Dough Exchange - Santa Ana

As a native New Yorker, I know there's truly only one place to get an authentic New York bagel: New York itself. However, in my quest for the ultimate bagel in Orange County, Dough Exchange comes out on top. Their bagels are fresh and generously topped, delivering great flavor. I recommend trying them lightly toasted with their excellent cream cheese. As Arnold would say... I'm back!

When we arrived, Jason greeted us and explained the menu and what they offer. We found it hard to choose since everything looked amazing! In the end, we went with a bagel sandwich that I ordered, which had egg, fancy ham, tomato jam, and cheese, as well as a street corn bagel made with jalapeño cheddar and corn. Both were PHENOMENAL! I never thought I liked cream cheese, but now I can’t imagine my life without it, and I’ll only get it from Dough Exchange. The bagels were outstanding, and the flavors of the unique spreads and bagel sandwiches (that tomato jam, oh my gosh) are absolutely delicious. We can’t wait to come back for more!

Absolutely divine! Treat yourself to one of their amazing bagel sandwiches, and be sure not to miss the esquite cream cheese. These might just be the best bagels in Orange County, rivaling even the finest bagels in NYC!

On Friday afternoon. 2 hours free parking in the garage. No line. I gave an order to go Street Mais Bagel. Wait outside and the bagels were taken outside when they were ready. Both bagels were delicious, but I Gave In was amazing. Definitely the best bagels I had! I know it seems expensive, but they're worth it.

Chef Jason does it again! When they first opened I felt like I had stumbled onto the best kept secret in OC. Top shelf gourmet bagels and other delights (the canapés are amaze balls) and of course the best shmears and lox out there... it was a kind of religious ritual that I worked into my morning routine as often as possible. These days the place is still just as great as it ever was. Maybe even better... except now Im not the only one in line. The word got out. You cant keep a place this good a secret for very long. The line goes fast though and you can sip a coffee from nearby coffee muse while you wait. (I was told they didnt serve coffee so as not to compete with the struggling local coffee house around the corner. Not many restaurants would be so community minded) Chef jason is a real class act.