 a.m., the Portland cafe is still relatively empty—just a few early birds sit with their bagel, coffee and newspaper by the large windows, soaking in the ample light. Behind the counter, though, the kitchen is a hive of activity. On this relatively quiet Thursday, the team will churn out 96 dozen—1,152 bagels—before 8:30 a.m. “On weekends or holidays, it is a totally different experience—so many more bagels,” says Smith.
This sort of scale might sound trivial for a large bakery, but Forage doesn’t take any shortcuts. The sourdough bagels are hand-rolled, proofed for two days to maximize the sourdough flavor and texture before being boiled, then baked in an exceptionally hot wood-fired oven. Even the oven itself is unique: a Farjas wood-fired rotary oven with a large wheel that spins a rotating plinth inside, where the bagels are cooked. The oven components were shipped from Spain in a shipping container, and two Spanish masons built the oven in its current location over three weeks.
This very hot oven—interior air temps hover around 250ºC (482ºF), but the radiant heat coming off the fire-heated bricks exceeds 425ºC (800ºF)—is responsible for the distinctive crackly crust on Forage bagels. It is also the reason they stick to a traditional offering of bagel varieties (plain, sesame, salt, poppy, garlic and everything), as the sugars of any sweet bagel varieties like blueberry or cinnamon raisin simply can’t hold up to the high temperatures.
Forage sparked something. In the years since that Lewiston detour put Maine on the bagel map, the state has only deepened its claim. Forage, Scratch Baking Co. in South Portland, and Rover Bagel in Biddeford, all landed on Food & Wine‘s Best Bagels in America list in 2021, and Bon Appétit followed in 2023, naming Rose Foods in Portland and Rover Bagel among the country’s very best outside of New York City.
Matthew Kronsberg may not have known what he was bringing to light when he popped into Lewiston in 2016. But his conclusion holds. As he wrote: “These bagels are…proof that even jaded New York writers can still be surprised, and even moved by a simple bagel, whatever sins of snobbishness may lurk in their hearts.” Maine’s bagels have long since earned a place of their own.
More Must-Eat Bagels in Maine
Bagel Central
Established in Bangor in 1978, Bagel Central is the region’s bagel anchor—a downtown gathering place that has cultivated three generations of regulars, with communal tables and handmade food with no preservatives.
Spark Bagel
This shop in Northport honey-boils its naturally leavened, hand-rolled sourdough bagels using local Swan’s honey, and sources Maine grains and malted rye from Blue Ox Malthouse—a genuinely local product in every sense.
KPort Bagel
The Kennebunks’ own dedicated bagel outpost, tucked into the Morning Walk Lane cottage complex, turns out fresh bagels daily with a rotating cast of creative cream cheese spreads. This is a welcome find on a stretch of coast better known for lobster rolls.
Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels
In Brunswick, Dutchman’s honey-water boils and wood-fires their bagels in the Montreal tradition, producing something beautifully balanced between chewy and airy. Get there early; they sell out every morning before noon.
Orchard Ridge Farm
A 38-acre working orchard in Gorham owned and operated by two generations of women, Orchard Ridge bakes fresh NY-style bagels daily alongside apple cider donuts, with coffee and outdoor seating overlooking the orchard. It’s one of the most distinctive bagel experiences in Maine and a natural pit stop on the way to Sebago Lake.
Sebagel
The name was born from a happy accident. A mispronunciation of “Sebago” sparked the realization that it rhymed with “bagel,” and Nick Zeller ran with it, growing from a Lakes Region pop-up in 2024 to a brick-and-mortar on Route 302 in Naples in 2025. Sourcing ingredients from nine Maine farms and businesses, it’s the bagel shop the Sebago Lakes region has long deserved.
This story was written and photographed by Cam Held, co-editor of Maine the Way, whose work documents the people, places and details that define life in Maine.