Former Eater Philly editor Dayna Evans runs Downtime Bakery, which doesn’t have a dedicated retail shop at the moment. You can preorder small-batch sourdough bagels online for pickup in Mt. Airy or track them down at frequent events and pop-ups around town. The beautifully blistered rounds come in a handful of flavors like everything, sesame, and the uncommon sea salt caraway.

Fishtown’s Philly Style Bagels was an immediate hit when it opened in 2016, so much so that a second location is now open in Old City. The bagels, perfectly firm on the outside and soft inside, are boiled in beer from nearby Yards Brewing Company — can’t get much more Philly than that. Go early or preorder; the shops can sell out.

You may know Eeva as a wood-fired pizza restaurant with a great list of natural wines, but it’s also a bona fide local bakery. With sourdough breads, sandwiches, and bagels, Eeva is as much a daytime destination as a nighttime dinner spot. Everything is available daily at the counter of Reanimator Coffee, which shares the space.

One of the oldest Jewish bakeries in the city, Kaplan’s New Model Bakery serves up perfectly chewy kosher bagels in a variety of flavors, including French toast, whole wheat, and blueberry. If you’re in South Philly and don’t feel like heading north, fear not: Kaplan’s bagels are available at Biederman’s Specialty Foods, where you can get a variety of smoked fishes to put on top.

Brothers Brett and Kyle Frankel are baking crusty New York-style bagels at their West Philly shop. Get a baker’s dozen and a container of schmear to go, or try one of the sandwiches, like a classic bacon, egg, and cheese or a deli combo of pastrami-smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese, and cucumbers.

The claim to fame at Schmear It — a bagel shop with locations in University City and near Reading Terminal plus a roving food truck — is customization: Customers can add mix-ins like roasted garlic, blueberries, and wasabi to base schmears including cream cheese, hummus, and whitefish salad. With lots of mix-ins, base spreads, and bagel flavors, the possibilities are endless.

A Jerusalem bagel is a very special thing, and the version at K’Far Cafe — from Zahav owners Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook — is a standout. Order it pressed like a panini with smoked salmon, pickled cucumbers, and za’atar butter for a sandwich-meets-bagel hybrid.

Spread’s Montreal-style bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. The fast-growing chain already has 10 locations in and around Philly, with many more on the way.

Known for its challah, Four Worlds Bakery is also one of a few places in West Philly to go for a good, bready bagel. Don’t look for rainbow colors or cinnamon swirls — baker Michael Dolich mostly sticks to the classics like sesame, poppy, and everything. You can preorder online.

In the bagel biz for about three decades now, Philly Bagels is a trusty go-to at several locations around the city. All the classics are on offer here, but so are specials like pizza bagels and rainbow bagels with birthday cake cream cheese.

In Queen Village, the Bagel Place boils and bakes its bagels using a touch of honey for a flavorful, chewy final product. Along with more than a dozen creative styles, pretzel bagels are a must-try here. A few of the flavored spreads are one of a kind too, including sour pickle and cheddar horseradish.

Bonnie Sarana’s East Passyunk bakery has something for everyone, including sweet and savory, but her bagels are out of this world. Try a za’atar bagel with jalapeno cream cheese for a real-deal flavor experience.

When poet and bagel baker Philip Korshak opened his South Philly bagel shop, Philadelphians went wild. That’s because Korshak’s bagels are both crunchy and light, sour and sweet, and the perfect vessel for interesting schmears made with ingredients like long hots and clementines.