Business owner/chef Sean Congdon didn’t expect his concept for a bagel shop to blow up into something big. Congdon, founder of Aloha Culinary Group, says he "wanted bagels in Kaimukī," and started Fin’s Bagels’ original location in the same spot as his catering company’s brick and mortar.
“Initially, whatever we were going to do was going to supplement the catering (for Aloha Culinary Group),” he says. “We started doing bagels and it got really popular, so we thought, ‘Let’s keep going with this concept.’”
Fin’s Bagels opened its Kapahulu store last summer and recently opened its second location in Downtown Honolulu. The biz is located in the former space of Lox of Bagels.
The business is known for its New York bagels, which are sourced from a family-owned bakery there. They’re hand-rolled and kettle-boiled then frozen to be baked fresh in the Honolulu shop. Bagels ($3.25 each) come in flavors ranging from Everything, which is the most popular choice, and blueberry to cinnamon raisin and Asiago (additional 50 cents).
The business’s newest bagel — rainbow — is made locally and is available at both stores, according to Congdon.
“We have a baker we use; he used to work at This Is It (Bakery & Deli),” Congdon says. “He worked in bakeries in New York for 40 years. He was like, ‘I can do these.’”
The rainbow bagel features a variety of flavors — pandan leaf (green), beet (red), butterfly pea (blue) and turmeric lilikoʻi (yellow).
“The rainbow bagel is doing pretty well; you can taste the flavors a little bit,” Congdon says.
Bagels can be paired with cream cheese, available in flavors like furikake, jalapeno, tobiko limu, chipotle honey, roasted garlic and balsamic mac nut. Or, opt for one of the shop’s unique sandwiches, which feature a bagel of your choice and some of the business’s house-cured fish. The house-cured fish selection may change, but usually includes options like smoked island fish salad (cream cheese, dill and lemon), classic salmon (cured with dill, capers and Hawaiian sea salt), and ono lox (cured with beet, ginger and jalapeno). Fin’s Bagels works with local partners like Kualoa Ranch, Ho Farms and Kupu Place to get ingredients for its sandwiches.
“It (the business name) has a dual meaning,” Congdon explains. “Finn is my son’s name; we cure our fish in house, so fin of a fish. It’s worked out well; people have appreciated it.”
While the Rise ‘N’ Shine ($12.95) is a popular breakfast option (it has bacon, Spam or sausage with two eggs and cheddar cheese), the kiawe-smoked brisket ($16.95) is excellent if you’re craving something meaty. It includes smoked brisket, tomato, red onions, Swiss cheese, local sprouts and chimichurri butter.
“We smoke it (the brisket) in house; we sous vide it so it gets nice and tender,” Congdon says. “We make the chimichurri butter in house with fresh cilantro.”
Congdon notes that the Ratatouille ($15.95) has been a popular option with the Downtown Honolulu crowd. The colorful medley includes baked yellow squash, zucchini, red bell peppers, eggplant and macadamia nut-balsamic cream cheese.
“It has a vegan spread that we do in house,” he says.
Congdon also recommends the sweet-and-savory Blue Hawaiʻi ($12.95).
“The Blue Hawaiʻi is fun, too, because it’s a tribute to Elvis with the peanut butter and banana,” he says.
While it specializes in bagels, the shop also features a nitro bar. Choose from nitro cold brew, Thai tea (both $8.95) or a seasonal cold brew flavor ($7.95), which result in a smooth, creamy texture.
“Nitro drinks are becoming popular in New York, so we’re trying to do it,” Congdon says. “In the fall, we’re going to start launching mixed drinks with nitro; a bunch of syrups and layered drinks.”
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CONTACT
Fin’s Bagels
1001 Bishop St. Ste. 104, Honolulu
808-522-0445
finsbagels.com
Instagram: @finsbagels
Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
