Chewy's Bagels — Restaurant in Richmond

Some of the best bagels in RVA! I haven't been here since they opened a few years ago, and I think I'll have to be switching up the bagel rotation to include Chewy's.

I read some of these other reviews - and the complaints about them closing an hour early or running out of bagels is kind of absurd... don't you want a place that's so great that they run out of their food? I do. Nobody in RVA complains about ZZQ closing early, this is the same thing.

FOOD: Ham and Swiss on Sesame is absolutely a stunner. It was ham and swiss with caramelized onions, fig jam - and just hit right home on the notes. I just wish there was a bit more of the ham and cheese in there.

Got the classic bagel with plain cream cheese - not toasted, as this is the only consistent way to judge a bagel joint. The bagel is... chewy (not in a bad way), and has a light touch of sourdough flavor - LOVED IT. Cream cheese was awesome - but next time I'll be more adventurous as they have some banger flavors like pimento or scallion.

Ordered coffee as well - and the prices are really really fair and they have a full espresso machine. Great coffee too!

ATMOSPHERE: It should be obvious... go earlier than rush hour. 10am on a Saturday may sound like a great idea, but for a great spot like this (or really any breakfast spot in RVA) - don't. 8:30am was nearly empty, service was quick. Lots of places to sit and eat - which is a huge plus.

OVERALL: This has been an underrated Carytown spot hiding in plain sight. It's not a NY bagel, but it's really great in a different way.

Bon AppePETE! Ain't no rookie reviews -...

TL;DR: Excellent bagel shop with some growing pains. Highly recommend clearly posted prices and visuals for line control.

Chewy's has been open for a little over a month this point, and I figured I'd make a few visits before writing my review.

Their bagels are excellent, and I can't imagine anyone in the Greater Richmond area (and beyond that...?) can touch them. They're top quality with the crunch and chew you look for in a good bagel and ample flavor.

At this point, I think there are some things that they need to do to improve the day-to-day operations. One of them is clearly posted prices top to bottom inside AND outside the shop. For the latter, posting prices on their website or Facebook page would be a good start. Given how long the line can be--especially on the weekends--I think it's unfair to unintentionally pull a "Gotcha!" on customers who won't know the cost until they ring everything up on the register. Keep in mind that some of their sandwiches--namely the lox sandwich--runs up to $13+ with tax. Tasty sandwich, but the surprise cost hampered it a bit.

When they are busy, the line going into the shop could benefit from some visuals to direct congestion as the coffee is to the immediate left and the register is to the right. This would help prevent line congestion from crowding up the coffee station.

Lastly, keep in mind that they do not appear to be accepting cash/coin payment at this time. Credit or electronic payment only. So keep this in mind when you go.

Overall, the shop is very good and can be better with some adjustments...

Bagels were fine, as good as Nate's. They lose stars due to their sandwich department. We need a bagel shop to create some remarkable breakfast sandwiches. We have a lot of spots with biscuit sandwiches, but really one with good bagel sandwiches...Nate's. I hardly ever order more than one or two bagels these days, and im not in the office bagel club, so bagel breakfast sandwiches are what I gravitate towards. And if I order a breakfast sandwich I expect the meat to be hot and the egg not to be microwaved. If I wanted cold meat I would have gotten a lox bagel or come in for lunch sandwich. So my feelings are the sandwiches here are an afterthought, which I get...the business came through the ranks as a market vendor where all they were selling was bagels and schmear. So maybe this will be something to adjust in the future and make better. Another thing that is missing from most bagel shops I try is a nice bacon cheddar cream cheese. If Chewy's or Nate's could come up with that...man it would be a game changer. So worth a try, always good to support local!

As an aside, I see a lot if reviews about it being NY Style and all that. Well it's been about three years since the last time I was there...but pretty sure the bagels aren't sourdough and any New Yorker knows that NY style bagels are that way due to the city water and the 200 year old techniques brought over by my family and other Jewsish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Saying these are NY style bagels is like calling sparkling wine "champagne" even though it's not made in the Champagne...