Eager to bring bagels home for the family, I decided to branch out and try someplace new. This place is close to the El Cerrito hood, and had a fun menu of sandwiches with an array of bagel and smear options. It's conveniently just off of San Pablo and Marin, with plenty of street parking. The small shop had every table taken, at 11:00 on a Saturday morning, and a line - almost - out the door. I brought home a half a dozen sliced bagels, a green onion and horseradish smear, a chai iced tea and a "Bougie" bagel. As bagels go, these were the quintessential perfect, chewy and soft, fragrant bagels. The cream cheeses were delish and perfect for family to build their fav bagel meal. The Chai, was what will keep me coming back, however! It was perfectly sweetened, versus the sickening sweet of many shops, with a nice oat foam on the top. Don't forget the cinnamon sprinkle, which added the fragrant element. I had to wrestle my 20 yo for it when I got home. Now I'm left craving more. read more

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VEGAN REVIEW ah, finally a fancy bagel place!!! (something I have missed moving up from LA) GREAT bagel sandwiches, with several vegan options (including not just 1 but 2 cream cheese options). I love to get a bougie bagel. they also have oat milk cold foam!!!! +1 for that.... but -1 for no hot espresso drinks (just drip coffee). anyhoo-- I usually get a Thai iced tea or London fog. it gets VERY BUSY & they run out of bagels, so if it's after 11am check their online ordering before heading over (nothing like the heartbreak of a closed bagel shop......) Very hip & friendly staff Indoor & outdoor seating Easy parking on San Pablo Ave read more

Hella good bagels. Better than boichik. Wifey bagel and lox bagel are the best. Drink menu is extensive. read more

Happy 2nd birthday, hella bagels! You've really grown up and shining even brighter! We were pleasantly surprised by the birthday menu today. Big fans of your bacon egg and cheese bagels, we also tried the Chinese sausage Hot sandwich this morning and loved it! It's also such a family friendly breakfast joint with good seating and high chairs. The cold brews are also solid here and today they had roaming bean for espresso drinks! read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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I was in the mood for lox and cream cheese and ordered a lox tycoon to go. I wanted to enjoy this with scrambled eggs at home. This is my first time here at Hella Bagels. The Classic Lox Sandwich. 3oz Nova Lox, Tomato, Red Onion, Lemon, Capers, & Dill. Served Open Faced or Closed Like a Sandwich. You can pay $2.00 more for this open faced variety for a little more ingredients. I thought the sandwich was fine. It was as expected. Nothing more nothing less. Service was good. read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

There are my new favorite bagels - chewy, fresh, flavourful and perfectly toasted every time! Also usually sold out so go early! We discovered this place after a friend recommended it and we could not be more grateful! They have a great menu, kind staff and nice indoor and outdoor seating. They are located on a busy street but hidden away keeps it away from the busy road and has plenty of parking at the back as well. Note- They have a bathroom next door We tried their everything bagel, plain, garlic and sesame bagels- all 10/10. My go to order has become the egg and cheese sandwich 10/10 and sometimes I crave it as soon as I finish! The flavor is so good and the eggs and sauce are perfectly balanced together. You can either order custom bagel sandwiches by matching your ingredients or choose a sandwich from their menu. If you are not hungry just get a plain toasted bagel with butter- SO good! They have some drinks and coffee as well and I cannot recommend this place enough! Waiting for a punch card for bagels because I go there ALOT! :) read more

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Stopped by today on a Saturday to try Hella Bagels. I ordered the Bacon, egg & cheese on an everything bagel. It typically comes with scallion cream cheese but I decided to swap it for the jalapeño cilantro cream cheese. My bagel sandwich was so good! Bagel texture was good, eggs cooked perfectly, mixed with the bacon, melty cheese, jalapeno cream cheese and hot honey Can't wait to come back to try more bagels and different cream cheese flavors, they also have drinks (cold brew, chai, matcha) that all looked really good, can't wait to try those next time too! read more

Hella Bagels - Bacon Egg & Cheese - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

I came in on a cold and quiet Friday morning to be warmly greeted by person behind the counter. Their menu is straightforward and has different sections for bagels, spreads, toppings and vegetarian and non-vegetarian pre-selected options. The space also has plenty of tables to sit in if you are looking to dine in. I went for a cold smoked salmon bagel and a hot smoked salmon salad bagel (that's a mouthful figuratively and literally). They offer both close faced and open faced bagels. The open faced at a slightly higher price due to the extra toppings. I opted for the open faced. Open faced bagels are all the rage right now and Hella Bagels flourishes at them. The bagels were chewy, well seasoned and the toppings were well balanced and fresh. There is also a small patio in the back with a parking lot to be enjoyed on nicer days. These were on par if not better than Boichik with zero line if you are looking for a quicker option. I will definitely be back! read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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I stopped by Hella Bagels on a Saturday morning around 10:00 a.m. and there wasn't much of a line to order. Although I normally opt for an everything bagel at bagel shops, Hella Bagel had a sign at the counter that said their daily special was a scallion flavored bagel, so I decided to give it a try. I opted for toasted, and paired the bagel with their horseradish dill cream cheese. Within a few minutes, my bagel was ready; they're definitely quick in the kitchen pumping out bagel orders. I loved the flavor of the charred scallion on the bagel, which gave a hint of bitterness. The outside of the toasted bagel was crispy while the inside remained soft and light. The cream cheese was definitely the highlight for me. I would come to Hella Bagel just to get a container of their flavored cream cheese to go. The cream cheese was incredibly fluffy and well-aerated. I loved the balance of dill and horseradish -- which I thought had the perfect kick to it. Both flavors are very much present, and complement each other well. I would not hesitate to get the same combination again. It's hard for me to declare a clear winner between Hella Bagels and Boichik Bagel, but if I had to choose one, I would say I slightly prefer the bagels at Hella Bagels more. On the side of logistics, seating is plentiful both indoors and outdoors on their patio. Additionally, for parking, they have a dedicated lot in the back so you don't have to fight for street parking along busy San Pablo. If you're in the area and are looking for a quick breakfast, definitely worth stopping by! read more

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$1.50 for 'heirloom tomatoes' and they gave me approximately half a tomato. Thirty minute wait, rude vibes, grainy cream cheese. Bagels were fine, nothing special. Paid $40 for three bagels and two mediocre cups of coffee. Also no espresso! Never again. read more

This would be a five star review if a half dozen bagels included six bagels They go to three There doesn't seem to be any way to call them to deal with this so maybe they'll read this and give me an extra bagel read more

Hella Bagels - 6 here 5 in bag - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Second time I've been here and BOTH times, people had dogs inside. The staff really needs to keep an eye on this! read more

Hella Bagels - Pups welcome OUTSIDE. Please don't be an entitled jerk. - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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Oh my, I had the pleasure of experiencing Hella Bagels today and it did not disappoint. Was it delicious? Yes, was the service great? Absolutely? Did the atmosphere pull us in? It sure did. Was it cool to watch them making the bagels while we ate? You'd better believe it! Was it expensive? A tad, but totally worth it. The city lights on an everything bagel was out-of-this-world delicious. The fresh and delicious ingredients really come together with this one. I can't wait to have another one next weekend. read more

Hella Bagels - Half of my city light bagel. Sorry, but I sealed the other half whole before it dawned on me to take a picture! - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Omg. I have not stopped thinking about this bagel spot. My favorite bagel that I've ever had in my life! The boujie bagel was so life changing. I will forever recommend this place! read more

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TLDR might be the best Bay bagel and the location is enjoyable We tried the wifey on garlic. This was excellent flavor and pretty presentation At home we did a side by side compare of Hella vs Boichick vs Poppy. Hella won. Poppy 2 nd place. Hella has a crisp crust The inside has good chew. Boichick was more doughy Poppy is more chewy-- and the inside and crust of poppy are both chewy so it was a little harder to eat. Hella is smaller circumference than Boichick and about the same as poppy. but does anyone care about that? Parking! Tables inside and out! Friendly staff Had to ask them to clean table but they did Bathroom grade: C. It doesn't smell like pee but it is merely serviceable read more

Hella Bagels - Wifey 10/10 - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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Just going to keep this review simple. Decor is fine, sanitized, beige and homey are what come to mind. Easy hang out spot. The natural comparison to this place would be boichik's which is just a few blocks away. I think I prefer boichik's in general. The bagels here were a bit more dense/chewy, which some people may prefer. I feel boicheck was still able to be dense without so chewy. The spread at Boichek's was also creamier. I will say the Jalapeno-Cilantro cream cheese was an absolute surprise and in a good way. You can literally taste the jalapeno, cilantro, and cream cheese and all in great proportions. Outside of that, the parking here drives me insane. It's a one way u-shaped lot behind the strip, if you don't find parking, you have to come out and you can't make a left, so you have to turn right on san pablo, but then you can't make a u-turn at the first or second stop light either, so then you have to go north on Buchanan and into the neighborhood just to turn circle back around the one way. I have had better luck parking on san pablo itself. read more

Bought a dozen bagels today, $30, fine. When I requested to have them sliced, they requested extra $6. That's 50 cents per bagel to slice!!! At any other bagel place it is a free service. Bagels are OK but I am not coming back. read more

If you're ever lost on what to do for your birthday, I have an AMAZING recommendation. It involves ordering a variety of Hella Bagels delivered to your home with a crap ton of schmears. Also recommend ordering their veggies, so you basically have to do NO PREP. We all had such a blast trying different bagel and schmear combinations. The delivery process was also super smooth and they were really friendly about the whole thing! Basically, if you haven't had a bagel party, I reaaally recommend it! read more

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Went out looking around Albany/Berkeley for a good bagel sandwich on a Thursday afternoon, and Hella Bagels was where we landed. Immediately coming in, the atmosphere is welcoming and subtle; simple beige decoration and an open kitchen to take a peek at the magic at work. The service was very friendly and patient with my partners' and I indecisive, and the surroundings were spotless and organized. We ordered two Bacon, Egg and Cheeses and their Japanese Egg Sando on their plain and garlic bagels, plus a drip coffee and their house Thai tea. Plus avocado in the brekky sandwiches, the total roughly came to 50+ dollars which is a little bit in the pricier side for the sandwiches, but quality on everything we got was one point! The Bagels: while they were on the smaller size, but definitely crunchy, dense, and fresh. The garlic bits were perfectly crusty and not burnt (which was spectacular). The sandwiches: if you're looking for a good Bacon, Egg & Cheese.. look no further, Hella Bagels is your place. They are quite generous with their delicious scallion smear, and accompanied with the hot honey, it balances the flavors perfectly (with a dab of hot sauce, ofc). The sunny side eggs are perfectly fried, and with an additional of avocado in them, it makes for a perfect breakfast sandwich. For the sando, while I understand that Japanese egg salad is typically on the blander side, theirs was lacking in the pepper department. Delicious nonetheless, and the gooey poached egg in the middle adds a depth in texture. Overall rating--- I would definitely give them a 4.5 stars, only because there is a lack of spicier options/variety in their sandwich and bagel options. I would definitely love to see a jalapeño cheddar bagel from them, but if you're around the area and looking for well made, balanced breakfast sandwich, Hella Bagels is your spot! read more

Hella Bagels - Bacon Egg & Cheese - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Hot eggy breakfast bagel! This is so delicious, decadent, and creamy. I think it's heft enough to share half with someone, or try another bagel sando and swap halves! Will be coming back again. read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

I was disappointed by my recent experience here, and not because of the food. Upon arrival, I noticed prominent signage prohibiting firearms. While the business is, of course, free to set its own policies, the messaging came across as overtly political and discriminatory--particularly toward members of law enforcement. For a neighborhood bagel shop, I expect a welcoming, neutral environment focused on food and service, not signage that signals exclusion or takes a stance that alienates part of the community. There are many customers, including on duty and off-duty police officers, who simply want a bagel without being implicitly labeled as unwelcome. Given the number of excellent bagel options in the area, I prefer to support businesses that focus on hospitality rather than political statements. Unfortunately, this experience ensured I will not be returning. read more

I remember grabbing Hella Bagels when it was a pop-up at Flowerland on Solano Ave. Stoked it's now a brick-and-mortar still so conveniently close to home! Upon walking in, your eyes head to the open kitchen concept, fresh bagels being made, and quick service. The bagel varieties, spreads, toppings, are all so fire. Last time I was in I went against the grain and ordered the Tamago Sando on Salt bagel. (Japanese egg salad) Huge fan! Hella Bagels also now serves other egg varieties like Egg & Cheese and the Bacon & Cheese which comes with hot honey, pepper jack, bacon, and scallion schmear...yesssss please! Huge fan of their Garlic Confit schmear and Scallion schmear. Bagel wise I'm usually an Everything girly but here, I'm a literally I'll try everything girly. If going the lox route is your thing, they def. have you covered. If you're more of gimme all the veggies or fruit on my bagel, there is the Bougie Bagel (avocado mash) and Peach Szn (peaches and hot honey say what!) among other creative flavors. Noticed the Violife "schmear" for those dairy free too! All in all the bagels, the people, the vibes, are all solid. For just the bagel & schmear, $5. To me, worth it. Love watching pop ups continue to blossom.."Hella" cool. *Pro-tip* - there's parking behind the building! read more

Hella Bagels - Tamago Sando (Japanese egg salad on salt bagel) - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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They've expanded the menu to include sandwiches. The bacon egg cheese sandwich is so delicious!! Peach season bagel is also phenomenal and served open faced for more brunch vibes. Menu has option for select sandwiches to be served closed or open faced. Open faced would be perfect for those trying to share. :) Staff are all so friendly, but a little slow for bigger groups. I'm giving them some grace since it was a busy Sunday morning. Plus is large cups for water so I've got minimal refill trips! read more

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Hella Bagel is Hellaaaaaa Gooodddd! Went here with my girlfriend over the weekend to just try something new and we were not disappointed. The bagels were fresh, and food came out warm. The little capers on this bagel was pickled to perfectttionnnn. The interior of this place is super modern, love the beige neutral tones and ample amount of seating. They have an indoor and backdoor area and the staff are super sweet. My only feedback as a designer, is their outdoor sign although aesthetics, makes it hard to find while driving by or looking for the restaurant. Here's a yelp tip, it looks like a 2D swirl with beige color blocks. Other than that its a lovely family friendly place to start your slow Saturday or Sunday mornings. read more

These bagels were dense, hefty and really chewy. A good toasting didn't change any of that. Nice whipped scallion cream cheese though. I like Boichik way better. read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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New bagel spot in Berkeley on the westside. I ordered the "Sideshow," which is lox spread, shallots, capers, dill and a slice of tomato on a bagel (toasted onion for me). Big mistake getting it toasted, since they're fresh bagels. My bad. It was way too crunchy. I thought the onion flavor was a little overpowering, but I really enjoyed the lox schmear flavor. Kind of hard to locate, even if you know where it is. There's a parking lot behind, so you don't necessarily have to park on the street. read more

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Service and bagels-the best! Plus I sat out back with my dog and we were all happy! Very friendly folks! read more

These bagels were...hella good! Haha. I did not come to the bay craving bagels or with any type of expectation but came across ethers bagels when looking for a quick breakfast - let me tell you, my trip to the bay would have been worth it just for these. I ordered a garlic bagel and the bougie sandwich on an open faced onion bagel - sooo goood! The bagels were still warm and oh so fluffy - pure perfection. You can see them making the bagels as well. A must try! Service was efficient. read more

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By far and away the best bagel I have found in the bay. Should probably be around 3.5 stars but it's just so much better than everyone else it deserves 4. Pretty good texture. Not perfect. Some crunch some chew. Not as dense and chewy as I like. Cream cheese flavors were interesting and paired well with the bagels. Jalapeño had zero heat so that was a bummer. Good jalapeño flavor though. Spicy peach and mango again had very little heat and was mildly sweet. I think I preferred it over jalapeño Staff was very friendly. Everyone was working hard. 6.25 a bagel with tip I think is acceptable. Will probably stop back in somewhat regularly. read more

Hella Bagels - Onion Bagel with Jalapeño Cilantro cream cheese - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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Dense and chewy bagels that pack a lot into a small bite, and the online ordering is super convenient (don't expect to show up after noon, even on a weekday, because they will be sold out). I wish they'd been slightly warmer (fresh out of the oven is ideal) but still a great experience as the Bay Area bagel boom continues read more

Hella Bagels - Everything / Garlic - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Hella bagels, hella good. I've been following Hella Bagels since they were a pop-up and I was so excited to see them open up a brick & mortar! Finally got to check it out when I was craving a bagel sandwich on a weekend and we decided to make the drive from Hayward. Parking was a lot easier than I thought when I stopped by on a weekend late morning. We were able to easily park on the street on some of their 90 minute spots, but I saw they also had a parking lot behind them. It wasn't too busy when we arrived (probably got there after the morning breakfast rush) so we were able to order at the register pretty much immediately. I opted to go for their Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich on a garlic bagel ($12). The sandwich comes with scallion schmear and it was delicious. Love the bacon, love the bagel, the eggs... were just okay. Maybe something about the way it was cooked just wasn't *perfect* to me, but I still enjoyed it overall. Portion size - it was pretty big and I had enough to fill me for breakfast and still have more for lunch. The bagel on its own would prob be so solid of a choice also. I wouldn't mind coming back here just for that and some good schmear. read more

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Lol so I ordered delivery from here earlier because I like this place. Normally I would order the lox cream cheese with bagels but I didn't this time. I only ordered the LOX CREAM CHEESE SPREAD. So, my order takes literally an hour to even get ready. Then after that hour, the doordash person takes a picture of the order and im like wtf?! I waited an hour to not get the single item I ordered which was just lox cream cheese lol they just gave me straight up lox. If you ran out or just didn't want to give me what I asked because I didn't order bagels, just cancel my order, offer a replacement, or call me instead of giving me something I might already have at home. I really think the reason they didn't give me the lox cream cheese is because I didn't order bagels. They're low af for that if that's how they want to play people. This was also the only item I even ordered. I literally love this places lox cream cheese too, it's better than that other bagel place in the Albany area but WTF now this makes me want to never order from here again to avoid being played . Do better pls omg. read more

Hella Bagels - 8oz Sliced Nova Lox - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Im not the bagel snob in my house. So part A of this review is based on my coming in and purchasing for the first time. Part A San Pablo on Albany is becoming San Carbalato: on one end you have iconic Acme bakery as you go north towards solano blvd. then patisserie Rotha, for the bays best croissants and other delicious sweet treats. And now you have hella bagels. Your bread fix should be totally satisfied within a 2-3 block radius. What a quaint little place. An area to sit inside as well as a covered area out back. The staff is exceptionally polite and friendly! Makes you you wanna hang out there all day. Ample parking in back and you may get lucky on San Carbalato. Part B So I get these bad boys home 1 doz errrythang bagels with a couple of smears. The expert Aka Bae takes a bite and is in love. She likes em better than the "B" word bagels not that far away. They call it the B word at Hella Bagels so we will too. Apparently more dense and chewy with a nice crispy crust on the outside were her remarks. Well that makes me feel good cause I only wanted 6 and somehow paid for and got 12 . But I'm confident they will go fast!!! read more

The service is always amazing, staff are so friendly and these are some of the best quality bagels I've had in the area. There's lots of room to sit and this is a great spot to work from, it's quiet during the week and the area is clean. read more

Hella Bagels - Citrus bagel - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Great bagels! Make it a weekly morning stop and try all of their sandwiches and tasty schmears!

The employees, the atmosphere, and the bagels. There's no losing here. You're missing out if you haven't tried them yet.

They are solid, just not my style of bagel. But you know what? They were bumping on a Sunday afternoon, so good for them. I appreciate the have a small lot in the back, making it easy for a quick pick up or not worrying about busy San Pablo Ave if you have kiddos and don't prefer parking on such a main drag. The bagels here are chewy and the outside is lacking that crispy exterior, that I personally prefer. You know what they are doing right? Their cream cheese was delicious. I went with the veggie and it had a great amount of little veggie bits, so kudos to that. They offer a bunch of different spreads along with bacon and egg options. I opted for $1 additional add of tomato on my bagel. It was one very thin piece of tomato, which was kind of sad. So, I probably wouldn't do that again. The place is bright and cute, and def a great little spot for brunch. I appreciate they let you order cut bagels, as well. Overall, more bagels in the world is never a bad thing. read more

Easier for me to get to and park - right off of San Pablo Avenue in Albany. Fresh, warm, and softer (than typical) dense bagels right out of the oven. My favorite is the everything bagel, which has got a nice crunchy exterior. I also like that their bagels are not too ginormous. Sorry Boichik, I have a new favorite bagel spot in the area. read more

Hella Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

Came here on a Sunday around 10 AM and got a poppy bagel with horseradish cream cheese, untoasted. The bagel was delicious, texture and size comparable to Poppy Bagels in Oakland. What impressed me most was the generous amount of ingredients in the spread. You could actually taste the horseradish, lemon, and dill, not just plain cream cheese with a hint of flavor like so many other places. Wish I lived closer to catch the fresh bagels at 7:30 AM! read more

Hella Bagels - Bagel & Schmear - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California

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Always respecting the pop game. We visited them on a Saturday late morning at a plant shop. There was a medium long line but was moving fast. We were a little scared we wouldn't get anything. Although on our turn he had some garlic, poppy seed, and everything bagels left. After ordering it was nice to wander around the shop as they made our order. Very aesthetic yet calming vibes, as they re-toasted then prepared the smear on top. For $5+ I'd say it was definitely worth the price. There was an adamant amount of smear on a chewy/tasty bagel. I personally was already getting full after my first half. Hope to catch them around again and maybe get there early to try something on the sweet side. Lots of different smear flavors, we hope to try a new one! read more

Hella Bagels - Everything bagel with nova lox smear - Bagels Near Me - Albany, California