Better Bagels

We were in the Seaport area heading to the F1 Arcade and I had heard of Better Bagels so we decided to check it out. When you walk in there is probably room for about 20 max and the room was packed I thought there was no way we were going to get quick service. But we made our way to the counter and placing our order was quick and easy. In the tight space behind the counter I could see a computer screen with a stead stream of take out orders coming in. I couldn’t believe that these few people working in this tiny shop could manage all the in store orders and the to go orders. We stood close to the window and watch as their staff processed one order after another. It was amazing to see how organized they were. After about 5 minutes the call my name I have had good bagels in NYC and many other Jewish delis all over the country and I was impressed by the crispy out side and soft center of their bagels. And the cream cheese was outstanding, a very generous amount. I’m heading back to the area soon and will return to try the cream cheese and lox bagel sandwich. Finally a great bagel in Boston!

Chipotle bagel was scrumptious and the coffee is great, staff is lovely, very organized and work quickly in a small shop. Must mention is the variety of sandwiches offered.

Fresh bagels, good service, salty cream cheese. Small location, literally 3 stools to sit on. The pastrami bagel (deluxe) extremely salty. I would recommend to purchase the bagels and get creative with them at home. Last but not least. You well smell like everything bagel forever if you decide to dine in. Thank me later.

Teenie spot with no seating, but affordable and filling breakfast sandwiches. For about nine dollars, I got an egg, avocado, onion, and tomato on a salt bagel. I don’t like amorphous eggs (eggs where you’re not sure if it was poured out of a container or microwaved or what, but it’s got that microwaved texture). I also am quite picky about bagels, and would rank these ones as “okay.” They’re not bad, but they aren’t a texture I really like. I’m from NY and prefer NY style bagels. The customer service was kind and efficient. The prices felt reasonable. And the place is fully accessible with metered street parking. There is one floor panel that moves entirely, and this is it freaked me out when I stepped on it coming in. It should be glued down.

Calling all bagel fanatics! This place is a dream come true. Forget wimpy bagels with a sprinkle of toppings here. These are the real deal - hand-rolled and baked to chewy perfection. But the magic doesn't stop there. They absolutely load their bagels with your choice of toppings. Craving a poppy bagel? Get ready for a poppy explosion! Everything bagel lover? We're talking a generous showering of all the classics. And to top it all off, they have a fantastic selection of schmears to complete your bagel bliss. This is my new go-to spot for the most incredible, over-the-top bagels in town!

Stopped by at 1030 am on a Sunday. After a 15 min wait (10 outside in the 35 degree weather) I was finally able to order. I ordered a poppy bagel with sausage egg and cheese and an everything with cream cheese. 25-30 min wait. Left and came back in 25 minutes and all these bags were there facing the workers and they were not saying out the names so people were just waiting like fools. Finally I saw my order by the register. Left and went to Starbucks to eat it and realized it is the wrong order. Paid a premium for two bagels a wasted a ton of time. Will be disputing with my credit card company for wrong order received. Two bagels, hard as can be that were everything with a bucket load of cream cheese. Poor service, unorganized and poor quality on top of it being wrong order.

Sooooooo good! Loved the Somerville- bagel, cream cheese tomato and bacon! Sea salt and veggie were my choices. Got onion and everything for home! Bagels are just the right amount of soft/firm - not sure how to best explain but just reallly, really good. Service is friendly and quick - small place but things move quickly.

Cute atmosphere, but replaced Lettuce with Arugula on my takeout order WITHOUT ASKING. Not acceptable at all, especially when the two foods are so different. Shop is cramped and no place to sit down while waiting.

I love it here ! The bagels are absolutely delicious - chewy + big and crunchy. Menu is simple - but has everything you need for a tasty breakfast sandwich - and good hashbrowns. Plus - they don't mess up your order :)!

Bummer, was really looking forward to a new bagel place with purportedly better bagels. Unfortunately the sad egg and cheese I got didn't stand up to the name. The bagel is fine but nothing special. The egg is sad and microwaved, and the cheese is somehow tasteless. If you order an egg and cheddar sandwich, it costs $7, but if you "build your own" bagel with egg and cheese, it would only cost $6.50. technically I ordered a build your own but was charged for the sandwich and I didn't care enough to point it out. Coffee was also sad with liquid sugar and nowhere to do it yourself. Sorry bagels, I wish it was better, too!

I was looking forward eating their special Brooklyn bagel $17, very disappointed as the bagel was hard as a rock.

Quality fresh bagels here with classic options. We've stopped in a couple of times in the past few days and it always does the trick. Not a big fan of the coffee.

Quick stop to get coffee and bagels. I eat bagels all the time at different places. I would say out of 10; I would give the bagel a 2.5/3. Was hoping for better flavor, negative. Very quaint and quick place to get a bagel and coffee. No seating available, only standing only. Customer service was very hospitable and courteous. Would definitely give it a second try if I'm in the area.

If you need a quick breakfast and you are in the area, go here I guess, but the bagels are fine. Definitely not the worst bagel sandwich I've had but close. The distribution of the cheese and bacon was off. The forgot the bacon on my coworkers sandwich. And the bagel itself isn't any better than one from the grocery store. There are much better options in the area.

Horrible service. I waited 10 minutes for a bagel while the whole staff was texting. The bagel wasn't good and the place was run by a clown. Wouldn't recommend.

Decent bagel ... had an egg everything bagel with creme cheese and a iced coffee . After ordering - staff will bring items to you outside while you wait Good option for quick breakfast if you are in this area Came here because it was close to my hotel

Better than what? An average Boston bagel? If so, that bar is exceedingly low, so sure, fine. These bagels were cold and hard as a rock at 7:00 in the morning. They got a simple order for half a dozen bagels of only two types wrong to boot. But the biggest crime is that this place charges more for its lumpen bread rocks than NY does for hot, fresh, Platonic ideal bagels. An entire dollar more than Absolute Bagels! If you are in Boston in search of breakfast, to avoid frustration, I recommend seeking out another type of baked good entirely at a place like Tatte or Flower.

The workers were really friendly, and service was fast even at lunch time (12:30 ish). I asked for a hot ham and swiss on an everything bagel, but I got a plain bagel :( It was still yummy but I was sad. I had already left, so I didn't bother going back to ask for the correct bagel, but based on how nice they were, I'm sure they would have

Today was my first visit to the Seaport location. Ordered a dozen everything bagels and one plain (for my kid) and tub of plain cream cheese for pick up. No problem with that process except they I should have checked/asked about the solo bagel - it was left off the order. I was excited on the drive home as the aroma in the car was enticing. The bagels were still warm when I walked into my kitchen and the crust seemed very crispy already, so I decided to bypass toasting them. Good call to skip the toaster. At first I thought just the crust was extra crispy, but one-third of the everything bagel was actually too hard to eat without risking my teeth. My hubby had one with me and floated an interesting theory-the bagels weren't warm because they just finished making them. They were made earlier, then stored in a warming drawer or similar, resulting in the bagels crisping further than the initial cooking process. Makes sense in theory but this is just a guess. I ordered on a Saturday around 10am and most bagel varieties were already sold out. Maybe more options and less crunchy bagels are to be had if you come in earlier? At $25 for a dozen bag, I must admit I'm disappointed. I'm willing to try it again but probably earlier in the day. Or maybe in a weekday and see if that makes a difference.

Was a great bagel breakfast sandwich. Also enjoyed their coffee. While busy we received our order in a reasonable time.

There's a worker there named Shane he has been very cheery and helpful. He deserves a raise. Food was great.

Worst coffee I've ever had! The bagel wasn't even toasted. Avoid this place at all cost

I enjoy the pinion bagels with egg, but I must admit that the service guys specifically seem stand-off-ish, which is kind of weird. The ladies are super friendly and speak when you come in. The guy making the bagels always looks like I'm inconveniencing him by coming in. Lol. The small cafe style is great if you want to sit in. The windows are big for people watching on such a busy street.

Amazing bagels! Absolutely delicious, highly recommend. Onion bagel, everything bagel!

There is a reason people write them and you ignore them at your own risk. I had an almost exact repeat experience to a previous reviewer. Busy staff and barely acknowledged me as a walk in and no staff member seemed to speak English. Although they were able to take my order correctly as I could see on the screen and the receipt they didn't toast my bagel so I got a cold bagel with butter smeared on it. 15 minute wait for ONE bagel and over a dozen came in to pick up preorders. So I guess you only get service if you preorder. I don't know if they get those orders correct. Stay away.

One of the best bagels I have tried in boston. The bagle was fresh, tasted great and the price was very reasonable for being in the seaport area! They also have a hash brown on bagle option which I haven't seen at many bagle places yet. The bagels are quite heavy/ filling though.

Bagel is decent. Hefty amount of cream cheese. Service is exceedingly slow. Ordered two toasted bagels with cream cheese and waited 17 minutes on a Sunday morning. Need to improve efficiencies with uncomplicated orders. If you're going to order, do so ahead of time and just pick up.

bagels r good. Try the garlic scallion cream cheese so good. ordering ahead works well.

Great, fresh bagels. They lather in the cream cheese to it's the best part IMO. Their lox spread is great too. Order ahead though, the line can be ridiculous and the inside is very small.

Stopped in here for some bagels because we were getting sick of hotel breakfast on our trip. My husband was drawn to the Pickle Rick special and, being born and raised in New Jersey, the mention of "exotic" pork roll immediately caught my eye so I ordered the Jersey Shore. The bagel pickings had slimmed down so I think my husband got an everything bagel for his sandwich and I got the sea salt bagel because it seemed appropriate for a "shore" based sandwich. Bagels were way too salty for both of us - mine especially so with the added salt on top. Otherwise, the sandwiches were good. The pork roll wasn't cooked how I am used to it so, pro tip, you gotta pan fry it to get a little crisp around the edges. I think they just heated it up with the egg or something and that's not how you roll with pork roll. But four stars alone just for calling it pork roll and not Taylor Ham. This is a constant North/South Jersey dispute and I'm happy to see this spot in Boston is firmly on the South Jersey side.

Average bagel average veggie cream cheese. Nothing special. Basically the same as if someone got grocery store bagels and heated them in a garage sale toaster with prepackaged cream cheese. Just okay before work at the seaport

Bagels tasted amazing. However....found a HUGE hair in one half of my bagel; (hair was blonde- I have dark hair) Definitely ruined the bagel for me.

DREARY SERVICE and MEH BAGEL. Stopped by on a Friday morning to treat myself to a bagel and was very disappointed for several reasons: SERVICE RATING =0 When I walked in, I was the only person in the store but the staff was busy filling online orders. I ordered a Sesame bagel, toasted, with plain cream cheese. I also requested that the bagel be "extra toasted" (I prefer a nice, rich brown crust). Just to be sure, I repeated my toasting request and the order-take grunted "yes" - my hopes were starting to be dashed with that response. Behind the counter there were 5 people - 2 assembling orders, 1 slicing bagels, 1 placing completed bagels into bags and stapling slips to the bag, and the grunting order-taker. After about 5-10 minutes of watching lots of frantic action behind the counter with nothing coming across to be delivered to me or the other people who arrived after me, I asked the order-grunter if in-store order were placed in the same queue as on-line order and he said Yes. WHAT??? Why make people IN STORE wait for people who order online and aren't even there - ESPECIALLY when there was more than enough staff on hand to multitask. It seems to me that 1 bagel maker could have continues fulfilling online orders while the second person would have switched to fulfilling the in-store orders and then switched back to fulfilling online orders. Not their system I was told! BETTER BAGEL MANGEMENT obviously values online orders more than people waiting in their store! BAGEL RATING = 0 The actual bagel is very average - soft and chewy, but in my opinion also very bland, and the cream cheese was also bland - tasted like a processed-commercial type to me. When I actually received my order, I checked and YUP, not toasted. To be fair it was slightly warm, so it was run through whatever they call a toaster, but that machine must be broken because none of the crumb was any shade of brown. I handed the bagel back to the order-grunter and asked for it to be remade - and for "well toasted". The staff did remake it and YUP, STILL not toasted. To be fair again, the edges were a bit brown, but the rest of the bagel was still untoasted. By this time, I was so frustrated and realized that I wouldn't get what I wanted so I took the bagel and left. VALUE = 0 If I'm being asked to pay $5+ for a bagel and cream cheese I would expect to get it how I order it - something that didn't (and I suspect won't ever) happen

Better bagels is a solid spot for a quick breakfast sandwich, but it isn't quite bae-goals. Decent sized menu and a very friendly staff. The deluxe sandwich didn't quite have that POW factor to make it great. Definitely recommend if you need a sandwich on the run.

It's hard to mess up bagels but this place nailed it. Not toasted enough, and made with way too much spread. I asked for avocado and got globs of Guacomole instead. Waited probably 20 minutes for my bagel and ended up throwing it away after three bites. Skip this place.

This is definitely not 3 stars. I love their coffee and their bagels are tremendous. See my full review of their everything bagel below: https://youtu.be/fOxjtsUZq_0

Ordered online ahead of time and the bagel was ready almost right away. Got the Deluxe Sandwich Bagel on Everything and it was really good. Very filling. I'd order it again.

I have been looking forward to going to Better Bagels for a while now after having an everything bagel if theirs a while back at Little Donkey. Unfortunately, it was incredibly disappointing. I ordered ahead for pickup and ordered an extra toasted everything bagel with cream cheese and paid extra for tomato slices. As you can see it was clearly labeled, but they forgot the tomato and it was barely toasted. In fact it was soggy and it was clear that it has been sitting out for a while even though I showed up a couple of minutes before my pickup time. My husband's was equally as awful. Waste of time and money. I'll be sticking to Bagelsaurus.

As the name suggested, I had high hopes for bagels at this place. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. I ordered two bagels, one with Cajun spread and other with Garden Veggie spread. Both spreads were too salty and it seems that bagel was not toasted well. Staff was nice.

Better the surrounding options (which is mostly DD). Still disorganized; ran out of most of supply at 7am. Already lost menu items (candied bacon cream cheese). Too pricey $25 for a dozen bagels (we just got plain and everything and poppyseed) and $8 for a tub of plain cream cheese. Also, the Everything is decidedly missing salt, the garlic is a little too bitter, and the bagel interior is somewhat lacking that chewy denseness I've come to expect from a quality bagel. Why still 4 stars? Well, everything in the Seaport is pretty spendy. I'm guessing rents in this area are at a premium. And it's their first brick and mortar location so hiccups are forgivable. Will give this place a second go in a month or two and update accordingly.

Came to the seaport area for the weekend and needed something to eat for breakfast. Bette bagel was nearby and seemed like a cool spot. Unfortunately, the bagel was stale. I ordered a bacon egg and cheese and although the ingredients were good the bagel didnt hit the spot. The bagel tasted a day old and I couldn't get over it. I know this isn't NJ but they didn't have taylor ham. I know it is the seaport but the bagels are expensive. Just like with the pizza, the bagel didn't live up to my nyc/nj standards. I know it is one place but that is what I have to go by. In the end I am not dying to go back but didn't seem like there were many bagel options in the area. Good try Boston!

Mediocre bagels. During busy times it is a long wait for simple orders and not the most helpful staff. Overpriced for the the quality. I'm not going back.

Ordered a dozen bagels early in the morning. Came stale and loose in a paper bag. Sea salt bagels were barely salted. Won't come back especially for the high price. For a place called "better bagels" they're among the worst I've had in Boston.

Was walking around and looking for a snack and stumbled upon this place because it is always packed, but surprisingly it wasn't! Got an iced coffee - pretty regular coffee, not very strong and a Turkey Chipotle Sandwich on an Everything Egg Bagel - it was so good! The Bagel was perfect and soft and they had a nice array of bagels, which was surprisingly hard to choose from. A decent spot to grab a bite if you want a tasty sandwich with a twist and pretty cheap, as far as seaport goes. I look forward to trying every sandwich bagel combination in the future. A little small so maybe not the place to dine in, so make sure you pick up and go.

The place was great - bagels were perfect. Unfortunately, there has been a shift here and the bagels are now hard as rocks and barely edible. Something obviously changed in their approach and they are now using frozen or day old bagels. It's apparent even in the appearance of the bagel. It's too bad. I won't be back.

Well now they have pizza, so I had to come back again for a third opinion. Get. This. Pizza. The first time we went to try the pizza they had usual Italian-style pizza that was pretty darn tasty and a good value for the price. The second time they'd switched to a Sicilian style, which I'm a sucker for, and I couldn't be happier to have this around the corner! Great lunch option in somewhat of a pizza desert. For the love of all things holy though, can we please work on the bagel toasting situation? We also tried a pizza bagel, which was tasty, but as per usual... They still don't toast their bagels enough ‍

Egg everything with scallion cream cheese is EVERYTHING! I always order using the app, otherwise you'll be standing in a line outside the door.

Good yes. Better: hmm, that is questionable. Better than who? Better than what? But yes, they were fresh, conventional, solid, but nothing fancy, nothing better. There are the options of (a) plain bagels, (b) bagels with something in it such as cream cheese etc, or (c) there are real and more loaded bagel sandwiches. For the latter, however, it would be nice to have a salmon option or a somewhat more flavorful vegetarian option. The service was excessively slow - is that their trick to make you buy more in anticipation of getting double hungry by the time you finally get your order??

I placed an order online for pickup at 9:15. When I arrived at 9:15, I was told that they were running behind and that I should wait outside, and they'd bring out my order and call my name. Twenty minutes later, I went back in to check on things, and my order was sitting there (unclear for how long). This situation was frustrating and likely also led to the subpar food - both breakfast sandwiches were cold (and, as far as I could tell, my bagel was not toasted). I would maybe give it another shot but not on a weekend morning. I added an extra star for the hot pepper cream cheese, which was different and delicious.

Was at the Yotel nearby for a conference at Seaport and this small bagel shop was nearby. I went here twice with the first time being better..Anyway, I'm in NYC/northern NJ so I know a good bagel and the bagels here were fine; overpriced even by NYC standards but fine. The sesame was good on one of the days while the cinnamon raisin (well mostly cinnamon) I had one the other day was not fresh; rather a bit hard. Cream cheese alone was around 4/5 dollars while a plain was around 2.50. If the two bagels were consistent, I'd be fine sticking with a 3 but if you are going to charge that much, at least have fresh ones early in the morning.

Very expensive and really poor quality bagel. They taste like supermarket bagels and they don't feel fresh. This is a tiny place and they probably bring in bagels from outside. For two dollars each you would expect a fresh and tasty bagel and this is just not it. Very disappointing.

The pizza is, unfortunately, inconsistent. I've had great pizzas there before but today I got a pretty awful pie. The crust was really leathery, flexible and dried out around the edge. I waited 15 minutes for a fresh pizza like I always do but this one seemed like it was dieing in the window for most of the day. I'll still give them another shot but I'm less excited about it.

We got the salmon cream cheese bagel and wheat bagel with butter and jam. It was toasted well and had a nice flavor. I would recommend this bagel shop for a breakfast spot.

I wondered why this place had mixed reviews, but then the reviews made it clear: People do not agree on what makes a good bagel! So. If you like a NYC/Philly chewy dense bagel, these are it, the best I have had outside my Philly hometown in a while. Yum! If you want a fluffy, sandwich bread like bagel, you will not like these. Dunkin is a block away. This place was busy on a nice Sat AM but staff were friendly and working hard.

Order in person and someone yells your name outside.. order ahead online and pick up in person and your order stays on the shelf for who knows how long.. great system for the planners, right? Cold bagel and a tiny amount of cream cheese. Not worth the calories.

Who likes the smell of freshly toasted bagels in the morning! I do! Better Bagels is one of the more recent additions to the Seaport District as it continues to expand to become the next to-go districts. Surrounded by new luxury condos, bowling alley (King's), club (The Grand), bar (Scorpion Bar), and various stores, Better Bagels joins the crowd with locally made bagels a price to match the area. I personally have not been to the store but as my office is really close by, we've had bagels bought for team events. A dozen bagels and cream cheese comes to $31 before tax ($25+$6 with regular prices at $2.5/bagel) which is pretty steep. A regular bagel with cream cheese will set you back $4.5 compared to $1.75 from Starbucks right down the street. As for the bagel itself, I can say that it is crispier than other bagels in the areas (Brueggers) which can be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask. I thought that the bagels itself weren't as fluffy on the interior as Brueggers. Some of the topping on the everything bagel was also a little burnt lending itself to a bitter flavor. The one thing I do like over Brueggers is that the cream cheese was whipped meaning which made it easier to spread than regular cream cheese. I do appreciate a good bagel but I am not sure if it is worth justifying dropping $5 on a regular bagel with cream cheese in the morning. For group orders sure, but for now I will be sticking to Starbucks or Brueggers if I really want a bagel.

Hands down the most amazing bagel I've ever had. It was nice and perfectly toasted and warm. Their butter is also nice and salty but not in an overbearing way.

Bagels are ok - better than dunkin or the few other areas around here one can get a bagel. Pricing is outrageous though - $5 for a bagel with cream cheese? $14 for a half dozen? That's insanity. I assume they charge this much to afford the batshit crazy rents in the seaport, but please consider that your customers are not all independently wealthy.