Big City Bagels and Subs

For bagel sandwiches, this is the closest to NJ / NY you're likely to get in Austin. Got my usual, bacon egg cheese on everything... and I will certainly be back. It easily beats others I've had in the area, and at a better price. The bagel was just a bit tough, but I'm cool with that, and you will be, too.

Was reading about curing meats and got a craving for a Reuben or hot pastrami sandwich. Was a bit concerned with the price at first, but I'm well over 200 lbs and half of the sandwich was enough for me. I don't think I've ever had a sandwich with such big chunks of super-tender pastrami before. Looking forward to eating the other half later.

Im so disappointed with my bagel, it tastes like it was thawed and toasted but not thawed enough it absolutely was not a fresh bagel and the cheese seemed like a kraft square

I ate the 8" Brooklyn. Never ate Chicken so good on a Bun. Courteous staff too! I recommend. Definitely top 5 places for Subs and Bagels.

Lox bagel was good, and so was the Texan hot sandwich. It was nice dining inside.

Big City Bagels and Subs came highly recommended but didn’t meet my expectations. Sadly, I arrived right after something was burned so it smelled in the whole shop. The Philly didn’t have great flavor. The staff are friendly but I didn’t really like it.

Finally tried this place after incredible reviews, and the bagels were bad. $7 Bagel is too much. Ordered an everything with Jalapeno cream cheese. The bagel was too dry and tough, more than a bagel should be. There wasn't enough cream cheese. Overall, the bagel was perhaps worse than high-quality store bought bagels. It is priced far too high than its worth.

It would be five stars based on the bagel and cream cheese alone, the everything bagel with the chive cream cheese was insane, but I have to account for the rest of the setup. Not anything in particular, it was fine, just feels like more could be done with the inside area. Maybe cozier seating and maybe expanding the menu to include small lunch menu?? Either way, the bagel has my vote:)

AMAZING. Great family owned shop. Very friendly and great food. The portions are great, highly recommend the pastrami ruben 10/10

This place has one of the best Rueben sandwich I've ever had in Austin, TX. Its made with Pastrami and Thousand Island dressing with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on rye bread. It was just a fantastic tasting sandwich. Now, a purist would perhaps claim this is not a true Rueben -as it's not corn beef and no Russian dressing. And I get it. I really do, as I've been to a few long standing Jewish delis with koshered corn beef in their Rueben sandwiches. But that aside, it's one of the best pastrami Rueben sandwiches I've ever had! Now, why did I rate it only a 3 out of 5? It's very simple and disappointing. We were dinning in. The only beverages including bottled water are located in a cooler. I got a canned coke. I asked if I could get a cup with ice for the coke. The server who was the sole employee replied "No. We don't have cups and we don't have ice." By the time the employee prepared the Rueben and brought it to the table, my coke was lukewarm. The Rueben sandwich tasted great! And it was not cheap. It costs $17.00!! And I could not even get a cup of ice for a soft drink. I frankly was shocked! I am a true foodie. This is truly a failure in the most basic of service for a restaurant with indoor seating. Otherwise, I would have rated this deli, the food, and service much higher.

This place has a ton of potential but it just doesn't meet that potential. The food is still great, but everything else is disappointing. The layout of the place is weird and uninviting. There is a long counter with a cooler that looks like it should be checked hourly for temperature failures. There is extremely limited seating, so plan to get your sandwich to go. The sandwiches are enormous, the 8 inch is more than enough for one person. It feels like an attempt to justify the $12 price for a 8" sandwich. Lastly the people that work here are unfriendly and seem bothered you are there ordering food.

How do you write a review for this place? Terrific food at somewhat reasonable prices, but an owner that is well known for abusing customers and neighbors. After visiting, I was volunteering at the food bank next-door and he came in and yelled at them for supposedly having some of their volunteers parked in front of his place. (All as they are packing food for underprivileged kids.) And yet the food is good. Five stars without the attitude. Alas. Perhaps the mystique of the rude owner works in New York but it doesn't make for a good look here. Grow a soul, sir, life is beautiful and your neighbors are doing amazing things. Maybe take them some bagels and cream cheese every now and then?

Great bagels, weird-mannered staff. I found this place through Google maps, as I've been craving bagel sandwiches for breakfast recently. This location was about a 10 minute drive from where I was, and seemed like it had decent reviews and ample options to choose from. The shop itself is set up like a Subway/sandwich shop, but the seating is limited despite a wide open entrance. All the staff seemed huddled/stressed behind the tiny counter at the back of the shop. The cashier was quiet and polite, but the guy slicing bagels seemed pretty uptight (um, but it's a quite Sunday morning in North Austin? We're not in Time Square with tourists lining up around the block?). I ended up getting an Egg & Cheese bagel sandwich made with a garlic bagel. I was hoping the garlic bagel would have a stronger garlic smell/taste, but it had the texture of a tough, plain bagel. But there was lots of cheese and egg so for the price, I did get a fully-packed bagel sandwich!

Your average bagel shop. I tried their sandwiches and I wasn't the most impressed. Their bagels are pretty good and I even enjoyed the local bagel. It's an "ok" local bagel shop but the chains restaurants are better.

I got the Ruben, coworkers both got Phillies and they looked good. My sandwich was very filling and was with lean cuts of meat. There was only two guys running the deli but they were putting things out in a good time. It's small personal shop so you can taste the difference the quality than franchises. (Idk if this place is a franchise lol) it's good is what I'm getting at.

Big City Bagels and Subs came highly recommended but didn't meet my expectations. Sadly, I arrived right after something was burned so it smelled in the whole shop. The Philly didn't have great flavor. The staff are friendly but I didn't really like it.

UPDATED REVIEW: 4 star bagels / 1 star service This place used to be so damn awesome. The food is still good but now they don't let you choose your own cream cheese for your breakfast sandwiches. They also don't do singles/ half dozens/ dozen orders. They forcefully want you to order sandwiches only. The owner is still extremely rude and has no customer service skills whatsoever. Go ahead and keep coming here for a decent bagel, but I'd rather go to other spots moving forward (wholy bagel is by the way). Sad how this place used to be a 5 star favorite and has done a complete 180.

This is my go to pastrami and eggs bagel and now it's mostly just egg. Very disappointed can I get some pastrami next time... new ownership is trash!!!'I also ordered the triple decker and they didn't add corn beef ... trash trash trash... bring back the old man.

I love this place! My friend got the sausage bagel sandwich and I got the turkey egg and cheese. We both added cream cheese which I definitely recommend doing! The man that owns this place is the sweetest and makes everyone feel welcomed. It's a perfect quaint little shop!

Updated review- the kind lady at the counter years ago has been replaced by a gruff, rude, man who seems annoyed that you exist. Good bagels, horrid service.

Let's start of by saying the food is incredible. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and my husband got The Lox. The portions are generous and they have a good selection. The service was great and I was met with a good attitude and humor when ordering. They definitely put a smile on my face. The shop is on the smaller side with a few tables to chose from if you want to eat in.

This place is meant for order pick up. There are only 2 tables outside. If you want a pastrami it must be ordered ahead of time. The owner made an exception for us. Hearty sandwiches with lots of flavor. Spent about $40 for 2 sandwich's/drinks/chips. Keep in mind that sandwich's are very large. Very high quality meats and cheeses used.

This place has the absolute best hoagies/subs I've been able to find outside of the northeast. The bread is amazing and the toppings are generous. For breakfast they also have bagel w/ cream cheese and bagel breakfast sandwiches. These are also great and remind me of home as well.

I placed my order online. When I walked in to Big City Bagels, I was immediately met with the smell of cigarette smoke. The gentleman who was making our sandwiches was nice and my sandwich was okay/good. However, I felt like a huge chump when I watched him spoon my $5.99 coleslaw directly from a $3 Hill Country Fare coleslaw container. Due to the smell of cigarette smoke and low quality food, I will not eat here again.

Solid cheesesteak! This place is a hidden gem in Northwest Austin. The bagels are good -- better than Einstein's, and they have deli sandwiches which I'm anxious to try, but I came here because of my hankering for a cheesesteak. A Yelp search for cheesesteaks in the area lead me to Big City (thank you, Yelp!) I've passed this place so many times confused about the name/sign. Irregardless, I went in with an open mind and a grumbly tummy. It was twenty minutes until close and things were already being packed up. No fault there. For a bagel shop to be open until 3 is a blessing in itself. The owner was more than accommodating to get my order going. The cheesesteak itself was HUGE. First, the bun was gigantic but also the helping of meat was generous. I can't say it's my favorite cheese l steak in Austin (RIP Way South Philly) but it holds up if you have a craving. No whiz or mushrooms here and the roll isn't traditional but it's so a good steak none the less. My opinion -- ask for double cheese and easy on the peppers. Bonus points for the zapps!

Good bagels made fresh tast of a NY bagel and great sandwich the Ruben is really good so is the steak sandwich

We have been here before during the pandemic when it was only the owner in the kitchen. He has help now. The food is wonderful and soooo filling! Just can be served up a little faster now that the pandemic is over. Highly recommend!

Does this look like a Philly cheesesteak To you? They used to have a really good one. But this is like chopped meat.

Food is great? However the owner is rude, mean, and intolerable. Never have I ever felt more embarrassed in front of the customers and staff for ordering a Pastrami bagel with NO EGG, which is on their menu. He even yelled at his staff member saying we don't serve that here. Btw this is the 3rd and last time I have been here and experienced a similar experience. Mr. Owner If you are reading this, your food is outstanding and your store has a lot of potential. Other bagel places have people out the door, so could yours. My girlfriend and I get bagels every Saturday and Sunday. Big city bagels is right around the corner and would make a lot of sense, however she won't even go in the store with me. If you really want this to work I recommend you shape up dude, go to an anger management class or turn to a different business. I'm actually surprised you are still in business my man.

Big City Bagels and Subs is an absolute disaster! The owner is not only rude but also used profane language that is completely uncalled for. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Took my family for breakfast to this place. One person was ahead of me in the line. Everything seemed normal. Started placing my order. While doing so, the person on the cash register started rushing me by asking "what else". I look at the menu on the wall on my left and as I am deciding (I have kids) the person who was taking my order - this time with a louder and rude tone asked, "what else can I get you". I didn't appreciate the tone, but ignored and kept with the order. Now at this point I realized that having family breakfast isn't going to be a pleasant at this place. So I said, "I don't want to continue with the order and will take my business somewhere else because you are being rude". Well the moment I said "rude", he flipped and asked me to "get the f$&@ out of here". What's worst in this entire exchange isn't that the person totally lost for no reason, which in itself was quite literally my worst experience but he used the profanity in front of my 6 yr old. WARNING: use profane language in video. (Yelp wouldn't let me post the video)

Love this place! Bagels are delicious and the owner is incredible. Highly recommend the breakfast bagels!

First time Door Dash order from Big City and will be back in person next time once get over a cold! Best munch their Hot Pastrami sammich alongside longtime fave Kenny & Ziggy's in Houston! As Yelpers attest, please wait no longer and treat yo self! Gotta save the rest for tomorrow since am full! Wow...spectacular!!!

This place is still the best bagel (and fresh sandwich) place I have had. The owner isn't rude, he's just on the quieter side and has a serious manner. The reviews that posted him yelling was so obvious that the customer was riling him up with some nonsense order or request ( like the woman who cried over a single slice of cheese). The sandwiches are generous and delicious. The bread is amazing and stays fresh. ( left half of it for later in the day. Wasn't mushy and taste even better). The bagels are made fresh every morning. This guy is an OG New Yorker and makes authentic bagels. Please don't come and piss this dude off! Go get yourself a bagel and a sandwhich!

Was driving past and decided to try for lunch and I'm so glad I did. I got the pastrami Reuben and it was loaded with flavor and stuffed with pastrami. Definitely want to come back to try the other sandwiches and bagels.

12:15 and out of everything except plain bagels and didn't much seem to care, not worth the drive over.

Never been to this place and I was excited about the reviews since a lot of people mentioned New York style items. With Covid I'm trying to support as many local businesses as I can since I know a lot of people are struggling. Drove 30 minutes to get here and like an idiot I forgot my mask since I washed all of them last night so I called the shop to see if they had a disposable one that way I could come order. The guy that answered the phone was rude... huge sigh like I was a total inconvenience and said "what do you want?" If you want to run a business off being "you" with attitude and all that's fine... you're too cool with that attitude, I get it. I actually love east coasters (don't know if he's from there and I'm not assuming it's just knows people form that area can be a little rough) and I can handle a lot of attitude since I have my own, but there are so many people having to close down during this time and losing their jobs. Be grateful someone is coming in at all and you didn't have to shut down your business and I don't mean that by you needing to thank every person who orders or even wake up and force a smile on your face... I don't smile either so I get it. AnywaIf y'all want to support people who are more appreciative I wouldn't bother your time here. Don't need sunshine's and rainbows especially if the food is great.. those people bother me a bit to be honest, but it would've been better if the guy understood that maybe my wallet is also a little tight and yet I'm still wanting to invest in other businesses as much as I can especially right now.

This little bagel and sub shop makes up for its short comings with amazing food. I walked into the establishment and there were three customers ahead of me. This was around 2pm on a Wednesday I had plenty of time to read over the menu and make a concise decision. I ordered a blueberry blt bagel with regular cream cheese! It took total of maybe 7 minutes to get my order which was rather impressive. There were only two people working and two customers were still waiting for their orders when I made mine. The bagel was warmed perfectly and the entire sandwhich was packed with lettuce tomatoes bacon, and cream cheese. . It was so delicious. It reminded me of a bagel shop in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks! If you know, you know (ifykyk)! Sign me up for round two! Side note: the workers were pleasant enough. I honestly didn't mind their demeanor as much as some of the other reviewers. My interaction with them was very limited and didn't take away from my experience or the quality of my food. So, no complaints here.

Took it to eat at home so can't speak to the ambience but my sandwich was perfect. Got the max and everything was excellent. The reviewer that said the bread wasn't as good as JJ in another comment is out of their mind the bread is magnificent. They toast the bread for the cold subs and it's well worth the price.

New ownership and service experience was night and day. Ordered a jalapeno bagel with bacon, egg and cheese. Served piping hot. Will definitely be back.

Honestly, reviews here suck. I wanted a good sub and rarely get sandwiches. I read reviews and looked up spots, and with high hopes I chose this place. The uptown sub with no avacado and add mustard. They don't carry sprouts. They used Dijon. The bread was just not great, by no means was this five stars. Pro: they use Boar's Head meat. If you enjoy a huge sandwich then they have it, but call me basic, however Jimmy John's bread kills them. I literally took out the meat and veggies and ate them by themselves and left the other half because I will probably just put it on a JJ turkey Tom for lunch today.

Big City has never disappointed me. I also like that the guy reminds me of the Soup guy from Seinfeld. He has earned this swagger too, because his sandwiches are so good it's ridiculous. I've tried no less than 5 of them. But I keep coming back to the Hot Pastrami Reuben. It's is hands down the best one I've had. Not just in Austin, as I said in my photos, but probably best one I've had lifetime. Every sandwich here is made to perfection, though. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it. I'm putting in my vote for best sandwich shop in Austin.

I am not sure how this place stays in business quite frankly. I have tried to get past the rude owner, because the bagels are actually really good but today is the last day I will be back. Each time I go in he has a terrible attitude and I have watched him treat his staff rudely as well. It's no surprise that it's usually just him behind the counter... seems like the staff eventually has enough too. Today my husband and I called in an order and was told they are only going online orders. We walked in, asked for an extra slice of cheese, and got berated for it. Seriously. The owner got an attitude over an extra slice of cheese. Told my husband that "he knew what he was doing" and he would not be adding the extra slice of cheese. Basically refusing the service if he didn't get to create the bagel his way. Last time we will be coming here. What a shame! I love supporting small businesses but when you are made to feel this was time and time again, it's time to move on.

I moved here from NYC back in October 2022, and have been dying for a NYC style bagel, or something as close to it as possible. I know that I will never get a NYC bagel here in Austin, because NYC water is what makes a NYC bagel the best. However, Big City Bagels are as close to NYC bagels as you're gonna get! The crusty outside, the chewy inside, the big schmear of cream cheese, yummy lox. I have found my little slice of home in Austin! The only down side of the shop is that you can't take a dozen home. Only sandwiches. The nice gentleman running the bakery has no help and can't get anyone to work. Something all of us business owners are dealing with right now. I get it! I am giving him my business at least 3 times a week and highly recommend that everyone else stop by as well. Breakfast and Lunch only but that's perfect for me!

I used to love this place, all the way down to the angry owner! But, when the local bagel shop won't sell you half dozen bagels on their own it's ridiculous! I had to call my roommate from the parking lot and say "the bagel shop no longer sells bagels ! Get over yourself bagel nazi!

I've been hearing about Big City Bagels & Subs on Anderson Road for while now, mostly about their amazing triple-decker sandwich. Well, I've been wanting to visit based on that review - and the fact that I'm always on the lookout for NYC-style bagels. Big City Bagels is the real deal. Bagels are large and fresh, with the kind of bite I expect to have. (Ie, they have a 'chew' to them as opposed to the fluffy biscuit style product you might get at some supermarkets.) I had the classic lox & cream cheese on an 'Everything' bagel, which also comes with plenty of red onion and tomato. Delish, though I'm used to getting them with some capers thrown in as well. Some notes for those coming to try this location: 1) I'd show up before noon for bagels. I was there at 10:30 am and I'd say that the bagel supply was down to the last quarter. 2) Conversely, if you want a sub or to try the triple decker, there's a sign saying that they don't serve them until after 11:30am. 3) They have Taylor Ham! For those of you jonesing for a fix, this might be a good place to get a Taylor, egg, and cheese sandwich. Anyway, I'm going to be returning for the Reuben or a Philly sub, but check 'em out for the bagels! This place scores a 5 out of 5 on the 'CTJ Scale', as noted below. 5 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Jesus good. Would be OK passing away after finishing a plate here. 4 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Mary good. Would be OK having a nosh here with Mother Mary. 3 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus' Dad. 2 out of 5 stars: Come-to-the-Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn't have my last supper here. 1 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Nobody good. I wouldn't have my penultimate supper here, either.

Still good I guess, but the pastrami recipe is not the same, new mgmt added modern signage and the old man isn't around anymore, not what is used to be.

Great bagel place. Hot Pastrami Rueben is absolutely delicious. Great flavor, juicy, generous servings. Very very good highly recommend

No seating, rude service (don't blame this on NYC, been there tons of time for business and this is a stereotype not an excuse). If you truly want the NYC experience check out Wholy Bagel, either North or South location. BTW-bagels are just ok. Not as good as Wholy Bagel

Good bagel. The owner does seem to absolutely hate people though. Treats everyone the same. Really bad. His employees seem to be apologizing with their eyes. Weird experience. I'm from New England and can appreciate a Yankee attitude. That's not this guy. He's just obnoxious.

Average bagels and terrible/rude owner, who's so full of himself it's beyond crazy. If your desperate for a bagel and want attitude from a guy who thinks he invented bagels check it out. Be prepared for the opposite of customer service. I heard the owner tell a customer "if you don't like it, DON'T come back! "' Go here if you want verbal abuse from someone beyond your spouse, kid or coworker and give someone your money for something that's a commodity and can get anywhere, this is your place. It's Kind of like an old Seinfeld, but the BIG Difference is he's not making any special soups or bagels you can't find anywhere else if you look! I'm sure some will enjoy this place other won't. I choose to go elsewhere.

Bacon egg and chee on an everything bagel will set you free! They are always quick to get the order out.

I got the lox breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel. It comes with a generous amount of cream cheese and lox, as well as tomatoes and onions. Everything tasted really fresh and delicious. I usually like eating lox bagels with capers, but this tasted great even without them. I'd definitely recommend this place.

Awesome breakfast sandwich! I could have shared this with my fiancé because how filling it is ! But overall I enjoyed it

Owner very pleasant and makes great sandwiches. Bagels are like the ones back in Connecticut

Wow we wish we found this place earlier! Lots of bagel and sub options. Service was quick and easy. Food was delicious (we tried the Philly and the Manhattan) and serving sizes are LARGE!

I didn't come for the service, I came for the Lox on a jalapeño bagel and it was absolute fire!! I'll be back - in my terminator voice!

Disgusting...I wish Delaware Subs was still here as they used actual steak for their sandwiches and not dog food like this looks like. Inedible. What's sad is I have probably eaten here 50+ times and will never go back again, especially after I called asked what happened to their "steak" and was told "oh well".

I got the lox on the everyday bagel and it was really good. Bagel was so soft and chewy with great texture. It's a few things I want to try here so I'll be coming back.