My Dad knows his bagels. According to him, a successful bagel contains a crispy outside and a smooth, doughy inside. Unlike my Dad, I don’t know my bagels at all. I know when one is stale and when one is fine to eat; suffice to say I am not a bagel connoisseur. This being said, Yeastie Boys, a small Studio City food truck, has some of the best bagels I have ever tasted; crispy and doughy—as my Dad would say—in all the right ways.. 

Located on Ventura next to Joan’s on Third and Alfred’s Coffee, the food truck serves a perfect mix of classic deli bagels with a modern twist. We got there at 11:00 a.m. and there was already a line of about 10 people; always a reassuring sign.

 I enjoy the hunt of finding these places and experiencing the atmosphere around them. I love the award of discovering a new place and being pleasantly surprised by the food it serves. And this reward is ten times better when it’s a small food truck like Yeastie Boys.

With my “bagel snob” Dad standing next to me at the window of the food truck, I forced myself to order a bagel sandwich rather than my usual everything bagel and schmear. I went for the “lox deluxe,” complete with a hefty helping of scallion cream cheese, capers, onions, tomatoes and of course, the main character: lox. 

I stupidly decided to eat my lox deluxe in the car and proceeded to get cream cheese all over my shirt, leaving a trail of capers under my seat and a plethora of bagel crumbs sprinkled everywhere. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t trade that first, second, third or fourth bite for the world. Yeastie Boys really makes you throw all reason out the window. 

Now, if you’re feeling extra frisky like my Dad was, you can order the Reubenstein. As the king of all orders, the Reubenstein is a sandwich made to be worshipped. “But what even is the Reubenstein?” you may ask. Well, I am here to tell you. Basically, Yeastie Boys did us all a favor and made a reuben sandwich within an upside down bagel, mixing two Jewish-deli classics seamlessly. 

Complete with a sesame bagel toasted to the nines, perfectly melted swiss cheese, layers of pit-smoked pastrami, a healthy scoop of sauerkraut and smeared with delicious Russian dressing, the Reubenstein is quite literally heaven on earth and most definitely worth the $13. 

And, for all of you caffeine addicts out there, fear not. You can head next door to Alfred’s Coffee house while you wait for your $5 bagel and purchase a latte, but only if you’re feeling very LA and craving an overpriced $6 coffee. 

Whether you go with a classic bagel and schmear or spice things up with the mouth-watering Reubenstein, Yeastie Boys clearly takes bagels and changes them from a quick on-the-go breakfast to an enjoyable, filling lunch. Complete with perfect amounts of fluffiness and softness comparable to some of New York’s best bagels (did I take it too far?), Yeastie Boys is changing LA’s bagel game one food truck at a time.