Badass Bagels HQ Norwalk — Restaurant in Norwalk

I have mixed feelings about writing this review. While the people here are fantastic - very kind and friendly....the restaurant and menu itself seemed to be a bit lacking. We came for lunch/brunch. The menu leans very heavy towards vegetarian, so if you don't want only veggies or the one protein offered on the menu, the choices are a little slim. The French pressed coffee was very good. All the plates we did end up ordering were good, but small and sparse on ingredients. The kale salad was simply a plate of shredded kale - no added fruits, nuts, protein or anything to make it a little more interesting...but it was very fresh and good for just kale. The soup, served in a small orange juice glass - again, good, but hardly a portion to satisfy your appetite. Also, the prices are in my opinion, quite expensive for what you are getting. I'm not sure if he was the owner, but the gentleman who took our order and waited on us was GREAT - he did try to be accommodating since they were out of one item we ordered and the timing of our food and preparation was a little off. This restaurant has potential - the people and concept are good, but maybe a little more menu development and preparation would make it more appealing to a wider audience. Perhaps dinner options and...

3 and a half, but since we can't get half stars.. and I would rather err on the side of caution, it's getting a 3.

I would've loved to give this place a higher review, because there really aren't many good places to go for brunch in Fairfield County. Maybe I'm spoiled after living in Boston for 10 years.

I'll start with the good things- it's a cute place, nice decor, feels warm and homey. The Coffee was great. The gluten free donut bites were soft and delicious, without having any off flavors caused by the need for unusual flours.

Service was just OK. We were left to fend for ourselves for a while when we could've used coffee refills, but the food came pretty quickly and the server was friendly.

Now the not so great- Duck hash barely had any duck. It was mostly cold, undercooked sweet potato cubes. Very disappointing.

The Omelette (english rolled eggs i think it was called) was under-seasoned and lukewarm.

For a place with such a promising menu, they need to deliver on a higher level to be worth another visit. Real shame because those donut bites are...

If these weren’t the most overpriced, average bagels I’ve ever had…

The bagel: got a great chew, with an average flavor. They are giving neither sourdough nor bagel. $3 EACH.

The cream cheese: I had such high hopes! The flavors LOOKED Fantastic! Got home to try and was so letdown by the lack of expression of the flavor that they are supposed to be. How incredibly disappointing. Black garlic is one of my favorite flavors in the world. It was nowhere near present in that cream cheese. The hot honey pistachio? There was nothing hot nor pistachio about it, simply a drizzle of honey and some cream cheese.

All in all five bagels and two things of cream cheese (Because I wanted to try and they do not make any sandwiches there allowing you to do so) Cost me $37 this morning and I want every minute of my time and my money back for the utter disappointment that was these bagels. Really wish people would start using flavor to their advantage, as the Concept...