Bagel News

Dallas' Starship Bagel makes the cut for 2025 New York Bagelfest

Starship Bagel

A Dallas bagel shop will compete in a national contest to try and win (again): The contest, called New York BagelFest, is an annual bagel competition that takes place in New York in the fall, and this year's competitors will include Starship Bagel, the award-winning Dallas chain.

Starship will be one of 23 bagel purveyors from around the globe participating in the event, which bring together thousands of bagel lovers, bakers, and brands from around the globe in a celebration of all things bagel, with bagels, bagel sandwiches, speakers, games, photo ops, and demonstrations. The event climaxes with contests for Best Bagel, Best Schmear, and People's Choice.

The 2025 event takes place on Sunday November 16 at Citi Field, AKA the home of the New York Mets.

This marks the third year Starship is competing, following 2023 and 2024 — both of which saw them win awards including Best Bagel in 2023 and Best Schmear in 2024.

Starship founder Oren Salomon says they're taking 2025 in stride.

"We look forward to expanding our medal count, hopefully bringing home another gold or two," he says. "Obviously we have our eyes on the top prize. Utopia will be tough to upset. They are a heavy favorite as the most famous and celebrated bagel shop in the world. I was super happy for Jesse and the entire Utopia team when they won last year. We may compete on November 16, but we are friends 365 days a year including at Bagelfest."

Starship Bagel has enoyed a meteoric rise since Salomon opened the first location in Lewisville in 2021. A second location opened in downtown Dallas in 2023, and a third opened in North Dallas in 2024.

They've since racked up national awards such as a James Beard nomination in 2025 and an appearance on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives in June 2025.

The 2025 BagelFest competitors include:

Starship Bagel
Utopia Bagels
St. Viateur Bagel
Ess-a-Bagel Bagel
Bagel Market
Fantzye Bagels
Holey City Bagels
Wheated
Flour Moon Bagels
Craft Bagel Co.
B's Bagels N Butters
Emerald City Bagels
Tilly Bagel Shop
Curley's Bagels
Si Si Bagels
Bagizza
Baltik's Bagels
Potchke
Dutchman's Wood-Fired Bagels
Backyard Bagel Co.
Town Bagel

"I feel confident that we will be competitive in almost every category," Salomon says. "But the more important thing to me is to present our best. If we do our best, I’m happy to live with any result from the judges."

More participants and judges are still to be announced.

Starship Bagel team competing at New York Bagelfest. Facebook

awards bagels

Taking the field

Dak Prescott-backed Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux kicks off in Wylie

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is opening in Wylie on August 10.

A Louisiana sports bar chain that counts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as a partner continues to build its fan base in Dallas-Fort Worth: Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is set to open a new location in Wylie on Monday, August 10.

Announced earlier this year, the restaurant is at 906 FM 544, near the intersection of Highway 78 and FM 544. The opening marks the chain's 20th Texas location and its second operating restaurant in the DFW area.

Founded in Baton Rouge in 2003 by former LSU basketball "walk-ons" Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, Walk-On's has grown to more than 80 locations nationwide. The company is co-owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (an Austin native), and franchise partners include Prescott, along with former NFL player Derrick Brooks, and college football coach Dabo Swinney.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Wylie The new Walk-On's is at 906 FM 544, Wylie.Photo courtesy of Walk-On's

The menu is centered on seafood and classic Louisiana dishes: fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, po'boys, fried oysters, gumbo, fried alligator, and boudin balls. Prices range from $10 to $20.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos. They have a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

There's also a plentiful selection of beers on tap, plus margaritas and other crafty-ish cocktails.

The Wylie restaurant is owned by franchisee Cooper Thomson, who says the community made the city an appealing place to expand.

"I am thrilled to expand Walk-On's presence in Dallas, and particularly in the community of Wylie," Thomson says in a release. "To be a part of the growth in this area - to serve families and be a place where little league teams celebrate and football fans cheer on their team - is such a special opportunity."

Although Walk-On's has been in the DFW market since pre-pandemic times, Wylie will be its second restaurant in DFW open currently, joining a location at Grandscape in The Colony. Earlier Dallas-area locations in Irving and Arlington have closed, although the company has previously said it plans to reopen the Arlington restaurant at a new location.

The Wylie restaurant features a sports bar with dozens of TVs, a large outdoor patio, and a family-friendly dining room designed for game-day crowds.

Grand opening festivities will kick off at 10:30 am on Monday, August 10, with a ceremony featuring Walk-On's founder Brandon Landry, franchise owner Cooper Thomson, Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter, city officials, and representatives from Wylie High School and Wylie East High School.

The celebration will include donations to the two schools' athletic departments, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 10:45 am. Doors open to the public at 11 am, and the first 100 guests to dine will have a chance to win free Walk-On's for a year.

Walk-On's will be the second sports bar concept with celebrity cred to open in DFW within a few days' time. Shark Club, from Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi, opened Friday, August 7 in Northlake.

dak prescott celebrities sports bar walk ons wylie