What do I look for in a bagel shop? Good bagels! I could care less about the cream cheese, or smoked fish that goes on a bagel. I grew up in the NYC suburbs of Northern New Jersey. The best bagel places had no names, just a sign that said 'Hot Bagels'. They made bagels fresh every hour until closing. They also cost $1 per dozen. (No boomer dad jokes please) Okay, no bagel shop bakes all day any longer and bagels cost more than $1+ per bagel, even at the dozen price. At $2.50+ per bagel, this is not a bagel priced for the masses. I now live in San Diego area, so when I passed a place called Garden State Bagels, I had to stop in. I bought bagels and only bagels, so my review has nothing to do with anything else they sell. The bagel I had after going home tasted like a real water bagel with a good crust and dense interior. Yes, a bagel should have a dense interior. If you want fluffy white bread, buy fluffy white bread. I ate it without toasting (a fresh bagel needs no toasting) with a plain cream cheese spread on it. It tasted like a real bagel. I might not remember since I have been living in California so long. I do question how a bagel shop can sell Taylor ham/pork roll as one questioner asked. IMO an instant way to ruin a bagel. I guess you need to sell what people want to buy. Yelp always asks about ambience. If a bagel shop has ambience worth writing about, their bagels are probably not good. This place has no ambience, so a big plus in my book. I will try again without any pork products when I am in Encinitas to verify my initial review. read more

I stopped by Golden State Bagels after a gym session, looking for a quick, post-workout bite. It's a tiny little shop tucked into a shopping plaza, with a couple of girls working and a surprisingly wide selection of bagels. One thing I found kind of funny--the bagels on the top shelf were more expensive than the ones on the middle shelf. The "specialty" ones (like jalapeño cheese and asiago) were about $1.25 extra. Not a big deal, just something that stood out. I went with an asiago cheese bagel and added egg, turkey, and a slice of cheese. It came out to about $10, toasted and ready pretty quickly. Overall, it was solid--nothing amazing, but it did the job and hit the spot after a workout. One thing that would really elevate the experience is if they offered sauces or toppings more proactively. It would've been nice if they asked about things like hot sauce, chipotle mayo, or even adding tomato, avocado, or some veggies for texture. When I asked, I was just pointed to a small self-serve area with packets, which felt a bit underwhelming. read more

Bagels are bomb, cream cheese... bomb Micheal is awesome he got us dialed in and hooked it up read more

Poor customer service, women in the front are very rude and seem annoyed to have to serve you.

This has been our go-to bagel shop for as long as I can remember. Best bagels in the area. If you catch them right out of oven they are especially delish. The ladies behind the counter are what makes this place extra special. We stopped in on my son's third birthday and they brought him out a birthday bagel (with icing and sprinkles) and sang to him! read more

We found this place on a trip to Carlsbad. We tried it one day and went back every day for the 3 days we were there! The people are amazing and the food is so good! read more

The whole shop smells fantastic when you walk in and the bagels live up to that well! The bagels here are always awesome and the staff are great as well. Michael is super nice and always has a smile on his face. read more

I've never had a bagel like this! Based on the other reviews, it sounds like I've never had a real east coast bagel... until now. I walked into this no frills shop, greeted my friendly employees, and tried the seasonal pumpkin bagel with cream cheese ($5). They did not play with that cream cheese! The flavor was distinctly pumpkin but not overly sweet like you might find elsewhere. The bagel had a nice crispy outside and soft, fluffy yet moist inside. I would definitely come back and enjoy another flavor or breakfast sandwich (posted for under $9). read more

Garden State Bagels - Seasonal pumpkin bagel with cream cheese ($5) - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Best bagel spot in Southern California! Absolutely obsessed with the quality, atmosphere and genuine humans that make this spot what it is! 11/10 read more

I never leave reviews but I just wanna start out by saying if you are charging $20 for one lox bagel not even face up I better get a pound of salmon and not 3 pieces. Employees were nice but $20 for a bagel, guys what are we doing! read more

Garden State Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great Bagels. Ester , Josh and team did a great job. Bagels are better than anything you can get outside of NY

Put this bagel shop at the top of your bagel list. The line was long but moved quickly. The bagels come out fresh and hot. They are also as big as Frisbees and trust me, I'm not complaining. They are soft and chewy and delicious. No preservatives, either. They have just about every flavor of bagel imaginable. I am more of a traditionalist. A nice onion bagel with chive cream cheese makes me happy but you do you. The owner was working the register and has charisma for days. I felt like I made a new friend after a 30 second interaction. And here we are, enjoying the bagels 24 hours later, and they are still soft and chewy and delicious. Excellent bagels at reasonable prices and wonderful customer service. read more

Garden State Bagels - Inside the shop. - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Garden state bagels is a solid bagel shop. They never run out of flavors and have lots to chose from. Their cream cheeses are absolutely delicious too- you can tell they are homemade. The staff is always very friendly, especially the owner who is often working! Never had a bad bagel. They are always open. Bagel staple. The end. read more

If you're coming here for the pork roll, don't. Absolute disgrace to bagel stores in the garden state. Pork roll seems expired and was heated up in a microwave. Absolutely disgusting. read more

Amazing bagels. Served warm and fresh! I went for first time on Mother's Day and the owner wouldn't let me pay. He just said Happy Mother's Day. Definitely going back. read more

Esther was extremely kind and personable!! The bagels were very tasty and fresh! Absolutely will be coming back

Micheal is just the greatest! He was so energetic and happy. The bagels were delicious and the service was amazing. Best guy ever!!!! read more

Garden State Bagels - Micheal AKA the GOAT! - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

I don't eat bagels often, so when I do, I want a good one. This morning I picked up a sesame seed bagel, toasted with pastrami and cream cheese - I have been craving this for a week. It definitely scratched to the itch! read more

Fair service. Took a minute for them to notice me. The bagels are doughy like the ones you get in the grocery store. I prefer more texture and flavor. Probably won't return. read more

My go to bagel place! Crusty exterior slight chew and not doughy. Everything or jalapeño cheddar cheese bagels are my go to, but light on the cream cheese, otherwise it's too much and piled high. Serving goes fast, place order pay, grab your goods, enjoy! read more

Came here from Clairemont with my daughter to get bagels because I love these bagels. Sad to see that by 1030 there were no more peanut butter bagels. Oh well, disappointed but not end of the world. The lady who gave me the bagels put all 12 in a flimsy paper bag. Gave 20% tip bc it's Easter Sunday and wanted to be nice. Went to pick up my bag, the bag ripped completely and 8 bagels fell to the ground. NO ONE came to help. No offering of replacing the bagels. The lady who originally helped me hid behind the bagels. No apology. Nothing. I have never been so disappointed from this place. It's like when the owner isn't there, no one cares. So unfortunate. read more

This morning we tried the actual Bagel sandwich!! yum Both employee were full so suggestions of what on our bagel. Too many choices!!!! I love this family oriented shop. Big shout out to Rocio and Hana!!!! read more

Garden State Bagels - Cinnamon raisin bun with bacon, egg cheese, and cream cheese - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

Michael is super chill, gave my girl and I heads up about freezing the bagels if we dont Finnish them day of we get them since they dont have preservatives. read more

Love this place! I've been to many bagel shops throughout San Diego, and this is the only one I truly love. Being from New Jersey, I consider myself somewhat of a bagel expert, and these are the real deal. The owner is also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, which makes the experience even better. Highly recommend! read more

Stopped into this bagel shop this morning before hitting the road back to Phoenix. I called it out to my husband because he is from New Jersey and we are always looking for bagels as great as the ones there... This place delivered! We had a sesame bagel with lox cream cheese (husband), toasted plain buttered bagel (kids), and a wheat bagel nova lox sandwich - closed face (me). We also grabbed some black and white cookies (made in NJ), bottled drinks and coffee... Service was a tad rushed but that's likely because they are used to working fast to accommodate the many hungry people coming in and out... As we were leaving, I'm pretty sure that Mike U, the local owner / operator walked by and thanked us for our business. You don't see that all of the time! Food was delicious albeit a bit heavy handed with the cream cheese and butter. No special milk for coffee, but they've got the basics down! If you are in the area seeking some quality bagels, this place is it! read more

Garden State Bagels - Front entrance - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

Want to congratulate Garden State Bagels on trying to save salmon from extinction. I ordered a bagel with lox spread on it this past weekend and needed a magnifying glass to find any pieces of lox. read more

Really solid bagels. Can understand why this places comes up on lists around here. and the whipped cream cheese they make in house is pricey but definitely worth the splurge when warranted. I've had full lunch sandwiches here, bought a baker's dozen and a couple of spreads for the office - service is usually very efficient here even if there are a couple of people waiting in front of you. It's reliable and close to work and for that, I really appreciate having this place nearby. read more

THIS IS THE BEST BAGEL PLACE EVER. the service is fantastic and they have such a nice community feel. You must come here!!!

We just moved to the area. I was looking for breakfast burritos and my Google maps brought me here! What a treat! The food was epic! The service was lovely. And Mike (the owner) was very kind and gregarious! We will coming back again and again! read more

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Amazing customer service! They are so kind and have the best bagels ever! Would highly recommend!

Wonderful experience from beginning to end. I was shopping at a place close by when the delectable aroma permeated the air and enticed me to find out where it was coming from. The employee of the store that I was shopping at said that the aroma is coming from garden state bagels a few doors down and they have great food and a nice owner. She could not have been more right. I was greeted as soon as I entered and the owner jokingly photobombed a picture I was taking of the entry way. I think he said his name is Mike. There was a line so I knew it must be good. There is a wide variety of fresh bagel options to choose from and they also have some dessert snacks, cookies, beverages and Challah. Mike asked if I was going to eat the bagels within 36 hours and if not to make sure to get them sliced and take a freezer storage bag so that they would freeze properly and be ready for warming up when I needed them. The bagels were delicious, I haven't tried the cookie yet, but it is enormous. I got the Asiago cheese, spinach Parmesan, peanut butter, and onion bagels. 3 of the 4 are considered regular, I think the Asiago cheese is a special bagel and was a little bit extra cost. I enjoyed my visit and the food and I look forward to getting more in the future. read more

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The best bagels ever and Michael made all of our days by being so kind and engaging!!!

I'm a fan of bagel shops that offer a good and unique display of bagel flavors and cream cheeses. And if the offer a generous portion of cream cheese on them after they've been warmly toasted, they win points with me. When I'm road tripping, having a bagel to nosh on in the car makes the trip extra delicious. Passing through, I took the slight detour here and wasn't disappointed. They had me at Peanut Butter bagel, Spinaxh & Parmesan, jalapeño bagels. The Jalapeño Bagel dog has melted cheese on it and the breakfast bagel sandwich is build your own style from the menu. Great! This shop is meant more for take out. There are only 3 surfboard tables for sitting so don't expect to dawdle long here. But, that's ok. Bagels are easy to take wherever you need to go. read more

This is the best bagel shop in San Diego and the owner is the sweetest guy ever! If you're looking for a bagel anywhere in North County this place is absolutely worth the drive. Amazing bagels and even better service! Love Garden State! read more

If I could wrap the vibes and bagels all together and carry it around with me all day, I would! As soon as you walk in, you're greeted with smiles and hellos. And the smell of the fresh bagels... chefs kiss! We ordered a plain bagel and an Asiago with cream cheese. Both toasted to perfection with the right amount of smear! The gentleman who rang us up saw my son and immediately presented him with a bagel and Apple juice. My husband and I walked out feeling so happy! The positive energy that the staff carries is so contagious. Will def come back for more! read more

The BEST breakfast bagel sandwich I've ever had!! Their line of ingredients allows you to FULLY customize any sort of breakfast you're looking for; sweet, savory, and everything in between. This spot is small and cozy. It's right by the beach so you can take your grub to eat with a good view! read more

Garden state bagels blew me away! The service was speedy, the bagels and spread were phenomenal, and the store owner could not have been nicer to us. Pleasantly surprised that it was our first time at the store, Mike refused to let us pay for our meal - only asking that we return if we liked the food. And we did! The bagels had perfect texture both inside and out, the schmear was generous and well balanced between the lox and cream cheese, and I also never knew I needed a French toast bagel until today. If you're in Encinitas, this is the place to go. I know we'll be back! read more

Garden State Bagels - Plain bagel with lox spread - Bagels Near Me - Encinitas, California

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The bagel scene in Encinitas is dismal, but this place checks the box as a Jersey style bagel. They are fresh and have a good variety of choices. They have home made cream cheeses. The interior is cluttered and not well kept. Lots of out of order machines and supplies stacked everywhere. But the staff are all experienced, fast, and hard working. It's a good standby local bagel shop. read more

I'm from NJ and am always looking for a good bagel shop. I visited Garden State Bagels in Carlsbad and had a great experience so I was excited to visit this location. Unfortunately I was disappointed and will not be returning. I got a pork roll, egg, and cheese on a cheddar bagel. The pork roll was so oily that it dripped from the bagel and the egg was not freshly fried. It was those types of eggs that they sell in McDonald's that are streamed and have an odd texture. The shop wasn't busy at all so I'm not sure why everything couldn't be prepared fresh. Overall I would not return to this location. read more

Very amazing bagels and super good costumer service!! 10/10 would recommend to any locals or tourists!