When Blazing Star Bagels & Café owner Bettina Fisher arrived in the Charleston area from New York City in 2014, one of her first questions to the locals was “Where are the bagels?” Turns out, there were few options, so she decided to change that. With a quick online search locals and tourists alike can find great bagels at the cafe which is located at 874 Orleans Rd. in West Ashley .
“We’ve been getting folks up from Kiawah! They heard there was a great bagel shop in Charleston and they are making the drive. It’s really gratifying.” And if the 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp are any indication, Blazing Star has hit the mark.
After years of experience garnered in New York City — kitchen management, catering and food styling — Bettina began the process of developing her own bagels. Through her experience at Workshop, the exploratory food court, from 2020-2021, she began to develop a loyal customer base, colleagues, and connections in the Charleston food scene. She opened the doors to her first brick & mortar location in West Ashley in July 2022.
Blazing Star offers a global selection of goodies. In addition to a selection of small batch bagels, the crew also bakes up babka, bialys, challah (ask the crew about getting onto the Challah List!), cookies, prepares sandwiches, and occasionally matzo ball soup; all are made in house. The bagel selection includes a cherry-cranberry-cardamom bagel, the ever popular Everything bagel, and a traditional bialy*, topped with caramelized onions and seeds, which is gaining its own following. Offerings include both Mediterranean flavors, such as the za’atar topped bagel. Eastern European food ways are represented by Smoked salmon and whitefish salad, both sourced from Acme Smoked Fish, a venerable New York fish purveyor.
The cafe currently offers a simple coffee menu (espresso drinks coming in Spring 2024) with options that include coffee brewed, iced, or made in a French Press. More beverages include the unsweetened house-made Chai, served hot or iced, black, green, and herbal teas, and a variety of grab and go cold drinks, which includes an ever changing selection of iced tea, juices, and still or sparkling water.
Among our specialty items is a gluten-free bagel which is made in house.
*Bialy: a traditional roll (not a bagel!) from Bialystok, Poland, with a texture somewhere between an English Muffin and a Bagel, with a topping of carmelized onions & seeds.