Cleo Bagels

"We often wake up wanting a bagel or bialy with as much puff as a small pillow. If you relate, head to Cleo Bagels. They bake classics like poppy, everything, and sesame that you can top with whitefish, house peanut butter, or scallion cream cheese. But it’s their signature sandwiches that really show off Cleo's tendency to go all mad scientist (in the best way). The Ramen Thing is our favorite of the combos. It layers marinated egg, pickled ginger, bamboo, togarashi mayo, seaweed crisps, and scallions, all on a bagel of your choice. Each bite is slightly sweet, salty, and has everything that makes a brothy bowl of ramen so great—but less messy. Avoid a Saturday or Sunday morning if you can. They're open as early as 7:30am on Wednesdays through Fridays and you'll find you can walk right in for an afternoon Bentl's Lentils sandwich on any of those days." - candis mclean, alison kessler

"We often wake up on Saturdays wanting a bagel or bialy with as much puff as a small pillow. If you relate, head to Cleo Bagels. They bake classics like poppy, everything, and sesame that you can top with whitefish, house peanut butter, or scallion cream cheese. But it’s their signature sandwiches that really show off Cleo's tendency to go all mad scientist (in the best way). The Ramen Thing is our favorite of the combos. It layers marinated egg, pickled ginger, bamboo, togarashi mayo, seaweed crisps, and scallions, all on a bagel of your choice. Each bite is slightly sweet, salty, and has everything that makes a brothy bowl of ramen so great—but less messy. Avoid a Saturday or Sunday morning if you can. They're open as early as 7:30am on Wednesdays through Fridays and you'll find you can walk right in for an afternoon Bentl's Lentils sandwich on any of those days." - candis mclean

"The bagel shop is a gem in West Philly. The team transform bagels (sesame, everything, poppy, and more) into tasty sandwiches (such as the Ramen Thing, with ramen-appropriate toppings that tastes incredible on a toasted onion)." - Eater Staff, Ernest Owens

"The bagels or bialys at Cleo in West Philly have as much puff as Gritty's midsection. We’re not the only ones who've noticed. People are lining up for the small shop's lightly toasted onion-poppy bialys and signature sandwiches. Our favorite is The Ramen Thing, which layers slices of marinated egg, pickled ginger, bamboo, togarashi mayo, nori crisps, and scallions on a bagel or bialy of your choice. The sandwich has all the classic, salty-sweet-umami punches that make a brothy bowl of ramen great, except you can hold this thing in " - candis mclean, alison kessler

"If you want a bagel or bialy with as much puff as a small pillow, head to West Philly’s Cleo Bagels. The small shop has people lining up for their big, doughy creations (FYI—they’re only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays). They have seeded classics like poppy, everything, and sesame that you can top with things like whitefish, house peanut butter, or scallion cream cheese. But it’s their signature sandwiches that really showcase their creativity. The Ramen Thing is the perfect layering of marinated egg, pickled ginger, bamboo, togarashi mayo, seaweed crisps, and scallions, all on a bagel of your choice. Each bite is slightly sweet, salty, and has everything that makes a brothy bowl of ramen so great—while being much handier. Come here for a morning cup of coffee, a few Apple Thing pastries, and bagels you’ll want to eat down to the last crumb. " - candis mclean, alison kessler