Spielman Bagels and Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Portland

The bagels are as good as the staff is grumpy to their customers.

Which is to say: severely good.

Unfortunately, getting your hands on one means frequently—not every time—braving an atmosphere of terse, uninviting energy that seems to radiate from the people behind the counter like heat from a toaster oven set to “resentful.”

To be clear: this isn’t the usual New York deli brusqueness that can feel oddly charming. This is something more annoying—like the staff (possibly including the owners) have been hurt before, and each customer is a reminder of that wound. Maybe it’s burnout. Maybe there’s a workflow issue and they are literally getting burnt daily from the toasters. Or it’s a protective mechanism born from years of Portlanders asking if their gluten-free, salmon-free, lox bagel still comes with lox. I don’t know. And while I am curious, it doesn’t really matter to the customers turned off from the mistreatment. What I do know is that asking a basic question about your order shouldn’t result in an eye roll, a passive aggressive comment, and a sigh so heavy it alters the barometric pressure.

During my visit, I dared to check whether a jumbled series of letters on the receipt stapled to our bag was our name/order or that of another patrons. We didn’t want to take someone else’s order. This treacherous act of clarification with a smile apparently warranted a glare that implied we were the problem. I briefly considered whether we were the problem—maybe we’d brought this vibe upon ourselves by wanting to verify our food—but then I remembered: no, that’s not how restaurants work.

I’m not in the habit of leaving reviews. I rarely leave reviews and when I do they are nearly always positive. And I nearly always feel quite positive about folks who offer the genuine public service of making food or beverage for others.

But I’m making an exception in the faint hope that someone connected to the business might read this and say, “Hey, maybe we could be 5%, or 20%, less grumpy.” Not only for the customers. For themselves. Because the energy in that space feels hard. It feels like a job that’s become a burden. And that’s no way to spend your days.

The bagels? Excellent. Worth the stop. But I hope that someday soon, the service might be as nourishing as the food. Not over-the-top friendly. Just curious. Just human. And until then, my visits will likely become...

I wanted a bagel and lox sandwich and there was a line down the block at Bernstein’s so I thought I’d try Speilmans. The woman in the pink tank top at 9am on 5/12 who tried to take my order was so incredibly rude. I walked up to the counter and she angrily shouted ‘what can I get you’ it was very jarring. I paused and she looked up and I said ‘hello’ and smiled, and then she just scowled and looked down at her tablet and said ‘what can I get you?’ I was astounded by the attitude when all I wanted was a bagel and baseline customer service. I said to her ‘actually I’m good.’ And walked out the door. The division place looked cool and loved the outdoor patio but I will never be giving my money to a place that keeps ambivalent bagel servers…yikes! I’m heading back to Bernstein to wait in the line. There was no line at Speilman’s, probably because customers don’t like to be degraded at 9:00 am on Sunday for trying to...

The vegan options are delicious! I had the hummus veggie bagel the first day, full of fresh veggies and a tasty hummus. Day 2, I tried the vegan egg and cheese bagel. I didn't realize it wouldn't have any cashew cream cheese but I'll know next time to ask. The salty herb bagel was absolutely delicious with a crisp, but chewy texture that I absolutely love in a fresh baked bagel. The service was petty quick even though it was already hopping when we went in. It was pretty cool to be able to see where they make their bagels fresh.

There are tons of vegan pastries as well. The apricot crumble was so delicious and more like a butter cookie with a slightly sweet jam. It wasn't too sweet but it was absolutely delightful. I love that they offer to go cream cheese, especially a few vegan options. The shop is cute, clean and trendy. We went twice during my weekend visit. I will absolutely be back next time...