Kiva's Bagel Bar

Smashing IT! 🥯😋🥯 Kiva’s Bagel Bar has quickly become one of the standout food spots in the city. Nestled along the lively stretch of St. Clair Avenue—where cool, creative energy is always in the air—this beloved local landmark has been serving some of the best bagels and coffee for years. Their menu offers an impressive selection of fresh bagels and hearty eats, but what truly sets Kiva’s apart is the atmosphere. It feels like a second home. The dining experience brings people together—students, workers, retirees, families, and everyone in between. There’s no pretense here. You simply show up as you are and enjoy genuinely good food. The customer service is exceptional. The staff behind the counter are warm, charming, and welcoming in a way that makes you feel like part of the family. That kind of hospitality is rare, and it’s a big part of why Kiva’s stands out. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Kiva’s Bagel Bar and I’m already looking forward to my next visit. It’s the kind of place that keeps you coming back—not just for the food, but for the feeling of being home.

This bagel shop is a hidden gem! I had the albacore tuna bagel and was seriously impressed — the tuna was incredibly fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The bagel itself was soft, fresh, and had just the right chew, making for a seriously satisfying bite. A simple combo done exceptionally well. Highly recommend if you’re looking for quality ingredients and something beyond the usual deli fare.

I was disappointed with my bagel - as someone else said it was dry. Also there could've been more cream cheese on the bagel (the only topping I had). The most disappointing was the coffee though. I wasn't expecting anything out of this world, but my americano tasted like coffee water. I asked for cream and it wasn't mixing into the coffee and appeared grainy (it looked like miso soup when it settles). I don't know if the machine they used didn't work or the person re-used the coffee grounds. Not sure, but it was awful and not drinkable. I'd recommend other bagel spots like St. Urbain (not in the area) and coffee shops/cafes.

It was a nice looking place and the workers were kind but the bagel was very very dry. It seemed to be a week old and I unfortunately couldn’t even finish it.

My boyfriend and I were on our way to What A Bagel but we stumbled upon this gem instead. We both looked at each other with curiosity and just walked in immediately with no hesitation. We were welcomed instantly but overwhelmed with the menu as there were soooo many yummy options! We decided to dine in but still had trouble deciding, went back to the front and right away, the owner gave us a sample of sesame bagel with cream cheese and tuna - holy #%*@ Amazing, amazing, amazing. We loved the personal connection and welcoming from the entire staff. Great people, great food! Thanks for the nice dessert too!

Got a godfather bagel (turkey, pesto, tomato, onions, cucumbers) from here on a sesame bagel. The bagel was perfect! Perfect doughy, perfectly toasted, all around a solid bagel. The sandwich was a little dry for my liking but still quite tasty. To be fair, it’s not the most popular sandwich on their menu so I’ll definitely want to come back and try one of the more popular ones but a pretty good first impression so far!

First time at this location. I ordered scrambled eggs with a pumpernickel bagel. A small bit of salad was added to the plate for decoration. The eggs, I know, eggs are eggs, were cooked perfectly. They were light, fluffy and not over cooked. The bagel was huge. Pumpernickel can be tricky but these were a little sweet and not dried out. Service was very quick and friendly. This is more of a take out place but they do have a few tables at the back. Dress lightly if you are going there in the summer. It is was rather warm. We ate and left.

Nice place with a cool menu. Big choice of Bagels and toppings. I got the everything twist with cream cheese and they suggested tomatoes and cucumbers. Tasted great! a was a good sized portion. I will definitely return soon for something more adventurous. A good choice for something close to St Clair station and close to the ravine entrance.

Two days ago, I purchased my lunch here for take out. When I arrived at my office near Leaside, (so not close-close), there was something about my meal that was not satisfactory. I happened to be in the neighbourhood today, and was able to drop in and tell the staff about my issue. They were beyond helpful. They were understanding, accommodating, and happily rectified the problem. So, that means I'll be back! I left a tip for them in thanks for their great help.

It's a nice Jewish place to eat there, lots of different kinds of food, Open from 7-3 pm, with a bakery you would love it there

Kiva's is a great place for an affordable and fresh breakfast sandwich. My go-to is the egg, goat cheese and roasted red pepper sandwich - it's filling, made right on the spot, and substantially cheaper than Starbucks' frozen and reheated breakfast sandwiches across the street. I've only done takeout, although they have seating that can get busy around lunchtime. They've got a variety of bagels and I love their flat bagels that are wider, flatter, and less doughy. The inside is just like your basic bagel place and they also serve sweets. Service is fast, although I do feel like I'm weirdly treated like a stranger after frequenting this location for years. Still, this is an awesome spot and I can't say enough good things about their breakfast sandwiches. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

We had a family event catered for 70 people by Kiva's. The food (bagels, scoops, lox, dessert platters) was fresh, delicious and really well presented. We had so many positive comments about the food. Even the Montreal guests loved the bagels! Great communication and follow-up with owners (Steve and Elan) the entire lead-up to the event. Delivery was smooth and on-time. Thank you Kiva's!

Does your child wake you up early? Do you desperately need somewhere to eat before school? Do you love bagels, lox, strong coffee and extremely fast service? This is the place for you. Never change, Kiva.

I like Kiva's. While they don't make the bagels on site, the place is always quite busy. My mom took me for lunch here yesterday because it has lots of places to sit. She had the lox with shmear and I had the Salmon Club with split pea soup. Huge amount of food and cream-cheese!!!! I am having half her bagel and half of my sandwich for lunch. Very decent lunch spot for Yonge and St Clair Recommended

The bagels are solid here. This is a good shtikkel bagel and I know what I am talking about - its in my DNA. I bought six (whole wheat/whole grain variety). They have a variety of potato latkes, blintzes, etc., which are way overpriced. It appears as though they make a good bagel sandwich with the usual deli. options. They have real spanokopita here, rolled filo pastry, like you get on the island of Samos, (in Greece), filled with feta and spinach.

Decent spot for bagel sandwiches and soup, and conveniently located near Yonge and St. Clair, Kiva's has both a take-out and dine-in option, and you can also order on the Ritual app. My experience ordering through Ritual was quite positive. My bagel sandwich was prepared in about 5 minutes, and when I arrived it was ready and wrapped with my name on it. I hadn't noticed before, but there is also a narrow dining area at the back of the restaurant. If you arrive and take a seat at one of the tables, a server will give you a menu and you can order a-la-carte. I ordered the cream cheese and lox sandwich, which is one of their signature items. It's super indulgent: two thick layers of cream cheese, smoked salmon, and choice of toppings (e.g. lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mayo, mustard etc.). Overall, it was really good and the smoked salmon was tasty. There was maybe a bit too much cream cheese and the bagel didn't seem toasted enough or was on the chewy side. Maybe not the best bagel sandwich I ever had, but I can see myself returning to Kiva's more often considering the convenient location, option to order through Ritual, and wide variety of bagel sandwiches (which all sound delicious).

After a day meeting some colleagues and I were in need of a light lunch and found this bagel spot just off of Yonge-St. We had a fairly large party and they were able to seat us right away. The staff here was busy but kept things fun. After someone in our party mentioned how good the mozzaball soup was a few people changed their order to it without any issue. The food was okay, but just okay. That's the reason for three stars. The bagel I got was kind of hard (although it was a multi-grain and the consistency may have been because of that) and the salad was pretty average. But overall the sandwich itself was good, and the staff were pretty quick with our orders. If you're looking for a quick and healthy lunch, it's a good spot (and has lots of veggie options)

Worst service Kiva's location. After spending $41 on two bagel sandwiches, an avocado salad and two orange juices I was told I'd be charged extra for them to split the salad into two containers. She said they could do it if they weren't busy(there was one woman in line behind me)Then after leaving and getting back to my office noticed that they had forgot the sesame bagel that comes with the salad. After returning and informing them of their error the woman was irritated and didn't even apologize for the mistake. Better yet after sharing our experience with a colleague she still decided to go only to be accosted on her way out by an employee who hadn't realized she had already paid while her bagel was being prepared. The best part is that the our colleague was given Ben Rafaels card after sharing that she was in the marketing industry and before having to double check her banking transactions to in fact make sure she did pay. Avoid.

Small sized bagel sandwich, bland salads, modern decor, interesting service. When we first walked in we though we had to order at the counter but instead we were waited on which was nice. Waitress seemed lost in terms of items on the menu, as we first asked what types of bagels they had and she said "ummm..I know we have sesame". (It was around noon on a weekend and not too busy). Another table across from us was complaining about the amount of meat in his sandwich and the waitress turned around and ignored him. Overall, the sandwiches themselves were very good but wished they were a bit larger.

I have been hitting up the Yonge and Eglinton location of Kiva's Bagels but they don't have a Yelp page. The food is fresh and delightful! I loved the selection they have. Awesome bagels (0.95 cents!!) & cream cheese,great pastries,yummy traditional jewish foods, friendly staff. Great stuff :)

They're okay. They've given me a quick option near work that doesn't involve copious amounts of cheese (I'm looking at you, pizza!) Their soups are delicious & (supposedly) all vegetarian. Their bagels are decent. But their service? Blech. 1st visit: I ordered a sesame bagel, toasted with egg salad to go. 5 minutes after my bagels toasts, the guy behind the counter realizes there isn't any egg salad left & tells me it will be a few minutes. "Never mind." I counteract (I had 30 minutes to get across town) Just put some butter on it. "How about turkey or tuna?" he pushed. "No thank you. I'm vegetarian." He offered me everything else in sight. "NO. Just give me the bagel." My coworkers raved about it. I returned hesitantly, this time to dine within. Being told my order would be brought to my table - I went & sat. 15 minutes later... (it was a toasted bagel with egg salad + soup) I went to go track it down. It had been sitting on the counter for the past 10 minutes, unnoticed by anyone by the counter. The egg salad was on the side. If I wanted egg salad on the side - why would I order the bagel in the first place? Also, it was pretty bland. Also, one of the workers (perhaps the owner?) was very forward. Trying to make conversation & not picking up social cues & shoving free samples at people. I don't want to try your cream cheese, okay?! Basically if you want pushy & not very great service, this would be the place. If you have your patience hat on - give it a try; their soup could be worth it.

This place serves pretty decent bagels. What really draws me here is the lack of choice in the area for a quick morning breaky on Sat or Sun. Kiva's always seems to be open, and it helps that their staff is always extra cheery and welcoming! They serve a variety of bagels with options of flat or extra twisty styles. I'd say the downfall is that a lot of items are pricer than you would anticipate but I would recommend a flat poppyseed with cream-cheese, regular poppy seed with lox or turkey & avocado, or the 3 egg + bagel option (with twisted poppyseed as the bagel option, obviously poppyseed is the way to go)! worth a try if you're in the hood and itchin for a bagel!

Kiva's definitely makes good bagels but i don't think they are worth the price point when there are other equally good if not better available options like bagel world, what a bagel, bagel house, st. urbain bagels.... I tried the poppy seed twister which was very good however like some other yelpers, I couldn't help but think their bagels were on the smaller end of the spectrum in terms of size (ESPECIALLY when you compare them to the twisters at bagel world- THOSE could almost be used as frisbees) Kiva's also is definitely more expensive as I ended up paying 9 dollars for my eggwhite scramble and twister combo (sans drink by the way...) where afterwards i still wanted more food (and ended up at the cinnabon inside yonge and eglinton station)

It has been a bagelful weekend. After a successful brunch at United Bakers, we decided to get a fix closer to home, at the Kivas at Yonge and St. Clair. This location opened last fall to great excitement among the Forest Hill crowd, many of whom remember trekking northward to the perpetually run-down bakery at Bathurst and Steeles. The Yonge and St. Clair Kivas fronts it's retail credibility. A sales counter holds refrigerated items like pre-packed cream cheese, tuna and egg salads, sodas and cloudy apple juice from Israel. They are joined by sweet baked goods, fine rugalach (which make a free appearance after the meal), and chocolate buffalo, which is basically a sweet, bready dough wrapped around insanely fudgy chocolate, and worth taking out on its own. The place is clearly geared towards take-out. People pop by for the bagel-cream-cheese-lox fix. However, at the back there is a sleek dining room with comfy benches and chairs, funky wainscoting on the walls (I haven't used the word 'wainscoting' since a Monty Python bender a few years ago), and modern light fixtures. The bathrooms reflect the trend towards unisex WCs, and shared sinks outside designed to shame everyone into hand washing compliance. Unlike uptown, they are clean. From a dining perspective, there are two Kivas. Bagels are unapologetically Toronto-centric. Dense, crusty-chewy rolls showered with poppy or sesame seeds. Pumpernickel and marble flavors offend traditionalists mildly. Whole wheat and other atrocities are rightfully ignored. Bring home a dozen, with appropriate salads and toppings, and maybe a dessert or ten, and you've got the makings of a fine Sunday brunch. Eat in, and you're asking for trouble. Greek salad is a mound of fresh vegetables dusted with feta and not-greek-but-welcome-anyway eggs hard boiled to creaminess, olive-oil based dressing on the side. Chicken soup is a damning failure. A crock arrives, dominated by a single softball-sized and textured matzo ball. Chopped carrot and onion take up a good portion of the vessel. They've been added after the fact, and aren't properly cooked out. Weirdest of all, the soup is sour. We can't decide if it's from all the onion juice, or if someone threw a lemon or vinegar into the batch. Nobody gets sick, so we don't think the broth has spoilt. If a Kiva's representative would like to explain, I'd love to hear it. It's not my taste, but I'm curious whether it's a different cultural approach, or just lousy soup. Breakfast is most successful. A plate of lox, eggs and onions features slivers of fish and well-caramelized onions, with tomato and cucumber garnish, and a glorious toasted bagel dripping with butter. Coffee is stale and grey, initially served in a glass mug that highlights its stale-greyness (I hate glass mugs). When transferred to ceramic, it holds heat better, and if you get a pot immediately, it's OK. Service is frustrating. Three people work the counter and restaurant simultaneously, so nothing gets done. Orders are mixed up despite fewer than five occupied tables. A tuna melt arrives as an ice-cold tuna congealed. It is grudgingly re-warmed. One one occasion, it arrives hot, but we are told that because we're late, there's no soup or salad to round out the $9.99 price set out in the menu. We're charged the full amount, even though they fail to deliver the whole plate. As a bagel bakery, Kivas deserves much more than it gets here. As a restaurant, it deserves much less.

Very nice staff. Bagels are average. Some of my.go-to items are the breakfast western, eggs and onions and the Greek salad. Soups were pretty good also but off the menu as of late. Take out pull up window is handy during these times.

This is more like it!! Kiva's Bagels are the closest approximation to New York bagels that I have found in Canada. They taste good! Also like: the tuna salad, the rugelah, and the people. Very friendly service, and they'll recommend items to you (they recommended the tuna and I agree!) One of my colleagues ordered a bunch of bagels for a meeting and everything was good. Lots of varieties of cream cheese. Sometimes they even give you a free rugelach with your sandwich! Nice! I'll be back.

The place has potential but it's really disorganized and the staff don't seem keen on helping patrons figure out where to go. The restaurant is also extremely small--too small for a neighbourhood like Deer Park that has a high volume of business people out and about at the same time for lunch. I just had the soup to go and they couldn't even bother to put napkins or cutlery in my take away bag. Not impressed.

I've always been a fan of Kiva's at the Bathurst and Steeles location (the original) and decided to give the Yonge and St. Clair a try as well to see if it's the same and comparable. Without surprise, everything was perfect (in my opinion) like the original. Although A LOT smaller in size (one is a restaurant and one is a Bagel Bar / Express) they still managed to keep the same taste and quality in their bagels, coffee, tuna (phenomenal), and egg salad. I will definitely be frequenting this location a lot more since it's right across the street from my office.

Ok so let me start by saying I've given this place 3 attempts. First time I came in I ordered a everything bagel sandwich. When provided with said bagel it tasted rather hard and stale... The second time I figured you know what maybe I was unlucky so I tried another bagel sandwich and again stale. Finally I tried once more and got it in the early morning, mind you I did not eat it right away perhaps an hour later but once again... stale. I'm not sure if they are selling day old bagels or something as I never have this problem at bagel world or what a bagel but such is life. Anyways I did not rate it 1 star because at least the staff are nice enough and the soup was pretty good. Ps their slogan is Hand rolled bagels since 1979 ... more like tastes like it's from 1979...

Reading over previous reviews, I noticed a pattern: they get better over time - significantly so. I remember when Kiva's first opened a few years ago. Service was clumsy (not knowing what to put on a specific sandwich, taking a long time to butter a simple bagel, etc.) and they ran out of bagels a few times. But they quickly shifted gears and smoothed out any initial hiccups. Today, you can walk in during the morning or lunch rush and watch them churn out 20 bagel sandwiches in 5 minutes. They will regularly drop in complimentary rugalahs into your lunch bag, are generous with portions and toppings and make, yes, the best bagels in the city.

I am a regular and I enjoy their bagels + the service is friendly. I am particularly fond of the flat variety and love that they a decent amount of cream cheese without over doing it. Also--nice to get capers. On a good day they remember how I like my coffee and everything goes swimmingly. Sometimes though, the coffee order gets mixed up which leaves me with cream--not milk. Most of the time, I will go back and they replace it easily enough. Bottom line: love the bagels, order the sweets, but double check your coffee orders.

I read good reviews about Kiva's Bagle Bar and one of my neighbors told me that it was a good place. The entrance was very narrow, so I did not see seats, but there were seats. I ordered Tel aviv bagles a couple of times. Sometimes they are good, but other times they are not that good. Their sandwich is overpriced and I do not think they are good qualities. Not bad, but they are overpriced.

I've been to Kiva's a number of times, the quality and serving size is fanatic! I don't know if the women behind the counter was just having a bad day, but her attitude while serving today was nothing but rude and inconsistent with all of my other experiences. I won't likely ever return. It's a shame.

Kivas is THE spot to go for hand rolled bagels in Toronto. The staff there are so nice and the bagels are incredible. My ONLY complaint is that although they also make amazing fresh orange juice, on a few occasions the juice has definitely passed its prime and been rotten, my suggestion- if you are to get a fresh orange juice (and you totally should!) try it in the store just Incase!

By far one of my favorite food spots in this neighborhood. I've frequented it dozens of times - a month. Specialties? Custom salads, especially the spinach leaf with avocado. And of course it comes with a bagel. Also try their danishes. They're not the super-sweet Timmie's type, it's far more subtle with a cheese center. I make special trips regularly to this place just for the danishes. Only downside? Their hours aren't open long enough. Sometimes you just want a danish or salad later at night.

I order once , they missed couple of items and when I called the owner was so rude . I was told we are busy and don't have time to talk about it . Ben, the owner told me they actually sent me more than what they were suppose to send which was not true and he hung up the phone .not happy

Lives up to all my lox cream cheese standards! Fresh bagels but pricey! Salivating as I'm writing this.

I had the whole wheat bagel, toasted and buttered. It was almost completely tasteless, and took far too long to make -- probably because the guy making it took five minutes to stare at the cash register screen while my bagel cooled beside the toaster. So the service is slow and confused. The coffee is pretty dire, too (though not much worse than the other options on the block). Having been there once, I can't see any reason to go there again.

Used to love this place because the chef and the two initial gals running the shop were fantastic. Super tasty food and REALLY friendly. Have tried all their omelettes and breakfast sandwiches. However, again, some staff is just always screw-facing; and the owner just pumps his products up to every person who walks through the door. When you are fantastic, you don't claim to be fantastic to everyone, you just are naturally. Again, you can eat eggs anywhere, but customer service really affects the mood of the food.

I've come here many times, mostly for the avocado salad, which is delicious and very filling, with a Tex-Mex feel. I've also gotten a very heavy cheese-filled pastry whose name I can't recall. I once tried to get one of the "all day" breakfast sandwiches at lunchtime. I was told that there would be a 10-minute wait for the egg on a bagel, but that I could get anything else without waiting. I switched to tuna with capers, which was fine. But if I had known that the tuna would cost twice as much ($8 vs $4), I might have waited.

I have been here a few more times since this first visit. I have to change my review. The service is great and the food is very good. I've been eating the breakfast sandwiches which are priced right and generous in portions. Check it out if you are in the area.

Can't get enough!!! Every time I come in, the people remember me and treat me like family. I often order the same omelette (goats cheese, onions and avocado!) that comes with a soft warm bagel. It really is comfort food for me, and I have loved everything I've ordered there. Not to mention, picking up a dozen bagels is so easy when I walk the dog because they have a window that opens to the street and lets me stand outside and order! My family and friends all come here frequently and we always leave happy!

I got a coupon for a free bagel at the new downtown location while walking around downtown. But since there is no Yelp page for the downtown location, I must say here that its the best bagel I've ever eaten. Props!

Bagels are great but the people behind the counter don't listen to your order and you end up repeating your order over and over again for the repeated questions.

Awful service, terrible coffee. I had to repeat my order multiple times to 3 different employees, even though it was simply "two iced americanos." After quite a wait, despite being the only person waiting for espresso, I was disappointed to see that they had put one shot of espresso into a large cup and filled it up with water. The americano was an extremely diluted coffee-water. It was bad enough that I signed up on Yelp just to write this review. I would not trust their coffee again, nor do I want to visit for bagels anymore, given how poor the service was.

Love the cream cheese and lox. The bagel selection is impressive and they even offer gluten free. Service can be a bit slow during the lunch rush, so you do need some patience. Take out only, restaurant is tiny (seats really close together too).

I've only had their cookies and brownies, but wow -- amazing in every way! They are reasonably priced as well. If you are lucky, get their cookies when they come out fresh -- hands down the best cookies I've ever had

Kiva is one of the few great places in the Yonge & St. Clair 'hood. The staff are super friendly and their sandwiches are fantastic. Also the soup is always great on those winter days.

Kiva's Bagel Bar at St. Clair & Yonge is my go to option for breakfast and lunch. These guys are fast, friendly and the food it delicious.

A busy place on the weekends and seats are very close to the other tables. Didn't get my right order from the server and had to stand in big line to pay for my bill. Bagels are delicious but this place is too pricey.

Definitely a fan!! I work in the neighbourhood and comparibly there is no other breakfast place like it. Such variety; healthy options; the tastiest jams and cookies to take home. The chef and two women working there are incredibly efficient, friendly, and professional. They remember you by name and order. We often buy a dozen bagels just to have at the office - so tasty. Kamut, Flax, Tel Aviv Bagels, even Gluten Free, and of course all your general ones! Love the food and love the staff very much!

Lots of bagel options in Toronto. We love Kiva's. Be going to Kivas for many years. We also like What a bagel but still Kivas is the top in my books.

Took my kids there during the break, I have to tell you my kids are very picky about what they put in their mouths. I had a bagel and cream cheese, which was great. My cautious kid ordered a buttered bagel and then had another. My little girl ordered a bagel with Tuna, she also loved it and only wants Tuna from Kivas. My other son ordered a bagel with Egg and devoured it. Their bagels are great and the service was quick. I was very pleased overall and so were my kids which is amazing.

great spot for a morning coffee and a bagel. quick and friendly service and fair price for the area!

I've been getting their Matzo Ball soup since they opened in this location and recently discovered their home made Hummus. Amazing! A must-try.

Kiva's has been a regular stop for me and my family whenever we visit Toronto. The brothers who run it are as friendly and as welcoming as could be and treat everyone like they are VIPs. The food is always fresh and delicious. My kids love it and never let us leave town before stopping in for at least one breakfast or lunch. Great bagels. Great food. Great service. What more can you ask for?

Staff are very rude, I dont think they mean it, but they have been quite short with me on a few occasions. Interesting that some customers get a free cookie, while others dont........They also dont LISTEN to what you ask for.............not to mention the price!