"Bagels, all manners of schmears, and smoked fish are the typical draw at Proper Bagel, but if you don’t add on some sort of baked good to your order, you’re not doing it right. Nab a proper black and white cookie—the owner does have NY roots after all—or opt for a smore’s bar with so much marshmallow on top, you might mistake it for Dairy Queen soft serve. There’s also homemade hot chocolate with espresso that has all the sweetness of being 18 again." - ann walczak, bailey freeman
"Don’t be fooled by how simple the avocado and egg from Proper Bagel sandwich seems—there’s actually a lot going on here. Besides the avocado and egg, there’s arugula, a healthy smear of plain cream cheese, and a housemade tomato jam that is almost solely responsible for landing this on our best breakfast sandwich guide. You choose what daily-made bagel it comes on, but the key to greatness is to get it on a bialy." - Ann Walczak
"People have flocked to Belmont’s Proper Bagel since 2016 for fresh New York-style bagels, bagel sandwiches with smoked fish, salads, baked goods, and more starting at 8 a.m. daily. Prepare for lines in this chic, modern, minimalist space, but the food’s well worth the wait." - Jackie Gutierrez-Jones
"Stock up on bagels for the week from Proper Bagel, tucked in a black-and-white building off of Belmont Boulevard. Choose a half dozen or a baker’s dozen where you can mix and match flavors ranging from plain, everything, pumpernickel, sourdough, and cinnamon crunch, with a variety of spread options." - Kellie Walton
"“Nashville has everything you could want,” says Walls, including a proper New York bagel from Proper Bagel. They’re kettle-boiled before being baked in a stone-lined oven, and feature less-often-seen varieties like sourdough, spinach everything, and sunflower wheat." - Rebecca Strassberg