Bagel Central — Restaurant in Bangor

I've never been a bagel person. Until my coworkers suggested Bagel Central. Now I am a bagel person! When I first went in I was unsure what kind of bagel to get so I asked the cashier what would be a good mix for a melty cheese bagel and they said garlic. Now I can say my staple is a garlic melty cheese bagel with no tomatoes and extra onions. It's really good so if you're unsure ask and the staff is knowledgeable about what goes well together. There are a lot of good breakfast items and dessert items. I often like to get a dessert item with the bagel and the chocolate cheesecake, lemon cheesecake, cherry cheese Danish and vegan zucchini cake are great options. The staff will answer allergen questions if you ask and are nice about it. I will say it does get very busy and hectic so I hope you guys know you're doing a great job, even when it's overwhelming :)

To add it's noisy in there when it's busy and gets very crowded during those times. Understandable because the food is so good but if you're sensitive to sound some of the more down time hours are later in the day 10am seems to be when it gets really busy.

Another thing to be aware of is while they have an allergy card warning. I am highly allergic to peanuts and yesterday when I got a strawberry cheesecake it was just on a different plate, they didn't use the same utensils, and was just next to the peanutbutter cheesecake. I got a few hives and thankfully wasn't worse. It's not their fault at all and I appreciate they use different utensils for big allergies like that. I didn't realize my allergy got more sensitive recently, as it used to be triggered by only contact or consumption, the hives are entirely on me for being a goober and not being aware/conscientious like I normally am. So if you have a big allergy that is activated by close proximity, be aware of where the item is near!

Other than that the place is great, I'm glad there are vegetarian options for me, there are also vegan dishes they serve, the melty cheese bagel/treats are good and fairly priced, the bagels...

I finally had the opportunity to explore downtown Bangor and a stop at Bagel Central was definitely on my top list of priorities since my daughter highly recommended it to me. When I stepped inside, I found it to be so charming! I loved the variety of seating including bar-style seating along the expansive front windows where you can people-watch to your heart’s content. There are also regular tables as well as many long tables so Bagel Central can easily accommodate groups of most any size. (There is even a meeting space with seating up to 20 people with optional catering next door for about $20 an hour.) As I waited in line to order, I was happy to see there were three cashier’s which helped to keep the line moving. I was impressed by their array of pre-bottled drinks (including various juices and kombucha) as well as the selection of handcrafted drinks, Bagel flavors, variety of specialty cream cheeses and yummy-looking bakery items. (And I have not even told you about their soup, sandwich and salad options, yet – oh my!!) There are a few seasonal drinks, too… I believe I might grab a Raspberry-Lime Rickey before it's off the menu. Everything here is handmade with no preservatives and is made on-premises. They use natural ingredients and fresh produce. (It was refreshing to see that they don't use chemicals or preservatives!) There are a number of vegan and dairy free options as well. There is a QR Code for online ordering and daily specials. For my inaugural visit, I chose a hot coffee with cream (simple and yummy), a plain Bagel with low-fat vegetable cream cheese (DELICIOUS with fresh rated carrot, bell pepper and scallion) and a side of bacon (perfectly cooked) – all for the low price of $7.34. After the delicious breakfast I had, I can completely understand why it’s pretty busy in here… and I can’t wait...

Love the food and atmosphere but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired sometimes. I placed an online order earlier today for their soup of the day, and got a confirmation email saying that I could pick it up in 20 minutes. Instead of calling me to let me know they were out of the soup (You have to provide a phone number when ordering online.), they just tried giving me the "bagel" with cream cheese (They're really not technically bagels because they don't boil them. They're more like a dense bread in the shape of a bagel.) without mentioning anything about the soup being sold out, and then tried to charge me for soup that I wasn't getting. When I told the cashier that I was supposed to also have soup, she looked at my receipt, and said, "Oh yeah, I guess we ran out of that." (I've had this happen in the past, and have ALWAYS gotten a call within minutes of placing my order to let me know that that item was no longer available.) She let me know that I could always try their other soup, which was minestrone. I told her that I'm actually allergic to tomatoes, so that doesn't work for me, so I asked for a refund, which I did receive. However, neither the manager who refunded my money, nor the girl who waited on me offered any kind of apology for my inconvenience. Mind you, I work right around the corner, and have spent a lot of money there over the past 2 years, and I've never had any issues until today but I have an issue with the poor customer service of some of their younger staff. It seems that they find it hard to keep employees for very long, and I constantly see new (always young) employees. Do the newly hired staff get any kind of training at all in customer service? I'm guessing not, after today's interaction. Bagel Central is an institution in this City, and there's absolutely no reason they...