Ithaca Bakery

We visited here multiple times over last weekend. Food, coffee, the Mexican bagel, and ended up buying 10 different marmalade flavors to gift to friends. This 100 year old bakery has something to offer to everyone. You can spend a quality time here growing the menu, their merchandise too.

Ithaca Bakery is a beloved local gem, blending decades-long tradition with creative, fresh offerings—from artisan breads and bagel sandwiches to comforting soups and café fare. Its laid-back, indoor/outdoor vibes make it a perfect morning hangout or casual lunch spot. While some menu items lean pricey and lunch hours can get busy, the quality, friendly service, and community-driven spirit keep people coming back. Just double-check your order—and maybe try the cake if you’re feeling adventurous!

There are so many options from bagels to beverages, hot sandwiches to a cold case full of goodies. So many baked goods, and a great selection of oils and hot sauces that would make great gifts. Our food was great, everyone was friendly, and we’ll definitely stop in again when we visit the lakes.

Ithaca Bakery is a treat every once in awhile, and it has never disappointed! The food is always fresh whether it's soups or a prepared sandwich, and the breakfast sandwiches are the best in town. I love the salt rosemary bagels, and always save room for whatever vegetarian friendly soup they've got on the menu.

Lots of options! Ordered the reuben and it was soo good!!! Place was very busy around 1030. Place has some parking. People are in and out so you should not have problem looking for a spot. Met some locals and were very nice to give us recommendation and tips for our hiking trip! A must visit if you are in town!

We enjoyed a delightful lunch at Ithaca Bakery— I highly recommend! Each of us really enjoyed our food. I ordered the Round House breakfast bagel with egg, sausage, bacon, cheese, and hash brown. My other company got sandwiches and really liked them. We also got a triple chocolate cookie and it was delicious too! Wonderful ambiance and friendly staff.

What a great place to get breakfast or lunch! Lots of vegan and vegetarian options which is a huge plus. Cheryl is super friendly at the cash register! She is such a sweet person! Would highly recommend this place.

I got the Brekkie Bowl, but had the avocados and sweet potatoes removed. Decent amount of bacon and overall the bowl was delicious, but I wish they put more kale in the bowl. When I’m in Ithaca again, I will definitely be stopping by and also grabbing one of their baked breads! Total ended up being $13.99 with tax, hence why I wished I had more kale.

Awesome place with even better bagels! I go here all the time and like to mix it up, so I've tried a lot of options, and they are all top notch. The bagels are soft on the inside, but have a nice crisp on the outside. Their menu options all tend to be a nice combination of flavors. I personally love the steak & eggs, really good roast beef! The ordering system is a cool experience. Service and wait time is honestly depending on what you order. I had instances where I order a cc bagel, and had my order within 2 minutes, and other times where I get steak and eggs, which takes closer to 5-7 minutes. All reasonable wait times, and I never seemed to mind. Now about the decor, it's old school with a modern-ish feel! I love the style and layout of it.

My review remains the same. This update is only to add pictures of the take out menu.

We stopped here while on vacation to use the bathrooms after a long drive. The place was busy even at 3 in the afternoon on a weekday. The two bathrooms were not that nice and defy could use a cleaning. Also the dining area was snug and messy with food on the floors ect. Having worked in restaurants for years, this can be solved by having an employee sweep midway through the day. The staff were friendly but busy even after the rush of people were gone. The pastries and drinks we ate were good.

Bread here is always super delicious. You can buy loaves at Anabel's and rolls at Cafe Zeus on campus if you're a student.

On our anniversary getaway, we stayed in Ithaca for a hiking vacation and we were at Ithaca Bakery every single day of our vacation. One day we had breakfast AND lunch there! The breakfast sandwiches are delicious and you can tell everything is fresh and homemade. My favorite was the one with pastrami and egg on a croissant. A great way to start off the day! For lunch, I tried the reuben and it was fantastic. My husband had the Cuban sandwich and he said it was the best one he's ever had, he loved the pulled pork on it. Bonus for the outside seating to sit with our pups. The service was friendly and efficient, and they had a great selection of snacks and drinks to go with our meal. We will definitely be back when we return to the area!

The best soup and sandwich place in the entire US. I have traveled to over 46 states in the US and I think Ithaca is the gem for hidden restaurants. Every time I'm in Ithaca, I make it a point to go to Ithaca Bakery or their sister business Collegetown Bagels. Love the excellent quality and reasonably priced food and the vibe of the place. I will always be back for more!

Excellent service although it was extremely busy and crowded. Lots of wonderful food options. Not ideal location for a relaxing coffeehouse experience being on a busy street

We ended up coming here twice on our trip to Ithaca. Coming from a NJ resident, these bagels were delicious! I loooved the Zoe. I have a bias for a chicken salad with something sweet. The cranberry sauce went so well with this sandwich. Great vegan options for breakfast and lunch. (And baked goods!) Easy ordering, receive a ticket and then bring it to the counter to pay. They'll call your number/name when it's ready and there's lots to browse while you wait.

Whenever we are in Ithaca, we stop at the Ithaca Bakery for bite to eat! I love the vegetarian menu, with all its delicious options! Most of the time, we get something to go, which is usually a quick wait and the staff are super nice! We have eaten in both the restaurant and their outdoor seating area, but prefer to take our meal to a local park, with so many to choose from. Either way, it is a must stop for the Ithaca area!

Wow. $5.50 for a microwaved egg and cheese. No s/p as requested. Maybe you're the only game in town? I think not as I have been traveling to Ithaca since before I was born. I opted out of the BEC because the price for that was ~$7.50. Almost inedible but I didn't have the time to go back in the store.

I've been going to Ithaca Bakery/Collegetown Bagels for 30+ years. I love the quality and variety of things they offer.

Worst bagel sandwich I've ever had. First I don't think they boil their bagels.. More like a bread bagel. Then the 'egg patties' terrible. Fake eggs. The description said 'homemade' Italian sausage. Turned out to be some kind of disgusting meat patty which was clearly a frozen patty of some sort. I've been here a few times and never had a good experience. Service is fine, ambiance is busy..

I had the Viva Chelsea, $9.75,There were only two thinly sliced yellowish tomato slices and two very thin slices of mozzarella with the basil oil that only covered a smidge of the rosemary foccacia bread, that really was only bread, certainly not rosemary! And it was a most boring sandwich. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DELICIOUS SANDWICHES IB USED TO MAKE??? I've been going to IB for over 40 years! I'm SO disappointed in the quality!

9/10 times, I am always satisfied with the service and food but this is that one time where I was left FUMING. I ordered online and on my commute to the bakery, I received a text saying my order was ready. Fast forward to check out where I paid cash for a pop and asked for my order - They had it over in the sandwich area, ready to go. I waited 20 mins for an order that had been ready to go and then I was handed an empty soup cup because they did not have what I ordered. I really try not to complain, food service isn't easy, but this was just unacceptable. So here I sit with a cold order and cup of soup that I don't even care to eat. Disappointed is not even the word to express my experience here. Also, they weren't even close to being as busy as they could be. I give grace when it's due and this wasn't it.

A solid bakery to stop into for a quick bite. I grabbed my tried & true: lox on a bagel. It was piled high with fresh ingredients, all of which tasted great. I wish the lox hadn't been so thin though and that the rosemary salt bagel had smaller granules of salt. This is me being picky! I would happily stop in again to try other bagel flavors & their baked goods which looked amazing. I should also mention that my order was ready in less than 10 mins on a weekday morning! Fantastic!

What the hell happened to this place! Rude counter people,subpar food,oh and here's a concept - GET OFF YOUR FUCKING PHONE and wait on someone Maren M.

Not our ideal food situation. Difficult to understand service situation - ordering different things at different counters, but paying all on one check. No one asked if we had been there before so no one was providing instructions or info, we had to ask where to go/how to navigate. Food was also not ideal - bagel sandwich was too greasy to eat and just meh overall, unique muffin flavor lacked flavor and was ultimately bland.

The food was absolutely decision. My husband and I both got breakfast sandwiches. Mine had apple and chicken sausage. It was the perfect mix of salty and sweet. I also had a coconut caramel cold brew, which was thankfully not too sweet. The service set us is a bit odd with 2 different counters for ordering and paying. The bathroom situation wasn't ideal. My husband had a hard time finally getting a turn.

Horrible experience after being a 20-year patron. 1. You have to order food and drinks in 2 separate lines- both long. Clerk said its so you can ( be forced ) to shop in between 2. they insisted on a phone number but post no privacy policy. 3 coffee. Burnt dregs of pot black in color. When returned ckerj said it looks horrible. " sorry but bottom of pot" 4. Half aNd half dispense empty ( a first world problem)

Tasty, healthy, and nutritious made to order or grab and go food options. Have only had their green & grain bowls, and sandwiches. They have lots of options for all diet types and preferences. Decent priced beers on tap and a daily happy hour of $2 off pints from 4-6pm.

This place is great. We visited Ithaca with our two young kids and Ithaca Bakery was our staple for breakfast, lunch, pastries, grab n go, etc when heading out for the day to hike. Quick, easy, convenient, great staff, and delicious food. Great alternative to waiting for a table elsewhere.

I had terrific robust coffee and a rosemary sea salt bagel. I chose that because the other varieties I can get all the time, but I never saw Rosemary before. I got it with chive cream cheese and lox. There was lots of Lox! Great breakfast and very reasonable considering the amount of lox. I'll stop in again when in the area.

Ordered bfast ahead on-line, was ready in 15 mins. Early bird - pannini bread too chewy, sides burnt and hard; aside from that, enjoyable when done right. PB & Joe smoothie - peanut butter heavy, on the thicker consistency, barely sweet, good level of caffeine for beginners. Almond croissant - Place is spacious with many tables & seats - outdoor seating available. Nice size parking lot. Staff energetic and friendly on a Monday morning. Service quick and easy pick-up location / service. Price to portions within standard. Price itself - debatable, then again we are in inflation...

Ithaca Bakery bakes up some A+ morning eats. They have their own bagel station, where spreads are sold in vats and containers. There is a coffee station, along with creamer. Up front they sell baked goods, sweets, tasty tasty tarts, pies, cheesecakes, croissants, cookies, sandwiches and all sorts of too-sweet for your taste buds type of noshing. Their baked goods displays and racks are magnificently lain out. I felt like the goods should have been replenished from behind the counter. Some girl kept bumping into me and blocking my view of the showcase, because she was standing right in front of it with a giant rolling industrial-size cart with shelves. Maybe just replenish the items from the back, so you are not constantly interrupting the guest (who is trying to make a difficult choice) and practically making us want to leave! The girls here were not very friendly AT ALL. Prices are also VERY steep. Be prepared to pay up for well-made patisserie and sweets that are man-handled by self-involved women, broken and shaken and sloppily shoveled into mediocre plastic to-go boxes without a bag. All for close to $10 bucks plus tax! I will pay up for these wonderful morning treats: but if the sales girls are not polite, check their phone during transactions and ruin the goods.. they need some managerial training on what it means to work in a bakery. Why is this place so dark? On a rainy day walking into Ithaca Bakery was like going from daylight to an underground wine cellar. I could not even read the names.. Amp up those light bulbs, get the cashiers to quit chatting and DONT RUIN MY BAKED GOODS. Classic example of a WONDERFUL bakery baking great American + European goods, sandwiches and pizza. Review: 5 star bakery

We tried the early bird and i substituted it with a rosemary bagel. It was good but there wasnt an even distribution of the ingredients throughout the bagel. It was also panini pressed a little too much for my liking but i liked the flavors. The lox breakfast sandwich was good too but didnt has as much lox as expected and a lot of sprouts. Overall i really liked the vibe of this place and all the food and drinks look really good!

Visiting the area I stopped by late (evening) and tried an almond croissant. It was good and I'm sure early in the morning would it be fresher. Hope next time I can visit earlier and try more things. (Staff were not very friendly - I'm not sure if because it was almost closing time)

Truly local place. It's been here since 1910. Great selection of sandwiches, bagels, smoothies, beer, wine. Menu has a lot of options for breakfast, lunch / brunch. Sandwiches are made fresh with freshly baked bread. Ingredients feel organic. I had the Tom's favorite. Egg, prosciutto, Dijon mustard. Decent size that does not feel overwhelming. Service is not extremely fast, so grab a drink or smoothie or beer and wait while they prepare your sandwich. Place is a favorite of locals, so smart to time yourself and allow for enough wait. They also have a small mart, so you can grab a light treat while you wait. They have tables inside and outside by the sidewalk. If you are on to discovering local food, please stop by!

There are good places to eat just about everywhere. The laws of supply and demand, capitalism, opportunity and so forth. There are very few places that compel one to travel a couple of hours out-of-the-way to get to. Ithaca bakery is one of them. The variety here is literally endless, because for every offering, you can make substitutes to your peculiar liking. Fresh bagels, croissants, breads of every sort, pastries. Fresh sandwiches of every description. Such hard to get things as chopped liver are on their shelves here or behind their deli counter. You are going to have to wait your turn because this place is perpetually jammed. It is filled with young people from the various colleges. It is filled with old people who know what's good and are willing to wait for it. It is filled with people in between. Children, pick up and takeout orders. And there is good reason for the popularity of this place, pure and simply it is the quality. Quality merchandise, quality food, quality staff. Yes, I routinely drive hours from Buffalo and Utica to get to the Ithaca Bakery

All of the cakes we ordered were very tasty! Very rich and decadent! A tad on the sweet side though. I think I liked the cookies and cream cake best! It was moist and hit a good ratio of frosting to cake! The cheesecake was good too. I liked the brownie one a lot. It had a brownie base and brownie chunks mixed in with the cheesecake. The texture of the cheesecake was smooth and creamy- not crumbly or grainy at all. I have also tried their red velvet cake and vanilla birthday cake with chocolate frosting! Both were good, but I wish the red velvet cake had cream cheese frosting... Service was fast- we went at the end of the day... around closing hours and there was no line at all. Ambiance was nice- I prefer this location of Ithaca bakery to the smaller one located off of triphammer. They have more options! Overall I would definitely return- I would love to try some of their sandwiches and other desserts!

Unique place with a antique feel. Food was very good and great customer service. I would definitely bust again.

The food was great and they had gluten free options (bagels and bread). Service was friendly and quick.

Oh wow... They did not disappoint. A long fan of Collegetown bagels we decided to give Ithaca bakery a try for breakfast sandwiches. Amazing variety of options available for meat lovers to vegetarian to vegan's. I think we will be back for lunch as the sandwich selection also looked amazing They are practicing great Covid social distancing and hygiene protocols.

Decent food. Efficient and friendly customer service. Annoyed the EV charging stations (6 in total) were all taken up not by EVs but by bakery vehicles and other non-EVs. Only one vehicle was charging out of six spots. I like the restaurant but had to go somewhere else since I couldn't charge my car for my trip back to Geneva. Ithaca Bakery should make it clear that no one is to park there unless charging their vehicle and tow the offenders.

Adorable atmosphere, huge menu. I got "The New Yorker", and it was perfect in every way. Pastrami, creamy coleslaw, melted Swiss, a toasted brioche roll. The cool with the hot with the soft with the crunch. Delicious. I didn't feel like I need a quad shot so I ordered my seasonal white mocha pistachio ice latte with decaf, and it was wonderful. We got some desserts to go. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich cookie, soft and chewy and flavorful. A hibiscus bar that was perfumey in a good way. And a dark chocolate covered cheesecake bar that made me want to marry it. I'm an hour or so away from Ithaca, but I'd be going here often if not. Love this place! Staff were wearing masks, friendly, public restroom.

Came to Ithaca Bakery in the covid- induced chaos of July 2020...loved the food, but ate 8n a strange isolation chamber in the parking lot. And couldn't wait to come back. Came back yesterday and lived our lunch so much...we came back for dinner! Food at ithaca bakery is fantastic. There is a huge breakfast menu, lunch sandwich/wrap/pannini menu, and the counter of bakery items is amazing. Let's see- wife and I and two teenage sons tried a lot yesterday, including the Verde chicken, bbq,Italian, and Zab's turkey avacado. Dinner was the Milanese, Cuban, huevos rancheros, and Ryan's breakfast sandwich. All sandwiches were tasty- and breads were outstanding- but some of the sandwiches could have used more protein, more meat, more...stuff. Coffee was great, baked goods were fantatsic, and the Philly Cheesesteak egg rolls were so good #2 son ordered twice. Each order came to $70. Not cheap, but everyone was really happy with the foods! We love this place and would be regulars if we lived 4 hours closer!

Can we talk about that Rosemary Salt Bagel?! Wow. Paired with egg & cheese for a Melissa sandwich? Amazing. Everything Bagel paired with Chive Cream Cheese? Yes please! The first time we ordered online before arriving and called to receive curbside (parking space) delivery because weekend mornings take forever. The second time we went inside on a summer weekday and were glad to see so many social distancing and safety measures put in place. The aisles are still a bit small for avoiding people, but if it's not too busy, it's easy to move around and keep enough space. I didn't even get to try any other breakfast spots in Ithaca because this was just sooo good I wanted to keep trying more! Yes- they make everything fresh- so give it time and either expect a wait- they have a speaker outside for announcements on the sidewalk, or order 20min ahead for pick-up.

So many fresh, amazing options for all times of the day! They have breakfast all day and fresh baked bread, baked goods, and lots of premade fresh food ready to grab. You also can get a sandwich made while you wait and there is a big coffee bar. It's also nice that they have a few grocery staples so you can grab that and avoid a trip to the grocery store while you're here. The Meadow street location also has beer and wine available. I went with a simple Melissa egg bagel and it was tasty, and well-priced at just under $5. We also shared a chocolate hazelnut croissant that had hazelnut spread in the inside. This is the first time I've been but I'll be back to try all other sorts of food!

We got takeout sandwiches here. We ordered 2 Susie's Garden, 1 make your own portabella, and 1 make your own hummus. Several of us ordered sandwiches with the hand-sliced multigrain bread, which was thick and delicious. However, all of them seemed light on the sandwich fillings, particularly the hummus sandwich which had barely any hummus or vegetables. The curbside pick-up was very easy and efficient. They had labeled stations outside where I texted the listed number my name and station number and they came right to the table when the food was ready. We tried to order a vegan pastry for curbside pickup but it wouldn't work - this is something to fix.

This is the place everyone needs in their life and why some college towns ROCK. First time in Ithaca and everyone says this is a must, agreed. Huge beverage and food menu, wine, craft beers, breads, baked goods and MORE. Wonderful breakfast sandwich: had the green st, yum. They are also good with swap outs, substitutions and GF. Hope to be be back. Friendly service and even on a very early Sunday am.

Really great experience. There is seating inside and outside. You order your sandwiches first, they give you a ticket and you can shop around for local products before checking out, and while waiting to check out you can look at pastries and decide on coffee. Overall super great cozy location, the staff were all friendly and very helpful with explaining since it was our first time visiting.

Usually I love putting small stiff things in my mouth, but the bagels at Ithaca Bakery did not make me feel that way. Combined with microwaved eggs and microwaved bacon, my $8 breakfast sandwich was not a pleasant way to start my day.

Absolute worst customer service. Very rude. Two women mocking/gossiping about customers. Seems to hate working in public service.

A Green Street Breakfast sandwich, current scone and their delicious coffee are must-haves when visiting Ithaca. Takes the edge off the ride home!

The menu for this place looked very promising but unfortunately it wasn't the best experience. The place was very busy (as most bagel/breakfast places are), but even so the staff could have been a lot nicer. Also, the quality of the food was just okay (I got the Florentine on a bagel and added avocado but the avocado was stale). I tried the twisted sister (a signature coffee drink) and it was not good (tasted like a Dunkin' drink aka brown iced water full of sugary syrups). I tried this place out while I was in town but probably wouldn't come back here.

This place was organized chaos, but had delicious food- whatever the B-L-T sandwich was and I loved my pastrami Reuben sandwich. Stand on one line to order, another line to pay and wait for your name to be called or to receive a text that your order is ready for pick-up. We found a table to sit and enjoy our meal.

Zoe-Cranberry sauce chicken salad cranberry sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a rose rosemary salt bagel

Very busy bakery. We ordered a lox and bagel and purchased a half dozen bagels and some cream cheese to go. The lox and bagel sandwich was very good. The bagels are above average and the green olive cream cheese was okay. The most frustrating part is the ordering/paying system. It is extremely confusing especially if you're a newbie. One line for ordering sandwiches. One line for paying and ordering bagels. The breads, ready made sandwiches, cream cheeses, and sodas are scattered around the store. The day we visited it was swamped and the confusing organization resulted in us having to stand in line twice to purchase our items. The wait to pick up the lox and bagel was very, very long.

It was very overwhelming stepping into Ithaca Bakery. I didn't know where to go. There's baked goods and pastries, breads and bagels, coffee section, sandwiches and paninis, prepared foods fridge, buffet style bar for $9.49lb, and an alcohol selection. There were way too many choices. After figuring out what we wanted, my husband and I decided on a lox bagel, pizza bagel, vanilla latte and a caramel praline. The lox bagel had a mountain of cream cheese that I had to scrap off. There were no capers, cucumbers or tomatoes in it either. It was pretty bland with just a giant glob of cream cheese and salmon. The pizza bagel was okay, just red sauce and cheese. It was my fault for not saying I wanted pepperoni on it. The vanilla latte and caramel praline were alright, nothing great. Ithaca bakery also sells local products: applesauce, honey, pickled vegetables, Ithaca logo items such as hats, shirts, growler, mug, wine glass, reusable bag. I personally wouldn't come back here. I wasn't wowed by anything of the items I ordered.

Good food with amazing selection. Ordering method is a bit confusing but the food is excellent.