Huda S.
Yelp
Being the bagel enthusiast that I am, I had to give this place a try. I had heard about it several times and also seen it listed as one of Philly's many new businesses. The hours are pretty specific; they're open and accept Nobel orders Wednesday-Friday, and are first come, first serve on weekends. Another main draw I had to this place was the somewhat unique flavor options they offer compared to other bagel places.
I stopped here on a Thursday morning spontaneously, so I hadn't ordered ahead. The storefront in Fishtown is pretty small, accommodation only a few customers at once. Thankfully, there was only one other person besides myself when I stopped in.
They didn't have a very large variety of bagels, but they offered some neat options like Sea Salt Rosemary and Jalapeño Cheese along with more standard options. They also offer a variety of breakfast sandwiches and cream cheese flavors. The employees were very friendly in offering help and answering questions. Unfortunately, their famous bialys were not available, as they are opening a specific bialy store in Reading Terminal.
As per my bagel enthusiast routine, I purchased two single, unsliced bagels to try at home. While this doesn't vouch for cream cheese flavor and quality, it allows me to evaluate the true flavor and texture of a bagel. The flavor, texture, and salt content are what make a true Northeast bagel. The two bagels came out to a little under 4 dollars, which is pretty standard nowadays.
When I later tried the bagels at home, the first thing that struck me was the size being smaller than average. I always look for the perfect size in a bagel; it's a balance between not being the size of my face but still being big enough to hold a nice sandwich. In terms of flavor, the salt content and infused flavors were perfect. However, the texture didn't do it for me, as they had much more of a bread than bagel texture. To me, there wasn't enough contrast between having a crunchy outside, and soft inside.
Overall, I like but don't love this place. I like their offerings: simple but still unique. Their service is spot on, and I still would love to see what their specialty bialys are all about. They also now offer a variety of flavored sourdough loaves for pre-order, which I also look forward to trying soon.