I think I've found Gainesville's best bagel spot! So far, all I've heard has been rave reviews of…read moreBagel Bakery. And it DEFINITELY lived up to the hype without a doubt. The Bagel Bakery offer a nice variety of bagels, along with other baked goods, sandwiches, wraps, coffees, and plenty of cream cheeses. Their bagels are made fresh throughout the morning. I would recommend going earlier in the day in order to have the best, freshest variety before they sell out. The workers are some of the nicest people. They are all super helpful and very friendly. When it came to ordering, they were extremely helpful and patient. Ordering is really easy and the staff does an amazing job handling customers. Service is just 10/10! The inside is welcoming and comfortable. With a decent amount of seating option, both inside and out, it is a great place to go with friends.
I ended up ordering a toasted bacon-cheddar bagel with spinach & artichoke cream cheese. The bagel was phenomenal, I have absolutely no complaints. Super soft and fresh, the texture was wonderful. I wouldn't consider this a New York styled bagel, but it was still better than any of the other bagels I've had in Gainesville. The bagel had real bacon on it, which made all the difference in the bacon flavor. The cheddar was sharp, but not overpowering. The spinach-artichoke cream cheese was like nothing I'd had before. With actual pieces of artichokes in it, it was perfection. The texture of the cream cheese was also nice. Not too thick, but necessary whipped, I thoroughly enjoyed it! While I was checking out their cookies caught my eye and I added a chocolate chip one to my order. The cashier offered me a free day old cookie from the previous that they couldn't sell. This was very generous and appreciated! The chocolate cookies were very good. I appreciated the different chunks of chocolate in the cookie. The base of the cookie had a good buttery, brown sugar taste...delicious! The free, day-old cookie obviously wasn't as fresh as the ladder, but still good nonetheless. The cookies were so satisfying I actually came back to order another one. I ordered the lemon blueberry one and the cashier, once again, offered me another free cookie. The lemon-blueberry cookie was also amazing. Buttery, with a tangy lemon flavor, the cookie was really moist. The other free cookie I got was a caramel chip one. This was more of a crunchy cookie with chunks of caramelized caramel pieces and white chocolate chips. You really can't go wrong with any of the baked good here. I do appreciate the fact that they prioritize selling fresh baked goods each day!
Overall, I was blown away with the Bagel Bakery. Honestly I'm kicking myself because I haven't come here sooner. The bagels are extremely fresh, with a great variety, and the perfect texture. The cream cheeses are great as well and have a nice consistency. Everything had so much flavor here. I think that is proof they use good ingredients and take pride in their craft. All the cookies I tried were amazing and shouldn't be missed either. The service is above and beyond. Really made the whole experience even better. This place feels like a local place and they treat their customers so well. Next time I come I will have to try more of their bagels (obviously), but also try some of their other baked goods too! It is safe to say I will be returning. I would HIGHLY recommend coming here over any other bagel place in the area.