Solly's Bagelry — Restaurant in Vancouver

A cozy little place that serves some of my all time favorite foods just a short walk away. I was in heaven when I walked in and saw all the latkas, and rugelach, and cheese blintzes. I was like a giddy little kid in a candy store.

I really wanted to like this place.So much so I kept going back even though the service is indifferent at best and down right rude at worst. I have now been there for Breakfast, (Had the Challah french toast one time and an Eggel twice), Lunch (had Matzo ball soup and a latka ) and Dinner (had the New Yorker) Each time taking home either a half dozen bagels and/or some other bakery items. (Cinnamon buns, lemon cake, Babbka, blintzes, Rugelach or baby pies) I kept going back hoping against hope that I would find something, anything to redeem this place. Until today! I picked up a half dozen bagels on the way home and I think they were the worst bagels I have even had. They were, small, and hard on the outside, and the inside were so chewy my jaw got tired. Inedible! Either someone messed up the dough on this batch or they were day olds.

To give some context, I am from back east (Ottawa, Montreal , and Toronto) and my family owned and operated a chain of Bagel shops and deli for the better part of 20 years So I know a thing or two about good bagels and good deli sandwiches. As someone else put it, this is FAUX Ashkenazim food. How does this place stay in business? Kitch factor I guess.....

The Chalah french toast is pre made and sits in a big pile in the cooler covered in plastic wrap. I didn't realize they were just going to give me the stuff from the cooler I figured they would make it fresh to order. I'm not sure but I think they actually microwaved it to reheat it. You don't microwave bread it gets all hard and nasty on the edges. It was not good. Soaked it in syrup and choked it down cause I was hungry. Poor first experience.

The Eggel was so greasy it needed to be wrapped in a napkin just to avoid covering my hands in grease. I would expect this from a burger not an egg sandwich. I decided to cut them some slack for a second time and give it a try another day when they were not so busy. The second time I ordered the Eggel the lady took my name but apparently couldn't be bothered to call it out when my food was ready, because after 20 minutes I walked up and saw it sitting there. When I asked the lady if it was my order she turned her back on me and walked away without answering. By then it was cold and unappetizing. On the plus side at least I didnt burn my hand on the grease like the first time. LOL

The New Yorker sandwich tasted like corned beef from a can but in meat slices. Tossed it in the compost after eating half. Was that bad!

Cinnamon buns were dry and hard. No icing included. Babbka was terrible threw them in the compost. Baby pies were overcooked and who knows how long they were sitting around by the time I picked them up. Compost again!

I am stretching to find something nice to say .........I can say the Lemon cake was very good. It was moist and full of flavor. The Matzo Ball soup was average. The latka was ok.

I am heart broken that I just couldn't make it work with Solly's. I tried so hard to like this place but it is just time I face the facts. Service is bad, food is bad, and on top of that it is overpriced. As I'm new around here I cant even suggest an alternative. If you are a hipster doofus you will probably love this place but if you know what a real bagel place and deli should be, avoid the disappointment.

Sorry Solly but its time for me to start seeing other...

Honest Review

I was excited when I walked in — finally, a local Jewish bakery like the ones I’m used to!

First impression: the smell of fresh baked goods fills you with delight, but you can tell the place has seen better days. If you haven’t been here before, figuring out the customer flow can be a little confusing. Handwritten notes are posted everywhere, and it’s not immediately clear where to look to see what’s available. Still, the layout makes sense once you realize it’s designed to keep the entrance clear during busy times.

I ordered a toasted everything bagel (they call it the “Mish Mash”) with salmon cream cheese. A cappuccino and Rugelachs

After ordering, you loop back toward the front to pay. I also grabbed one of each Rugelach flavour — chocolate, poppy seed, jam & nuts, and honey & apple.

My order didn’t come out together, but it wasn’t a long wait. My cappuccino was ready first (no callout), followed shortly by my bagel. The cappuccino was great — a little bitter, but I like it that way — with perfect foam.

The bagel: I appreciated that they didn’t skimp on the salmon cream cheese, but the bagel itself was quite firm and dense in the middle, lacking that signature chew. It felt a bit day-old, and smaller than I expected, even toasted.

The Rugelach were lovely overall — each flavour distinct and satisfying — though the chocolate one was overbaked and hard. They’re smaller than I’m used to, which makes them a quick single bite, but you do lose a bit of that classic flakiness because of it.

Looking around more closely, you can tell this place has been a community staple for years, and I really do love that. Still, a little upkeep could go a long way in bringing it back to life.

One final note, they do have parking available

Ratings • Food: 3/5 • Drink: 4/5 • Rugelach: 4/5 • Atmosphere: 3/5 • Price: 4/5 • Value: 3.5/5 (hard bagel lost points) • Menu Offer: 4/5 • Seating: 5/5 • Service: 3.5/5

Overall: 3.8/5

I really wanted to love this place. It’s okay — feels a little tired and unchanged since its early days — but it still serves its purpose as a quick, affordable stop and an important part of the community. I hope they’re able to refresh it a bit because Vancouver needs more authentic, culturally rooted spots like this. And please — keep the original...

Was there this noon for the first time although I have seen this place a few times on my way to visit my dentist. Given that it was a busy place, I came in thinking the fares were good. My mistake was not reading the google reviews prior to coming in which was the start of a one-star experience.

First, the process of ordering and paying at the cashier was counter-intuitive. Confusing to first timers! There was a long queue, which was okay given it was lunch time on Saturday. Waited 15 minutes to get to the front only to be told by the cashier that I should have ordered first. (Glad that a lady from the sandwich section, who happened to be talking to him, proactively took my order.) There was actually a hanging overhead sign instructing customers to order first before paying. But given that sign was so small, nondescript, and constantly rotating around the string attached to it, it was easy to miss it amidst the clutter of other signs and decors that give the place its Old World charm.

Second, the stressed-out sandwich preparer had this indescribable scowl on her face and kept muttering something to herself. She kept talking down to her co-worker, the lady who took my order. A customer asked her where to order and she gave her a rude nonsensical answer. She is the quintessential illustration of what to do to ensure customers do not return.

Third, it took another 20 minutes to get my tuna melt sandwich, which was left too long in the toaster. The food tasted like was it left out in the Sahara desert sun for a day. And I paid $9.25. The side serving was equally bad --- really old potato chips and a limp slice of pickle. Understandably, my coffee was also cold after all the wait.

The service was sub-standard. The food was sub-standard. The whole experience was more sour than the pickle. In spite of the claims that Solley's has the best bagel in town, am definitely...