Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. | Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

It's a refrain that's likely echoed through the Southland since the early days of Hollywood: There are no good bagels in L.A.

The statement is invariably uttered by an expat New Yorker, then followed by a soliloquy about his or her favorite bagel destination back East.

But Larry King, pitchman for The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. and part-owner of the newly opened Beverly Hills location, is effectively telling his fellow, bagel-pining New Yorkers to shut up: A real bagel has arrived in L.A., he proclaims.

Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.'s bagels are made with water that's been run through a proprietary "Brooklynization" system. What that process entails is kept under wraps, which is fine by us–we're more interested in bagel taste and texture than water chemistry.

So how Brooklynized is the end product? Bagels here are dense and chewy, their exteriors bearing the hallmark burnish of a properly boiled and baked bread.

Purists as we are, we ordered a lox, red onion and cream cheese on sesame ($9)–a smoky jaw workout–and a baker's dozen to go ($12).

Bagels come with a plastic bag and instructions for freezing and reheating. After all, while it may not be Brooklyn, Beverly Hills is still a haul for some.

Brooklyn Water Bagel Co., 262 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-786-7400 or brooklynwaterbagels.com