Sarah O.
Yelp
As a bagel-lover, I was super excited when I randomly stumbled upon an Instagram post announcing this new bagel shop was opening--and that it hails from New York. Just to preface, I don't have high standards for bagels--if it's not rock hard, I will happily eat it!
I visited on their grand opening day, and all things considered, things ran pretty smoothly. The staff had to deal with a few difficult customer situations (one person insisting they placed an online order and just wanted a quick plain bagel with cream cheese, another asking for a free tote because they waited in line with everyone else, etc.), but what I presume was the manager handled it all with patience and professionalism.
Shamefully, I was that person who forgot to add tubs of cream cheese to my order and had to ask for them at the register (I apologized profusely). The employee he asked to grab them for me forgot, so I had to go back up and ask again. Surprisingly, the manager still remembered exactly which flavors I ordered--despite helping dozens of other people in between. The gentleman who took my order was kind, and honestly, every employee I encountered was friendly and helpful. The space is on the smaller side, but there's still a decent amount of seating for a quick bite.
Now, onto the bagel--it was amazing. I got an Asiago bagel with Scallion CC, and it was soft, perfectly chewy (without hurting your jaw!), and toasted just right. I personally love a generous schmear, and they definitely delivered. You can tell they make their cream cheese in-house--the scallion flavor was strong in the best way, and it was packed with chunks of fresh scallion.
I also grabbed a dozen bagels to-go (Everything, Jalapeño Cheddar, Asiago, and Blueberry), along with tubs of Scallion and Veggie CC. My family raved about the Veggie CC (which I haven't tried yet). Unfortunately, I realized later in the day that the two Blueberry bagels were missing. While a little disappointing, I technically paid for 10--H&H's "dozen" is a buy-10-get-2-free deal--so I wasn't shorted on what I paid for.
As expected with anything in DC, parking isn't the easiest. That said, street parking is available on all surrounding streets + there is a lot right next to them (though I can't imagine how much they charge for parking).
I don't make trips into DC often (I truly hate driving in the city), but I'd happily go out of my way for these bagels. Worth it!