Florence's Bagel Deli & Cafe — Restaurant in North Arlington

You know, I always try to give extra props to a small owned family business. I know what it's like, and know they need the support. Only when it's worthy of it though, and I don't see that here.

I moved into this area a little over a year ago, this place was just opening. The kitchen of my new place was pretty much empty, so I would come here for a couple of breakfasts. It was good too, you could see that they were just getting settled in.

Make no mistake, there's no problem with the food. From what I have, it's actually quite delicious. It's everything else.

I decided to go eat there today because I had been over-frequenting the other bagel place that I go to in the neighborhood. Realizing that I hadn't been to this place for a while, I decided to go there for a change. When I walked in, there was a group of people waiting for their order; a man and a couple of girls and one woman. The man in a couple of girls were apparently from out of town, and it seemed like the proprietors were kind of struggling to fill their order in a timely fashion. I placed my order: sesame bagel with CC and a coffee. I had written an entire review for the laundromat down the street before the guy seated said "help this guy out first he has a smaller order"... It seems he was waiting for his order too. The woman that was on her own got her order, left and came back, because it was wrong and they had to fix it. After a bit of a wait they called me up and I added a coffee to my order. Coffee wasn't done, had to be remade. So I sat back down and waited a little longer. Then they were finally done my order, he rang me up: $9. Yes, nine bucks- bagel and cream cheese and a coffee. I figured, well they must make the bagels themselves and it's a small business so I'll just eat it (no pun intended). The people that were waiting for that order was still standing there, until maybe five minutes before I left. The woman had taken her order, was dissecting the bag to make sure that it was done correctly this time. She, like me, wanted to give them a shot. On the way out, I inquired why my bagel and coffee was so expensive. He re-rang it and gave me a dollar back like it was nothing. What exactly happened here I'm not sure. I'm not exactly sure what's more concerning: that they were about to charge me an extra dollar and not even really care about it until I said something, but that my freaking bagel and coffee were eight bucks!!!

I didn't really feel that it was worth it. It doesn't seem like they have any idea how to run a business like this. The place still looks like they just moved in, a lot of bins are empty, they really don't have a good selection of bagels to be honest, for a 'bagel deli'. It's dark and doesn't seem as clean as it should be. Also, the tables were really sticky. As for the staff: The guy runs back-and-forth looking like he's doing 17 things at once and not keeping track of any of them (I seriously thought they forgot my bagel until the guy seated said something) and the older woman seems to just wander around.

Needless to say, I won't come back. An absolute shame really.

If you're in the area and you want a bagel, keep driving towards Kearney and look right on the left, Sam's is right there. Good bagels/sandwiches, great service, and that bagel (with CC) and coffee is under six bucks.

TL/DR: decent food, terrible at everything else, go...

I ordered delivery My partner has a severe spinach allergy, bordering anaphylactic. I always add severe spinach allergy to my orders as an FYI for cross contamination purposes as it’s a very odd allergy. This was supposed to be a roast beef with cheddar subbed in place of American cheese. To our disbelief, my partner was eating her sandwich to find SPINACH in it and not that it even matters at this point but they also didn’t swap out the American cheese. Now I have to hope that the benedryl does its job and it won’t be followed up by a trip to the hospital. I’ve attached a photo to show that I wrote severe spinach allergy. It’s beyond concerning that this was overlooked and misinterpreted entirely.

As someone who not only has a partner with food allergies, but a child with food allergies as well..it can be a life or death situation and I take it very seriously.

I hope my review will be adequate feedback to ensure future customers who vocalize food...

My husband and I were in town to see the Giants game and we decided to stop here because I have never had a “jersey bagel” before. We came on Sunday morning & found ourselves right back here a second time the next morning before heading back. After our first one we just HAD to have more. Not only was the bagel itself AMAZING, but the service was phenomenal. The owners make you feel like you are a part of their little family from the moment you walk in. It’s like you are sitting in their dining room for a meal. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and comfortable. We both got bacon egg and cheese. I got the everything bagel, and my husband got the sesame bagel. The bagel itself is PERFECTLY made. that slight crisp on the outside but so soft and fluffy on the inside. Now, i’m back in VA and i don’t think i’ll ever be able to enjoy a basic bagel the same way ever again. Thank you for your amazing service & food! We will be back everytime we are in...