Neal's Bagels — Restaurant in Gaithersburg

Just visited the new location in Kentlands after years of going to the one near QO... never had a bad lox and cream cheese on an onion bagel, including today's (extra capers gotta do it!).

I might be in the minority here, but I liked the old location near QO - it had a gritty (not dirty), neighborhood-y feel where they cared more about the food than the decor, all the way to boards with those moveable letters. The food spoke for itself, quite eloquently. It was always a 5-star experience for me: service, food, and cost were not way out of bounds.

Fast forward to Kentlands. Better proximity for me, but it's missing that grittiness that reminds me of can't-go-wrong-pick-anything neighborhood bagel and bialy joints in NYC. My lox and cream cheese bagel was still the same as it ever was (A+), but I felt like I was eating in a froyo place - complete with TV screens for menus (sigh). I will continue to come here, and if the new shop and appearance brings in more customers more frequently -thus keeping Neal's open for years to come- then so be it.

Yes there are other bagel places in the area, and each one (including Neal's) has their occasional good day and bad day - but I have consistently gotten great food from Neal's over the years - long may...

We moved recently from the NYC area where bagels are a staple of weekend breakfasts and standards are high. We had a house full of people visiting, so we wanted to grab bagels and pastries for Sunday brunch before everyone left. We ordered ahead the night before and were able to pick up the food earlier than our scheduled pick up. The place was super busy for such an early hour but the staff was friendly and attentive and we got our order quickly.

The bagel selection and other options were great overall and there was something to satisfy everyone. I especially liked the ability to choose whether to scoop out some of the inside of the bagels, as I didn't feel the need to take a nap later on in the day from all the carbs, albeit delicious ones. This is usually an option only when you are in-store, so being able to do so online is always a welcome one. The overall quality was excellent, with all of our orders (10 in total) being correct and everything served hot and fresh. We got a few muffins in addition to the bagels and those were a hit as I didn't even get to try one.

With such a positive first experience, this will definitely be our go-to bagel place...

I usually don’t write negative reviews, but my experience here was disappointing. As a New Yorker, I had some reservations about trying Neil’s Bagels, but after living in Gaithersburg for about a year, I decided to give it a shot.

The first time, I ordered a sesame bagel with cream cheese, onion, and tomato, but when I got home, I received a cinnamon raisin bagel instead. Small mistake, which I can understand occasionally happens.

Today, I ordered avocado toast with two over-easy eggs. The cashier initially rang up two avocado toasts, but then made additional errors with my order. Not wanting a repeat of the previous mishap, I chose to dine in. After washing my hands, I informed the cashier I was eating at the restaurant. When my order was ready, he handed me a take-out box. I pointed to the table I was sitting at to indicate I’d be eating there, but he still gave me a take-out container, without a plate or utensils.

My daughter had warned me about Neil’s Bagels, and unfortunately, she was right—she couldn’t even take more than a bite before having to spit it out. Overall, this experience was quite disappointing and left me feeling...