Fitzwater Street Philly Bagels

Yes, in line with other negative reviews: they gave me a latte when I ordered a cappuccino. But to offer a counter experience: the service was friendly and fast, the ingredients were fresh, and despite the coffee order having more milk than I wanted, they use a local roaster, Rival Bros, and it was delicious. Good atmosphere too. Will be back.

This place is great. Perfect quick bagel spot in a neighborhood greatly lacking quick food. The bagels and coffee are good, it’s staffed, the staff is friendly, and they’re dog friendly. What more can you ask for?

I got the jalapeno cheddar bagel and it was so delicious. The bagel was soft and delicious. Good amount of cream cheese. Surprised to see some of the negative reviews!

Stopped by here at 7:30 am on my way home after a 24 hour shift. I walk in and see 3 women working behind the counter. I say good morning and they all turn around, look at me, say nothing, and turn back around to continue working. I say there for a full 90 seconds, contemplating on just walking out, before one of them acknowledges me and says I can take your order. I ask for 2 everything bagels, 2 chocolate chip, and 2 cinnamon raisin bagels. They give them to me quickly, I pay and I'm on my way. I get home only to realize they gave me 2 plain bagels instead of chocolate chip bagels. So not only did the workers see rude, they gave me to incorrect food.

We loved this bagel place and ended up going 4 mornings in a row! Our favourite was the hot honey and the combination was amazing. Highly recommend!

This place is amazing. The bagels are on a whole other level from traditional bagels. I like the cheddar jalapeño bagel.

As others have said the bagel was hard but the veggies were fresh and I thought it was decent. Small area inside to sit.

Good classic bagels. The blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese was good. They are very generous with the cream cheese. The garlic bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese was good. You cannot eat or wait inside.

The bagels are really good! Staff is friendly and always greet me with a smile . The place is super clean and that includes the restroom

THIS IS SHRINKFLATION!!! Cold brew coffee says 20oz online and on menu. It used to be 20oz but now 16oz for the same price... You're crooks

Stopped by here at 7:30 am on my way home after a 24 hour shift. I walk in and see 3 women working behind the counter. I say good morning and they all turn around, look at me, say nothing, and turn back around to continue working. I say there for a full 90 seconds, contemplating on just walking out, before one of them acknowledges me and says I can take your order. I ask for 2 everything bagels, 2 chocolate chip, and 2 cinnamon raisin bagels. They give them to me quickly, I pay and I'm on my way. I get home only to realize they gave me 2 plain bagels instead of chocolate chip bagels. So not only did the workers see rude, they gave me to incorrect food.

Two visits and while I haven't sampled a wide variety of the offerings, I had the bagel and as a highlight of the establishment. Bagels are darn good and I say as a NY'er. We're the self-professed champions of bagels. I had a basic cinnamon-raisin bagel with light cream cheese. My partner had a whole wheat bagel with lox, veggies and onions. Customer service took and processed our order swiftly albeit on a super rainy day. Keep in mind that the store is tiny and can only hold about 5-6 people at a time. The overall vibe is grab and go. We devoured half the bagels in the car. Bagels never made it home. That's all the review you need. Get the bagels and move on.

Pretty standard bagel shop. I'm from jersey so my expectations are pretty high and this shop was pretty average. They weren't the friendliest bunch and they also had an entire box of eggs just in the ground, which was very strange. Probably wouldn't go back here because thankfully there are plenty of other bagel options. I got a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel and it was barely toasted and also barely tasted like cinnamon raisin.

These are some of the most disappointing bagels in Philadelphia. I forget every time I order here until I take that first sad bite. As I type this, my mouth is getting more and more dry with every bite. At least the bagel can absorb my tears. RIP Korshak Bagels.

Came here for some bagels and BEC on a everything bagel. For my two bagels I got the fun tie dye bagel and then a cinnamon raisin bagel for my husband. The everything bagel sandwich was pretty decent. Not the best ive had but pretty average. I'm sure there are better bagel places in Philly and I tend to try more!

Bagels are great. 4 stars. The bagels here are some of the best in Philly. They have a nice crunch and a doughy interior. That is the good news. The coffee here is terrible. I have tried it multiple times and it ends up in the bin every time. 3 day old gas station coffee is better than this stuff. Zero stars. Service is variable, ranges from pleasant to "I am just going to ignore you like you are a ghost" depending on the day.

I'm almost certain that the management of "Philly Bagels" tells their employees to skimp on the cream cheese on all their bagels. I have tried both the Fitzwater St and JFK location and it's the same thing every time-- ordering a bagel with cream cheese, opening the bagel, and seeing the thinnest layer of cream cheese on one side and absolutely nothing on the other. The everything bagels are so good but I'm not spending money to eat them dry. I feel like this 'chain' won't last much longer compared to places like Kismet and Spread that actually load up on their bagels and sandwiches.

I think their lunch sandwiches are better than the breakfast ones. I recommend buying these bagels, but making your own sandwich at home. Service is always super quick.

As a NYC/NJ girl, I am reasonably very picky about pizza and bagels. I was really craving a lox bagel today and I had some time before I had to be where I needed to be. I walked from Rittenhouse Square to this cute corner bagel shop, and was impressed at the crowd outside of the corner shop standing out and inside. I was also more shocked to observe that there were mostly kids behind the counter. I don't think that the children were dealing with the food, just orders and cash register. The worker specifically toasting and making my bagel was definitely an adult. Also, you order one side, then pay another side. I paid with cash and they specify two different prices if you pay cash or card. I ordered the lox special (lox, cc, capers, tomato and red onion) on an everything bagel which were mislabeled as French toast bagels. I also asked for an iced coffee with oat but got regular cream and sugar (I didn't really mind this error, but I can't speak for everyone.) The coffee was very smooth and creamy and your average corner store coffee, which did its job and was satisfying. I got my coffee almost immediately after I paid, but the bagel took about ten minutes to wait for, but I wasn't in a rush. Be prepared to not find seating at all- I came around early afternoon (brunch-y hours) and the place looks as full as it probably was around breakfast. However, the atmosphere of sitting on a Fitler Square Park bench did make the dining experience quite nice. The bagel itself was nicely toasted (I opted to toast it) and bagel toppings were present in flavor, but I did find the bagel to be a little flat and dense. Also, the sandwich wasn't cut completely through in half and I did suffer from the lack of a clean split trying to open the bagel. The cream cheese layer was very liberal (just how I like it), with a thick slice of tomato and a good amount of red onion. The lox was also quite generous, smoky, and velvety. The light amount of capers were also patted into the cream cheese for easier enjoyment, which was greatly appreciated. Overall, this Philly bagel spot passed my NYC/NJ bagel test. Obviously not as good and not comparable, but it did the job quite well and satisfied that craving today.

We have ordered from here a couple times -- reading the reviews, we always order over the phone and then walk over to pick it up. Bagel shops are super busy especially in the morning, and I've never ordered from one and NOT had a wait (that's a sign that it's not going to be a good bagel!). There's usually a wait on the phone and then a 15-20 minute estimate so by the time we finally get our bagels and get them home, it's been at least 45 minutes. It's an investment, but for special occasions we feel it's worth it. My husband usually gets the lox sandwich, and I usually get pork roll, egg, and cheese. Both are consistently delicious. We'll keep coming back.

I'm leaving this review after my third attempt here at Philly Bagels. I've come on weekdays and weekends and it seems that the day of the week does not impact the fact that they are very slow. If you want to get a bagel here, your best bet is to order ahead over the phone. On this current visit, I ordered three breakfast sandwiches. After waiting 20 minutes (which I feel is a bit long) I went to the window to make sure they were working on my order. I had seen many people order after me and leave before me, so I was a bit frustrated. They told me they were still working on it. The reason I felt so inclined to ask is because the last time we were here, we waited 20 minutes for two breakfast sandwiches, and we were what seemed to be the only customers. When we approached the window to ask where our order was they told us they forgot it. Things happen, so we were understanding and came back. While we stood outside waiting, we saw many customers confused about the ordering process. There is limited signage and it's very small. After a full half hour, we finally got our order from a woman wearing a mask that didn't cover her nose. Bagels are good but not worth the aggravation. I'd rather make my own at home.

Rude employees and missing item from my order. My bagel was cold, uncut, and needless to say without cream cheese on it. If I wanted to cut, toast, and apply my own cream cheese, I would've gone to the grocery store for cheaper.

Nice place will visit again. French vanilla Coffee and the bagel Sammy and hash browns are good.

Philly Bagels had some incredibly delish breakfast sandwiches, albeit a bit pricey by my standard. You can walk in and order (3 people allowed in at a time right now) or call to pick up, and either way there's a little window on the outside of the building where they yell out your name when your order is ready. My boyfriend and I went around 9am on Saturday and there was a small line accrued. It was a short wait. For our two breakfast sandwiches and an iced coffee it was a bit over $16. I HIGHLY recommend going for the pork roll. It's thick cut and totally worthwhile. Oh, and they told us that my boyfriend's severe peanut and nut allergies wouldn't be an issue and made note of it on our order (as they do have peanut and nut products here).

Good but nothing super special. Definitely generous portions of egg and bacon on the bagel

Fitzwater Street Bagels is always solid, in my experience. In pre-pandemic times, I'd occasionally swing by for a turkey sandwich, customized to my liking. Nowadays, customizing gets a bit trickier through an online delivery app, so I've had to modify a bit in order to get what I want. My go-to bagel breakfast sandwich is an everything bagel with bacon, veggie cream cheese, tomato and cucumber. This is obviously not a combo that's offered online (or anywhere, probably, because it's super random!) so over the weekend I instead ordered a BLT, hold the L, plus some extra bagels and cream cheese to have on hand. I was able to add my desired cream cheese to my BT bagel, and now I have bagels in my freezer for whenever I want one. I've never had an issue with my order, and I love having a bagel shop in the neighborhood that's both walkable and available for delivery on a lazy Sunday morning.

First time order, delivered by Grubhub. *Ordered rye bagels but received only plain. *Ordered four 1 oz sides of flavored cream cheeses. Flavors received were correct but two of the tubs were only 1/2 filled. *Ordered the caprese sandwich. Cheese is not thick slices of mozzarella as pictured but was shredded, sprinkled on top of cream cheese. Also, no basil was on the sandwich as listed in the description, only lettuce. Verdict: tasted okay but for so many errors not worth the money and likely will not return.

Breakfast sandwiches are not bad, but they cost $9.27. That's for a pork roll, egg and cheese on a plain bagel, which is such a basic order. Why on Earth should that cost $9.27!? It seems like this place is always busy on the weekends and I can't explain it. All these people seriously have no problem paying $9.27 for a "not bad" breakfast sandwich!? I won't be back on principle, and I also won't be back because I can't justify paying close to $10 for something I can make much better at home with a Thomas bagel.

Graduate hospital neighborhood is in desperate need of a competent bagel store! Bagels here are delicious, but service is poor enough to go elsewhere. The store routinely opens ~30 minutes later than their posted hours without explanation. At peak hours, in-person customers are ignored and not acknowledged in favor of online orders (which they do not seem equipped to efficiently handle). If it's busy, be prepared to wait 20 minutes both before AND after ordering your food.

Great bagels, fine coffee. I loved the lox special with everything bagel, no capers, scallion cream cheese. My friend loved her peanut butter and jelly bagel. Coffee was pretty average, but bagels were delicious. Kind staff, no indoor seating, and outdoor ordering available through a side window.

So glad I was able to check out this bagel spot during quarantine! I placed my order and paid over the phone. When I arrived at the pickup window, the bagels were ready and they poured my coffee right then and there so that it was hot and fresh for me. I was very overwhelmed with the huge variety of bagels and cream cheese flavors. I ended ordering with an egg bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese. It was delicious, and they were very generous with the cream cheese! I definitely plan to return when in the neighborhood for breakfast or lunch.

Found this place while doing a search for local pork roll on a bagel. They were out of pork roll, but they're definitely a hit!! I ordered The Godfather on a veggie bagel. Good heavens THE FLAVORS!!! Will definitely be back.

Went here for the first time today -- ordered two bagel sandwiches (gravlax and white fish), the gravlax with no onions due to an allergy. There were only a couple of people ahead of us. The wait was about 15 minutes. The person at the window called our names and handed us a bag. When we arrived home 15 minutes later, we discovered that they'd only made one sandwich despite us paying for the two we'd ordered. The one they made was the one that we'd requested with no onions, but it came with several slices of onion on the bagel despite that. We had to go all the way back and wait again for them to make the other sandwich, which they'd just forgotten to make altogether. In the end, by the time we got to eat our meal about an hour after our initial order, the bagels were chewy, the cream cheese was oddly chunky, and there was very little of the protein on them. Overall, bad service, not great sandwiches, poor value for the price

I ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese that I called in. I received it in a bag and assumed it was what I ordered. When I went to pay there was only options to tip 15/20/25 )I could not leave no tip). When I got home it was the wrong bagel which was dry.

I've been here twice so I'll update if I come again, however the first time I ordered here it was early about 830, I had ordered an everything bagel and an 8oz cream cheese, cinnamon raisin bagel with bacon and egg, and two blueberry bagels regular. Basically they the made the best breakfast sandwich ever! It was quick and they toasted and cream cheesed the everything bagel anyway! The second time I ordered the next day around 945am and it was busy, waited outside to order and waited outside for my order,it was hot outside, and no shaded place to stand, people who called in received their order faster, and after about 10mins I got my order after a couple who ordered the same thing... so I suggest to call ahead if your going there later then 9:15am so everything is ready when you arrive.

Awesome bagel shop in grad hospital. They have an extensive selection and bagels, cream cheese, as well as special sandwiches. Solid spot for breakfast in the area. I went with the lox special on a whole wheat everything bagel, which was great. Make sure to get there early if you want one of their speciality bagels (French toast) as they were sold out when I went at noon on a Sunday. Great selection of coffee as well. Will be back soon, glad to have found a great bagel shop in my neighborhood.

I waited close to 40 minutes for them to toast 2 bagels with cream cheese. I would maybe understand a busy weekend morning if they were understaffed but they had 5 people working. Never in my life have I seen people move so slow. I am pretty sure they toasted my bagels when I ordered and then they sat there until someone could spread cc on them a half hour later. They were cold by the time I got them. At least at spread after a 40 min wait your food is still hot when you get it. Come up with a better system. Also upon getting home I opened my bagels to find 2 bagels with cream cheese and raw onions?!? And a sesame bagel with approximately 5 sesame seeds on it. Never again.

Very disappointed. Poor management. Even if it is slower and less foot traffic, service is extremely slow

I have enjoyed Chestnut Street Bagel for years but have had less than stellar experience with this location due to long waits. Still, the bagels are the same and this one is closer so I stopped in this morning when no one else was around. Upon entering and ordering, I asked if I could wash my hands in the restroom. I was informed that the restroom was for employees only. Okay, no worries. So I requested hand sanitizer and received the same answer. I became uncomfortable and stated very clearly, "there is no way for me to clean my hands?" and received and affirmative. Waited outside for the bagel and left to wash my hands at home in order to eat my bagel.

i love this place and it's my go to for bagels. i get the same order everytime and they never disappoint!! 10/10 recommend. Fun Tie Dye Bagel

I can see exactly why the reviews for Fitzwater Street Bagels are so mixed: everything was just a bit "off." I ordered the Western Club on a whole wheat everything bagel: spicy artichoke cream cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey, ranch, and avocado. There was barely a line to order which was great for Sunday at 11:30 AM, but then we waited 30 minutes for our bagel. The bagel was loaded with bacon and turkey (yay!) but the bacon was a little burnt and the turkey was literally cold sandwich meat slapped on top (meh). The artichoke cream cheese was yummy (yay!), but I think they forget the ranch, and there was only 1 piece of lettuce and the tiniest piece of tomato (meh). They definitely didn't skimp on the toppings (yay!) but the ratio was quite off (meh). I'd rather have less if it meant that I didn't end up with a mouthful of cold turkey deli meat. The bagel itself was also sooo small, barely 3.5 inches in diameter. It was also kinda flat - like the dough didn't completely rise. For $8, I did expect a little more substance. I think there are redeeming qualities to this place: for one, the menu is very interesting and has options beyond the basic egg/bacon/cheese breakfast sandwich. There are definitely some kinks and I'd like the ordering process to be a little more efficient but the foundation is there.

If I could give this place a 0 I would. I ordered on Uber Eats and I included a "FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE" and a small container of cream cheese. I got a BOTTLE OF STORE BOUGHT orange juice and a cheap plastic cream cheese you get at a 7/11. Not to mention the three bagels I ordered were ROCK HARD and had absolutely no taste. I am new to Philly and have very infrequently taken the time to leave a negative review but I am horrified by this.

really good bagel sandwiches! the lox and pork roll, egg, and cheese are the best

Hot, fresh, perfect bagels stuffed with goodness. Nitro cold brew. Service with a smile. Great chais, dirty or regular. Clean, minimal decor. Creative sammys to satisfy any craving. Groovin' tunes. Easy to park. What's not to love about South Street Bagels newest and hottest spot in the Grad Hospital area? This section of the city desperately needed a place like this and 5th generation bagel maker Aaron came to answer the neighborhood's prayers.... These bagels are to die for! The peppered egg is hubby's favorite bagel filler in the entire city. The whitefish salad isn't too "mayonnaise-y" which I know is a concern for many. Lox, tuna, pastrami? They've got it. They also offer trippy, tie dye rainbow bagels which are a hit with the littles too. Just get there early as they are a hot commodity. Oh, and we can't forget the birthday cake cream cheese they pile inside your "Rainbow Brite". Say what?! Awesome! Here, on the corner of 20th & Fitzwater you'll find all of your classic breakfast nosh done so, so very well plus a few unique gems like French Toast bagels, blueberry whole wheat, pizza bagels, BBQ salmon clubs and Nutella, banana and honey sammys, to name a few. Vegans, they didn't forget about you...order the veggie with hummus complete with sprouts and capers, avocado and pickles! Having company? Take their delicious spreads and a dozen to go! If you haven't been yet, you're missing out! Go now!

I will never be returning to this business. Poorly, poorly, poorly managed and poorly, poorly, poorly operated. A few weeks ago I ordered food from here. Not only did they happen to simply not include an entire item that was order but also the items they gave us were completely wrong. Despite this mishap, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried to order from them again. You can see about how well that went. An item clearly labeled "NO CHEESE-ALLERGY" is smothered in cheese. In addition to the absolutely miserable food experiences here, the wait is often 20-30+ minutes. I would advise everyone to shy away from Fitzwater Street Philly Bagels.

The bagel itself was decent but definitely not a New York bagel. The best bagels are those that don't need toasting and these are borderline for that criteria. PROS: Very friendly employees! Reasonable prices CONS: TINY containers if you get your cream cheese on the size...only an oz! VERDICT: will return!

I wanted to like the place. Close by and decent reviews. Born on NYC bagels and recently had one on a trip up north. I ordered a pork roll egg and cheese on a toasted ET bagel. I'm glad I asked for it to be toasted otherwise it would have been a raw bagel. Barely cooked and terrible texture. Calling it an everything bagel would be a stretch by far. It barely had anything on the outside. Maybe everything fell off before I got it. Also it's a microwaved egg which never complements a breakfast sandwich. You know the texture I'm talking about. When the egg bounces back when you bite into it. Looks like it's back to mail order bagels from NY. Note: The onion bagel was a better bagel and had ample Onion pieces on it and was actually cooked. Good amount of jalapeno cream cheese but lacking a bit of jalapeno flavor and heat.

I've been disappointed in my breakfast bagel more than I'd like to count since moving to Philly & I'm happy to say I found another "trusty" spot to my measly list of now 3 bagel places I can order bfast from on the weekends. It seems they recently expanded delivery to Univ City since I hadn't noticed them before & im happy about it. They were avail to deliver on uber eats At 10am which I was happy about. Food came on time. I got a bfast sammie w veg bagel + American cheese+ bacon. Bacon was super crispy. The egg was actually the best egg I've had on a delivered egg sandwhich & the bagel was good and tasty. Crunchy shell and doughy inside. I also ordered a few bagels to go and a tub of veggie cream cheese. The bagel itself isn't the best I ever had (I'm from NY) but it was very good and will definitely order again. I do think the review that noted it almost had a pretzel like dough/consistency was accurate but I enjoyed that I didn't think that was a negative.

The bagels here are pretty decent, but are unfortunately overpriced. Over $5 for a bagel with cream cheese is not reasonable. The birthday cake cream cheese is delicious though. Basically cream cheese frosting but if you love a good, quick sweet breakfast, it's unbeatable. They have a huge array of cream cheese flavors (pumpkin, honey pecan, strawberry, blueberry) and bagel types. Wish they would adjust the cost just a bit and then this would be a daily staple!

I called to order a French toast bagel with honey pecan cream cheese. After picking it up ten minutes later, I realized they gave me an everything bagel and maybe honey pecan cc (couldn't exactly tell). Why didn't she tell me on the phone that they didn't have any French toast bagels left or when I picked it up that my bagel would be different?? It was my first time getting their bagels and besides them cheating their customers, the bagel was nothing special. Everything bagel was especially too salty. I threw it out after a few bites. Honey pecan cc with everything bagel?! Horrible mix.

The salmon bagel special is delicious. It is loaded with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Ofcourse bagel of choice. It is pricier but worth every penny. The location is on the corner with street parking. Really hard to find parking if you are driving in.

Saw this place while driving a Uhaul to my new apartment and knew I had to try it! Came back the next morning with my girlfriend and it was exactly what we needed after a long weekend of moving! This place is so cute and local. The bagels are delicious and so filling. I actually had to save half of my bagel for a separate meal. ALSO the Chai is TO DIE FOR! Will definitely be back!

I ordered a pork roll egg and cheese and a Turkey Cali both on bagels. I paid and tipped $3 bucks. When I cane to pick my order up they told me they didn't have the turkey and half the other ingredients for the turkey Cali, yet they charged me for it. I get home to find my pork roll egg and cheese has 1 piece of pork roll and no egg. This pictured sandwich was 6.25. It probably costs 25 cents. Phuck this place. Never again. Rather drive to jersey to get a proper bagel.

Bagels are terrible & takes an obscenely long time for a very simple order. Will not be returning.

I agree with many of the other customers. I live almost next door to this place and routinely come here. Bagels are great but the staff is so miserable and rude. They seem like college kids who hate their parents, hate their friends and hate serving bagels. We get it; it's not a highly skilled job but at least smile when I'm ordering my 8$ bagel. Tip: when getting iced coffee ask for half the usual amount of ice. They tend to deceptively add more ice than coffee to their drinks. Weekdays are the perfect time to come as it's not crowded. Don't get bagels after 2pm as they've started to harden in the shop.

I'm confused by all the good reviews and I really wanted to like this place since it's right in my neighborhood - but the bagels are AWFUL. Seriously, they are hard, cold and definitely don't taste fresh. I will definitely make the two mile walk next time to the good bagel place.

Usually a fan of this place. Came here for the white fish special bagel. There is barely to no whitefish on here. I basically just taste cream cheese, tomato, and onion. Also there were supposed to be capers on here. Nope. Very disappointed..