Cheech's Bagels — Restaurant in Jersey City

dont place orders online. if you want to pay for any extra add ons, just do it at the store if you really have to go here. i paid extra for different type of bagel and add ons to a pickup order, just to show up for them to tell me theyre out of what i was asking for, give me a next best option without contacting me for permission AND still up charged me with my full order that they DIDNT FULFILL. all with a smile on their face as they take my money. crazy work ethic. When I first show up and tell them my name for the pickup order, the guy literally smiles and goes “oh i didn’t know if you were a delivery or pick up order!” and then proceeds to explain how because they were out of what i ordered, they were just going to use default options. WITHOUT LETTING YOU KNOW AHEAD OF TIME MIND YOU. if i had come later they wouldve already made the food and given it to me prepared incorrectly and wouldve thought nothing of it. anyways curly haired guy goes on to make my food wrong, pack it up, and with a smile give me the wrong order, charged me the price of 2 french toast bagel bacon egg and cheeses while only giving me this weak ahh plain bagel. shouldve expected less honestly. my fault for expecting proper...

I've been twice now, and I want to love this place because the owner seems rad, it's got cute decor, and who doesn't love an emo Playlist and good Iced coffee?

Unfortunately, the food and atmosphere fall a bit short. First, the tables and floors are filthy. We went once around 11am and once around 2pm, and both times there were eggs, crumbs, napkins, and coffee rings on the tables and floors. The garbage was overflowing both times. It's strange because there's like 8 people behind the counter working and none tending to the rest of the restaurant.

Second, the food still needs improvement. The first time I went, I got a club sandwich. The tomato jam had cinnamon, or sugar, or some kind of warming spices in it that made it so strange to eat and ultimately pretty gross. The next time, I got a BEC w ketchup and tasted that same sweetness again. And the eggs, while tasty, are scrambled and chopped, so they fall out of the bagel with each bite. This part really isn't a huge deal, but if you're eating while driving or don't have a fork, it can be pretty annoying.

Ultimately, they're still new, and I'm hoping that as time goes on, there are some positive changes that make visiting here a bit...

Excellent bagels that are almost worth the chaos inside the shop. Would NOT recommend to friends who experience social anxiety, claustrophobia, speak limited English or are in any way neurodivergent. This place will NOT be accessible to you: there’s a line for ordering and a line for pickup and yet.. somehow no place for customers to wait once they order. So guests do their best to help each other to direct traffic and make sense of the situation, like we’re trauma bonding on a sinking ship. I’m part of the dining industry and so I’ve come 3 times over 3 weeks to see if they’ve worked out the growing pains of a new shop: have they added helpful signage yet? Nope. Are the staff making any effort with crowd control? Unfortunately not yet. B Bagels down the street is far more accessible, almost as tasty and has more options, like classic whitefish salad (and more than just two...