Does anyone else wake up craving bagels? Anyone? Well, fully loaded with lox, veggies and herbs or simple with a slab of cream cheese, the bagel sandwich is coveted after late and sleepless nights. When home in Memphis, I pick up a massive order from City East for my neighbor friends; or if I'm thinking ahead, I special order a batch from my chef-friend Josh Steiner of Strano.
But Proper Bagel, recently opened in the Belmont neighborhood of Nashville, has quickly mastered (and capitalized upon) sleepy Sunday mornings, welcoming hour-long lines for a creative line-up of cream cheese and bagel flavors flown daily from Brooklyn. Its crisp white color palette refreshes the hungry audience, making the line amicable and (somehow) enjoyable. During a quick 24-hour girls' trip to Nashville earlier in the month, the Proper Bagel agenda line item pushed to the very top of our list.
If you thought the everything bagel represented variety, try their spinach everything, slightly dyed a natural green that instills some notion of healthiness. Or if you once tried a cinnamon cream cheese, go for the nutella peanut butter. You can try a spoonful while you wait in line, and no one will judge.
The upscale market menu moves beyond a bagel, though; its Instagram boasts brilliant challah avocado toast and kale salads. Barista Parlor blends are the brews of choice. Hold up, New York, cause these are my bagels of choice! And yes, Memphis, they're worth the drive alone!
