Brooklyn Bodega Bagels And Deli — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

I don't like to leave bad reviews unless it's really bad, but I had a terrible experience from start to finish. I'm surprised this place has a 4.9 stars. I must have caught them on a really bad day. I walked in, and nobody greeted me, which usually isn't a problem, but there was no menu posted. After a while, I asked another customer if there was a menu, and he gave me one. When ordering, I asked if I could get butter or jelly on the side, and the cashier made me feel like I was inconveniencing them. Then, I accidentally used my colleague's credit card, so I asked if they could cancel or refund it, and they were very annoyed. They asked if I could just pay my colleague back... no, I don't know them very well, and we shouldn't use other people's credit cards. Every interaction I had felt like I was a huge burden. Then, I finally got my bagel about 20 minutes after arriving, and it was honestly the worst bagel I have ever had. It was super dry and felt like it was days old. Also, it was supposed to be cinnamon, but it tasted very garlicky. I took 1.5 bites and threw it away because it was so stale. If the whole experience hadn't been an ordeal, I probably would have asked for a new bagel, which I literally never do. I am super disappointed because Terra Bagels was a block from my hotel, but I walked 15 minutes to Brooklyn since the reviews were so good. I'm eating a Terra Bagel as I type, and my experience here was...

Alright everybody - I grew up in the Philly area where bagels and bagel sandwiches are part of every day life (seriously, I used to get a bagel sandwich almost every day before school in the good old high school days). You have GOT to try Brooklyn Bodega.

I came here for my go-to bagel sandwich order (Sausage Egg & Cheese on an everything bagel, they call it the Jersey Boy) - it’s like the grown up, more delicious version of what I am used to eating…. Grown up because everything is cooked to order - check out how fluffy and delicious that egg looks! There’s obviously some grease because of the cheese and sausage but honestly this sandwich was only a 1-napkin job, didn’t leave me feeling unhealthy or greasy like sometimes you can wind up with! They had regular and turkey versions of the sausage and bacon which is a nice way to “lighten” up the breakfast too, or if you have dietary restrictions.

The bagel…. The bagel had the actual chew and doughiness that I’ve missed since moving to the Midwest! Can’t wait to come back and get a bagel with shmear to try. I didn’t get any lunch sandwiches but I’ll be back to try them too.

Super friendly, super delicious, super fast, and super worth it. Thank you guys for adding this restaurant to...

We love this as a lunch spot! There aren't enough sandwich shops in Grand Rapids but if we had a Brooklyn Bodega in every corner of the city, I would be happy. The sandwiches are great, especially the bread. If you order one of the subs, you'll either need a very big appetite or two people. We have split a Michigan for lunch more than once and it's plenty for two.

The fries are outstanding, which is high praise from someone like me who doesn't typically like seasoned fries. I've also had a smaller sandwich on a roll - it's still quite sizeable and just as good. What really rounds out this place is the kindness and friendliness of the owners. It's a locally-owned, Black-owned business and you can see the commitment to family and to quality every time you visit.

Parking can be sparse on this stretch of Jefferson, but I've found you can usually nab a spot about a block and a half south in front of the Museum High School. Note that it's metered parking so the Motu app is your friend - you'll only pay for the time you use if you stop your parking time as soon as you're done...