February 9, 2006
by Susan Holton for The Columbian

Two bagels flank a biali, a chees-filled bagel. Photo by Kristina Wright for The Columbian.

Where: Sunrise Bagels & More, 808 Harney St., Vancouver, 360-750-1750. Sunrise also has locations at 13503 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd. and 13317 N.E. 12th Ave.

Back story: Retirees Don and Donna Kosterow opened Sunrise Bagels & More in 1994. Despite the name, the Kosterows didn't see many sunrises themselves because they were already inside making bagels by 4 a.m. six days a week.

Today Sunrise Bagels has several locations and ships bagels, baked goods, specialty cream cheeses and spreads throughout the Northwest and as far away as Hawaii. Donna Kosterow jokes that Sunrise doesn't purchase flour in bags, but by the semi-truckload.

The Kosterows boast that their bagels don't have oils, eggs or preservatives but instead are loaded with a secret ingredient -- "gotcha powder," as in, they've "gotcha" as a customer for life.

A large bulletin board displays evidence of customers' loyalty -- photos of them holding Sunrise Bagels in front of the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Canaveral.

You'll love it if: You're crazy about bagels. Sunrise offers 54 varieties, including apple-cinnamon, honey-walnut, cobbler, jalapeno, pesto and Parmesan.

We ordered a variety of cheesy, spicy and sweet bagels to take home. All of them were flavorful and chewy.

Don't go if: You're in a hurry. On one visit, we had a long wait for our hot drinks.

You should know: The first time we had breakfast at Sunrise Bagels' Harney location, we made the mistake of sitting in the south side of the dining room next to the children's play area, stocked with loud, banging toys. The next time, we solved the noise issue by sitting on the north side of the restaurant, far away from the play area.

Cost: Purists can order a bagel for 85 cents each, or a baker's dozen for $9. A bagel with cream cheese goes for $1.80.

Breakfast selections include apple fritter french toast for $3.79, a cheese omelet with hash browns and toasted bagel for $4.84, two eggs with hash browns, bacon and a toasted bagel for $5.54; or biscuits and gravy for $4.75. (Portions are large.)

Lunch favorites include deli sandwiches made on a toasted bagel starting at $5.25 and Zippies bagel pockets stuffed with various fillings starting at $2.

Children 12 and younger can choose from a kid's menu of nine selections, all $3.25 or less.

Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays.