Dan's Bagels Brings an East Coast Delicacy to North Dallas

Neighborhood spot Dan’s Bagels has become something of a viral sensation in the last few months, attracting visitors across North Texas for its chewy, New York-style bagels that come in bold flavors (and, on occasion, bold colors).

While it first gained attention for its tie-dyed rainbow bagels, the Trophy Club breakfast stop quickly gained traction among both locals and travelers for its authentic East Coast sourdough bagels. Lines now trail out the door during the morning rush hour.

Husband-and-wife Dan and Jen Hilbert began their entrepreneurial journey selling bagels to neighbors, according to Jen.

“My husband and I came from the East Coast, where there's literally a bagel shop around every corner,” she says. “It was shocking to us when we came here and could barely find any.”

It didn’t take long for Dan to start baking bagels from the couple's home kitchen.

“The results were amazing," Jen says. "People from all over the city were lining up outside of our front door, wanting to try these bagels. That’s when we knew we had to do this.”
Even though it's a bit out of the way in Trophy Club, northwest of Grapevine, it's worth the journey. If the morning line doesn’t speak for the bagels, we do.

The couple makes everything from scratch in their small back kitchen, starting with mixing the dough then rolling it into the classic toroidal shape. Then come boiling and baking before the bagels are put out on the shelves.

“Our bakers get here every day at 3:30 a.m. to start the process,” Jen says. “Our preparation process isn’t easy, but we take pride in how it comes through in flavor.”

While we couldn’t make our way through the complete menu, the flavors are certainly evident in the options we sampled.

Start with the Rosemary Salt, a classic bagel dressed in fresh rosemary and flakes of Maldon salt. The Za'atar bagel is garnished with oregano and thyme spices. The cinnamon raisin or blueberry pie bagels (tinted a vibrant hue) both appeal to the morning sweet tooth, just subtly sweet enough but not overwhelming. We missed it by a week, but the social-media-viral rainbow bagel also makes an appearance on special occasions.
If the 16 (and counting) bagel options didn’t make the visit difficult enough, wait until it’s time to select a schmear. Cream cheeses range from standard flavors like vegetable, plain or strawberry to more adventurous options like cinnamon brown sugar and a lox spread. And just as in New York, Dan’s Bagels doesn’t skimp: A cream cheese layer thicker than the bagel itself means it gets messy.
The mom-and-pop shop sells other New York classics like bagel and egg sandwiches, black and white cookies and coffee to wash your breakfast down. There are also classic hard rolls, a traditional New York standout, baked with a crunchy outer coating and a fluffy layer of sweet cream butter inside.

Dan's opens at 7 a.m., and it's best to drop by early before customer favorites run out. Luckily, you can check out the live bagel cam on YouTube to see what's still in the shop before heading over.

Dan's Bagels, 301 Trophy Lake Drive, No. 132, Trophy Club. Tuesday – Sunday, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.