By far the best bagel place in Athens. The everything and pumpernickel everything bagels taste like they could be made in Brooklyn. We've also tried and like the garlic bagel for savory sandwiches, and cinnamon raisin with a sweet cream cheese. Bacon, egg and cheese is my favorite, but the lox and salmon are also really tasty. The service is fast, even on the weekends when there's a long line, and you can usually find a seat even when it's super busy. Good prices too! Parking lot is small, so you may have to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk a few blocks up to the shop, but it's definitely worth it. read more

Ideal Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

We enjoyed our bagels. I had lox on poppy, super yum and not too fishy and mom had schmear on sesame. It was a generous schmear. Bagels have nice texture. Clean and friendly. read more

Ideal Bagel - Lox and schmear - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Small bagel shop on the south side of town. Parking is extremely limited so you may need to loop around a couple of times before finding a spot. We came here on a Sunday morning and the line was already out the door. Their menu of specialty bagels have both breakfast and lunch sandwiches. There's not a list of their bagel types or cream cheese types for public viewing but once you get to the front to order, you can see a list there. I asked for my bagel toasted and it came out barely cooked. The jalapeño garlic cream cheese was definitely a must for a breakfast sandwich. read more

Ideal Bagel - Salt bagel breakfast sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

In Athens for the weekend and I was looking for some breakfast and this was only a mile from our AirBnB so I popped in!! I decided to walk there because that lot is tiny so do beware the parking situation! Popped in around 10:30 and I had to wait in line for about 5-10 minutes nothing crazy. I ordered an iced coffee and a Cadillac on their cheese of the day bagel. The coffee was delicious and strong. The bagel took another 5-10 minutes to be ready to go. It was so good! Cheesy, delicious and everything needed. It was the perfect BEC at a great price. Overall 10/10! Plenty of seating inside and outside as well but would anticipate a wait for tables. read more

Ideal Bagel - Cadillac - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

They just make a great bagel here I got the lox with garlic cream cheese and the works on it ( capers tomato and pickled onions ) the staff is friendly and efficient. The lines can be huge so get there early. Either way if you go you will not be disappointed ! read more

Ideal Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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This is one of those places you might call "good for Athens"--a city that, while full of charm, isn't exactly a hotspot for world-class bagels (a hard truth about most Southern cities when it comes to certain regional foods). The bagels here are... fine. If you've had truly great bagels, these will strike you as more "round bread" than anything else. Still, paired with a solid cup of coffee and offered at a reasonable price, it's a welcome enough option. The real issue, though, was the lox. Whether it was over-salted to begin with or just not properly desalinated, it was overwhelmingly salty--made worse by the capers, which pushed it into inedible territory. Add that to a mediocre bagel and a premium price tag, and the name "Ideal" feels more than a little ironic. And yes, as many have noted, parking is a pain. The first time we tried to go, we gave up for lack of a spot. read more

When I lived in Athens this was my go to place for bagels and breakfast. Fresh bagels, great Shmears, tasty eggs, friendly and patient staff, food prepared fresh and quickly What a great vibe. read more

Ideal Bagel - Menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Super cute place to stop and grab a good bagel sandwich for you and the family! I believe the quality of the bagels and the cream cheese and all of the other food we had was great. I'm a sucker for a good bagel sandwich so I have high expectations when it comes to indulging in one ha! And I believe, although this isn't a five star restaurant in my opinion it is up there in regards of my rating. Will definitely be going back next time. I am in Athens, Georgia. read more

Bagels were dry and was just overall flavorless. When I think about bagel sandwiches I imagine a stuffed sandwich with flavor and egg yolk. Unfortunately, it was just kind of plain and worse than McDonalds. Probably wouldn't come back but could be a fluke. Store is cute. Workers are very kind and efficient. It could just be me. read more

Ideal Bagel - Cadillac - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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The best bagel spot in Athens hands down. My go to is a lox with sun dried tomato shmear. It's always packed in the mornings, but the service is so quick that I get my bagel in no time! It's also an awesome place to get bagels for a group of people or party. Many times I've gone to get 2 dozens of bagels with quarts of schmear and it was just snappy. Even though it was quick, the bagels were always made well. read more

Best bagels all of Greenville And I've tried them all Buy a dozen , cut in half, freezer read more

Main point here is that is the best bagel place in town, and reasonably priced - hence the 5 stars. Good choice, fresh and most like the real thing in Athens. Very casual place for breakfast, lunch or brunch - all plastic utensils - seemed relatively clean. You order at the counter and staff was very accommodating and polite. We will definitely return. read more

Love love loved this little local shop. Looks like it could have once been a car garage but I'm into that. Adds to the aesthetic. Upon entering Sunday morn there was a bit of a line but they moved us along quickly. The inside space seemed pretty legit to sit. Lots of people enjoying their food slowly but a ton getting take away. I got a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese and egg (weird but don't knock it till your try it). The coffee is local and was delicious. They also have iced coffee which looked awesome but being on the brink weather wise (my cutoff for iced coffee is unofficially around 60 degrees) I was happy to pocket that info. The bagels are generously sized and fresh. So many flavors. I panicked and got the cheese of the day. I'm sure you probably can't go wrong. The veggie smear was a bit too carrot heavy for me but it had good flavor. Next time I'd try just a bagel with something like espresso or berry. Yum. Super friendly staff. Great prices. What's not to adore? read more

Ideal Bagel - Yum! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

This is a cute bagel place in Athens!! Unfortunately at the time they were out of sesame bagels, but I decided to go ahead with an everything bagel. I didn't get any fillings this time as I'd heard so much about how tasty their smears were. I got the sun dried tomato smear and just like everyone said, it was delicious! However the bagels are kind of thin, like they're meant for fillings. Well priced for the portions we get. The ingredients are super fresh and our orders came out super quickly! Will be coming again!! -no indoor seating during COVID read more

Ideal Bagel - Seasame bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Delicious. Great bagels. Loved the pimento cheese cream cheese - little bit of spice.

Staff was so friendly! This is one of my favorite breakfast establishments. The bagels are so fluffy and delicious. Very casual and cozy inside. Really love this place Athens wouldn't be the same without it. read more

Best bagels in Athens and great service too. I usually order Toasted Pumpernickel everything with Veggie Cream Cheese. The drip coffee is very good. read more

Delicious, fresh bagels with really great, low prices! Great coffee too :) We will definitely be back next time we're in Athens! read more

Ideal Bagel - Lox bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

I love the bagels, so delicious. but I notice it got bought out and there is no longer Hispanic or people of color working here. they always had fast and excellent service now the workers are much slower and it's noticeable when they are slammed takes a lot longer to get a bagel now. it disappoints me and I hope the owners aren't racist read more

Great bagels and even better bagel sandwiches. Run don't walk here! Enjoy the inside counter and ambience (a bit retro). The variety of bagels, cream cheese, and sandwiches are nice. Go out on a limb and try their suggested sandwiches, they are all great (some may sound a bit weird). We usually get the Cadillac and Tupelo (sub cinnamon raisin bagel). And then one other bagel for 2 adults and a toddler. It's just the right amount of food but if you are hungry or eat a lot, grab 2 for yourself. Coffee is solid, not sure if go just for that, but good enough to pair with the bagels it you are on the move. read more

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Had a sesame bagel with jalapeño cream cheese and a medium coffee for $7. Cream cheese had a little kick to it and was good. Parking is a hassle because of limited space. read more

Best bagels in Athens. But be prepared to wait in a crowded line. Also, very little parking. If you're there when they open first thing in the morning, you should be fine. read more

Ordered a bakers dozen to go... I love the hipster vibe of the place and the furnishings. I bagged up the bagels to freeze and eat over the next couple of weeks. I popped one in the toaster while I was bagging them up. I would say I am not a huge fan of them... I found them to be smaller than the average bagel in circumference than most bagels and the texture was not pleasing... like a tire. I can't help but think the baker had a bad day. Not the way I like to spend $15. read more

Ideal is a classic, no frills, grab n' go bagel shop. The Everything bagel has great flavor and texture--crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Don't miss the lox. They have a few booths and tables inside and several tables outside. They also turned an old TV into a trash can, which is pretty cool. read more

Ideal Bagel - Everything bagel with cream cheese, tomato, and red onion - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Great service with helpful employees. Good selection of bagels, coffee, drinks and offerings. Get there early for no waiting in line. Unlike some shops they will toast your bagel! Support a local business!! read more

This is my absolute favorite restaurant in Athens. Not only my favorite breakfast spot, but in general my favorite restaurant. I have withdrawals from their food and don't even get me started on the INCREDIBLE staff! They have never been anything but excellent to me and put so much dedication into making such quality food. The Cadillac is my favorite but I can be tempted with a Tupelo as well. They also have killer sandwiches with fresh breads too! Im from Atlanta and still have yet to find a better bagel place and trust me, I've searched far and wide for the best bacon, egg, and cheese bagel out there. Trust me, it's here. Don't leave Athens without stopping by and don't be worried if you see a line, they are super speedy and efficient in getting those hot bagels in your hands! read more

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Not sure how this place gets any good reviews! No one greets no one acknowledges you until you get to register! The place is FILTHY! This place wld be shut down in Txs for the lack of cleanliness! No one wipes tables or cleans anything! It doesn't look like any of the employees enjoy their job. Food was horrible! Not many bagel flavors either! I had a Gabby, roasted vegs w/hummus on Chibatta, it cost like 8.25$ had abt 2.00$ worth of ingredients! No real flavor! My husband had a bagel sandwich cheese wasn't even melted! Cost of that was too much also! We visit a Bagel shop in every City we visit and this by far was the Worst on all avenues! If you get to Katy Tx check out the Bagel Cafe best of any we've ever had! Really Need to clean this place! I know students don't look at cleanliness but it's an important thing in life! read more

Best NY style bagels and schmear in Athens, GA hands down . My go to is the Cadillac and I change up the bagel depending on how I'm feeling that day. Staff is super chill and friendly! Their coffee is really freaking good too! 10/10 would recommend! Hit 'em up! read more

Amazing bagels and bagel sandwiches! A must stop when in Athens. The best is the Elvis!

I get the Lox on Sesame once a week and look forward to it every time. So refreshing and fresh. 5/5 everytime read more

Ideal Bagel - Lox Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Closed and no idea of future opening your app was not up to date on this one Hope this helps read more

So it's a one star for me. If the bagels are fresh why can't you order a bagel with cream cheese and eat it without being toasted. Some bragged it was like a New York bagel but honestly it's more like a grocery store New York bagel. No hard outside with super soft gooey inside that makes a New York bagel a New York bagel. It's just too dense and the homemade cream cheese lacks flavor. I really wanted to like this place but it just didn't work out. read more

Ideal Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Decent holdover as far as a bagel spot goes and well priced, but it's not my Jersey bagel shop, you know? Love their build your own options! Lines move pretty quickly and parking can be tight but it is worth it when the craving hits. read more

The bagels weren't as big as i was hoping but still good taste and would go back again

Popped off the highway and grabbed a House fish with smoked salmon & a Cadillac. Both were awesome. Bagels are smaller and dense, but have good chew and taste. Shmear was tasty and well seasoned. Maybe best of all, order was well packaged for a to-go order and was easy to eat in the car. Kind service & an awesome vibe inside. Parking is on the smaller but worth it! read more

Ideal Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Can't believe I'm just now trying this place, wow.... staff is friendly and efficient and the food is awesome. I highly recommend - 10/10 read more

Ideal Bagel - The Cadillac and Iced Coffee! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

IDEAL IS NOT CLOSED!! Shame on yelp. It's open and better than ever. Welcome back, Ideal! So happy read more

Pumpernickel everything w/fish spread was delicious I moved here from NY last April and was craving this and thought I'd give Athens a try. Right up there with NY/Long Island bagels! Cute place with good vibes too read more

Ideal Bagel - This is the pumpernickel everything with fish spread. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Yum!!! Our family doesn't like to go to the same restaurant twice on a trip, because we love to try new places. But it was we all were determined to go both Saturday and Sunday morning! Cream cheeses are homemade, and these are not your grocery store bagels. So many choices and combinations possible. Husband enjoyed his Cadillac, and ordered it both times. He subbed an extra piece of bacon for the egg and added a smear. We also tried the lox, everything bagel, garlic bagel, salt bagel, jalapeño garlic smear, and bacon tomato smear. All was good! Would definitely return!! read more

Bomb.com!!! Perfect little hole in the wall that packs some serious deliciousness. Everyone is super nice and very efficient. Highly recommend this hidden gem in the center of the GA Bulldogs empire. read more

Ideal Bagel - Fresh bread! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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