Bagel Beanery — Restaurant in Kalamazoo

We used to love this place and would go almost every week prior to the new ownership which has unfortunately turned this place into a lifeless husk of its once former glory. We went the other morning as we were feeling nostalgic and figured we'd give this place another chance as we had a subpar (at best) experience before, maybe they were having a bad day last time? We wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Nope! We were "greeted" by a rude older woman that only seemed to want to rush us out the door of a very empty, dimly lit, tacky, cluttered gloomy and bizarre Bagel-Korean fusion restaurant as soon as we stepped through the door.

The bagel selection was disappointing as well, most of the bagels were gone, and the remaining few were old and stale. The woman clearly got annoyed with us as we tried to pick out our half dozen so we could get the hell outta there... So she started squawking the options at us impatiently as we tried to choose from the meager selection. Once we got our order picked out and paid for, she basically chucked the bag of bagels at us in a huff... Once upon a time this place was a bustling bagel hub for folks to enjoy delicious bagels and coffee while they caught up with friends or did work on their laptops. The staff used to be friendly and the environment was nice and cheerful. Not anymore... If this was a nostalgic favorite of yours, save the trip and enjoy the memories as you will be disappointed with how it is today. It's hard to believe it's the same restaurant at all. I'll forever miss the old OG Bagel Beanery (or Klein's), it's very unfortunate to see what it's...

Women in this establishment are not very friendly . They are short throw your bag at you almost like they’re rushing you out . The males are usually nice and friendly and say thank you . The food is great but those women are mean . I visited she put my fresh bagels in with a hot sandwich which was not properly wrapped so my cheese melted out . When i asked for another bag she ignored me . The ONLY cashier handed me a bag as he was taking orders at the same time . I called her out on her not being friendly and she acted confused but that tip jar is worded very well. Tables too close together with it being a time when sickness and colds are going around . Excellent food but the ladies could use some customer training if you know what a dollar is courteous customer service won’t hurt ! Smile sometimes . We’re spending our paychecks our hard earned money and this place...

While the outside and toppings on a bagel are important, the true mark of bagel goodness, to me, is the inside. Bagel Beanery bagels are doughy and light inside - with a perfect mouth feel and delicious taste.

The staff has always been friendly, while I'm there. I love their salt bagels (my go-to). They have many cheese flavors, including a tomato pepper jack that tastes a little bit like spicy goldfish crackers. There are also sweet bagels, but that isn't my thing. You can get them to go (by the half dozen or dozen), or sliced, toasted, with toppings, etc.

The decor has local landmarks in murals on the wall, and a cute black and white floor. Large windows let in the sun. On street parking, and a handicap spot right in the lot, so you don't have to deal with watching for traffic...