Modern Bread and Bagel — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I absolutely wish I didn’t have to write this because of how great this location COULD have been. When the location first opened my partner and I were so excited to check it out as we had heard about the one everyone raved about back in NY. My partner has celiac so finding a good bagel that is safe is not always the easiest. Being from NY myself I’ve had good bagels and when MBB first opened in Woodland Hills I was pretty stoked. When this location first opened we had quite a few good experiences… Yesterday we went to the location at the Westfield Mall as we have done many times in the past. I have always been quite the creature of habit with my bagels with cream cheese, lox, tomato and onion. MBB got me hooked on their Jerusalem egg salad. When we got there line wasn’t too bad but when we got to ordering one of the employees behind the counter was just standing around while another packaged up pastries for the previous order. So we waited for about 4-5 minutes to order while standing at the register. When I ordered I asked for the same thing I get every time I go now, I even got my partner into my favorite sandwich and our friend who joined us from out of town. Egg salad, arugula, tomato and pickled onions on a toasted everything bagel, simple. We ordered a couple of pastries and bagels to go and I’ll get to that in a bit. The person taking our order was only half paying attention. The sandwiches come out and I'm already worried because the bagel is not even warm. I open the wrapper and find that not only is the bagel barely toasted but the egg salad is barely there. Just a pile of arugula, a slice of tomato and no pickled onions. This was not the case with one or two of the bagels, it was all three of them. I was super hungry so I just started eating hoping it would taste fine… it didn’t, I should have known better. The disappointing crunch of arugula and rock hard bagel was magnified by the lack of egg salad. My partner and our friend tried to eat theirs but it was so dissatisfying that we couldn’t finish. We flagged down the person running expo (he was a teenager so I cannot fault him at all and he really did try to help us) and let them know the bagels were not good at all and then only came back to tell us that the pickled onions were not put in on the order. Again, my point on the person at the register not paying attention strikes again. The kid asks if we wanted to talk to the manager and honestly we really don’t wanna be “those people”. But we asked if we could just so we could have our sandwiches remade. We meet the Manager Counts, who was incredibly understanding of the frustration but was a little hesitant to get the sandwiches remade. He eventually agreed and we waited for them to come back out. Unfortunately, they came out the exact same way we got them the first time and we just decided to take them home. None of us went in there to pay about $10 for an arugula and tomato sandwich with the lightest shmear of egg salad that would make any east coast deli wanna slap whoever prepped it upside the head. We get home and the only good pastry is the Linzer tart. The cinnamon roll was rock hard and there is nothing that awesome cheesecake icing could do to fix it. The bagels to go are so hard I wouldn’t even feed it to my dog in fear of her breaking a tooth. I’m terrified to try the donut of the month because I don’t want my dentist to have to repair a tooth. Modern Bread and Bagel LA employees need to take a trip to the NYC location and learn, fast. This place was pandering for positive reviews on instagram and now I understand why. The quality is in shambles and this place is headed in the same direction as the previous bakery that occupied the space. We have been to this location 10 or so times and something has always been incorrect. Spending about $70-80 on 2 bagel sandwiches and some to go items is ridiculous already. But pairing it with none of the food being edible is...

So, I made a pit stop at Modern Bakery on my way back from LA to satisfy my bagel craving, and let’s just say it was a bit of a mixed bag.

Located in the Westerfield shopping center, parking was a bit of a hassle, but I pushed through in the hopes of a delicious bagel experience. Stepping inside, I was greeted by a tempting display of baked treats – from chocolate chip cookies to cinnamon buns, they had it all. The bagel display on the back wall caught my eye, and I was eager to dive in.

The staff was friendly and knowledgeable as I placed my order for a plain bagel with cream cheese, tomatoes, and lox. However, I was a bit disappointed when my bagel arrived untoasted – it wasn’t suggested, nor did I think to ask. Nevertheless, the bagel itself was fantastic – flavorful and with a satisfying depth. The generous amount of cream cheese, lox, and tomatoes made it a hearty and enjoyable meal.

Moving on to the seating area, it had a cozy vibe with wood tones that added to the ambiance. However, I couldn’t help but notice the dirty floor – crumbs from the day before were visible and felt underfoot, which was a bit off-putting. It definitely needed a good sweep and clean-up.

Service-wise, I found it to be on the slower side, especially considering I was the only customer there. It took longer than expected to get a bagel, which was a bit frustrating.

Overall, while the bagel itself was delicious, the cleanliness of the establishment and the slower service left me feeling hesitant to return. Here’s hoping for a cleaner and faster...

I absolutely love this place. I am really glad they are here and usually get great service from the amazing people that work there. This Sunday was an exception to the rule…. We were really exited to visit, especially since we drive 1.5 hours just for the amazing breakfast burritos… worth every penny btw…. In any case, we walked through the door and the person working the front desk (pretty, short, Asian woman with a ponytail and a purple shirt) glared at us and was really rude taking our order. She seemed as if she was bothered by our presence, rushed us through ordering, and not friendly or helpful like the others walking around in the restaurant. It was 11 something in the morning and not too busy, so I was kind of taken back…. Furthermore, when I got home, one of my focaccia breads was missing from my order (I should have checked before we left). The rest of our experience was amazing as usual… food was great and all the other employees were great…. The missing item on top of the rude worker was just something I feel uncomfortable about and a little bummed. I don’t want to be a Karen and I know people have bad days….. will we come back? Yes, because the quality of food is unmatched to any other gf bakery I have been to…. But if we encounter her again and she’s rude again that will impact...