Bagelry — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Eh.

It is what it is.

The bagels are pretty good. Good variety.

I've been eating here for decades and weirdly, they have NEVER had friendly staff here. No matter when you go in the past 20+ years, the person behind the counter will always seem mildly annoyed and somewhat surprised that you're asking for their help. It's obviously not a priority for them to make eye contact or say hello, even if it's not busy.

Also, no matter how dead the place is, no one EVER cleans the tables here so of course they are ALWAYS FILTHY. 9 empty tables covered in bagel crumbs and chai, NO ONE in the restaurant, and 6 staff people gossiping behind the counter. I mean hey I know it's not a gourmet restaurant, but no one can EVER grab a towel and just take 3 minutes to wipe these off every couple hours? Apparently not.

I mean, it's a Santa Cruz institution and obviously they know that they don't have to try very hard, and that's reflected in the staff and environment. But for a quick bagel and chai, you don't necessarily except French Laundry...

I love the baggelry and have been enjoying their great bagels for over 20 years. I have seen it voted the second best bagel in the Bay Area in the past behind the House of Bagels. We don't have one in SC but there is one in Scott's Valley, and they are so similar I don't think I would be able to tell them apart. Both are great, and I highly recommend the Baggelry when you are in Santa Cruz for the best bagel shop.

That said, they are not my favorite bagel. The very best ever in my opinion is Kelly's Bakery on the West Side of Santa Cruz. They do a sour dough onion bagel that beats anything made at the bagel shops. Kelly's is fantastic for anything and is much more than a bagel shop. So, if you want a typical bagel stop that will have lots of great choices for schmeer and other toppings, go to the Baggelry and you will not be disappointed. But if you want a really special bagel that is not like anyone else,...

House of Bagels is superior. The Bagelry on the other hand is outrageously overpriced and basically a scam. I typically get a Lox sandwich at my local bagelry called House Of Bagels where a Lox sandwich is $7 bagel that comes with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, capers, and lettuce, and is a hunk of a bagel sandwich . Today I the same order but at the bagelry- it was $13 and about half the size of the House of Bagels Lox Sandwich . Moreover, it had noticeably less capers, lox and tomatoes and didn’t even come with cucumbers or lettuce. I had to pay extra for capers and tomato. 👎👎👎There is no doubt that at the Bagelry the staff are good and hardworking people, although they rarely show enthusiasm for working their job (specifically calling out the cashier) however in my humble opinion it’s just not the best bang for your buck. Will post comparison...