Bethesda Bagels

This is my go-​to place to get bagels for my coworkers because the bagels are a good size and they tend to enjoy them. I usually get half a dozen with a couple cream cheeses.
I’ve tried their plain, asiago cheese, jalapeño cheese, sundried tomato, cinnamon raisin, blank & white, and blueberry bagels. My favorite was definitely the asiago cheese, which is great toasted and also untoasted. I usually like jalapeño cheese bagels when they have the cheese and jalapeño slices on top of the bagel, but the one here was much different. It was more baked into the bagel, with the smell of jalapeño cheese, but not quite the taste. I’ll probably not get that one again.
They have many flavors of cream cheese, which you can buy by the lil tub or individual sizes. Some flavors they have are plain, veggie, lox, chives, etc. I normally use more cream cheese than bagel, cause yummmm cream cheese!
Service can be so-​so. The first few visits were great — the person that took my order and the person that rang me up were kind and rather straight forward. They quickly got my 6 bagels and handed them to me right away. My recent visit wasn’t that great… the cashier snapped at me, asking me to confirm how many bagels I’m getting, and then quickly rang me up and I had to wait quite some time for my bagels. I wasn’t used to the whole ticketing system, as most of those with tickets were waiting for their sandwiches, and not ready-​to-​go bagels. The people that day seemed very impatient. Quite annoying.
Good breakfast for under $ 5, or under $ 8 if you wanna splurge a bit.

When a coworker brings in a big bag of Bethesda bagels, I know it’s going to be a good day at the office. I’m from the NYC area originally, and these are the first bagels I’ve had in DC that have tasted like real bagels to me. Judging by the online menu, they have a gigantic selection of bagels and spreads, as well. I had the chocolate chip most recently (I didn’t even know there was such a thing!) and really enjoyed it. Banana nut sounds great, too. I can definitely see myself being a regular customer here.

Although the system needs work, Bethesda Bagels offers up a good product. The tiny shop can get overly crowded and offers up four bar seats so people don’t typically stick around long (expect during the ordering and waiting-​for-​food period). I ordered a toasted everything bagel with cucumbers and light veggie cream cheese. Besides the lack of cucumber slices (three thin slices on my entire bagel!), they’ve got some tasty bagels although I scooped off at least one tablespoon of excessive cream cheese. I get the feeling that the employees here are overwhelmed most of the time and thus rush the great product resulting in only a good product. Once they get the process perfected, I could see they churning out a consistent good experience and product for their customers.
My tip: skip the manual, machine made coffee here, if you’re desperate to whet your whistle grab some OJ out of the cooler.

Only 2 blocks from my house, Bethesda Bagels is my go-​to quick weekend breakfast. Their bagel sandwiches can please even the most picky eaters. I usually order two mini bagels because then you get more crust and toppings proportional to dough. I guess it’s because there aren’t preservatives in the dough but these bagels do NOT last more than a day. So freeze em if you’re not gonna eat em. Otherwise you might cut your finger trying to slice a rock hard bagel. Not that that happened to me…
The line can be out the door, but it moves quickly. It will also give you time to decide what to order. One time my bus to NYC was late so I ran up the street to get some bagels for the trip. I arrived just before closing and the guy working filled up a whole bag with mini bagels!!! And then I proceeded to munch the entire 5 hour bus ride.

After I posted my review, Danny, the owner of Bethesda Bagels, reached out to me. He invited my husband and me into the restaurant for breakfast on him. We accepted and went in on a Sunday and what an entirely different experience! He rang us up as a normal order, our food came out in a timely fashion, and our order was exactly correct. THIS time, the food was delicious. My husband had a tuna melt, which he said was loaded, perfectly toasted bagel, and just delicious! I had their BLT, with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and fantastic bacon. It was such a delightful experience. Any owner who goes out of his way to make amends and on top of that gives a great experience has a business to which it is worth going! We will be back as paying customers! Thanks, Danny, for changing our minds!

Such a wonderful little place! I stopped in on my way to the metro station and had a Asiago Bagel with cream cheese. It bagel was cooked to perfection, the cream cheese was whipped slightly and there was just enough. The service was friendly and fast (despite me coming at a busy time) the the price was very reasonable! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend to anyone looking for a quick bite to each, some lunch, or even a coffee date!

My total wait time was 45 minutes. After I asked them to check on it 3 times they brought me the wrong order (which was much cheaper) hoping I would leave without noticing. In the end the order I got was still messed up but I took it anyway. Takeaway: don’t come here on Sunday, if at all.

Update: I’m never coming here again. They put cream cheese on my bagel again, for probably the 10^th time when I’ve asked for no cream cheese. The girl at the register is on her phone and can’t remember the most basic of orders, like what type of bagel I want. Or to not put cream cheese on it. She’s just yapping away on her phone.
To the owner: you run a terrible business. Your employees can’t manage to not put cream cheese on a bagel when asked. They literally cannot remember things like what type of bagel I want. One bagel. Wheat, with no cream cheese. My 8-​year-​old brother could remember how to do this. I think it’s repulsive that you continue to screw up my order, and I’m in there 3 – 4 times a week.

Best bagel shop! Quick, delicious and convenient. Bagel Sandwiches are the best and full of flavor and color.

Came here during a Saturday morning rush. Quality of the bagels and toppings are top notch, ordering is easy, and the line moves quickly. Bagels come stuffed, so come hungry portion sizes are huge. I got the nova salmon on an egg bagel; for sure some of the best nova I’ve ever had. My only compliant is the salt content of the cream cheese — the fish and capers carry enough natural salt to begin with. Other than I would def come again if I am in the area. The tuna melts looks to die for

My friend and I happened to be lucky and get to Bethesda Bagel on a rare occasion where there was no line. My friend assured me that the line is often out the door — that’s how popular this place is. I got a toasted whole wheat bagel with egg, cheese, and bacon. There were a lot of custom options, but I like to stick with what I know. The bagel was about regular size, maybe a little thicker. There was a lot of egg and bacon on it and the bacon was nice and crispy. The inside is a little crazy. There isn’t much room to stand waiting for you bagel and the coffee area gets really crowded. There’s only a few seats inside (which were pretty rickety stools) so a lot of people eat outside on the stoop.

A front runner for the worst customer service in DC. I’ve been going to Bethesda Bagels for a few years now because I love mediocre bagels.
When you walk in, they automatically hate you and assume you’re annoying and incompetent and treat you as such. «And you want it toasted? Ugh. Fine.»
If this place were any further than 15 steps from where I work I wouldn’t go, but I’m lazy, so I put up with them.

I have finally tried Bethesda Bagels, and I gotta admit, they make a pretty good bagel sandwich. It’s huge, filling, and the bagel itself is tasty. I’m sold. They don’t make it especially gourmet or have crazy in-​house sauce concoctions, but what they lack in creativity they make up for in quality and everything tastes good.

My go to bagel breakfast joint — the name here can be a little bit misleading because it’s not actually in Bethesda. If you’re going to come here my suggestion is go big or go home because the bagel sandwiches are to die for. Normally I go for the egg, but the lunch options are Devine.
You can expect a wait in the mornings and at lunch. But the prices are fair and the sandwiches huge! Make sure you add toppings. The special BLT as well.
I discovered this place on Instagram. Check it out and you won’t be disappointed.

No frills bagel joint but with a focused staff who moves the line briskly and with cheer.
Two window benches shoulder the center door — each with four stools. Standard U.S. Comfort zones coupled with ectomorphic patrons suggest three abreast. Introduce Endomorphs and each side seats 2.
Four menu boards — one devoted to «breakfast all day» featuring three signatures (Nova, Whitefish, Peppered Salmon) among the standard egg/​cheese/​meat options.
Self serve coffee (push button coffee machines).
This has the feel of an upscale barrio bodega given the mismatched coolers to the left combined with the honest/​no-B.S. (Yet cheerful) counter service. A Barrio Bagel Bodega, if you will (not a hint of Latino/​Hispanic/​Spanish culture in sight).
Appears population with the surrounding workers and students for first (or second) breakfast or elevenses.

I had read the reviews, heeded the warnings about arrival time, and looked forward to the huge sandwiches.
So when I came around 7:15 am yesterday morning, I was so pleasantly thrilled that I was the only customer in the store for a few minutes. As I approached the store, one of the guys who was sitting facing the window jumped up and went behind the counter to take my order.
All I knew was I wanted my go-​to sandwich of a toasted bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese. I did not think through the options of bagels and ended up selecting an everything because I was starving from my workout that morning. I was surprised to see pepper jack cheese as an option and opted for that and selected scrambled eggs when asked, «Scrambled or fried?»
The sandwich was huge and delicious; it was well wrapped and allowed me to stay on course with my plan to eat half of that and half of my other toasted and similarly large sandwich: a whole wheat bagel with salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, and red onions. Tomatoes and onions were fresh and flavorful but I would say both sandwiches erred on the salty side.
The order came out to be $ 13.50, which is a little steep for two morning sandwiches but it was made up for by the quantity and quality of the food.
Another couple ended up joining me at a table facing Connecticut Ave. and I saw a stream of customers come in while I was there for 30 minutes.
A few other random things to note:
Now that I have a bike, I am looking for bike parking and out front, there is bike parking (not guaranteed). They play great music, but the website is not the most updated and the place is limited on seating and space so have a plan on what you want and where you are going to eat.

Great bagels. Slow as molasses service.
Is it worth the wait? Yes.
I’ve only purchased toasted bagels with plain cream cheese – nothing else, never deviate from it.
The place is bedlam when I go in; crowded and unkempt environment.
But – very nice bagels. They’re handmade; usually super fresh; and slightly bigger in size than other shops. Now I’m not sayin’ they’re the best I’ve had – that’s in Philly or NYC. However Bethesda Bagels is about as good as it gets in DC.

As a New Yorker, I’m naturally picky about my bagels, but I was pleasantly surprised by this place.
I came here around 1pm on a Sunday, and the line was almost out the door, so I can’t imagine what this place is like in the mornings, The inside isn’t that big, and only has a few tables, but it’s worth the wait.
I ordered the smoked salmon bagel (with so capers cause, yuck). First off, the bagel was very decently sized, and still perfectly soft even in the afternoon. The cream cheese was exactly how I like it– slightly above the average amount. The smoked salmon was fresh, as were the tomatoes and onions.
The whole thing was a bit messy to eat, but every bite was more delicious than the previous, so I was okay with it.
The customer service was great and speedy, and they had Dr. Browns soda, which always makes me happy. Now, if only there was one closer to me!

The bagels are pretty good and the egg sandwiches are pretty big. Can’t really complain about the food, but I wish they had more seating here; only a few stools at the counters by the windows, so usually will need to take your food to go.
Also, this place gets unbelievably crowded on the weekend so be prepared to stand in line.

Good bagels! Good sandwiches too!
Whenever I’m in the area I stop by to get a bagel or two. And usually one is a sandwich! They pile on the meat so it may be stacked bigger than your mouth can open! Most selections are very tasty.
Many times I will see additional pastries in the case that look delicious but I’m usually so full I don’t have the opportunity to try them.
There is limited seating here. And it can get pretty busy so you may have to stand to eat or find elsewhere…