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    Big Apple Bagels

    3.6 (167 reviews)

    Big Apple Bagels Photos

    Business Info

    BIG APPLE BAGELS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Still not able to finish it lol bomb and huge
    Fernanda D.

    Got two turkey clubs and MY GOD!! They hit the spot thank you for the awesome breakfast for my boyfriend and I post 4th of July lol will definitely be back! The gentleman that made the sandwiches/helped me was friendly and welcoming, he greeted me with a huge smile as if we had known each other for years, I love that. The ambiance was calm and quiet, very comfortable!

    6 pack jumbo muffins
    Elouise J.

    I like this place, we've picked up bagels and muffins from here 4 times and they're fairly reliable. Located in a small shopping center there is a parking lot that is easily accessible. Bagels- I like the variety of bagels here, and they make them huge! Although generally bigger is a better value, I find that most of the time the bagels here are under baked and shaped poorly. The crust is hardly brown sometimes I question if the interior is cooked through. After cutting the bagels in half they're usually too thick to fit in a standard two slice toaster. Other than these issues the bagels have great chewy texture and I just toast them until brown at home. Muffins- I don't usually go for sweets from a bagel shop but one time we tried a four pack of their jumbo muffins and were pleasantly surprised. It's a great treat if your family is not as big on bagels and want some variety. We had a batch of blueberry muffins that were lacking on the fruit, hit or miss. Cream cheese- We've tried the garden veggie and honey cinnamon cream cheese flavors. The garden veggie has a mix of onion, carrot, and maybe chives the veggies are not too overpowering but still adds savory flavor. The honey cinnamon is a sweet tangy option, I like to use the garden veggie on one half of my bagel and the honey cinnamon on the other so I have both savory and sweet. I'll probably come back to try more flavors in the future.

    1 cooked bagel and 5 uncooked bagels in my Too Good To Go bag. Not cool.
    Jami R.

    I got a bag of bagels that were not cooked right. They were white, flat, hard and heavy. I purchased a surprise bag thru "Too Good To Go" for $4.50 the day before. When I arrived, a guy smiled at me and handed a brown bag that was stapled shut. I opened it at home, big disappointment to find 1 cooked bagel and 5 inedible bagels. I paid $4.50 plus tax, the day before, with a pick up window of 2 to 2:30, for a surprise bag containing essentially: 1 bagel. 1 bagel only costs $2. I feel like such a chump. Too much of a waste of gas and time to go back out of my way and take them back..for what? Im sure they knew what they put in there, so I threw them out. Way to go Big Apple Bagels, Castro Valley! Good thing you signed up to use Too Good To Go (an app to help discourage waste and pick up leftover food at a discount at closing time instead of throwing it out) I can't believe they would put these awful bagels in a discount bag as a joke on 'cheap' people and I can't believe they would put them in their case for sale either. So why were they in the bag and not the trash? Shame on them. I saw 3 other bags on the counter and wondered if they were sad sacks like mine, full of the Newbie's mistakes from training day at work.. Geeze. OH and I told Too Good To Go about the bag and they gave me a voucher right away, all I had to do was send these two pictures. Edit: the business owner replied below and I can not believe they actually defend the flat, white, uncooked bagels. I know for a fact these are not a different recipe unless the recipe is to not proof the dough or bake it all the way. These were an attempt at blueberry, jalapeño, something green and possibly whole wheat? I thought they were gluten free or half baked. The cooked one had cheese on top. I'm adding more pics so the owner can understand the problem and possibly take responsibility for their mistake. I can't believe they don't see the problem with 5 of these bagels and never admitted it or apologized for their sad bagels they threw out, by way of my garbage can.

    Note bagels do not have smooth surfaces.  Under proofed dough... under baked. Raw tasting.

    I agree with Jami R. I also got a Too Good to Go. The guys were randomly picking bagels out of the baskets while I waited. But the bagels are extremely dense. They don't look like they were proofed. The dough is cooked, but I could taste raw flour. Considering that I had a 2:00 pickup, no bags were prepared. And one of the guys working said he's forgotten about it several days in a row.

    Multi grain bagel with turkey & garlic chive cream cheese and jalapeño cheese bagel with egg & cheese. Both delish!!!
    MK A.

    Great bagel selection! Delicious sandwiches, great service & good prices. What more could u want? I'll be back when I return to Castro Valley!

    Big apple bagels , with a missing touch of filling...

    I have two sides to this review, two opinions from my first visit. I work in SF and im sort of used to single items being over priced, if it's over priced it's most likely going to be a top quality product, in my experience. My order was 6 different muffins that looked delicious in its advertised pictures, even on site they look 8/10. I tried the chocolate cheesecake, lemon poppy, and cookies and cream. My first opinion is that they leave out a sense of indulgence when you look at the whole muffin (see my pictures and judge yourself). My second opinion is, they are simple muffins but i liked that the flavor of what was advertised is not missing , on the first two bites... I felt like i was eating a regular piece of bread throughout, not worth the $3.99 per muffin.

    Big Apple Club
    Takesha N.

    Well let me start by saying that I was hungry and wanted a veggie bagel but instead I was like surprise me just no pickles or cucumbers I'm allergic sooooooooooooooo when I arrived there were three guys working in there. They were all pretty friendly. They also offered me baked goods they have muffins and the mini muffins were really cute and petite kind of dry and not too much flavor but anyway, the focus was on the bagel sandwich. It was turkey, ham, bacon, avocado cheddar, onions, jalapeños because I didn't have banana peppers I don't long story short the sandwich was great. It was on herb and cheese roll because the bagel in a bit too small to get all that it would've been even messier I got to give it to the guy who made the sandwich. He put his heart and soul into it. It was pretty hearty. I did ask for Santa pepper they didn't do that just to give it a little kick but overall the sandwich was a five out of five. I should've ate it right away when they made it hot but I didn't so I ate it when I arrived at my destination I should I got chips with it or something but it was still good. Next time I'll tell them no ham the turkey bacon and avocado would've been just perfect. It was more like I had a club sandwich with onions & chives cream cheese on it .... , but on a herb cheese crusted roll. almost forgot to tell you about the ambience real mellow there was another customer and they are really cool. Guy name Dev but the three guys that were working were Jeff, Erin and Blake. I think that were their names I know I wrote it down, but anyway, they were friendly, great customer service. I kept them laughing. Tell them a story or two while I waited.

    Ad W.

    Best bagel place in the East Bay. Just moved from San Mateo and been trying different spots to eat and this is by far the best breakfast spot. The service is excellent and the food is AMAZING !!! Prices are very fair if not the best around.

    Drinks

    Me and my family love bagels and saw this bagel shop so we decided to stop by and get some we bought 4 bagels with cream cheese for 17$, it wasn't a long wait cause there wasn't really many people, but I got the chocolate chip bagel and I liked it(was a bit hard). I'm not sure what my family thought about them because they didn't say anything about it but the employees look young, but they were respectful.

    Lox with tomato, red onion, capers and cream cheese ! Supreme !!!

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Quality is great! Support your local businesses and not the chains. The lox bagel is great

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The strawberry schmear was not good. Not fruity. Bagel had a weird consistency, not like regular bagels, dense and chewy.

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Came here today to order a half dozen of bagels and i'm very disappointed. The bagels were stale for sure didn't feel fresh.

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    2 years ago

    Great bagel sandwiches, good service and reasonable prices! The place is clean and well kept and the bagels are always good

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    2 years ago

    A disgrace to call these bagels. Texture and looks alone do not convince me but I still gave it a try. Not worth it.

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    4 years ago

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    Page 1 of 5

    Big Apple Bagels Reviews in Other Languages

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    The Breakfast Club

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    3.9(524 reviews)
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    Contrary to the many negative reviews, I think this place is great and it really blew me away! From…read morethe food to the service to the value it was truly best in class! The only thing I can see being off-putting is the wait time to get seated. Luckily I went in on an early Friday morning where it may have been slower than usual compared to a weekend time. The food was top-tier, big portions, and I was surprised to come with a free/included freshly made coffee cake as a desert as part of my entree (if you pick it over the fries or other options, which I highly recommend the coffee cake). Extensive drinks and cocktail list available but we opted for a cup of coffee which was strong and good. Ambience was nice! Lots of cool designs and decorations throughout and upscale vibe. The Bar/counter area is modern but you can tell it pays homage to the retro diner nostalgic vibe. This bar area is a walk-up first-come-first-serve seating and has TV's which is a big plus! The restaurant regular seating area is very modern updated and clean. This area requires assigned seating and requires you to put your name on the wait list once inside. Can't wait to go back! Highly recommend!

    This has been my 2nd visit since my first review. That review was during the first week after this…read moreplace initially opened. I was happy to see the improvement. The food was good and the service was excellent. I will return for a 3rd visit, I am glad to see this place is still open and business is growing.

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    Khao Hom

    Khao Hom

    4.3(506 reviews)
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    Free parking
    Large group friendly

    Have been to their sister shop in SJ so was keen to try our local one here. Parking is super easy…read morein the public lot behind the shop row. Ambiance is cool, very airy and inviting. Came for a weekday lunch, 3 of us and got seated right away no problem. Love the special options on the menu, so many interesting things to try! The koong karee (prawn curry) and har mok seafood were my favorite. Special mention for the khao soi too! Big portions and took home enough for another meal. Prices are a little higher than the usual Thai joint but it's worth it.

    The rating for this restaurant mainly comes from the service our party experienced. Our waitress…read morecame across unengaged and unfriendly to our family. She was annoyed with the questions we inquired about the menu, especially so with the curry. In one instance, when we asked about recommendations beyond the Massaman short rib (as we thought it was too large and expensive) and green curry, mainly inquiring between the yellow and red curry, the lady responded by saying she already told us the green curry was good. Otherwise, the food was still delicious. The crab omelet was our winner. The portions are filling. Unfortunately just didn't have the best experience and having visited this place last year I also had a similar (though more positive) service experience.

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    A Romo's Cafe

    A Romo's Cafe

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    After having driven by this cafe on multiple occasions, I finally stopped in here with a friend for…read morebreakfast. We each got the salmon bagel, tea, and a latte, then found a table on their cozy and beautiful back patio. The drinks came out in beautifully painted drink ware. This place was such a nice spot to catch up and chit chat over good food. The servers were super friendly and helpful, and we never once felt rushed to leave or vacate our table. The noise level was just right, too. You would think being on A St would mean we'd hear cars the entire time and would have to talk over other tables, but everyone was respectful of each other and my friend and I could hear one another speaking just fine. Parking is limited; there were maybe 4-5 spots on the side of Sandra's Barberia, but you can park on the street and walk over.

    Came in for a pot coffee (Cafe De Olla), it was delicious! The ladies that run the spot treat you…read morewith hospitality, kindness & respect, like you're at Abuelas house. The ambiance in the back feels just like it too, the seating & set up brings back that nostalgia. Great spot to enjoy a cup, good food, company or to work from. Vine por un café de olla y estaba delicioso. Las señoras que atienden el lugar te reciben con hospitalidad, cariño y respeto, como si estuvieras en casa de la abuela. El ambiente en la parte de atrás se siente igual: la forma de sentarse y el acomodo del espacio traen esa nostalgia tan bonita. Es un lugar excelente para disfrutar una taza de café, buena comida, buena compañía o incluso para trabajar desde ahí.

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    A Romo's Cafe - Cafe de olla was 5/5 and Mocha Latte lighter smoother taste

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    Doug's Place - Chicken fried steak

    Doug's Place

    3.5(950 reviews)
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    I have always loved Doug's. Old school breakfast place that delivers delicious food and cool…read moreambience. The decor is old school movie posters and pictures. Love looking at all of them. Service is fast and friendly. Drinks were consistently refilled whether it was coffee, Coke or water. Food was delicious. They were able to make changes to both omelettes. Removing and adding ingredients easily with no hassle. Only issue was the Garlic fries were a disappointment. It's literally minced garlic on top of the fries. Online the menu does describe it but in the restaurant we had no idea. Fries were tasty but not what we expected.

    Short version: Food was fine, but the service needs work…read more Long version: They double charged us for a drink. We were settling the tab within the group at the counter and told one cashier we were double charged. Another worker (without telling us) closed the ticket and made us pay for the extra drink while we were trying to resolve it with the other worker. They also came to check on us just once after we got our food then we had to flag them down to check out and get take-out. As far as ambiance, the restaurant is bigger than I expected. Old Western movie posters on the walls, string lights across the room, stained glass lamps. Wooden interiors. It's cozy and comfortable. Good place to go as a group or a breakfast date. Traditional breakfast fare -- omelettes, sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, etc. The corned beef hash was good. Their drink menu is limited, basically coffee and some fruit juices. Lots of parking available because of Lucky's next door. If you want a traditional breakfast experience, go here. If you want a better bang for your buck, more diverse menu options, and better service, I'd go somewhere else.

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    Cafe Rumi - Gluten free flatbread chicken wrap

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    4.3(971 reviews)
    1.2 mi
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    Ive visited a couple of times recently and have had great experiences! The people working are…read morealways super kind and I enjoy the food and drinks they serve. I most recently tried their peppermint mocha and lavender latte, both of which I got iced. They were delicious!! I'm a really big fan of minty chocolatey drinks and I thought the peppermint mocha was done really well for an iced version. The lavender latte was actually a pleasant surprise for me! I wasn't expecting to like it so much and the lavender and coffee were really balanced. The chicken gyro was good as well! It came with a sauce and was packed with veggies, which I appreciate. I do wish they had cucumbers in their gyros too though. Overall great experience :)

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    Big Apple Bagels - bagels - Updated June 2026

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