It bums me out to write this review. As an ARC (A Real Cincinnatian for those of you not local) who moved away for 20 years, I was pumped to introduce my kids and husband to the local lore known as Marx Bagels. As a kid in the 80s, we would come here for breakfast or lunch to have some of the best bagels on offer in the midwest. The bagels with perfect balance of chewy and soft, not too big, and loaded with more cream cheese than you could ever eat. The amazing "spreads" of tuna or egg salad, and the nod to the strong Jewish community on Cincy's east side, made this place uniquely local. When we first moved back a few years ago, you could tell our dear Bagalman was ready for a well-deserved break. The bagels were still excellent, but the long-ignored dining room was in desperate need of a refresh. Imagine my excitement when I heard there were new owners who wanted to find improvements, but keep Marx, well, Marx. The dining room is now beautiful with pristine white and Marx's signature red subway tile. Clever local-inspired decor, like signage saying "Cincinnati Bagels" that has the Bengals tiger stripes on a bagel, decorates the walls. A lot of thought went into keeping this place feeling like a Cincy icon, and I'm down. However, the bagels. Oh, the bagels. Le sigh... Inconsistent is the best description. Depending on the day (we probably go every 2-3 months) they can be alternatively small and hard, to oversized and uncooked. And that perfect balance of just right bagel & too much cream cheese that used to be achieved of a normal sized bagel (no Bruggers here, thank goodness!) with so much cream cheese you saved it for your bakers dozen you bought? Well, that no longer exists. The heaps of cream cheese are now, disappointingly, normal size. After giving this place chance after chance since the new ownership, I think I may have to finally say farewell. I really wanted for this place to stand the test of time, honoring the few places in Cincinnati that last that long. Sadly, I may have to allow Marx to be placed in the rosy blurred-edged memories of my idyllic midwest childhood. Maybe you really can't ever go home? read more

Being a NYer it's hard to find NY style bagel and deli around here but this place is promising. We will return again. Next time we'll have to go earlier so a few of the things we wanted aren't out. Love love love the Jewish history there. Feels like home. read more

Marx Bagels - Bagel lox and cream cheese, and a knish - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

very good vegetarian chilli but they would not answer there phone they let it ring. The ambiance was very pretty.

Off to a horrible start!! The giant NOW OPEN sign has been up for weeks. I stopped midday on a Monday then again in early afternoon on a Wednesday- NOT OPEN EITHER TIME!!! Even WORSE, there is not a sign anywhere posting their hours so you know when to try again. Yelp says hours are 6am to 530pm, but tat seems to be incorrect. DISAPPOINTING!! I will give it 1 more shot, if they are closed next time that will be the end of my Marx Bagels experiment. read more

Great bagel shop, wonderful whitefish salad. I wish it was in Columbus. Keep up the good work.

This is a Cincinnati institution! They've been around for years. The Bagel Man is long gone, but the interior stayed the same until recently. It looks completely different now. Gone are the pictures with all the celebrities and gone are the sayings on the wall. They've been replaced with a cleaner look and a more diner like feel. The delicious bagels and numerous spreads are still there, though. It's our family's go to when we're craving an authentic bagel. The veggie cream cheese is the best! read more

Marx Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

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I've been buying their bagels for over 50 years; we patronized it when it was a tiny shop at the corner of Reading & Summit! Never a disappointing experience... read more

Never received food and service was awful. Lady that took my order was super rude at the register. Name says Erin on the recipet. Dismissive and not helpful with anything. Was doing other things while trying to get my order and looking in other directions like she didn't want to even be talking to me. Will never come back again. Waited half an hour never got my food and they didn't even try to do anything for me when I said I had been waiting and watched three other people order and get their food read more

Best bagels you'll find in a 250 mile radius. It will leave you thinking about how average every other bagel that you've had before Marx was. Only possible complaint is that they give you too much cream cheese. This was my wife's pregnancy craving and it never got old. I've never seen a place on yelp as underrated as this place. read more

Definitely the best bagels in the Cincy area. They have many varieties available and They're always fresh. If I'm picking up more than just bagels for take out, my favorite go to for eat-in is the tuna salad on pumpernickel. Their tuna salad is excellent- lots of good quality tuna and not overly smothered in mayo. read more

Marx Bagels - Tuna on Pumpernickel - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

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Loved it before it was sold. Not so much anymore. The atmosphere is now to modern! Now a McDonalds for Bagels.

I've had bagels at Jewish delicatessens in New York Denver and Cincinnati. You're not going to get a better Jewish bagel experience in Cincinnati. If you produce prefer the chain produced oversized artificially flavored bagels did they bring into your office then go for that. This place is the real deal and their bagels are the real thing . If you don't like them here, then you should be going to a muffin shop. read more

I'm coming here today to write a post on my husband's Yelp account. My husband and I grew up going to Marx Bagels and have been patrons for 30+ years. Since we haven't had it in a long time (the location is no longer convenient to where we live), we decided to treat ourselves today. My husband got a plain bagel with egg salad - the bagel appeared "undercooked" and was very small and flavorless. This for a sandwich that is nearly $10! I got an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese - my bagel, even though it was toasted, was soft and doughy and I was way over-charged for the amount of cream cheese that I actually got. It was a smear of runny cream cheese between a subpar bagel. After patronizing this establishment for many years, today will be the last time we go to Marx. The prices have always been somewhat ridiculous but at least in the past you were given an ample serving and it tasted great. read more

I went in late in the day and wanted some knots about soup. Understandably they were out of it because it was late in the day. But they also have some vegetarian chili that the gentleman working there said was pretty good. I'm not quite sure I agree with him cuz it was okay, the bagels were still great, as always, and in the past there are other soups are pretty good. Vegetarian chili? Not so much read more

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Pretty good bagels! I am from Georgia and I have been trying to find the best bagel in Cincinnati and this has been the best one so far. They have an ample amount of bagels and cream cheese flavors. I got an everything bagels with egg and veggie sausage. I do with the sausage was larger because it was only enough for half of the bagel. I got the baggie cream cheese and it was great. My partner got the pizza bagel on a garlic bagel. That was good too. The everything bagel was both of ours favorite. The staff is super friendly and the inside it just like an old diner. It's so fun! Will 100% be back to try more bagels. read more

Marx Bagels - Pizza Bagel, Veggie Sausage and egg bagel - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

I grew up eating Marx bagels. I even worked there one summer during college. I was visiting this weekend and took my kids to get some to try. They were THE WORST BAGELS EVER. Seriously awful. Nearly unpalatable. Teeny tiny, doughy, under proofed , under cooked, bad flavor. TERRIBLE. Service was awful. It took nearly 10 minutes to get 4 sliced bagels to go. Not sure what is going on with new management. Having worked with "The Bagel Man"- I know that he would have been appalled. read more

I ordered a lox and cream cheese sandwich with onion on a jalapeño bagel for lunch yesterday. This establishment was less than five minutes from my visiting office and I have been CRAVING lox- I don't have any places serving it within about an hour of where I live. To start, the online ordering process was easy and effective. It said a 20 minute wait time and I showed up a little after 15 minutes and my food was already ready at the outside counter. My sandwich was served to me in a large to go box, and when I opened it, the sandwich had completely fallen apart; I mean the salmon and onions were off the bagel and strewn all over the box. Like, really? (Picture Attached of the box when I opened it). This just didn't seem like the best packaging option, I think small-sized, square-shaped boxes or just plain old foil would be better in order to keep the integrity of the sandwich. I tried to put it back together but everything still kept sliding off the sandwich and I had to rip up the lox and onions to try and distribute it evenly. Once I put it back together, the sandwich was good. I liked the heat coming from the jalapeño bagel, but the bagel was pretty dense for the sandwich. The salmon itself was delicious. I ordered the sandwich from a list of sandwiches on the menu, so I knew it wasn't going to have capers I just wish it did. The online ordering process also gives you the option to add other veggies and stuff like lettuce or pickles, but I did not see capers on this list. I liked it, but things could have gone a little smoother. This appears to be the only bagel sandwich place near by without going into downtown Cincy. I haven't tried other sandwiches here but I probably would if I found myself in the area for work again. read more

Marx Bagels - a sandwich with cream cheese and onions - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

Not good. New owner changed everything. Not the same as when John ran it. Have bought bagels, bialys and spread since John started the first store in Roselawn. A real let-down. I will not patronize Marx Bagels any more. Shame John's kids did not continue to run it. read more

We love Marx Bagels. And now that it's been redone inside, it feels very clean and open. The portions are definitely getting smaller, but it's still so delicious, totally worth it. Delish!!! read more

I am giving Marx Bagels a 3 instead of a 5 based on our experience today. As is usual the food was on par excellent ( we ate the Nova & Tuna Melt sandwiches plus several sides). However, the cleanliness of dining, beverage areas and restroom were in complete neglect. We arrived around 2:30 pm dining in. It was a slow time with 3 parties dining in and 4 parties in line for carry out. Every single table was dirty. There was nothing available for me to clean the table. During the hour + we were there no employee made the effort to clean or straighten the dining area despite obvious need. It is not enough to have great food for dining in if the environment is not kept clean. It makes me wonder what is happening in the back of the house with food prep as well. At minimum have sanitizing spray and paper towels or cloths in sanitizing solution available for customers to clean their own tables if necessary, provide hand sanitizer by the tray return/trash areas and in restrooms and set standard with staff to keep up this area. If employees have time to be on their phones and chatting they have enough time to maintain this area. The new owners have invested a lot of money and effort to cleanup and modernize this Cincinnati Kosher institution. I would hate to see it's downfall. read more

These are truly the best bagels in Cincinnati!! These bagels remind me of when I was little girl and a friend of my mothers came over to make bagels with her. Ahhh...the yeasty dough smell is so comforting and when toasted, it gets more aromatic! I simply toast and drizzle mine with butter, then sit back and reminisce. WARNING! They can be addictive! read more

Marx Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

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Best bagels in the city and the service is top notch. Recommend trying the bagel stick, everything or egg bagel & the veggie spread (always so fresh). They also have keto bagel options. Overall 10/10! read more

So after living in the tri state area for at least 10 years and hearing rave reviews of this bagel place me and my husband finally checked it out yesterday. These were my two plain bagels. I didn't 'look' at the bagels myself until this morning. They were wrinkly, thin and hard. Not tasty looking. They do not look light and puffy like a typical bagel. My husband had the bagel that he ordered and he said it was 'Okay. Nothing special.' We won't be back. read more

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The Bagels are great. The prices are a little over what they should be, but still pretty reasonable. A lot of options. Come here pretty often. I do plan to come back a lot more. #GoodVibes read more

This place has incredible bagels. Wonderful aromas greet your senses when you walk into this brightly lit and colorful shop. Stopped in here for a business lunch and had a tuna salad sandwich made with a fresh bagel. These have a great texture with a traditional crust yet soft and chewy on the inside. They do a great business here, wish I had more time to try out the latkes and desserts. Fast service and solid food-recommended. read more

Ok you guys messed up your egg salad. No egg chunks now. Looks and taste like ground up baby food! Go back to the original recipe!!

I needed a quick, light breakfast, and saw this nearby. It fit the bill perfectly. Open on a Sunday morning, there was a line, and for good reason: they have all kinds of bagels, and they're pretty good. I got a LEO sandwich: scrambled eggs, with lox and onion. I chose a rye sourdough bagel. Great bagel, good fillings. They have all kinds of spreads, a large variety of sandwiches, and a few sweeter baked goods off to the side. Service was friendly and a bit chaotic: people bustling around behind the counter filling various orders, using the same register together, etc. I ate, drank my good coffee, and left. I would definitely come back if I'm in the area. read more

Marx Bagels - LEO sandwich on rye sourdough bagel. - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

We have bought their bagels for years -- since before you could buy bagels in grocery stores in Cincinnati. I've noticed that the quality control had suffered a lot in the past couple of years in terms of size and shape. This one was just the last straw. It's so small and not "fluffy" enough either. They still make the best bagels in town, but they make ones like this also. Now I just have to open the bag and check them before I check out. read more

Marx Bagels - Small bagel - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

Fantastically fresh, chewy and amazing bagels! I went here in the morning to try a new place for bagels. The baker I had was a honey wheat with cinnamon apple cream cheese spread and it was amazing! Later in the day I decided to come back and pick up some bagels for the week. I would highly recommend giving this place a try because their food was so amazing. They also have Kosher options read more

The service was horrible and I paid for bulk cream cheese and never received it. The service has gone down hill since new ownership.

Simply the best in the area. You haven't really had a bagel yet. Adding more text to my review to meet the YELP minimum because there is nothing else to say. read more

Enjoyed the cream cheese and the salmon spread Bagels are dry and hard as a rock. Will continue to get salmon spread from here and bagels from Panera read more

Great bagel & now it's a normal pleasant place without a weird angry guy yelling about Ben Carson or something.

I love Marx and their jalapeño cream cheese. It's a staple in our house. We go often to buy a pound to keep here. The staff is always friendly and helpful. I will tell you the jalapeño cream cheese is spicy so beware but you have to try it. read more

Marx Bagels - Whole Wheat Bagel with Jalapeño Cream Cheese - Bagels Near Me - Blue Ash, Ohio

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I'm a meat lover, so I struggle a little bit on the no protein. But, if you are a vegetarian or Kosher, this is a great spot for you! The bagel options are extensive and I do love my bagel and cream cheese! My bagel was pretty good, but some parts were a little hard (over toasted?) for my taste. The potato soup was also good, and it was fun that they give you multi flavored bagel crisps on the side. read more

Knowing that the owner of Marx Bagels reads these reviews, I must say that the quality of the bialys simply is NOT what it once was under the prior owner. It seems folks there may have forgotten how to make a good bialy. The bialy should be - more or less - like a good bagel, with some snap on the outside and very chewy, but not bread-like - on the inside. So, after having had bready bialys for the last few times I ordered there, I gave up. On the other hand, most of the time the bagels are still excellent, although sometimes, these too are a bit bread-like. My guess is that the problem is a quality control and not a formula problem. The prior owner was very good about maintaining a uniform quality for the bagels and bialys. Nevertheless overall, I would still rate Marx four-star because, quite simply, when they have the bagels correctly made, I haven't found a better alternative in Cincinnati. Also the prices are very reasonable and the staff is friendly and reasonably efficient. Overall a solid four stars is deserved. Yet that is down one from what I would have rated Marx five years ago when the bagels were as good as NYC's best. I sincerely hope Marx can keep their quality consistent, because when they are done right, their bagels are truly great! I will remain a customer. read more

I think they're a little racist but food is ok, sandwiches are a nice size. The extra is just fluff since the review had to be minimum of 85 characters read more

Rude staff, terrible service. Forgot about our food and avoided speaking to us. Watched 4 other customers get served before us while the staff just stared at us. Very strange and uncomfortable, would never recommend. read more

Love this place. Super fresh and loads of options. The staff is friendly and the coffee fresh! Recommend! 10/10!

OK, my rating should REALLY be 4+ stars, not quite 5. The old Marx had consistently excellent bagels. Then, a couple of years ago, the exccentric founder retired and sold. The new owners, who I have never met but view as well-intended, pledged to maintain the great tradition. At first, I think the quality of the bagels was not consistently maintained. It seemed to me no one was paying attention to the consistency of the product. Some bagels were very bready and almost unrecognizable as a real bagel except for the shape. But then two weeks later I would find excellent bagels again. Despite this, I didn't stop visiting Marx. I frankly knew of no better alternative. I also think the folks there really were trying to get it right with consistent quality and to also please more modern and youthful customers too with a few new products. I am very pleased to say I think the Marx folks are more consistently delivering good bagels again. Maybe not every order I have placed for the last few months was great. I have had maybe one or two bagels there even recently that I don't think are as good as they should be. But these probles now seems far less frequent. So I think the Marx folks deserve credit for addressing 'consistent-quality' issues (not that I really know whether or not they read these comments). In any case: good for them! They are a really nice bunch of folks working there too. So I look forward to many more visits there for fresh - and hopefully consistently excellent - bagels. read more