UPDATE - 2 more visits under my belt. Life is good, these guys make a very fine BEC, and great bagels too. Service better and better. Original review: Probably more of a 3 star at the moment, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as a new spot. First, the goods. The bagels are very good, right up there with the best in the area, and that alone makes it worth stopping. The egg sandwiches are good as well, not too greasy, put together nicely. I've been in 3 or 4 times, only had breakfast so far, but looking good. Service - Everyone is super friendly and eager to please, which is great. The issue is that I'm pretty sure I overpaid for what I ordered twice (I didn't total it up, too early in the day for that, but once it was over $9 for a BEC and an OJ), while the next time it seemed to be about right. Could be just learning the POS system etc, but we're a month or so in now so it's time to get that stuff ironed out. They also seem to get overwhelmed when it gets busy, and haven't figured out everybody's role. Whenever I see this I think the managers could benefit from going to one of the popular local Delis during the breakfast rush and watch how it's going down. Everybody has their job, and you know when you pull up exactly how long it's going to take before you get out of there. All it takes is some teamwork and 2 or 3 people can keep it moving. A tip - call ahead about 7 or 8 minutes, I've done this twice and they had my stuff ready to go both times, skip the line! All in all, lots of potential, and I hope they stick around and do well. read more

Terrible! They charged me $8.12 for a BLT on a bagel, as I was waiting I notify the sign said it was $6.50, so I told the girl who rang me up that she made an error And she was Clearly not happy. Then she showed me the screen that rang up a BLT at 6.95 and said the rest was tax, clearly Wrong! Then she called another girl who explained there was a .59 debit card fee , ok still not coming up to 8.12.... so she said in a very nasty way ok so you Want Your 45 cents back? I will never go back, the bagels suck, the service is terrible and it's expensive. Save your money and go to wandering Dave's next door read more

I bought 2 fresh juices from Empire bagel in Carmel and I saw the woman put ice to fill up the juice cup and then didn't mention it to me -- so they filled it up with juice at 3/4 of the way (with foam) and then she put ice to fill it to the top. On the sneak. Which is definitely a no no! Food always Great. I hope this is just a one time FAIL. read more

Best Bagel place in Brewster!!!! Excellent bagels and of course they offer much much more!!! Prices very reasonable. Staff is always friendly and very attentive to their customers! Definitely recommend!!!! read more

The service was horrendous today. I understand that people are in training but skipping over a customer three times to serve others is a joke. Then you take the order and collect the money and don't even say anything? Not even a thanks have a nice day? What The Heck. The main person (maybe manager) lacks the personality needed in the service industry. To top it all off he got my order wrong. What else can I do but laugh at this ? Try Ronaldo's in Brewster just outside of the village. Nicest people, great bagels and great food including dinners! Down the hill from Honda. read more

I come here for lunch frequently and usually get the Greek wrap... which is great! The chicken is freshly grilled, this means a bit of a wait but it's worth it (less than 10min) The people here are also very friendly. If your looking for a Deli with fresh food and good variety, Stop here! read more

Bagels are good, priced fairly but the staff in Carmel is rude and disorganized. There are places to buy bagels in Carmel that appreciate the business and are just as good. My recommendation is to stay away from the arrogant environment of Empire Bagels in Carmel. read more

I ordered empire bagels for the first time today I got three plain bagels with reg. Cream cheese when we got it it has WAY to much cream cheese and it's so SALTY like they put salt on the cream cheese but so much I couldn't eat it 3 bagels to waste read more

Empire Bagels - The cream salty cream cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Brewster, New York

I just dropped them another star. We opened our breakfasts in the car and our bagels are swapped. My healthy option sandwich has no salt and is tasteless. Terrible, terrible service and not cheap. Will not come back. My husband has been waiting 15 minutes for 2 breakfast sandwiches. It's not extremely busy on this Sunday morning. Upon reading other reviews, I see this is the norm. There is plenty of staff but it looks like there is no organized system for taking and completing an order. Take the advice of many of the reviewers and work on this. We will not be back anytime soon since there are other breakfast places around where they have the efficient, friendly and delicious breakfast process down to a science. read more

They never get the coffee correct but they insist on making it . I don't like that I have to pay extra money for using a credit card , similar to gas stations . The food and smoothies are good , but the service could use more help . Best time to go there is when it's not busy . They don't always get the order correct, but the try . I haven't been going there for at least 3 months because of these issues. read more

Bagels are a 3 out of 5 at best, and they charge like they're the best in the world. Also, $0.59 fee if you don't pay cash. Also, routine wait time for a breakfast sandwich is 20 minutes. Not for a large order, 1 sandwich. Service is average at best. Also, good luck getting a plain bagel after 9:am. Was the best bagel in Brewster for a while, only because it was the ONLY bagel in Brewster. read more

Empire is hands-down the best bagel shop in the area. Their bagels actually remind me of the real deal, which has been hard to find in Putnam. They also have awesome burgers and sandwiches on top of it. I have never been disappointed with anything I have eaten there. My only deduction of one star is for their drinks. Their smoothies and blended drinks all seem to miss the mark. I have tried several of the blended coffee drinks, mainly because my kids like them and they are cheaper than Starbucks, but no matter what I get it just tastes like I'm drinking a cup full of milk. That being said, they are not a Starbucks, they are a bagel shop, so it really does not deter me from going there at all because the food is really good. I definitely recommend them. There can be a long line on Sunday mornings, so I do wish they had a separate line for pick up orders bc you end up waiting in a long line even though your order has already been placed. Other than that, I have no complaints and go there most weekends. I also find the staff to all be very attentive and friendly, and I have noticed that the same people have been working there for quite a while now. That always makes me happy because I assume that means they must be a well run business as well. Definitely check it out! read more

NEGATIVE 10 IF IT WAS ALLOWED It would be nice if the owners of this place would pay for the contest they held " I need someone to come up with a catchy slogan or funny saying for T-shirts for my bagel store" Sound familiar owner? Here let me refresh your memory with the exact headline of your contest: 69 Entries Nov 25,2018 Ended I need someone to come up with a catchy slogan or funny phrase for t shirts for my bagel store. The name of my bagel store is Empire Bagels. And my slogan (which I'm not really crazy about) is the state of great bagels. Graphic Design, Photoshop, Photoshop Design, TShirts $200 (yes that's right everyone, 69 entries were submitted. That's peoples time that you wasted right there) Here's what you get now when you click on the headline; Error This contest has been deleted (how nice is that?) We don't work for free just because we are called freelancers. Freelancer means we choose who we want to work for and quite a few of us chose to work for you. What did you do? You had 1 month to award the prize of $200 (yes this is what the owner promised to pay for the freelancers work) and you ran down the clock and the minute your month was up you freaking deleted the contest. So not only did you not pick a winner but once the clock ran down and you deleted it you made sure the freelancers didn't even get the default prize. The default prize would have been that every qualified entry in this contest would have split that $200 but NO you cheated them out of even a couple of dollars they would have made. Ya, that's pretty low. I'm really glad you make all these wonderful bagels and it looks like you have a nice place. I hope you sleep well at night knowing you screwed hard working people over who trusted you to make good on your payment. All I can say is I hope you have enough common sense not to use any of the work provided to you by those freelancers because then you would be breaking the rules of the site and then I would imagine they would have something to say about it. So best wishes to you and continued success. I do hope however that over the course of time that you lose $200 dollars in business because of this post and we'll just call it even ok :-) Ta Ta Oh and that slogan your not crazy about - Live with it! read more

30 minutes for TWO EGG sandwiches. THIRTY MINUTES. Despite the sandwich being good, the wait is just completely unacceptable.

The staff is great, place is very clean. Be sure to visit the bathroom. Now, for the real reason I came to comment. They have VEGAN options and they are very hard to come by in the area. I've met J, the owner several times and he is very interested in what his customers are looking for. At my request and suggestion he has added a Blackbean burger. I gotta say, it is fresh and delicious. This is a great establishment and I hope they continue being great and serving delicious food. Empire Bagel, thank you for providing healthier options to those looking. read more

I decided to give Empire Bagels in Carmel, NY another try the other day, it was worse than ever. Bagels are good but one can buy their bagels at ShopRite on route 52. Place is disorganized, messy and the staff is more rude than ever. In addition the price of their prepared foods are never the same. My advice is to stay away from Empire Bagel in Carmel, I for one will never give them my business or recommend them. read more

This was my third visit since the new location opened - I really want to love it because the sandwiches sound like they should be good, in theory, and there are lots of options, but you guys need to stop hiring and/or train your teenagers - they don't know how to use the register or make sandwiches and it doesn't seem like they're getting any help from anyone who does know. My sandwiches have been wrong twice now, and one was just BADly made - lots of potential and, for Brewster, still 3 stars, but get someone to show these 15 yr olds the ropes please. read more

Tried to order a vegan sandwich and they had nothing available but many choices on the menu. Please do not put it on the menu if you are not able to serve to a customer. read more

Love the bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel at this place. In fact it my favorite BEC joint period. It's made to order. I like to place my order over the phone so not to have to wait too long cause lines do form there. And they also have what quickly became the best coffe as well being that they use Lavazza, one of the best Italian coffees in existence. Highly recommended for any breakfast or lunch needs. read more

I have been to Empire Bagels a few times. Staff is polite. They have been better with organizing the lines, orders and the wait time has been excellent. Food has been delicious. They have a variety of breakfast foods and healthy fruit shakes. If you are a vegan they also cater to you. The omelettes and bagels are delicious. The decor is very quaint and seating area is very clean. The only reason I gave it four stars is because the blend of coffee they use is horrible. It just doesn't taste good no matter how you have it. Please try another brand! Still a great place to go to eat or for morning take out minus the coffee. That mall definitely needed a place like this. read more

the staff is absolutely horrible. id rather never eat another bagle for the rest of my days. fyi - they charge more if you use a cc. look around the place is dirty & disorganized. do yourself a favor & read the reviews. please don't judge brewster by these rude dirty morons. wonderings daves is right next door & the guy was born & raised in this town. great food served with a great attitude & its very clean. heck id eat at burger king 10' yards away before id set foot in this joke of an establishment. who ever said "they are under new management" should have told them to fire everyone! rude, incompetence is on full display here. go in & learn how not to run a business. read more

Okay so I will start with the fact that I hate to do this. I have been going here for about a year or so because I absolutely love the bagels & the menu (the juices and the vegan options are awesome) but.... unfortunately every time I go here there's some kind of issue with the service. The Carmel location does not have this problem from my experience going there. Anyway, I'm always in there for at least 25-30 minutes which should never be the case in a bagel shop. To avoid this I have tried to call ahead of time, where sometimes I'll be placed on hold for literally 10 minutes, one time I drove from my house to their parking lot before I was connected to someone to speak with leading me to have to order in person. I want to love this place so badly. I really do. I kept on going and going until yesterday when I waited for 10 minutes to place my order and once I was doing so I could tell that the man taking my order could barely understand me or what I was asking for, he was literally laughing in my face and I wondered if he got my order right. Turns out he did not get any part of my order right, had to remake my sandwich and by the time I got to my car I realized my chai was coffee or there was coffee in it and my stomach can't handle coffee! Safe to say yesterday was my last chance! Wish it didn't have to be this way! Take care! read more

Food is good but the service is horrible. I was left on hold for over 45 minutes. It was so long I drove there and ordered in person when I asked the kid behind the counter why I was still on hold he said "oh my bad I forgot". They also almost never answer their phones and it's very rare they open up on time early in the morning. I can honestly say they have the worst customer service I've ever experienced. They do have good food which is why I keep going back read more

Always fresh. They also always have coupons in the clipper magazine. I recommend trying the cream cheese.

We're originally from the city, so we know the real deal on bagels, & these aren't it. Place is clean, staff is pleasant. I was thrilled being a vegetarian that they offer vegetarian and vegan menu options. Actually, they don't. Everything is grilled on the same surface as they do their meats. Therefore cross contamination so it's not vegetarian or vegan. Also most of the items don't have the in cheese. Just word to the wise via looking for real vegetarian food look elsewhere. read more

My boyfriend and I go here very often, almost every other weekend. Today February 6,2022 my boyfriend and I went in at 1:30. As soon as we walked in the chairs were up on the tables, the bakery section was completely empty. My boyfriend went to order a blacked eye iced coffee and he was told the machine was already cleaned out and they couldn't do it. I also witness another customer come in and want to order a juice but she was denied that too because they had cleaned out the machine as well. My boyfriend and I were going to go somewhere else but we were told that it was okay to order and then given a major attitude every time we ordered an item. I have worked in the food industry for many years and closing early and shutting down machinery is bad customer service. Non the less it was 1:30 and there was 30 min left and we felt rushed out of there. My boyfriend didn't even get what he ordered which was a BEC with salt, pepper, ketchup and didn't get ketchup on either bagel sandwich. Very disappointed. read more

LOVE this place. My husband and I have been here a few times since moving to the area. Customer service is great, the girls at the counter are super nice and friendly and are always quick to take the next customers order. We haven't had any issues thus far and their egg everything bagels are on point especially with bacon egg and cheese. read more

My team was on a long drive when our bus had to be replaced so we were stranded for 2.5 hours. The staff was incredibly accommodating of our 40+ person team and the bagels were amazing. It was a lovely place to be able to get out of the rain. The iced mocha was also very popular. I would definitely recommend the everything bagel with nova cream cheese. read more

Food is good, but similar to other reviews orders are frequently wrong which is frustrating. There are a few people that work there that are really good but unless you get one of them there is a 50/50 chance your order won't come out right. Again, food is delicious, but either staff needs more training or orders need to be double checked by a manager before going out. read more

Took over 20 minutes to get 1 bacon egg and cheese on a bagel. When I finally got it I had to open the sandwich to find out if there was any cheese. There was, but barely. The only reason this isn't a 1 star review is because the bagel was good. I will not be coming back to Empire Bagels. read more

My husband went in today and purchased two salt bagels. They were so pale they almost didn't look baked. One bagel was all flattened and twisted. They were light and mushy. It was like eating cheap white bread. A bagel should be brown and chewy. They charged $2.00 for two bagels and then, without informing my husband, they added a 59 cent "adjustment" to the bill. This is a surcharge of over 25%. Ridiculous!! We live practically around the corner and were happy to see this shop open. We were not impressed with them when they first opened but figured they just needed a little time to settle in. After today, we will NEVER go there again. read more

i waited 25 minutes for my sandwich and over 10 people got their food before me even though i ordered before them. smoothie tasted like ass cheeks too. wouldn't recommend anyone ever coming here. better not be hungry when you come in because you're gonna have to wait buddy read more

Empire Bagels was a place that flew completely under my radar until I saw it on a list of restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options . Their plant based menu and expansive and if it's all as good as the vegan meatball parm I can't wait to try it all. Great Food and great service ! read more

They are good bagels with friendly service. The update looks great. It is worth a visit

Very happy to have stopped in while running some weekend errands. Bagel was good, protein shake was delicious. Service was a little on the slower side for other guests, but mine came out quick. read more

been here 6 or 7 times and they never have egg bagels. everything else is full but never egg. frustrating. the one time a friend got me one of the egg bagels there was a giant hair baked into it. gross. food and coffee is decent but other places are better and easier to get what you want. read more