2022 is going to be a very exciting year for bagel lovers in the Treasure Valley! The first of at least three new bagel shops quietly held their soft opening last weekend. 

The first social media page for Freedom Bagel Bakery mysteriously appeared on Facebook in November 2021. If you've been following it, you've gotten a sneak peek of their construction and test kitchen recipes. Until this week, their website was pretty empty, simply directing you to delicious bagel photos of their bagels on Facebook and Instagram. But after their soft opening? It got a huge facelift and officially introduced Meridian to their newest bagel shop!

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According to their website, Freedom Bagel Bakery was created by John Heintzberger, a Boise State alum with twenty years of experience in agriculture. Heintzberger's goal is to treat Meridian to artisan, all-natural, made from scratch bagels that can rival the ones you'd find in New York City.

Their bagel menu has some really interesting flavors on it like Rosemary & Sea Salt, Jalapeno Cheddar and French Toast, a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel dipped in cinnamon sugar egg batter then baked. Some of their other menu items play homage to our beautiful state of Idaho. They have a "Loaded Idaho Potato" cream cheese and once they're up and running with their full menu, sandwiches named "The Gem State" and "The Brundage." You can preview their menu of bagels, cream cheese, spreads, sandwiches, salads and more HERE. 

Facebook/Freedom Bagel Bakery
Facebook/Freedom Bagel Bakery
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They'll do another soft opening weekend April 30 and May 1 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The new store is located at 2847 N Eagle Road, Suite 100 in Meridian.

The early reviews of Freedom Bagels look fantastic, but they're not the only new kid bagel shop in town. Goldstein's Bagels & Bialys continues to remodel the former Kiwi Shake & Bake in Downtown Boise. They're hoping to open sometime in May.

Public records also show that Good Times Bagels is planning to open at 2422 W Main Street in Boise. They already have a website promising "Wood Fired Bagels. Coffee. High Fives." up and running. The page indicates they're also targeting a Spring 2022 opening date.

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