William Hoyt Bagel & Brew — Restaurant in Temple

Review from a Jersey girl who's obsessed with bagels and is forever on the hunt for something at least halfway reminiscent of a jersey bagel. I'm leaving 5 stars because it would be unfair to compare it to a jersey or NY bagel, so I'm rating it based on what's available in this area. It's definitely top 3 bagels I've had outside of jersey. I always try new bagels untoasted, because that's the true test. No masking the texture. A good bagel imo can and should be eaten untoasted, so I only toast bagels when I know it's just going to taste like a thick piece of bread otherwise. Anyways. I tried it untoasted and it was chewy, just like it should be. Maybe a little bit more than it should be, so next time I'll try a light toast and see if that does the trick. So the texture is almost there. It's the closest in texture I've found outside of jersey (including other states I've been to and lived in) aside from one other shop. However, the flavor isn't there. If I was rating it on flavor of the bagel alone it'd probably be 2 or 3 stars. It's not bad it's just very plain. I had an everything bagel. I also opted to get mine without sauce (bc again for me it's about bagel flavor and not all the other bells and whistles) so I'm sure with sauce, or cream cheese, or whatever else it would be great. But if you're solely searching for a truly good bagel, with a true east coast flavor, this misses the mark. I really think they could get there though with some minor adjustments, and this shop is better than anything I've had in Bell County, so I will...

I stopped in this morning while running errands, knowing the shop had just opened a day before. I’m so glad I did! The space is adorable—fresh, inviting, and thoughtfully designed. The staff was incredibly friendly, making the experience even better.

As for the coffee, it was fantastic! I’m pretty picky when it comes to sugar-free flavors since not all of them taste great, but they did a wonderful job. I had a sugar-free hazelnut latte with almond milk, and it was perfect, one of the best I've ever had—I’ll definitely be ordering that again.

I also tried a breakfast sandwich on a bagel (I believe it was called something Pig). It had sausage, egg, cheese, and a hash brown, and it was huge—definitely a full meal and really delicious.

A couple of quick notes for the owner:

I absolutely love your logo and branding! In a former life, I worked in marketing and advertising, so I always notice things like that.

Be sure to label your merchandise with prices. You may not have had a chance yet, but adding shelf tags or stand-up pricing would make it easier for customers without them having to handle the items.

Since I love your logo, I’ll probably be back for a t-shirt next time! Wishing you all the best with your new business—welcome to the...

I was initially very excited to visit this new business in Temple and arrived at 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Surprised about the no wait, I quickly placed an order for a dozen bagels and 2 toasted to-go items. I waited approximately 30 minutes while observing 6 employees "working" ??? Only one customer was before me and another came in after. It cost over $50--really over priced ! After waiting 20 minutes, I was informed that they were out of some basic flavors (cinnraisin, sesame, everything) which was NOT mentioned at the time of ordering. I worked with what they had and carried on. The bagels appeared to be at least a day old, very hard to the touch, chewy, and unevenly shaped....no indication of freshness in anyway, and I do not believe they are made in house. I should have asked for a full refund. I was so disappointed but was already running late. For comparison, I order bagels directly from NYC, where I pay less than $30/dz includes 2-day delivery. I would not recommend the waste of time or money. I really wish I could have sung some praises about this place, but it was a big let down on so...