Foodie Friday: Surf Bagel

May 26, 2023

Hannah Cechini,

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – What’s round, toasty, delicious, and a beloved breakfast staple? Bagels, of course! Some may disagree with Foodie Friday Host Hannah Cechini, but being a New Jersey native, they say it’s HARD to find a good bagel on Delmarva.

Hannah has been on the hunt since they moved here back in 2020. And, they’ve finally found it at Surf Bagel in Rehoboth Beach.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

While the namesake at Surf Bagel is baked fresh every day, it’s the same old recipe that keeps customers coming back for more.

“We have the same guys that have been here since the beginning making our bagel dough, baking them fresh each morning,” said bagel master Jen Bradour. “We do get new employees on and new staff on, and they’re trained by those originals, and use their original recipe. This is the same recipe they used 20 years ago at Surf Bagel. We don’t do anything different to the bagels, except for continuing to make them correctly.”

And, Bradour says it’s the customers’ smiling faces that keep the team going.

“I love how happy it makes everybody,” said Bradour. “The everyday person comes in and tells us how much they love our bagels and ‘I’ve been coming in for years,’ and we always love to hear that. And, we always like to continue to support our community, and support the customers that support us.”

Malibu Bunny

Surf Bagel’s Malibu Bunny bagel sandwich is as refreshing and delicious as its name is adorable. Building it, of course, starts with a fresh-baked bagel.

“[The Malibu Bunny] is probably one of our most popular ‘cold sandwiches’ because it doesn’t come off the grill. We’re going to make it today with our everything bagel,” said Bradour as the Foodie Team visited. “It’s [whipped] veggie cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. So, really refreshing.”

The bagel is gently toasted to a perfect golden-brown, before it’s laden with piles of freshness.

“This is our vegetable cream cheese. It has scallions, celery, carrots, radishes, and a little bit of secret seasoning. Salt and pepper,” said Bradour with a laugh. “We’ll just do a good schmear. You’ve got to have the schmear right for the bagels.”

“And, just to be clear,” said Hannah, “It’s not a smear, it’s a schmear.”

“It’s a schmear! It’s got that ‘c-h’ in it, you’ve got to enunciate,” Bradour chuckled.

Next comes crunchy Romaine lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and a generous heaping of half an avocado.

“Let’s take a look at that cross section,” Hannah marveled. “Wow. Nice and tall, packed with all kinds of fresh veggies and cream cheese.”

“It’s great,” said Bradour. “Goodness in every bite.”

“This tastes like home to me.”

And as Hannah took their first few bites of the Malibu Bunny, they knew they’d finally found the bagel they had been looking for.

“Alright, so I’m from New Jersey, meaning I’m a very tough critic when it comes to bagels. And, this tastes like home to me. This tastes like the bagel you would get at my hometown bagel shop. It’s just so authentic,” said Hannah.

Any bagel sandwich that starts with a good base, is bound to be good all the way through.

“This is the perfect thing to eat at the beginning of the day, perfect to bring it to the beach, perfect for any situation, really, because it is just so fresh. But, it’s also so satisfying,” said Hannah. “You can really taste all the veggies in the cream cheese. They come through pretty prominently, but it just adds to all those little layers of flavor. It’s delicious.”

Foodie Friday Photog Mike was also impressed.

“Mm! Man. That toast on that bagel, first bite, those everything bagel seeds and seasonings just really pop in your mouth,” exclaimed Mike. “This is definitely a nice, light any time of day meal that isn’t going to slow you down. But, it’s going to keep you going. I think this is good food that’s going to make you feel good.”

Surf Bagel

Surf Bagel Midway is located at 18675 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, Del. You can call them at 302-644-4822. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.