The closest I have come to NY bagels in So Cal thus far. The bagels are good, the inside is light and bread-y and the outside is smooth but not hard. They are not heavy, but not small or too big. A really nice variety, too - I always love pumpernickel, but the jalepeno and spinach are other great ones. This is my go-to bagel shop. read more

Great place to come and get fresh bagels. They are big and a great price. They also have great specials on combo meals. The owner is personable and very friendly. read more

Stevie Joe moved here to Encinitas from Jersey in 1986, to make the best-damn Bagels in town, and he never stopped. Seen the Einstein's and NY Deli's of the World come & go during that time. But Stevie Joe remains the undisputed King of Bagels in the 92024. read more

Great everything bagel with salmon cream cheese. Service is fine.

I love heading here for weekend bagels. I usually get a half dozen. The bagels lasted over a week and still delicious. Great service. Friendly, read more

I spent my younger days, Jr High & High school, living outside of Philadelphia.And my Dad lived in NYC,NY. I think I know a little about Bagels. This place, in my mind and taste buds, is the BEST around. I've been buying Bagels from GSB since they first opened their first store, well over 20 yrs ago, on el Camino Real, Encinitas. I now I live in Vista but I drive to the stores in Carlsbad. The one on Carlsbad Village Dr. regularly. If you're looking for good bagels, you can find them almost anywhere. If you're looking for GREAT bagels you'll definitely find them at Garden State. read more

This place rocks! The BEST Lox sandwich in San Diego. I find that the bagels are plump and delicious. I have never had anything close to a bad experience here. Not a coffee drinker but they say you can get a good cup here too. Clean and convenient. read more

Good bagels. But I'd really love it if when I asked for a toasted bagel it was more than just warm. Toasted means it should have a bit of crisp to it. read more

I pass this shop every day going to work and was drawn in by the banner advertising pumpkin bagels. I stopped in yesterday and tried one, and not only was that particular bagel AWESOME, I was soooo happy to find that it was an authentic, NY (or NJ) bagel shop...the first I've seen since relocating to CA last year. I'm Jewish and am from Long Island, NY, so I consider myself an "authority" on the subject, haha. Nice job, Garden State Bagels, you have a loyal customer for life! read more

Delicious bagels, awesome speciality bagels, but they go fast.

New crew is now trained and everything is back to top notch service. And the bagels are just plain great!

I really wish there were more places like this in life. Amazing food, good prices and seems to be locally owned by a nice man that really cares if your meal was good. What more could you ask for? read more

Love this place. Best bagels and cream cheese anywhere. I worked here when I was a kid and can honestly say it is super clean too which is always good read more

When I first walked into garden state I had no idea how great the quality of bagel was compared to these other bagel spots. Gardenstate bagels is the best bagel I've ever had, and has the most attractive employees ! read more

I grew up down the street, and I wish I could say I loved this place...but its not my favorite. Example: poppy seed bagel with barely any poppy seeds on it. Ive given this place multiple chances as I now work down the street. The bagels are good, but the toppings on them are always always lacking.... read more

Great Bagels always consistent fresh and you can get pretty much anything you want Steve's there to help check yep now and then it's always busy because it's always good. read more

Absolutely divine bagels! Forget the chain bagel shops and come here for the real deal!

Awesome options for bagels! French toast! I love it! It was fun getting all sorts of differ t ones at a local location. The team helping us were great and friendly. We will be back for some more read more

NUKE ' EM Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Bagel. Bacon - Nuked. Same low quality as you would get on a a sandwich at Subway Egg - Frozen hockey puck NUKED in the microwave under the bacon. Bagel -Decent but not toasted as asked. NUKED along with the other ingredients Close to $5 * By the way on the East Coast we use REAL eggs bacon and toasters. There is a worker on the grill at all times. Staff - Bordering on rude. While some are pleasant I find several to be short tempered and passive aggressive with customers...just like on the East Coast. BRAVO but we come to CA to escape this sort of thing RIGHT ? Will return eventually when MY temperament is better suited for the place. read more

Oh yeah, hit the dog park, then Garden State Bagel! Egg& cheese on toasted pumpernickel bagel with a large java & it's made my day.

Would have been 5-stars, but Hubby was very off-put by the arguably deceptive large banner on the front window advertising a 1-dozen price, then only to discover from the clerk that the price is not valid Fri-Sun. He was surprised, so I went outside and read the fine print and indeed it said "Mon-Thurs. only" but there is no way one could read this from the street or reasonably driving through the parking lot. So this put a bad taste for the whole experience for my husband, and honestly we don't care about price, but we do care about upfront, clear, honest pricing. So now we know the dozen special is only Mon-Thurs. I was impressed by everything else: the selection, service, and efficiency. I will definitely come back and try the bagel/lox and perhaps a sandwich. I do suggest they print a new banner which has the applicable days larger, to prevent disappointment and misunderstandings. read more

Having come from NY, these are the best bagels in San Diego to compare with Jewish delicatessens back east. Their breakfast sandwich bagels are great and they have an assortment of other ethnic specialties. read more

Ex NYker (NYC metro area) here. To me the bagels are too soft; close to mushy. A bagel, at least around NYC, should be more dense (not a brick of course). Also, though the bottom crust was OK, there was no significant crust/crunch anywhere else. I'd take Bruggers over these. read more

Service was fast and exceptional bagels were wonderfully toasted and egg was very well prepared

Great environment. Bagels made to perfection! Had a bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich. Very good hope to be back again!

Love the bagels but the service is never with a smile and I always feel as if I a bothering them.

Great bagel spot!! Bagels are always fresh and the staff is super friendly. Perfect quick breakfast spot!

Best freshest,softest,tastiest bagels in town.I went here around brunch time in addition to my order I wanted some mini bagels for my kid.They had run out of them but they were nice enough to make some fresh and they were good for the week.They do get busy in the mornings but they are the place for bagels. read more

If they were truly Garden State it would be an everything bagel, not a combo. And it would really be an everything bagel, not an onion bagel. And they'd ask if you wanted it toasted,not just do it. And they wouldn't charge $6 for two bagels. That being said, their egg bagel was excellent. read more

If this is a Garden State (NJ) Bagel then I am superman! I grew up in NJ and I can promise you, the worst bagels from New Jersey are still better than this places best. I have tried this place many years ago and it was okay but just recently went back and it was no good. Seems like to owner is using a low quality flower or something to make the bagels very soft and bread tasting. This place does not deserve to have the name "Garden State" anywhere in it. It was the typical crappy California bagel that tastes like your eating a slice wonder bread. I will not be returning to this place any time soon. read more

Walking in there on memorial day morning, was the worst service I've had with the dark-haired woman rushing us through snapping at us, not giving us time to look at the menu I felt rushed and that she did not want to be there and in fact we do not want her to be there either. I would not go back to the bagel shop because of her service. Let us know when she doesn't work there anymore. read more

I try to support local businesses, but this place and their service was a joke. The place was empty - yet we were not given what we ordered. We ordered espresso, but no one knew how to make it. Staff seemed a bit asleep. read more

My favorite bagel shop in all of north county. Authentic east coast bagels made daily. We come here every weekend and love their egg and cheese bagels, as well as picking up a dozen with cream cheese. Highly recommend this place. read more

Bagel wasn't bad, but not the best. The atmosphere is old and very 80's, could use some updating, which was a real turn off for me.

Good bagels but spotty service. I've gone in there and there was untrained help behind the counter who stopped working to pet a dog outside. The owner is hot and cold too. Sometimes he's a pro and totally checked in running a smooth shop and sometimes he's zoning and it's like going to the DMV. Last time I was there the place was packed and he was barking at people to move the line along. Not going back. read more

Best bagels in San Diego county ! These are fresher and a lot denser than the fluffy non-bagels that you find at the better-known bagel chains which shall remain unnamed. Garden State produces delicious bagels in many flavors and great home-made cream cheese to go with them, at very reasonable prices. Highly recommended ! read more

I have seen this place and have been contemplating trying it out for some time. Born and raised a New Yorker, I miss a good bagel time and a again. But now with a California health mentality it's pretty rare I want that big dose of carbs, I am a picky pizza and bagel customer. So I stopped in this morning for breakfast sandwich...things were ok right off the bat, I ordered my ham, egg and cheese on a everything bagel. It wasn't too busy when I got there, but then all of a sudden it picked up a little and the customer service went out the door...they made me seem like a pain for asking for ketchup(apparently I didn't see the two packets underneath all of the mayonnaise). I paid $2 dollars for watery coffee(there were lots of choices, but I feel focus on quality over quantity). The worst part is I ended up paying almost $7.00 for a cup of eh coffee and a decent bagel sandwich. I might have considered going just for bagels in the future but they did not win me over with their eh customer service and vibe. =P read more

The bagels here are wonderful and coming from the east coast, that says a lot. I do, however would like to address the comment that was made a few minutes ago while my husband stopped by to pick up breakfast. He overheard someone (which he thinks was the owner), make a comment about 'this gluten free thing' being just another crazy diet, then comparing it to the Atkins diet. Mr Garden State Bagel man - as someone who provides food to the masses, please do your homework. Those of us with celiac disease who MUST eat gluten free (or we would be terribly sick) surely wish we could have one of your scrumptious bagels - believe me, it's not a fad. No apology necessary but please do a little homework before you make such a comment on something you clearly know nothing about. read more

great bagels, but the place seems a tad dirty from the floor to the ceiling tiles that are either water damaged or just yellow from being so old. not to mention the 'fly traps' hanging from the ceiling corner above the bottled beverages. there's nothing wrong with fly traps, per se, but i don't see fly traps in my other favorite places this place probably does ok on the profits. seriously - maybe time for reinvesting some of those profits back into the store. read more

Garden State Bagels is the BEST! Steve is the BEST! we love him and love coming here!