Bruegger's Bagels — Restaurant in Austin

Children are not welcome here.

Let me start by saying that I love the bagels here and it is so convenient that I really want to continue to eat here, but they are so inconsiderate to moms with kids that I am going to take my business elsewhere.

First, Bruegger's does not have good management of the line speed. I have been stuck there forever a number of times. It's not because it's too busy it's just that they don't seem to know how to get people though the line quickly even if there's only four or five people. Last time a lady just dropped her stuff off and left without paying because she was tired of waiting. If you're with kids they get antsy and start wanting to run. I can understand if if takes a while for the food to be made but they've got to let people pay and get to their tables. Then today after our meal two three year olds got out of their seats and ran around the restaurant (at 11:30 am when the place was empty). An employee went over and scolded them. (Yikes! Why not come over to the parents and find a polite way to ask us to calm them down?) The friend I was with informed this is not the first time that's happened. We were made to feel quite unwelcome.

Ok, so if you don't want kids in your restaurant and are rude to them then they won't come back. My advice to the owners is: Hey, you are a casual dining place in a strip mall with two large businesses that cater to kids (Alisa's dance and Emler swim) You can embrace those clients and try to meet their needs or you can push them out. I have seen multiple moms and kids every time I've been in there before so they want to come. The other mothers I have been with before have already decided not to come back. They got sick of the line and the rudeness.

One last gripe: There is no changing table in the restroom (I am pregnant so getting down on a public restroom floor to change a diaper is particularly un-fun). It's another sign that this place is not interested in the business of people...

This is a casual setting with plenty of indoor seating, no outdoor seating. The service was good and fast. The food however, did not seem fresh nor did it meet my expectations for flavor or ingredients. I ordered a double stack, which is their featured item at this time, I’ll include a picture. The “cheesy hash brown gourmet bagel” was slightly burnt on the inner sides, the texture was that of dry pita bread, and the cheesy topping was also dry and minimal. The condiment of mayo was decent, however it tasted like regular mayo rather than chipotle mayo as advertised. The eggs were fine and the cheese on the inside was fine, the bacon was chewy. Before beginning to eat my sandwich I did confirm that I received the correct order. For a drink, I ordered an iced coffee which tasted burnt and a bit like plastic. I tried adding milk and Splenda to make it more appetizing, but I ultimately could not stomach it and ended up tossing the entire drink out unfortunately. They have a wonderful selection of different hot sauces, but there are no cups to put hot sauce in, so you’ll need to either bring the bottle to your table or add it to your food at the condiment and napkin counter. The employees were polite, and both the customer areas and employee area areas were kept clean. The drinks in the cooler did not have prices listed. Based on the quality and taste of the food, I would not recommend...

I've tried many bagels in the Austin area. I hear many others wax poetic about other bagel shops in this city as "authentic" and "closest to New York-style" they can find. The best bagels I ever had were in New York, and while I'm not well-versed in what makes a bagel "New York-style," I have not found another place in Austin as good and consistent as Bruegger's.

They have the perfect ratio of bagel to cream cheese for me. I feel that many other places in the Austin area just make bagels that are way too bready or go overboard on the cream cheese. The bagels here have the perfect thickness and a nice texture.

My go-to combination has been the Jalapeno Cheddar with Bacon Scallion cream cheese. But everything I've had has been really great so far! I would also highly recommend their hash browns, they are super good too.

The staff are always super friendly and nice. Remember that this is a franchise for a chain, so don't go in expecting the most unique atmosphere and menu. But they do all the basics extremely well and make their bagels fresh every morning like every other bagel shop! You will not leave...