A popular New Orleans bagel shop was honored over the weekend at a New York bagel festival for creating some of the best bagels made outside of the Big Apple.
Flour Moon Bagels placed second in the “Best Bagel Beyond the Boroughs” category during New York’s BagelFest, according to a festival spokesperson. Flour Moon was the first Louisiana-based bagel maker to be honored at the annual festival for bagel lovers and expert bakers.
Flour Moon Bagels’ sourdough bagels are done in a northeast style that fans of New York’s famous go-to breakfast order may be familiar with. But the shop still includes a Louisiana twist, using local cane syrup instead of barley malt syrup to sweeten the dough.
Open-faced tartine bagels at Flour Moon, including the Harvest Moon, Kimchi Cream Cheese special, and Fortuna.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRISTINA FERRARI
Bagelfest grew out of a gathering in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood into a national festival bringing together bagel artisans, owners and enthusiasts. Attendees voted for a series of categories along with a panel of expert judges. Other categories included Best Bagel and Schmear of the Year.
Sunday’s award presentation wasn’t the first time Flour Moon Bagels was recognized for offering some of the best bagels outside New York City, widely known as the bagel capital of America.
In 2023, Bon Appétit selected Flour Moons Bagels as one of the best bagel shops outside of New York, lauding shops from across the country for innovating on their bagel craft. Flour Moon Bagels was praised for its inventive open-faced tartine bagel sandwiches.
The bagel shop started as a pop-up in 2020 that quickly became popular. Flour Moon opened its brick-and-mortar location near the Lafitte Greenway in 2022, and soon became an essential spot for bagel lovers in the Crescent City. It recently added a food truck Uptown on the Tulane University campus over the fall.