Noah's NY Bagels

This Noah’s Bagels location is on the smaller side, but the food was really good. Bagels were fresh and tasty, and service was quick and friendly. A solid go-to when you’re craving a good bagel.

​I have been a customer of Noah's for a long time, but my last two recent visits to the Solano Avenue (Berkeley) location have been unacceptable. The store clearly has major operational issues regarding inventory and customer service. ​On both occasions, I placed an in-person order and did not receive what I paid for. The staff demonstrated a complete lack of regard for order accuracy or customer preference: ​Missing Ingredients/Overcharge: I was charged for add-ons (specifically tomatoes) that were completely omitted from my order without any warning or refund. They just left them off and failed to communicate the shortage. ​Arbitrary Substitutions: When a specific requested item was out of stock (like a Poppy Seed Bagel), the staff simply substituted it with a different bagel of their choosing without consulting me or offering an alternative selection. ​I understand inventory shortages happen, but proper customer service dictates that you inform the customer immediately when an item is unavailable and give them the choice to pick a replacement or receive a refund for the missing component. ​This level of poor service and negligence regarding customer orders is appalling. I miss the quality and service of the "old days" and will not be returning to this location

I am a regular here and the bright haired young lady continually confused "a lot of schmear" with lox schmear 🤦🏾‍♀️ she would say "lox" and I would say "a lot". When I got home, I see a burnt bagel with lox which I took off. Which if anyone knows, the toasting machine can only burn if the bagel is put back in. I did not ask for a burnt bagel.

Nice stop for a loaded bagel. Great flavors, awesome ingredients. Delightful way to start the day on our way from Berkley to the freeway. Easy parking. Easy to find location.

I always go to the pinole location. I tried this location for first and last time. COLD coffee COLD bagels NO receipt to get my points. Bad customer service NEVER coming back again Horrible experience

Noah's bagels has been my go to bagel shop since I was a very little boy and still continues to be my favorite bagel shop in any bagel shop I have tried since. Their bagels are always soft and delicious if you have them toasted they taste even better they have a great variety and a great menu for breakfast as well I highly recommend bagel shop to anyone that likes a good bagel

Great service and delicious bagels. Anthony went above and beyond this morning when preparing my to go order!

Okay bagels, good service. What I hate the most is that about 5 out of 12 bagels are full of air like cream puffs. Just a bagel shell. See attached picture. If you look at it carefully, each half comes from four different bagels, rather than two bagels cut in half. That's just not much substance when a decent bagel should be denser. Updated 1/10/25: Bagels still full of holes. I've decided to get mine from a place on San Pablo Ave near Marin Ave in Albany.

I ordered a Bacon and Cheddar breakfast sandwich on a plain bagel, a heavenly chocolate chip cookie and a small orange juice. The bagel was delicious, the bagel was fresh and perfectly toasted. The egg was a real egg! That's extra plus points with me! The cookie was so decadent and the OJ was cold and fresh. Good job Noah's!

When you spend this much money on a sandwich and they give you a burned bagel...I won't be going back.

Don't waste your $8-12 here. Paying this much and absolutely no where to sit is CRAZY...No seats and no customer service. All wearing masks and don't give a crap about you. Go down the street to Peet's coffee! Plenty of seating! Better food, seating outside, and MUCH better coffee!

Bought 13 bagels. Includes two spreads. Some gourmet costs more. I only bought a variety of gourmet bagels for work. Chose plain and honey almond spreads. Certainly like the selection of bagels. Prices are reasonable. Wanted to try something different than donuts. Great option. I will return.

One of the hardest parts about leaving California is not being able to have good, fresh bagels. This trip to Noah's was so special. It was delicious. The things you take for granted. Gheez!

So I ordered delivery once from here and was not at all satisfied with my order (see previous review). However, on sunday morning (11/12/23) I thought I would go in and give this place another try as I enjoy the bagels, and I quickly learned why my order got messed up. The stress. I was embarrassed by the number of people who were outright rude to the staff. I get mornings aren't for everyone. I myself am not a morning, afternoon, evening, or night person. Yet, I at least know not to be a complete a$$ to the people just trying to do their job and who are touching my food. At one point, one of the workers was trying to refill the milk & cream used for coffees, and someone marched right up to the counter and shoved their phone in the workers' face, demanding their pick-up order. I'm being literal, the worker even jerked their head back so they could see the order on the phone. Frankly, I was disgusted to see so many members of my community be so incredibly mean and rude. The condescending tones, snippy replies, and entitled attitudes were just over the top. If this behavior was a constant occurrence at my place of work, I'd quit. No one deserves to be treated that way, and I hope this was just a one-off. Its a pretty cowardly way to treat someone when you know they can not respond because their job depends on it. Thank you to everyone working that morning for maintaining their composure, responding professionally, and keeping positive attitudes. I appreciate you.

Does anyone else get that random craving for bagels? lol. Noah's bagels are light, fluffy, airy, and a bit chewy. I recommend ordering them toasted well done and they come out perfectly every time. The prices are quite reasonable and the bagels are fresh. I ordered the jalapeno cheddar bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese and a fresh squeezed orange juice. I took it to go and enjoyed it at the racetrack. Lunch with a view! Not to start the Bay's best bagel war, but send me your favorite bagel recommendations :)

Service was lacking, I get you guys close @ 2 but it's 5 minutes till close and can't wait a minute for a decision to be made on food. Rushing the guest is not ok for what was 3 minutes to make the food. The food at Noah's is always great but the employee made us feel not wanted. Perhaps some patience would go a long way, instead of repeating what is your order 3 times while we decide.

Just bad. All around not good. The bagels taste like store bought. The "sandwiches" they serve are like 7-11 sandwiches only on a bagel. Gross. I ordered the turkey club... What was I thinking? This was awful. It was literally just a pile of cold slimy turkey slices rolled up like a wad of 1's between two rubberized slices of bread. Just impossible to eat. Also, if you're going to have tomato in a sandwich, don't use a partially frozen unripe red blob and act like it counts. The breakfast sandwich was also bad. Just a pile of melted cheese and some undercooked bacon. No egg either. Just weird. TL;DR: Just get bagels here... I guess... Or don't go. That's also a good idea.

I have been cravingggg for some cinnamon bagels from Noah's since I tried it a couple weeks ago at work. I was a bit skeptical to stop by this location because of some of the negative reviews I saw but decided I would treat myself to some brunch here. I ordered ahead and ordered the cinnamon sugar bagel with honey almond spread, the Nova Lox Sandwich, a cookie and their blackberry lemonade. My order did not disappoint. The Nova Lox Sandwich was DELICIOUS. This will probably be my go-to whenever I visit again. I've never tried a sandwich with salmon inside of it but wanted to be a little adventurous with my food and I do not regret buying it. I wasn't a fan of the chocolate chip cookie. It was very hard, they might have baked it for too long. The BlackBerry lemonade was SOO good. The sweet flavor of blackberry and the tangyness of the lemonade was a great combo. The cinnamon and sugar bagel had a nice amount of spread inside (they definitely didn't skimp on that.) Food and beverage: 4/5.... Would have been 5 if the cookie wasn't so hard. The Nova Lox and lemonade drink were definitely a 5.... That might be all I order from here from now on. Service: 5/5 the male cashier was very nice and friendly. Atmosphere/Inside: a clean and nice environment Parking: limited street parking that you have to pay for.... Maybe.... Overall: 4/5 stars... Btw I opted for the asiago bagel instead of the plain bagel for the Nova Lox

Love Noah's bagels and their staff are so great. Fresh and my order is just right "let light cream cheese" and cut in half

It has been years since I have been to Noah's bagels and this was my first time at this specific location. I walked in and was greeted by a tall slender gentleman who advised someone would be with me shortly. I was then assisted by Juliette who was extremely patient as I was debating between either a spinach & swiss bagel or six cheese bagel which when I use to frequent Noah's in the past, was my favorite. Another employee, Olivia chimed in and suggested six cheese, SOLD! I also ordered a caramel macchiato which was good but very sweet. I arrived at work and as I opened my bagel, I Thanked Juliette again in my head. I asked for extra butter and that's EXACTLY what she gave me, PERFECT! I honestly forgot what these yummy bagels tasted like DELISH. The customer service was great but I was honestly surprised the store was not clean at 6:15a given they open at 5:30a. I was thinking to myself how is the floor this dirty in less than one hour, clearly it wasn't cleaned the night before. That is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. Again, the service was great and the bagel was delicious but surprisingly not clean for just opening less than one hour prior and given there were at least 3 ppl working when I arrived, just seemed strange the store wasn't clean. Both the floor and bagel counter needed attention.

Wow what a s***t show this place was, I went in for bagels and she had such attitude, then after didn't even wrap my bagels and through all of them in the bag carelessness.

Blueberry bagels are not chocolate chip bagels, not even close. If you don't have what someone orders, and you don't have the manpower to call about it, just cancel the order, stop wasting peoples time and money on incorrect assumptions of what would be a fine substitute. Shit gets expensive with food delivery, and paying $20 for some $3 bagels as a treat occasionally is already hard enough, but to get the wrong thing when it arrives? More often than the correct thing? Nah. I'm bouta start calling the location before placing orders to make sure that what I want is actually there, since apparently that's the level of thoroughness I need to have to get my order correct.

This location needs to close for a day solely to clean. I visited for the first time and it was filthy. The stainless steel cases were covered in at least an inch of dust and dirt and the area with the condiments was nasty. Do better, Noah's. I also watched one of the workers physically move the trash bin with bare hands and immediately turned around and touched patron's food. This is not ok!

On the one hand we don't think of Noah's as being anything special. On the other hand, when it comes to California, Noah's is kind of the go-to for bagels. If you're in New York it's another story, but we're not in New York. So, today I was craving a bagel and made my way over to Noah's to grab the last jalapeño cheese bagel, toasted w plain shmear. The lady helping me was super nice and friendly. I asked for twice toasted and she even made sure to show me and ask "Is this how you want it?" Yes please! It was golden brown, not burnt. It's not H&H bagels in NYC, it's Noah's on Solano. Recalibrate expectations and you'll be able to enjoy your bagel as much as I did.

It's Monday and I stopped by this location for the $8 Baker's Dozen deal. Arriving at 11:30, there was a socially distanced line of five customers. They did a good job in placing markers on the ground as to where customers were to stand inside and outside the store. Seeing the fairly empty bagel display case, I was concerned that they were out of stock in the varieties I wanted to buy. The worker said more bagels were being baked and would be ready in 45 minutes. I placed my order for Blueberry and Everything bagels, paid and was told that my order would be ready for pickup when I returned. Returning in 45 minutes, my order was packed and ready for my pickup. Workers were courteous and efficient. Metered parking was plentiful on Solano Ave and unmetered spaced around the corner on The Alameda.

Every now and then, my guy and I will go over to Solano to get bagels for breakfast. We always order the same thing, the Nova Lox Bagels on everything bagels with red onion, capers and cream cheese. We then go outside to eat them outside while people watching on Solano. It's kinda of our Noah's ritual. Someday I may venture out and try something else, but I just love these bagels.

Ordered ahead with curbside pickup thanks to new SIP precautions. I hold a soft spot for Noah's bagels egg sandwiches as I grew up enjoying them with my family on weekends. Sadly, the quality/accuracy of order has declined since they reopened with stricter SIP regulations. I used their app to place an order for curbside pickup. **Separate critique for their online food app, the app did not allow me to redeem my free, birthday egg sandwich; which was the initial motivation for me venturing out of the house for a breakfast indulgence.** The Solano location was slammed. I saw multiple families enter/exit while I was parked curbside waiting for my order. Inside, I could only see 2 individuals working; which may account for the subpar experience. I received 2 egg and cheddar bagel sandwiches on the wrong bagels (was supposed to have one everything bagel and one jalapeño cheddar bagel and instead received two, three-cheese bagels). I also ordered 2 large iced coffees and was brought 2 medium iced coffees. I didn't feel like I could speak up about the mix up since they were so busy. The bagel sandwiches were still good, but not what I ordered. I am also bummed that I am unable to redeem my birthday bagel reward when I order ahead. Will probably wait until I can dine-in before I return.

Decided to get some bagels this morning with my son choose this Noah's bagel I asked the women if I may have the crème cheese on the side and she stated the tub would be cheaper I was very confused as the other Noah's bagels don't charge additional for the crème cheese. The women with blue teal hair easily got frustrated because I was confused and asked questions that is bad customer service she needs more training the little girl with black hair and glasses had a very bad attitude as well the bagels where just thrown in the bag only 1 bagel was wrapped the girl with black framed glasses over toasted the bagel that it hurt my sons mouth , very poor customer service! Won't return here again.

Overall, solid bagels and quick for on the go meals! Food: B+ Bagels were solid and the cafe latte was good too. They came our fresh, dough was chewy and they gave ample cream cheese. The latte had just the right amount of foam to coffee ratio, although I would have liked a little less milk in mine. Service: A No issues whatsoever. The staff was cordial and efficient. Everything came out in less than 5 minutes. In and out really quickly. Parking: C This area is overall pretty busy so finding parking on the side streets is your better bet. Price: B- For what you get for taste and quantity, it's not the best, but also not the worst. It's overall comparable to Starbucks or other coffee shops. Given the times, it makes sense prices may have adjusted accordingly. Overall: B I would come back here from my positive experience. My items came out quickly to where I didn't it was a hindrance in my schedule.

Second time ordered two hours before closing. Arrived and and no bagels!? I guess if don't order morning-could be out of luck. Why not call or email can't fill order!? Ugh!

Very good, fresh bagels. The staff was very nice and orders came out quickly! The jalapeño cream cheese was one of the best cream cheese flavors I've ever had.

Always a pleasure to come to this facility and see the long time stop that even though they may not know your name they welcome you with a smile and do remember you. They have wonderful bagels seasonal spreads and bagels as well not to mention the delicious sandwich sandwiches and fresh squeezed orange juices

The thing that keeps me coming back to the Solano Ave. location is the staff. Sounds corny but the counter staff at this particular location is great. They are not only friendly and seem to enjoy bantering with one another as though they are enjoying their day at work but they are lightning fast and very efficient. Good bagels, good sandwiches, easy parking, nice people...I come here once a week.

Consistently impressed by customer service and quality at this location. Shoutout to Nick and Stephanie for always being awesome!

WTH ? It's just bagels and they can't get a toast bagel right. I mean I know I'm Not getting a NYC bagel and I have had Noah's before it's passable but this was an embarrassment!!! Omg the cream cheese was so bare I wanted to go back and throw the bagel right at them.. go behind the counter and show them what a smear is dammit!!! What is wrong with people? Highly disappointed and will never go back to this place. Bummed out near my neighborhood.

As always, I ate my bagel too fast to take a picture of it... but like all Noah's, the bagels here did the job! I came in at around 9 am on a Friday and they had every kind of bagel and were still bringing out fresh trays! The bagels with cream cheese are kind of expensive, I ended up paying almost $4, although I did get a 'gourmet' cheddar jalapeño bagel... what can I say I'm a sucker for spicy + cheesy things. I didn't encounter bad service or a lack of bagels, but that might be cause I came by early! Tldr: don't expect a New York bagel, but it's good for a quick bite

The bagels here are pretty consistent, but it is hit or miss here with how much cream cheese you get. Some days you get a normal amount, other days you're wondering if they forgot the cream cheese because it was spread so thin it melted into your bagel... I learned to always order extra creamcheese or just be disappointed. Also, the people working here are also hit or miss. We used to get bagels plus a chocolate croissant for the kiddo, but when we went this past week we didn't see any out yet. Asked if they would have any croissants or other pastry stuff later and the girl responds with "This is a BAGEL shop". Just a tad bit unnecessary as she must not realize that they did normally have pastry items there in addition to bagels.

Today I made a bagel pilgrimage to Noah's bagels. I feared the worst based on all the previous reviews. However I walked away impressed. Now don't get me wrong, these are not the purists' bagels. They do use dough conditioner, and so the bagels are not chewy. But they are tasty. And so, for providing a substrate to which lox, cream cheese, or peanut butter can be applied, they are super! Similarly, I feared the devil horned service people I would encounter and yet, they were fine too. So yes, this review is a 3 1/2 star review rounded up. But I think it is deserved. See for yourself :-)

Its the same sad story. A company wants to make more money, or preserve the margins they've achieved historically, and they have to make a decision. Do we charge more, or do we go cheap on costs? Which one will make customers leave? Today we have an answer when it comes to this bagel shop. I graduated Cal in '91 and (on the rare occasion I could afford it as a poor student) I loved getting a toasted onion (they used to offer "super onion" which was great) with plain cream cheese. It was awesome and you had to pay attention when eating it because the cream cheese would squish out between the bagel halves. You had to manage that stuff and it was delicious, so it was well worth the vigilance. Fast forward to the present. No more "cream cheese". Now its called "shmeer". As any savvy consumer knows, the reason it's called "Froot Loops" is because it doesn't have any actual "fruit" in it. That's why it's called "Kraft Singles" instead of "sliced cheese", because its not actual "cheese". So its safe to assume that "shmeer" is so very not-cream-cheese that they had to change the name for legal reasons. This is bad. But this nomenclature quibble is nothing compared to the matter of volume. You spread this "shmeer" stuff like a hint of butter. Its barely there. What I got was "bagel-tries-to-remember-what-cream-cheese-is-but-can't". The amount of "shmeer" on the bagel has been decreasing and today was the final straw. This is a divorce. If you charged me fifty cents more, fine. Going cheapskate on your "shmeer" is not acceptable. I will NEVER RETURN TO ANY NOAH'S EVER. So you have your answer. If you rip me off to preserve your margins, you no longer get my business. (Bonus, you get my public input). Maybe you think people would swear-off your carbs-with-suspicious-dairy-like-product if you charged fifty cents more. Go ahead and believe that. My shoes are talking directly to you as I walk away. Take that for what you will. I loved Noah's. You make me dislike the brand intensely now. I'd have preferred that it didn't go down like this, but you made your calculation and I hope it bankrupts your whole endeavor.

Staff is very unfriendly don't greet customers. It's almost like you're bothering them by coming in . The manager with The bright turquoise hair is very Sarcastic when she answers. I asked her for her coffee options and what she recommended and Said there was a menu and to pick lol . I won't be returning . I gave this place a couple chances . They need training or new staff .

Today I bought a toasted, buttered, cream cheese bagel. It was doughy to wet, warm but, not toasted, you could see a signs of a whiteness I suppose they call cream cheese. I had stopped going there after having exactly the same experience last year. I guess they don't want me to go back again! It is shameful what they do. An insult to public.

Awful quality and not worth coming anymore. See the pictures of the plain toasted bagel they gave me. You have lost a customer for good. I paid $3.05 for this ugly bagel. It was not like it was a busy day w lots of customers waiting. I was too tired in the morning to complain w them. If you give a customer something that looks like this and you don't care, you know it's time for you to close shop.

They wouldn't take my order over the phone and I can't place it online because I'm lactose intolerant and the website won't accept this allergy. I explained this to the person working and they simply repeated the policy. Told them my diet restrictions and that the website didn't accept that order and they genuinely didn't care. Have had issues at this Noah's location for 10 years with nasty customer service. Unsure if racism or just poor poor benefits that have soured these workers consistently against being even basically kind.

Closest thing to Ny bagels in the Bay Area. Bagels and cream cheese and or lox are great, sandwiches and hot fri is aren't as good.

Service is kinda ass...HOWEVER this must be 5 stars because these bagels keep me living. Are they similar to New York bagels you may ask? No. Are they healthy and good for dieting? No. Are the shmears think and creamy? No. But you know what? It doesn't matter. These fluff balls of carbs keep me going and for that 5 stars. Things to improve: more bagel flavors! Let's get creative I know we can

I came here with my friend to pick up some bagels for breakfast, I think the bagels are a bit overpriced, they are almost $2 each unless you get half a dozen or a dozen. The smear is $3, which is comparable to grocery store prices ( plus the smear is way more fluffy ) !! I had the pretzel bagel and it was too salty for me, I ended up just picking out all the salt. I wasn't sure what was so pretzel about this bagel, because it just tasted like a regular bagel, while I was expecting something with a more pretzel like consistency. I would probably just come by here if I was in a rush and needed to get some quick breakfast for a large group of people.

Make sure to check your order before they leave. Apparently the guy working there does not know what a Farmhouse is. I have been trying to call but keep getting a recording saying the team is serving others please call back. I will go back later today hopefully. I am at work so now I can't go back. I won't eat it I will just give to a co worker. I was so hungry too! Darn it!

I placed an order online after close of business for the following day to be ready at 8:00 AM. It was a catering order so it was quite large. I got to the bagel shop at 8:20 and my order was ready to go. Staff was very nice and friendly. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. Excellent service!

I enjoy the bagels. They make a good product. I have been coming here almost every morning for the last 3 months as it's on my way into work. Today will be the LAST time I will go to this Noah's Bagels or maybe Noah's ever. The older lady who works the register is often lost but usually cordial albeit short with the customers. Today she was more rude than I've ever seen. There is no definitive line structure at this establishment so it's basically honor system. Today she looked at me after I let someone order before because they were there before me. I was then told "I don't know where you are gonna go!" I replied "I'll go somewhere else." I left and will not be returning.

What's up with this location? I get it. U gotta be at work early in the am and deal with people screaming for their morning coffee but.... fix the attitude. Everyone that works there has an attitude. And last time I got a bagel that looked as though someone hawked a you know what right on top. I'm like wow I was nice to you people. Never ever again.

You know how many times we've walked into this store--at various times--and we're unable to buy a dozen sesame bagels? How freaking hard is it to keep sesame bagels in the case all the time? Yeah, they're popular. So make some more! Hey but you can order ahead we're told. Is that what we have to do? Can I do it online? Oh, no? Really? Is it just this Solano location? I think it might be, reading all the reviews of employee ineptitude. Hey Mr Manager, do a better job or shut the place down...

Noah's leaves alot be desired. The staff is always friendly but the decision making doesn't seem to be up to par. They OFTEN run out of the most popular bagels. One would think to make more of the popular bagels and less of the nonsense. As well, perception shows alot of confusion with the staff if there is more than two patrons waiting. Just not a good experience. Especially with such limited options they should be on point.

The bagels are acceptable, but phony (e.g. not boiled). The service and staff attitude also leaves much to be desired. In that vein, try Boogle Woogie Bagel Boy on Gilman. There was a time when the lines outside this Noah's was long,the service was very good and the bagels (and accessories) seemed to make up buying steamed bagels. It also once had a Kosher certification, which kept their food selection grounded in what I'll call dairy basics. It seems that when Noah Alper sold his business to whatever Corporate entity it was, the service model and quality went with it.

Always out of bagels, and the ones they have are hard as rocks and super small. I remember Noah's bagels used to have huge and soft bagels...don't know what happened! You can get better tasting bagels somewhere else.

I love the bagels but I hate the customer service. One of the employees continuously forgets to leave cheese off my bacon and egg sandwich and has very little work effort. All of the employees I've seen work very slowly and look like they're being forced to work at gunpoint. Just recently I ordered a bacon and egg sandwich on sourdough bagel, NO CHEESE, which I expressed at least times. 10 minutes of watching three employees mosey on down to making my bagel, I finally had a bagel in my hand. I had no time to check the bagel because I was in a rush but when I did, to my dismay, it had cheese on it, and that is not the first time. Please Noah's Bagels, your bagels are phenomenal, don't let their greatness be overshadowed by laziness.

If I could give zero stars, I would. The gift card Noahs sent to me after 6 months was suppose to be for $25.00. There was no balance on the card. I'm not surprised - they are so incompetent. Everytime I call, the person says they don't handle it and they don't give a phone number for the people that are suppose to be looking into it. It's a scan for them to take people's money. I have no confidence in getting this resolved. In regards to the store, poor customer service. I suggest for everyone to go elsewhere and hopefully they will end up closing their business.

This place is a friggin' mess - among the worst managed businesses in Berkeley. This is not the time to ask whether Noah's bagels are in any sense "authentic" (they are not) or whether what they offer is at all good (not so much.) Today's subject is the employees. We walk over there some weekends and in the past few months we've noted: 1) Two employees swapping spit and furiously grinding into each other (come on, guys, get a room!); 2) employees prepping food with no hairnets; 3) a crew member walking in from his break with a lit cigarette; 4) at least one employee always sitting at one of the store's three tables. I can deal with a lot of eccentric shit, especially if the food is good. But this place is just really weird, inefficient, and unpleasant.

Summary based on many visits: --decent bagels --ok service --competitive prices --parking can be challenging Noah's can be hit and miss for service. However, the customers in North Berkeley can be entitled jerks, so it's not all the fault of the staff.