My rating is 4.5. I'm rounding up.
I have been waiting for what feels like eons for this Kettleman's Bagel to open up shop in Etobicoke. Its opening was delayed multiple times well before the pandemic hit. I am pleased that it's finally here!
I first came across Kettleman's Bagel when I was in Ottawa back in November 2015. I love Montreal-style bagels. They are my favourite. This chain makes yummy ones away from Montreal. I simply found a location, got a dozen onion bagels, along with a chocolate puff to munch on as I drove home.
It is rare to find onion bagels. I grew up enjoying onion buns from a couple of bakeries in the Beaches. I will always get onion bagels at Kettleman's Bagel because they are yummy and perfect.
The last time I was in Ottawa, it was in July 2019. I drove back with two dozen bagels. I had visited Kettleman's Bagel at the Trainyards and got a free dozen of onion bagels as my birthday reward. It was such a generous gesture.
I came to this location on a soggy, rainy Saturday. It is next door to Farm Boy. I may need to rename this plaza Ottawa Plaza, because it has two businesses that hail from that city. There was plenty of parking when I had arrived.
A nice, older gentleman held the door open for me. It was such a kind gesture. I thanked him. I then asked if he could line up ahead of me. He insisted that I go first. Such a lovely man!
I was in heaven. This location felt like the Trainyards in setup. You line up and browse the baked goods, jams, desserts, and drink. You then meet what feels like an endless variety of cream cheese spreads, lox, and more. I had a huge smile under my mask. I picked up the dairy-free cream cheese. I have never had it before.
There must have been ten people in front of me in the lineup. It moved smoothly and quickly. I got a nice woman who helped me with my order.
As usual, I ordered a dozen onion bagels. I also got a bagel dog, which is practically the same order as that in Ottawa. The woman said that it was only available in the everything seasoning and asked if that was okay. I had no idea that it was available in everything. I have only had the sesame version. Yes, I'll take it! I didn't want it heated up. I was going to devour it later.
I got my rewards barcode scanned to collect points. Easy! I paid using my debit card.
She had another colleague help her with getting my order together. This woman kept staring at me for the longest time once she was done. Finally, our eyes locked. You truly can't win a rude staring contest with me. She finally stopped after ten seconds.
The woman helping me out said that there were freezer bags in my order. When I got home, there weren't any. It's the only reason why my rating is 4.5. It's not a huge deal, but they would have been nice to have, without my rummaging through everything to discover that they were missing.
Oh, how I have missed these bagels! The onion bagel that I sliced open and smeared dairy-free cream cheese on was fabulous. It was soft and chewy where they should be. The cream cheese was perfect. I was such a happy camper.
It was cool driving home with the smell of fresh bagels in my car. If I could get an onion bagel-scented air freshener, my life would be complete.
This location isn't far from my workplace. I don't mind driving to Etobicoke to get Montreal-style bagels. It's definitely a nice reminder of Ottawa, but closer to home. I typically visit St. Urbain in Thornhill for my Montreal-style bagel fix, but it's nice to have another bagel establishment in the GTA.
Kettleman's Bagel is open 24 hours a day. If I run out of bagels at 2 am, you know where to find me.
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