Jezebel Reviews: Cynthia Nixon's Highly Controversial Cinnamon Raisin Bagel With Lox and Capers 

Cynthia Nixon: New York gubernatorial candidate, actor, internet troll for justice, and purveyor of questionable taste in bagels.

Gothamist reports that during a Sunday campaign stop Nixon ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel with the following: lox, plain cream cheese, red onion, tomato, and capers.

“That’s what I want—a full load,” Nixon told the skeptical bagel maker at Zabar’s on the Upper West Side.

The Jezebel staff, naturally, was horrified.

I respect a salty sweet combo as well, but there’s dipping your french fry into your vanilla milkshake and there’s eating smoked salmon and essentially small pickled salt pods with a cinnamon raisin bagel.

Jezebel senior editor Katie McDonough asked that we all try one. These are our findings.

Ashley Reese, Staff Writer

Getting this bagel was surprisingly difficult. The first place I went to assured me they had cinnamon raisin bagels, and about a minute after forking over my money, said they didn’t actually have anymore cinnamon raisin bagels. I got my money back and hustled to another bagel spot, but saw no lox. Finally at the third spot I tried, I found a lone, hard cinnamon raisin bagel that was destined to be eaten by my colleagues and myself.

The man who prepared my bagel didn’t seem particularly grossed out by the combination, but his coworkers certainly gave it the side eye. They asked if I wanted it toasted, to mask the bagel’s hardness. I opted not to. This was probably a mistake.

Upon unwrapping the bagel, I noticed how wet it was. This was likely due to the lox and caper juice. The presentation left a lot to be desired, and there was little hope in enjoying a bagel that had been sitting out all morning and afternoon.

After trying it, I was surprised that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but that’s probably because the lox and salty capers overpowered the cinnamon raisin. The sweetness came in as a dull aftertaste that wasn’t particularly pleasant.

While a fresher bagel and less fish and caper juice probably would have made this a more enjoyable eat, I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it. I’ll stick to my go to: A whole wheat everything bagel, lightly toasted (sorry) with lox, scallion cream cheese, cucumber, red onion, tomato, and capers. If you want sweet, order a latte or something.

Nixon still has my vote, but sis…what?

Megan Reynolds, Managing Editor

Didn’t taste the cinnamon raisin at first because I was overwhelmed by how damp the bagel itself was. My initial complaints? The bagel was rock hard; the lox was overwhelming; the tomato, out of season. However! After I digested my bite, I got a hit of the sweetness from the raisin. Not mad. Would try again.

Hazel Cills, Pop Culture Reporter

Thankfully, when biting in, the lox overpowers the rest of the bagel, which is disturbingly wet. At first I thought the lox was so strong I wouldn’t get any of the cinnamon raisin, but there it was somehow, as a bizarre after taste. Overall, not so horrible, since it all mostly tastes like lox.

Prachi Gupta, Senior Reporter

It was honestly not as bad as I thought it would be. First, there was a familiar buttery taste of lox, then the tanginess of the capers. As that taste subsided, I sensed the subtle sweetness of the bagel. Was it horrible? No. Would I ever order it? Also no.

Frida Garza, Senior Writer

I don’t know if I would describe this as “good.” It certainly wasn’t bad, but the jury of my taste buds is still out on good. The saltiness of the (in this case, extremely wet) lox and onion and capers overpowers the sweetness of the cinnamon raisin bagel, but the after-taste of all of these things combined was pretty unpleasant. I would not order this of my own volition. I can kind of see how you might come around this flavor combo, but I’d rather not.

Harron Walker, Contributor

No, I didn’t mind it, and yes, I’m going to my room to think about what I’ve done.