A big shout out to Big Apple Bagels. They donated lunches for a Bocce tournament put on by the Castro Valley Bocce Club held in September. Our orders were personalized with our names so everyone was able to get what they wanted. I had a Turkey bagel sandwich and it was delicious. I especially like their bagel chips. Thank you for your generosity and support of our community. It was greatly appreciated. read more

This bagley spot used to be reasonably priced and quality. After Tommy sold it, it sure did go downhill! Now, it's overpriced and seemingly low quality foods here! Also, the hygiene of the workers is poor, not good for a food atmosphere. read more

I have been here many times, getting bagels and muffins, and usually left satisfied. This time, not so much. The bagels were underbaked and the texture were closer to sourdough than bagels. They also tasted bland. I got a big order for a breakfast party, and none of my friends could finish their bagels or sandwiches. Just very disappointing. read more

Stopped by here this morning and picked up two breakfast bagels. The service was swift and there were a lot of options. I ended up getting: One cheese bagel, toasted with egg, bacon, and cheese, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The bagel was nice and soft and not super bready like a lot of other bagels tend to be. Perfect bacon, egg to cheese ratio. I'll definitely be stopping by here again soon. The other bagel was sesame toasted with egg white and bacon, I had a bite of that one and it was very flavorful. The only thing I wish the bagels had was butter after being toasted or the bread tends to get a bit dry. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Big Apple Bagels - Egg white and bacon - Bagels Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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So good! The workers are so sweet, the girl at the front took my order and a guy started getting it ready right away! Seems like they're team oriented and fast paced I ordered the lox bagel SOOOOOOOOO delicious. Some places put too much or too less of the salmon, they made it to perfection! read more

Big Apple Bagels - My son loves lox bagels he gave this one 10/10 - Bagels Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Best bagels in the East bay! East and fast service not to mention the staff is very friendly! Never disappointed everything is so tasty read more

Fantastic selection of breakfast goodies! Staff was super friendly and fast. Great place to get breakfast for your work team. read more

Waited in store for 20 mins to receive a Luke warm bagel. I tried being patient but after watching others come and go after me to be handed a room temp bagel. Save your time and money, go to Posh down the street. read more

Wanted lunch with a dash of breakfast... so I had to go with bagels :) First time at this place, and I'm impressed. Another hidden gem in Castro Valley! I ordered the Turkey and Harvati on a Asiago cheese bagel, blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese and a lemon poppy muffin. Bagels is toasted perfectly. Cream cheese is nice and rich. They're generous with their cheese and meat portions. And the muffin. LET ME TELL YOU! AMAZING! I will definitely be a returning, maybe even regular, customer! read more

Today (2/26/23) I went to Big Apple Bagels, as I've had them a few times before and always really enjoyed the food, even if the service has been awkward more than half the times I've gone. I arrived 40 minutes before closing to be told "they weren't doing bagels right now" (even to just purchase to take home and toast myself), even though I could see plenty of bagels in their respective baskets behind the cashier. The woman in line ahead of me, myself, and the man who walked in behind me all left empty handed. I haven't seen any other reviews mentioning that they stop serving bagels at any particular time, so it was a very disappointing trip to say the least. read more

COVID!!! Please be very careful with this place. Before walking in the store at 7am an employee was preparing the food with the mask lowered under his chin. He put it on when he saw me. Then he grabbed one glove and started rubbing the ungloved hand. I stopped by the day before to get a bagel and I heard him coughing when I was leaving out the door. When he handed me my food he had what appeared to look like nasal snot on his finger. I threw the food away. I have been coming here for awhile and very disappointed. Be careful. read more

Who's minding the store here? There were three teenagers sitting in the back room, all on their phones, and no one else in the store when we walked in, yet none of them got up to help us at the counter until the second time we said, "excuse me". We ordered one bagel with lox and cream cheese and another bagel with cream cheese and bacon. As we were getting ready to pay, the kids/employees were joking about something amongst themselves and we stood there for about two minutes before I finally had to remind them that we were ready to pay. Two of the kids went back to the prep room and got back on their phones, one put his feet up on the counter, and the other took our payment. After we left and got around to unwrapping our orders, we found out that they had forgotten the bacon on one of the bagels. How do you forget one ingredient out of only two ingredients? If you are the owner reading this review, please consider hiring someone to babysit the three kids who couldn't seem to care less about customer service or their jobs. The bagels aren't that good anyway. read more

Their bagels are fantastic and their muffins are amazing! So delicious and tons of flavors to choose from. I will definitely go back!

This place holds a lot of memories for me, I even worked here when I was in high school so I'm so happy they found another spot in CV after leaving The Village. The menu has changed some but my faves include the French toast bagel with cinnamon honey cream cheese when I want something sweet or a Beddar cheddar bagel with lox spread when I'm feeling savory. The sausage breakfast sandwiches are good enough and the bagel sandwiches are good, I usually just get turkey with plain cream cheese instead of mayo. Good coffee selections too. read more

After wandering around the area like nomads (I was so antsy to review something new that I was ready to give 5 stars to a nicely painted curb), my wife and I decided to have lunch here yesterday. Decent hours: Mon-Fri 5 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat & Sun 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Our cashier/server was friendly and didn't rush us (it was obvious that we needed some time to look over the menu). I had to repeat myself once, but she was quite competent overall. Our total was $23.10. I wasn't given a receipt, and I can't account for $.45. We were probably charged extra for one of the bagels. We ate outside. I would have felt stuffy eating inside (I also wanted to take pictures in peace). The seating capacity is only about 25 (9 outside). There are only 6 fountain machine selections (ex: Sprite; Fanta Orange; Barq's Root Beer). There's also a fridge, though, that features a solid selection of drinks. The restroom is on the right just past the fountain machine. $.99 Jumbo Muffins: "Download our App for this coupon offer." Free coffee is also offered. "Today's Special ... Classic Turkey Sandwich ... $2.99 with any drink purchase." The environment here is casual and warm. A few people were clearly regulars, including this one guy. Cashier: "Nap time is a good time." Guy: "Naps? I don't nap!" (The cashier exchanged friendly banter with some others too.) Some misses: We arrived at about 12:45, and they were out of bacon already (this didn't actually impact us). They were also out of two types of bagels (I was able to receive a Beddar Cheddar bagel, but my wife had to choose another kind). The cashier could tell that I was annoyed. I give the cashier credit for quickly bringing our food to us outside. She even made sure that we were given our muffins first (our sandwiches were ready after about 5 minutes). Eating outside should have been more peaceful, but there were some annoying people in the parking lot (a guy just a few yards away took forever to disassemble a bike and load it into a trunk; a mom scolded her daughter after she pressed the car horn twice). My thanks to Shawn E. for his pics of the menu. Note: All prices include tax. Medium fountain drink: $1.96. Refills are free, and so I took advantage of that (I was changed later). https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/big-apple-bagels-castro-valley?select=lTcr4X3QifnjXtHSudXcow: Blueberry Muffin ($2.28): 9/10. My wife really liked her muffin (she was blown away). https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/big-apple-bagels-castro-valley?select=zd9P8Vi2qcOWzSp5AF_MPw: Cinnamon Crumb Cake ($2.28): 8.25/10. There was a nice cinnamon kick, but it wasn't over the top. I also liked how soft and easy to eat my muffin was. I was kind of sad when I was done with it (I briefly sucked on the wrapper). https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/big-apple-bagels-castro-valley?select=soTyQfXLJU0Owus_SNDz4A: Southern Tradition ($4.36): 8/10. "Sausage, bacon or ham, scrambled eggs & American cheese." My breakfast sandwich was nicely toasted. The cheese stood out for the most part, but there could have been more eggs. The ham didn't knock me out, but it was pretty good. My Beddar Cheddar bagel was large and delicious. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/big-apple-bagels-castro-valley?select=Oh1rfzy---xzzY6pboldew: Southern Tradition ($4.36): 8/10. My wife liked the Havarti bagel, and she enjoyed her breakfast sandwich in general. The sausage was tasty and really not greasy. As you can tell from the pic, the cheese was nicely melted. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/big-apple-bagels-castro-valley?select=Gq5uiYx6pVH_Dpdmacfabg: Ham & Cheddar ($5.45): 7.5/10. Value Meal (you get "a fountain drink and your choice of chips, mini muffins or fruit"): $7.09. I asked for mine without lettuce or tomato. My gourmet sandwich was underwhelming. It needed to be toasted a bit more. The ham and cheese were too cold. The cashier sort of promoted the Asiago bagels, but I didn't get one. I chose to get a Swiss cheese bagel instead. It was fine. Overall, my sandwich was filling, but not great. I didn't receive a dill pickle spear (my wife would have eaten it). Maybe you're only given one if your sandwich is on normal bread. My wife told me after we left that she likes the food here better than the food at the Posh Bagel (the last place I reviewed, incidentally). I feel the same way. I left full and satisfied overall. There were some minor issues, but my wife and I will return. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4c7EE8_IX0 read more

Big Apple Bagels - The parking lot is big, but somewhat tight. ... The shopping center tends to be busy. - Bagels Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Unfortunately we went at the end of the business day and almost everything was gone but what was left was good. Nothing great or special but nothing negative either. read more

Placed an order for pickup on a Sunday morning and the Strawberry and Blueberry bagels were hard as a rock! The everything bagel and plain bagels were better but I was disappointed that I had to toss half of the dozen bagels that I purchased. Word to the wise, if you order bagels from here, call and ask if they're fresh or stick to just the popular plain or sesame bagels. Definitely do not recommend this bagel shop. read more

Best bagels and muffins in CV!!! Bagels are always crunchy and have a good amount of cream cheese. I've been coming here since I was a kid and nothing beats Big Apple. read more

Great friendly service. Open super early. Bagels are fresh and tasty. Highly recommend checking this great bagel spot out!! Keep up the good work guys! read more

Order delivery from here yesterday, and it was awesome. The bagels are fresh. The order arrived quickly and I am so happy to be enjoying then bagels and cream cheese this week. read more

Big Apple Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Tried Big Apple Bagels in Castro Valley for the first time, and won't ever be going back. They messed up 2 simple bagel orders. 1) bagel toasted with cream cheese and tomato- came untoasted and with no tomato. 2) lox and cream cheese sandwich on toasted bagel - also came untoasted. Who wants untoasted bagels? The teenager taking orders was not paying attention at all, and was super quick to get back to staring at his phone. Back to Posh Bagels for me! read more

I just started back going to Big Apple Bagels. They make nice bagels and even started making a pizza bagel. The place is nice and quiet inside and very clean. They are even taking extra measures for sanitizing during this virus issue. I felt comfortable eating there. Outside seating and easy parking. Lots of drink choices too. read more

I stopped by Big Apple Bagels today after I brought in my bunny to the vet in Hayward. I was looking for a fast breakfast spot and saw that this place was rated well. I should have however actually looked at some of the reviews and noticed that everyone was mainly commenting on how good the service was and not necessarily how great the food is. The bagels here are really really bad. Not sure how anyone could think these are good. The bagels are super pale, almost like lightly cooked rolls if that makes any sense. These are fresh out of the freezer and into the oven type of bagels. I think Thomas' or any grocery store bagels are better than these, seriously. The service and employees however were very friendly but this doesn't make up for the poor quality bagels. I ordered a sesame with butter, not good, just not good. read more

Mediocre bagels. Good texture and size. Bagel lacks malt and salt. As an establishment they're kinda of rude and weird, but if you're in need of a bagel, this is a small step up from a frozen bagel or a grocery store bagel. read more

Yummy bagels and great service. They also have a good selection of breakfast sandwiches and muffins.

The bagels are fresh and delicious but I would pass on the pastries in the future. Like most bagel shops, the pastries tend to taste as if they have been sitting out for a couple of days. Guess the pastries are not big sellers but they could at least toss out the stale ones. read more

I hadn't been to the Castro Valley Big Apple Bagels in at least two years but I happened to be in the area and thought it might be nice to bring home a couple of bagels with lox, cream cheese, tomato, onions and capers. I was stunned that each bagel, which was one of their standard bagel combos, was $13.99! In addition, the two young dudes behind the counter rarely engaged or made eye contact with me. I had to interrupt their conversation to get some attention. The bagels were ok, but nothing like I would expect for the price. These should not have cost any more than $9/each. I'll look for another place for decent bagels at a more reasonable cost. Oh, I guess Yelp wants something about ambience. Walk in, see the menu and what's behind the counter, deal with young people who don't seem to want to be there, and there you are. read more

Food was subpar. Got a breakfast bagel here and it was not good. Jalepenos were old and the cheese tasted like it was just microwaved. Would not be go again. read more

Smells good. The place is clean and inviting. The restroom is clean. Randy, the baker is friendly. The food is absolutely wonderful! The prices are fair; this is a great value. read more

Very disappointed. I can't speak on what the actual food tastes like because we walked out empty handed. We came at 11am on Christmas Eve and they had maybe two bagels left and were told they weren't making more (they closed at 3pm). You'd think they'd plan better for such a busy holiday... read more

Pretty disappointed that I paid 5.99 for a bagel with cream cheese and they can't even give me the right bagel. I order everything bagel with cream cheese. Got home to enjoy a delicious plain bagel instead. As well it wasn't very toasted. Maybe I came on a bad morning. But I think I will stick to Posh when I'm in Castro Valley read more

I enjoy the bagel breakfast sandwich at this location. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is a nice quiet place to eat and relax, with a few small tables.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff member at the register needs to learn about how to interact in a positive way with people. My main reason for writing this review is the unsanitary conditions at the Castro Valley location of Big Apple Bagels. After finishing my breakfast and fountain drink, I noticed what looked like coffee grounds all over the inside of my cup. When I looked more closely, I could see the small black spots were moving. The cup I just finished drinking from was full of small bugs. Absolutely disgusting. The staff member shrugged when I showed him the bugs in my cup. He looked into the cup and very quickly threw it away. I asked him to check the other cups, which did not contain bugs. My guess is that the fountain drink dispenser has not been cleaned and is infested with bugs. Yuck! read more

Those bagels are just bad (blueberry in particular). I highly doubt they were even freshly backed and I bought a bag at 10 am. Overpriced as well. read more

Love the bagels, especially using their coupons. Met the owner today. What a great down home guy. A great addition to Castro valley. Love their sweets too! read more

Better than Posh! Bagels are much denser and moist. The service is consistent and friendly! Great prices, yummy muffins and it's locally owned!!! AND THERE IS BETTER PARKING. read more

Unsanitary and big turn off! Clearly unsanitary the guy was making my sandwich in a tank top with his armpits and half naked I told him about it and he said he was hot and he would have somebody else make it, but he wasn't gonna push a shirt on or uniform. They're making food half naked, unsanitary, sweaty and just plain nasty. read more

Excellent Bagels, coffee & service. Super friendly staff, clean & tidy restaurant, and lots of parking, so I can get in & out quickly.

I have been going to big Apple for over 5 years now. I've watched the service go down, and down. The food is great, bagels are outstanding. I really wish the young people working there would just give a little more priority to the customers. I've noticed that some items on my breakfast bagel sandwich are missing. This has happened quite a few times. Years ago I'm most certain the owner and his friend were running this shop daily. Now it is employed with high school kids. Needless to say, if you want a good bagel or bagel sandwich, this is your place to go. Just be ready for a little stink eye and for your bagel to come with the wrong cream cheese, or no onions.... read more

This is my go to place for bagels for the office. The offering is substantial and the prices are extremely reasonable. The cream cheese is light and fluffy and does not taste heavy at all. The service is very fast, especially for a Saturday morning. You can see and taste the quality of these bagels. No two bagels are alike because they are truly handmade. Leftover bagels always make for homemade sandwiches. read more

Big Apple Bagels - Assorted Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Big Apple Bagels was empty of patrons 2ish.. not surprised since mornings are their prime business hours. quick glance at shelves and menu just showed bagels to me. not in bagel mood. brew: "brewster's coffee" "french roast, decaf, med. roast" (1.95) -all the thermos were empty except for decaf and dark roast, -coffee overly harsh, probably not freshly brewed, been in thermos all day. 2.5 stars. read more