amazing bagel sandwiches - the coffee was ok - it was a little watery and slightly bitter - service was great

Cohen's is a local much-loved bagel bakery. The staff is courteous, well intentioned, but would benefit from standardization. I lived in NYC for many years and love bagels. A fresh bagel, toasted with plain cream cheese, lox, a thin slice of fresh tomato and red onion, and a few capers is my gold standard. Cohen' tries and comes close. The bagels are a bit bready, but the best I've found in CT. The store is clean, well-run, and has an impressive variety. I'll be back. read more

Cohen's Bagels are my favorite bagels on the shoreline. I first encountered and learned about them at a 5k road race years ago that it was one of the race's highlights every year for me. Fast forward to today, I love finding Cohen's Bagels at local coffee shops. I finally was able to visit their store and I was very impressed by the selection available since it was after the morning rush. I got a Bagel Melt on my favorite Cheddar Cheese Bagel. This was so cheesy! It had chive cream cheese, cheddar cheese, tomato, and raw onion. The sandwich was very messy. I also got an Iced Chai Tea Latte that was pretty good. I like their bagels because of the variety of flavors, there are chewy, perfectly sized,!and easy to eat. The staff were very friendly and my order came out quick. There was even a large dining room area (this is where you picked up your order). It was very spacious, many tables, clean, and open. I will be back again at Cohen's Bagel because they are my favorite where it's stopping for a quick lunch or grabbing an assortment of bagels and breads for at home. read more

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When we walked into the strangely laid out space (large unused room with stacked chairs and tables, doors you're not supposed to use, etc.), the very nice young lady behind the counter informed us that they were out of all their bagels except the sweet ones. Unfortunately, cinnamon raisin (the only sweet bagel I'm really in the market for) was also out. So our family got a turkey bacon sandwich with avocado on sourdough (for me), a french toast bagel (one kid), a chocolate croissant (other kid), and some tuna salad (my mom). A pleasantly affordable lunch. It was all fine. Apologies to everyone outside the NYC/NJ/Long Island area, but your bagels are mostly just bagel shaped bread. When you slather it in too much cream cheese, it still tastes pretty good, even covered in sugar like the french toast one, but it's not really right. The sandwich was pretty basic but it hit the spot, and the same goes for the croissant and tuna salad. All in all, a decent place to grab a bite on a long drive, but I wouldn't go out of my way for anything. Really nice people and good service though. read more

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Cohen's used to be amazing but this past weekend, they just weren't on their game. Maybe because it was a mob scene for Father's Day? The eggs felt pre cooked and weren't hot. The bagels seemed smaller than usual. The staff seemed stressed and were running around behind the counter almost frantically. The lox sandwich was also bland and had exactly zero capers on the sandwich - they were all at the bottom of the plate. And the egg salad was unseasoned and very heavy on the mayo read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Lox Sandwich - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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This is hands down the best bagel shop on the shoreline maybe all of Connecticut. Everyone is very friendly and efficient at their jobs and the place has a great vibe. The selection of bagels is very good and the sandwiches and accompaniments are delicious. Very consistent year after year. read more

Something has changed. The bagels seem not fresh like before. I ordered two bagels today with cream cheese and somebody came in long after me and ordered one bagel with cream cheese. He got his and I was still waiting for mine. They are very disorganized there. I took a little piece of the bagel that had just plain cream cheese on it, and I thought it tasted very sour like it had met its time on the shelf. My stomach hasn't been right since then. Sadly, I don't think I'll be returning. I always used to come here and I had stopped due to the last time. The woman at the register was so nasty and mean I don't go places like this to spend my hard earned money to be treated like that Quality has gone down hill significantly. . read more

Just the worst bagel I've ever had. I ordered a toasted everything with vegetable cream cheese. I got a microwave warmed sift bagel with a few seeds on it and a heap of the most ridiculous excuse for vegetable cream cheese I've ever seen. A few specs of orange and red and that's it! The cream cheese was a slimy kind of cheese I hope to never taste again. And I paid $4.82 for this privelege! Yuk! read more

We have been going to Cohen's for years, never disappointed. Until today. Food remains excellent, but they have obviously cut back on portion. No more crouton chips, smaller croissant which would clearly mean less inside the croissant. Portions had always been perfect, sometimes had a bit left for later. Today I'm still hungry. read more

Luckily for them Dekes bagels in Guilford are burnt dry garbage but boy is this place a disaster. What a joke, 25 people behind the counter, you can't get help and they're always out of bagels on a Saturday or Sunday, which is inexcusable. Luckily the owner isn't in a position of power ... wait, isn't she a state senator? read more

Bagels are perfect! Love the spinach- artichoke spread! If you sign up for free loyalty acct you will get a birthday reward and you get credits for every purchase. Today I picked up a half dozen bagels and two full size spreads for basically free using both prior credits and my birthday rewards. Service is perfect as well! read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

Well, I guess you know the tourists have left when the bagel quality goes down dramatically. These once perfect New York style chewy, delicious bagels have been so dry, ice cold (probably still defrosting) and nearly devoid of cream cheese that they should be ashamed to serve them. I guess they'd be ok for those of you who get theirs toasted but I doubt it! A STALE BAGEL IS A STALE BAGEL. And all this in the past 3 weeks! I have been coming here for years but the last 3 visits were a giant disappointment. read more

A while ago, a friend recommended Cohen's for bagels and I tucked that away for when I visited the area during bagel time. Well last weekend, it was Bagel O'Clock when I visited the Clinton Outlets. Cohen's is nearby in Madison. It's got a nice corner spot in a small brick plaza on Boston Post. I ordered a Cheddar Everything with veggie cream cheese, and a bag of bagels with a large container of cream cheese for later. For me, there are three parts of the Bagel Game. Bagel. Cream Cheese and Bagel Sandwiches. I can't speak to Cohen's sandwiches, but their actual bagels are very good. My cheddar everything had good chewy texture and flavor. I froze some other bagels like Sesame and Cheddar. They thawed and reheated well. I have a high opinion of Cohen's bagels. The veggie cream cheese was at best average. Sometimes it seems like something was made by a person who doesn't know why people like that thing. That's how I felt about the Veggie cream cheese. There were a few small flecks of vegetables, but there was no significant vegetable flavor or texture. None of the other cream cheese options stood out to me either. 4.25 Stars for Cohen's. If you're a bagel fan and you're in the area, you should check out Cohen's. read more

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They are always out of the bagels I order. They should update their website to reflect availability. It happens way too often.

Sadly first bagel I tried here had just come out of the oven and was undercooked. The morning rush is a madhouse so perhaps with counter orders and deliveries they were scrambling. I think at slower times during the day all is good and quality of food and service is better. That was the case on my second visit. Not sure why (save on electric bill?), but the AC was not turned on in the seating area. They had the big fan blowing to cool off the kitchen. So, conversation in the sitting area is hard because of noise and it is just too hot to enjoy inside. All in all could be a great place but currently not the place to sit and have coffee and bagel. FIX the AC please! read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Undercooked Bagel - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

It's pointless to order online. They just make you get back in line after getting food to get any drinks. The line is always long, and no one let's you go directly to counter to get coffee. So I order online and my sandwich is ready, but back in line because no one had the drink ready. System makes no sense. As much as I like to food, I avoid them if I dont have 10 minutes to wait for my drink. read more

I adore cohens bagels! My fav is the cheddar with the spinach artichoke cream cheese, to me they have the best cheddar cheese bagel I've had in CT. And the chewy factor is on point. The line gets long and they do sometimes run out of flavors but they are always cranking them out behind the scenes. There's is a small area to have bagels and sit down but we always take ours to go. I find toasting at home in a toaster oven is always superior to any bagel shop toast. read more

Good bagels but this store has absolutely the WORST cream cheeses! The vegetable cream cheese only had a few flecks of grated carrot and no seasoning. Typically other bagel shops would have chunks of carrots, celery, onion and other flavorful additions. Same with the smoked salmon. A tiny bit of grated salmon and no other flavor. Totally white cream cheese not the pale orange a person would expect for this flavor. So disappointing. Two fails. I'll buy my bagels plain and make them up at home. read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Skimpy, skimpy $10 sandwich - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

I've never gone out of my way to leave a review in the past, yet the experience I had here is definitely deserving of one. I stopped by to grab some bagels to go, while selecting my bagels the woman behind the counter had stopped and informed me that the bagels she had put in the bag were infested with ants. Not sure if this is a common occurrence there but something must be seriously wrong with the cleaning procedures for the bagels to be covered in bugs. Left here empty handed and extremely disgusted. Only redeeming quality of Cohens is the woman behind the counter who handled the situation as professionally as she could. read more

I rarely write reviews but since I can never seem to find a manager or the owner this has to be said. Every single time I have gone here over the last year my order is either wrong or they forget to do part of it. I can never seem to find anyone who is a manager to speak to and the owner is never there. Wait time is long which would be ok if my orders weren't always wrong or missing items. Today is finally the day I've decided I am just not going back. Cohens has lost my business. I would rather purchase a crap bagel from Dunkin rather than continue going to a place that has rude, slow employees who screw my order up Everytime. read more

Food is good but no one ever answers the phone and then you walk in and no one is busy. not sure why they have a phone number to call if no one answers it read more

Always go to Cohens! The service is a little slow but they have the best bagels on the shoreline by far. My personal favorite is the cinamon crunch bagel! read more

A solid stop on the shoreline for breakfast. I tried a sesame bagel today instead of my usual cheddar and the texture is just as good. I'm a NYC bagel girl but Cohen's has their own style & recipe for success in CT which I appreciate. My favorite cream cheese is the spinach artichoke, I keep meaning to try others, but it's hard to veer from such a good choice. Give them a try if you are in the area! read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

- wanted to rate a 4 but it's nothing more then just a good bagel - to much cream cheese - not toasted just seemed to be warmed up - out of everything - bagels were small - you get what you pay for read more

Bagels are ok. Fresh, yes. They're much chewier than a New York bagel. There's definitely no crust to the exterior. And all of the bagels, like sesame, poppyseed, and everything, only have seeds on the top portion of the bagel and not the bottom, which I do not like. They are short staffed, so have difficulty taking orders quickly and executing the order efficiently. We ordered an asiago bagel with egg and ***turkey bacon. They gave us regular bacon. And did not gut the bagel as we asked. I ordered a jalapeño bagel which they didn't have. So I ordered an everything instead and asked it to be toasted well done with chive cream cheese. They did not toast my bagel at all actually. No crunch whatsoever and gave it to me with scallion cream cheese, which is not what I ordered. They were hardly busy. I can only imagine what this place is like on a Saturday morning. Disappointed and will not return. read more

Mediocre bagels, long wait times, and luke-warm sandwiches and soups. One simple bagel with cream cheese could take upwards of 15 minutes... with hardly anyone there. The place looks incredibly dirty in the kitchen area, during the Summer you can see flies everywhere. Very off putting. Only positive is the cashiers are friendly. read more

Went during Covid. Such a nasty reception I have never returned. I don't care how good the bagels are. Greet me with that level of obnoxious attitude, you'll never see me again. read more

I used to go to the Cohen's in Branford semi often years ago and always enjoyed their bagels - especially Asiago! (Still my favorite) I've lived in Southern California the past 8 years now and no bagel out there comes even close. I am in town for a week and staying right near Cohen's and decided to stop by and get an Asiago cheese bagel for breakfast this morning. WOW - even better than I remembered! The crispness and chewiness, the flavor, it's all so amazing! The best bagels around, for real. read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Asiago bagel with butter (I ate half before I remembered to take a photo!) - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

Great quality bagels. Fresh & delicious. Staff very friendly and polite. New to Madison and definitely will be back! Plenty of parking, quick in and out service. read more

Bagels are amazingly fresh. Spreads are creative and very delicious. I might hope they see this and consider: OLIVE CREAM CHEESE.

Have to give a slightly mixed score here. We started coming here earlier this year during the pandemic - I think on someone's recommendation (maybe yelp reviews!) It's kind of a hike from our house but I'll drive pretty far for a good bagel. So part 1, 5 stars for their bagels. They're amazing. You pick up a bag and it smells like bagel heaven. I'm really amazed I don't eat them all on the way home. I'm a weirdo who eats plain bagels unsliced with nothing on them and these are great. We buy a bunch of them and freeze them, and heating them up later on they're equally good. We've since tried a few other places within 15 minutes of our house and they all SERIOUSLY pale in comparison. Part 2 is for the service. We've probably been about 6 times since around March and we order our bagels through the toast app (awful app, but not Cohen's fault). We generally order about 24 bagels and almost every time they give us a dozen and my husband has to tell them 'no it's 2 dozen.' Sigh. Like...every time. Seems like a really careless error to continually make. Nevertheless, the bagels are so worth it that as long as we know to check the number of bagels, we're good. Also I've been glad they haven't been letting people inside and instead people can wait outside, spread out, until their name is called or if their bag is in the doorway. Highly recommend their bagels! read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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Super great bagel spot by Hammonasset!! We came here after grabbing coffee at Dunkin - I was surprised that compared to Dunkin there was really not much of a line. One person in front of us on a Saturday morning in the middle of the summer. It was nice it wasn't too busy, because it is a bit tiny inside. They had so many different bagel varieties, savory and sweet. They also had a ton of different cream cheese flavors. I am not a huge cream cheese fan, but I was impressed by all the varieties. My friend just went with plan and said it was much better/creamier than store bought cream cheese. I went with the everything cheddar (with bacon egg and cheese). I was shocked that they had almost every bagel in stock on a Saturday mid morning. The bagel was very fluffy and flavorful. The egg looked maybe frozen/premade but it was still tasty. The bacon was good perfectly and they gave a generous portion. My friend got the French toast bagel which I tried a bite of and it was also delicious. Kind of wish I got a half dozen! Prices are very reasonable. Most other reviews I saw complained about staff, which I had no problem with. They weren't overly friendly but no one was rude whatsoever. A great place to grab a quick breakfast by the beach! read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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I have visited this bagel shop on Jan 15 2025. Everything was perfect. The selection of bagels, the selection of cream cheeses and salads to go, the cleanliness of the place and a friendly staff. My sausage and egg on croissant sandwich was perfectly prepared. Exceeded my expectations! Thank you! I will look forward to coming there again. read more

Fabulous as always best bagel on the shoreline. Service excellent Ambiance cozy inside read more

The bagels were delicious! Some of the rudest unprofessional service I've ever experienced. It was so bad it was almost funny. I asked for one of the pastries in the display, and she said "we don't have any of those" I sent my niece through and surprisingly it then became available. Wow she was rude. read more

We've been going to Cohen's for years. For a long time they had the best bagels in CT by far. But they must have changed recipes or bakers or something. For almost a year now, their bagels have tasted -- and looked -- completely different. The pumpernickel is basically just baker's chocolate in bagel form. The plain bagels are OK if you can get ones that aren't tiny: the tiny ones are super hard. The asiago, usually my favorite, is bright orange and way over-spiced. Almost inedible. We keep going back and trying, hoping that they'll go back to their old recipes, but keep getting disappointed. It's too bad-- I love supporting this local place and want to keep supporting them, but the baking has to change. read more

Coffee had a strange flavor - cinnamon? Vanilla? Complained but server wasn't interested. Disappointed because usually have a good experience here. The bagel was ok. read more

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! I mean, let's be honest. Cohen's has been going progressively downhill since Covid. The trends across the breakfast world of warming bagels, but not toasting them has been disgusting. It's like eating a microwaved sponge. But this morning they topped themselves somehow I have a bagel that is simultaneously burnt and raw. That's right the toppings on the everything bagel are burnt to absolute charcoal and yet the interior of the bagel is just warm dough. I've never had a bad everything bagel in my life until this morning.. And when they call it and everything bagel does that include that hint of chemical. It's like eating barbecue rice seeds that have been soaked in bleach. What a shame their service was fine and friendly. The inside is clean. They finally addressed the decades, long coffee, self service debacle, but none of that makes up for the fact that their core product which is bagels cannot be cooked correctly. And to note, I've had their bagels at other restaurants that they sell to where this has not been an issue. The problem at Cohen's is Cohen's read more

Cohen's makes a fabulous bagel and wonderful sandwiches. However, the owner's are never there anymore and they have hired a staff that has been there for a while now and the new normal is disappointing. Where to start: 1) Why is the staff sweeping around customer feet? 2) Why is staff sweeping around customer feet when there is a line out the door? 3) Why is staff mopping in the dining room with the dining room with disgustingly dirty water and swinging the mop so aggressively that you are dodging the gross water and praying it does not land on your food? 4) Why of you come In 10 minutes before closing you see bags and bags of bagels that have been donated to "someone who is coming to pick them up" and you have to beg for one of the bagels, since everything is gone from the shelves? 5) Why is there such a strong language barrier that I now consistently get the wrong order? 6) Why is it so hard to speak to the owners? Where are they? I actually asked a young lady to stop sweeping in my face while I waited for my order and two separate people thanked me. What's up Cohen's? What happened to cleaning after you close up, insist of neglecting customers to get out early? This is getting worse. I was hoping the owners would see for themselves, and I would not have to say this here. But you are MIA and it shows. read more

Cohen's Bagel Company - Donations before closing and nothing left for customers. :( - Bagels Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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Once again, I enter Cohen's bagels after coming here for almost the time it opened 20 years ago is no English speaking people that can take your order. I waited 15 minutes to get soup because she couldn't find the containers in the back I mean ridiculous and then she microwaves my food. I said I don't. I don't microwave my food. This is ridiculous. deeks bagels is 110% better. I don't know why I came here. read more