Cleo Bagels — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Good food. Service needs improvement. Prices need transparency. Came here during their second week of operation, so definitely some wrinkles to iron out still. The staff was friendly and apologized when our order encountered several errors. The food itself was good. The Apple Thing was a nice little sweet treat and the Nova Classic Sandwich was a decent portion size. Multiple menu items were out of stock. We were notified one of the items we ordered was out of stock after we ordered and paid, which led to a confusing and convoluted attempt at a refund and substitution. Ultimately, no one behind the counter could figure out how to issue a refund so they decided to ring up an additional order for the difference in price between the out of stock item and their suggested substitute. Several menu items didn't have a price listed next to them on the board, namely the treats and beverages, which led to a bit of sticker shock when presented with the order total. I also overheard one of the staff members reminding the cashier to include the soda tax when ringing up drinks, which is a bit of a red flag in my book. Overall, not a great first impression, but heres hoping they can fix some of these issues...

Came for Saturday brunch. The menu can be a little overwhelming in that there are a bunch of standard bagel choices but the sandwich choices, which can also be put on a bagel, are more limited. So I would recommend looking ahead of time to know what you are really looking for.

We got two bagels in the end. The first was the Nova Classic on the Frencheverything bagel. I am not a huge fan of lox so was destined not to love this bagel. But I think they did it well. And the Frencheverything with the lavender hints was actually fairly nice. However, our second bagel was superior- the ramen thing on a toasted everything bagel. I was doubtful that this would be executed from a flavor profile successfully and was very much surprised. Easily one of the best bagels I've ever had. I truly don't understand why it works but it did. Like eating the most flavorful bowl of ramen each bite I had.

The place/setting itself leaves a bit do be desired. There are maybe 8 seats. The drink selection is fairly lacking. And the ambiance is whatever, doesn't really sell French bakery. Parking is easy enough.

That being said, I'm still thinking of the...

This place focuses on fish-based bagels, but DANG, this is the best egg and cheese bagel I've ever had. And I know it wasn't a fluke because I came back and got it again. The everything bagel is so fluffy, and the Colby cheese perfectly melted, and the eggs so soft... it just hits the spot.

The bagels in general are great. The seasoning is great. I've always been an everything-bagel guy and they deliver a great one here. They also have Bialys.

I came here 4 out of 5 days this week I think. I tend to get hooked on good things. The "beans, deans and greens" is great. The fish bagels are all great. A bagel (French thing or plain) with raspberry jam and butter was also incredible. It's weird for me to be repping the egg and cheese so hard, but here I am doing it.

The staff is also super friendly. The place is clean. Good vibes all around.

I will be...