One of my favorite breakfast and brunch dishes is a bagel with lox, capers and cream cheese. Tomato is optional, but you can keep the red onion. However, it seems like a rare find in Northeast Ohio.
So I turned to my Instagram following to ask where they order a bagel with lox or smoked salmon. And wowee did I get answers. In fact, the answers led to some deep diving on the internet for even more options.
When I asked, a few people messaged me to say they weren’t sure where to get such delicacies, but that they too wanted to know. Thanks to these folks and the ones who suggested places to go, this blog post screamed to be written.
But before we get into where to get bagels and lox or smoked salmon in Akron and Northeast Ohio…
What is the difference between Lox and Smoked Salmon?
To be honest, I didn’t realize there was a difference between lox and smoked salmon. I assumed they were interchangeable when it comes to bagels. Which… they are… but they are different.
Lox is cured in a salt-sugar brine and not smoked, resulting in a silky texture and a rich, salty flavor. Smoked salmon, on the other hand, is both cured and smoked. It comes in two main types: cold-smoked, which has a delicate, smoky flavor and a smooth texture, and hot-smoked, which has a stronger smoky flavor and a flaky texture.
The more you know! 🌠
Where to get bagels and lox/smoked salmon in Akron & Northeast Ohio
Be sure to check a location’s hours and menu in case their item has limited availability.
Sweet Mary’s Bakery (Downtown Akron)
- Their lox bagel sandwich includes herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, thinly sliced red onion and English cucumber on your choice of their fresh-baked bagels. (They recommend the pumpernickel bagel.)
- The bakery also offers an incredible variety of baked goods, including pastries, macarons, cakes sold by the slice, quiche and more
- They also offer coffee, espresso drinks and tea
Asterisk Coffee Bar (Cuyahoga Falls)
- Rumor has it that instead of a bagel, Asterisk serves up smoked salmon on toast. We tried to confirm it from their online menu but didn’t see it there…
- …regardless, stop in for a great espresso drink, matcha or co*cktail
- They also offer pastries and a limited food menu
“[They have] a really good toast with smoked salmon on it. It’s so good!” – Tressa
Beau’s on the River (Cuyahoga Falls)
- Again with the rumors… apparently they offer smoked salmon during Sunday Brunch. Their website menu confirms, but what are we putting it on? Bagel, toast, a plain plate? Maybe we should investigate in person…
- Sunday Brunch features breakfast, prime rib, hot lunch and salad stations, dessert, and unlimited mimosas
The Blue Door Cafe and Bakery (Cuyahoga Falls)
- The cafe offers a non-bagel option during lunch: Smoked Ora King Salmon on a croissant with scrambled egg, chiles, garlic dill cream cheese, and onion and caper relish
- Their brunch menu offers other dishes like a Monte Cristo crepe, steak and eggs, vegetarian croque, chicken and waffles, and corned beef hash
The Cleveland Bagel Cafe (Kent)
- Their smoked salmon bagel sandwich includes plain schmear, tomato, red onion and capers
- According to their website, a Cleveland-style bagel is “an old world style bagel… Not too dough-y, not too sweet… smaller, full of flavor, chewy, with a crisp exterior that we’ve spent countless hours perfecting.”
- The cafe also has coffee and espresso drinks
“I ordered a plain bagel with the dill spread and lox and it’s amazing.” — Jeremy
“Their best combo is the Rosemary Bagel with Cheddar Chive Cream Cheese” — Nick
Tree City Coffee & Pastry (Kent)
- Their lox bagel sandwich keeps it simple with capers and cream cheese
- The cafe offers other bagel sandwiches, standard sandwiches, avocado toasts, pastries and dessert
- In addition to coffee, they offer wine, co*cktails and beer
NY Bagel Deli (Medina)
- Lox Sandwich with cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, and capers
- Lox cream cheese is also available
- This spot serves various breakfast items, along with salad, soup, sandwiches and sides
Bruegger’s (Kent, Fairlawn)
- Their Smoked Salmon sandwich features “cold smoked salmon, red onions, capers, tomatoes and plain cream cheese” and comes with chips
- Yes, this is a chain, but … when you’re hungry for salmon on a bagel…
Einstein Bros. Bagels (Kent, Akron (in both the UA Student Union and Wallhaven))
- Their Nova Lox sandwich features “cold smoked salmon, red onions, capers, tomatoes and plain cream cheese shmear” and comes with chips
- Yes, this is a chain as well (owned by the same conglomerate that owns Bruegger’s), but … when you’re hungry for salmon on a bagel…
“It’s my personal opinion that Einstein’s lox tastes best on the pumpernickel bagels. (I know that’s unsolicited advice 😂😂)” — Tressa
D&R Bagels (Solon)
- Their Sliced Nova Sandwich features slicked smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese. Tomato, onion and capers can be added.
- Or, go for the Lox Eggs and Onion dish that features sauteed onions with two eggs and lox bits served with a bagel and butter
- They also offer various breakfast and lunch options, as well as deli catering
“They have a sun dried tomato bagel that is awesome (but people think I am crazy driving half an hour for bagels)” — Joe
Bialy’s Bagels (University Heights/Cleveland)
- Lox is featured in an image on their website, but they don’t share their menu online. So… who knows what you actually order. I’m sure there’s a menu posted in the store…
co*cky’s Bagels (North Olmsted, The Flats/Cleveland)
The Lox sandwich features smoked salmon, plain cream cheese, tomato, onion and capers … and the image online includes avocado. Perhaps a tasty add-on?
Make your own at home
Liz from Waxed Crescent–a charcuterie and event catering business in Akron–shared her go-to recipe for making bagels with smoked salmon at home.
- Bagel – she recommends getting one fresh from Sweet Mary’s Bakery
- Whipped cream cheese – her recipe to make your own is below
- Smoked salmon – Aldi has “perfect and inexpensive” smoked salmon
- Optional toppings: sliced tomato, red onion, capers (usually can be found among the pickles and olives in the condiment section of grocery stores), cucumber
Whipped Cream Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 block (8 oz) of regular cream cheese
- 1 stick (4 oz or 1/4 pound) of salted butter
- 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream (plus a little more if needed)
- Salt
You’ll also need
- Medium to large sized bowl
- Hand mixer
Steps
- Add softened cream cheese, salted butter and heavy whipping cream to a bowl
- Whip the ingredients in the bowl with a hand mixer until you get a fluffy consistency (or the consistency you prefer)
- Note: You’ll want to make it a little softer than you think at first, but leftovers will set up some in the fridge. Add another splash of heavy whipping cream if need be.
- Note: Taste test your whipped cream cheese and add salt as needed. (Especially if you didn’t use salted butter.)
- Place in fridge or slather on a bagel and start assembling your salmon and other toppings.
Liz adds: “The key to the best whipped cheese of any kind ever is heavy whip! And salt…. And in this case, butter. Sometimes olive oil is acceptable, but not for a bagel *shudder*”
Be sure to follow Waxed Crescent on Instagram to see her stunning food spreads.
Have you Lox’d into a Favorite?
Have you been to one of the places listed? Did we forget one? Let us know by tagging @everydayakron on social media and using #ExploreMore2024AK. Bon appetit!
