The Bagel Exchange — Restaurant in Kingsport

Being raised in NY and traveled around the country as well as Israel....I know and love bagels. Moved here a few months ago and have tried Wheelers bagels (which are better by far)...we waited for the right day and made our way over to the Exchange yesterday. With all the ppl waiting in line you wld think it was far above everyone 's elses bagels but it was a mistake to go. We spent 45$ on a bakers dozen bagels with 2 large cream cheeses. Watched them steam the bagels...ok...I have only experienced boiled ones...but they were not steamed very long. And because they were soft and mushy....they were not baked long enough either. And they were very thin and squishy. There was a hint of bagel texture but that was it. Now...the sour cream....they do not use real cream cheese....they use a cream cheese spread which has an oiler shiny surface and lacks any flavor. Every member of my family jumped at the chance to have real bagels and tho we prepared for everyone to have 2 each...we were throwing away most of the first bagels because they simply tasted awful. So between the poor quality of the bagel, the cream cheese (??) And ultimately the price... WE WILL NEVER GO AGAIN. It was a huge disappointment. Too bad cuz the menu looked sensational. But nothing...

I love this place. You know it's gonna be cool when the first thing you see is the sign on the door that says "pullsh". 1st timer today and when you walk in, it reminds you of a tiny N.Y. deli/bagel place. I had tried a different bagel place a week ago and it was good but wanted to try a different place for comparison. These bagels were soft, not to big and very tasty. Employees were friendly. They placed the garlic ones separate from the other. And placed in plastic bags with twist ties. I've never had another place do this automatically as I usually have to ask. This is going above and beyond. Bagel Exchange will be my new go to place. Caution though: they're only open Thursday thru Saturday....

Nice casual atmosphere with friendly employees and very good bagels. Didn't get the soup (chicken orzo) because it was breakfast time but, it looked appetizing. Prices are fair as well, EXCEPT, they charge you ($1.15) for a little tiny container of butter that SHOULD come with your bagel and don't tell you they charge when ordering. How many restaurants have YOU patronized that charged you for ANY CONDIMENT??? In response to the owner's reply...Anyone would expect to pay extra for cream cheese OR tuna fish OR chicken salad but, NOT BUTTER. NO restaurant I've ever patronized from NYC to LA to London nor Toyko has EVER charged extra for butter. It's a condiment, like ketchup, mustard,...