A short walk from best western. Pecan smoked salmon is excellent! Watch out New York. A real gem.

The alternative to everyone's downtown bagel-buying options, Ideal Bagel stands out above the rest with fair pricing, fresh bagels, house made cream cheeses, and breakfast sandwiches perfect for those "recovery" mornings. The flavored cream cheeses are a must (be sure to try the jalapeño cream cheese and garlic herb for a savory breakfast), and the pumpernickel everything bagels are uniquely delicious! Iced coffee is a nice touch. Parking is limited and there is almost always a line to the counter, but it is always worth the wait! read more

I went to Ideal Bagel for the first time today. My family in Athens have told me that since I am a bagel lover I should try this place out. I've been to the Einstein bagel bros downtown a few times for convenience purposes and it just didn't do it for me, so i figured I should try something new. The menu is somewhat small (not a bad thing) but very diverse. I didn't have time to really analyze the sandwiches so I went with my go to onion bagel toasted with butter. The bagel is really dense and they don't hold out on the butter (YES PLEASE!) as for the resultant itself, it's very plain and basic but who cares since the bagels are DELICIOUS. It's a little hidden on broad street but definitely worth a try. read more

If you're in Athens, you HAVE to go here. This breakfast will change your life. The bagels are the best bagels you will get in Athens. They are always perfectly toasted and the cream cheese selection is amazing. I personally love the herb cream cheese. It is so flavorful and I pair it with the Cadillac (an onion bagel, cheese, bacon [which I replace for sausage] and a fried egg). Oh how special this meal is. The sausage is perfectly cooked and seasoned and is perfect on the bagel. Not the mention that a plain bagel is just as satisfying!! The seasonal cream cheeses are very intriguing and my favorite so far has been the strawberry. It was 10 times better than any cream cheese you will find out of the container at the store. Plenty of seating, however parking can be an issue. Luckily, there is parking on a side street, just around the corner. Great prices, great food and even better service. The wait is never too long. I promise, you will not regret going to Ideal. read more

It was fine but didn't knock my socks off like the other reviews seemed to indicate it would. The people were nice but the place wasn't kept clean. The coffee was also sub-par. Overall, I'd say a 3-star rating is most accurate. read more

Best bagels in Athens. My favorite is the Southernmostest. a tasyu, unique twist on an old Southern favotite.

The only place one can get as close to authentic New York bagel in the southeast.. I bring a bag home when I visit here for work and have to toss in the freezer when I get home. .Of course, they are better fresh. read more

Easily the best bagel shop in Athens, and arguably one of the best in Georgia. The Cadillac is my favorite bagel sandwich I've ever had- try it with a little bit of Sriracha and you'll fall in love. read more

Filthy looking staff. Underwhelming bagels. Filthy tables, floor, walls. They should just sell food from a garbage truck. I promise it would be more appealing. This place was talked up like it was great. Not so. Keep driving. read more

As a native New Yorker, I am often quick to dismiss bagel places in the south, but I was swayed by the reviews on Yelp and decided to come here for breakfast. I am glad that I did! I ordered a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and lox. It was one of the best I had in a while. It was the perfect end to a fantastic trip to the Athens! read more

Great spot for a bagel and coffee! Bagels are dense so if you love bread, you'll love this place. Very friendly service and has tables to sit outside as well as inside. read more

We were leaving Athens after a great weekend and found Ideal Bagels on our way out of town. The bagels reminded me of real NY bagels and everything I got with it was great-lox, tomatoes, capers, herb cream cheese, plus a really delicious cup of coffee. Considering that they don't serve "fancy" coffee that could really add to the price I thought the prices were very reasonable. Next time I'm in Athens I'll definitely try to go back. read more

Holy shit, I'm happy. Just had the house fish - lox on an everything bagel with plain cream cheese and it was delicious! The bagel itself was perfectly toasted and chewy and full of flavor. The lox was what lox should be and the perfect amount of capers were nestled on top. I will be back here the next time I come to Athens. Dear God. read more

Ideal Bagel, How I do love thee. The absolute best in Athens. If you love pastrami give the Dottie a try.

This place is the Best !! This is out second time We are repeat customers , only issue is parking best to walk here from UGA awesome for lunch or breakfest read more

I had an everything bagel and lox. It was easily the best I've ever had. If I lived in Athens, I'd definitely be a regular!

When I moved to Athens this was one of the first quick breakfast spots that was recommended to me and it has not disappointed. The jalapeño garlic cream cheese is some of the best I've ever had. The pumpernickel everything has amazing Flavor and is totally crave worthy but the salt bagel is the best savory indulgent breakfast treats ever. read more

Expert baker. The bagels and rolls are the best around, baked fresh daily. Just one cup of that coffee will propel you through a busy day. Everyone knows the Cadillac is where it's at for a hearty breakfast (bacon, egg, cheese on onion bagel), but try pumpernickel with garden-fresh (as in home-grown) herb cream cheese once in a while. I don't know how it can be refreshing, but it is. The fish are salted or smoked in-house. I've served the lunch sandwiches at meetings and everybody raves about the high quality. Vegetarians, get the Gabby (roasted veggies with humus) you'll thank me. Occasionally, there's a cookie on offer; a treat you don't want to pass by. I wish he had time to bake more stuff regularly. Every bakery item is ideal. read more

Went to ideal for the very first time because I had a buy one get one free coupon. I had the Reuben sandwich and the Sausalito turkey sandwich. Both were fantastic with very generous amounts of ingredients and great taste. Can't wait to go back again and try other sandwich offerings. read more

The bagel with lox was a 3.5 star item, competently done with a decent size portion of lox. The coffee was bland and unappealing. It's a bit out of the way but if it was closer I'd probably come more. read more

Had the garlic bagel with lox and sun dried tomato cream cheese... Soooo yummy.... Kept me full all day long. Definitely will make this a regular breakfast lunch place!! read more

Great bags place! My go is a poppy seed with the pecan smoked salmon house fish! ( the lox and the trout are good too!) Delicious chewy bagels and fresh toppings. Weekends can be crazy and parking is a mess so I usually only come during the week. read more

Best bagel place in Athens hands down. Free wifi doesn't hurt. Has a great selection of bagels & cream cheeses plus plenty of sandwich options as well! Friendly service that's fast!! If you like lox, GET IT. Pumpernickel everything bagel with the jalapeño herb spread is perfect for the lox bagel. I cannot say enough about how much I love Ideal! read more

Stopped in last week for a quick bite, was in a rush and ordered the garlic bagel with smoked fish cream cheese spread (a few minutes before a meeting, eek!) and it was awesome, a little salty but I'd order it again. Need to stop in for a sandwich next time. read more

Best bagel place I've ever been to. I live in Atlanta now and I miss walking one block to get my delicious bacon tomato cream cheese. Always come here when I'm in town. read more

Easy breakfast place. We ordered breakfast to go and had to wait about 10 minutes, bu they were delicious. I had the everything bagel with lox. Bagels are fresh. Got there early enough to not wait in line, but I know there are lines. read more

Ideal Bagel is delicious every time . I love their house fish bagel and found out today they smoke their salmon in the back. Fresh made bagels, amazing cream cheese, hilarious and fantastic service. Cannot go wrong here read more

Great non-chain breakfast spot just steps from the expansive UGA campus. Oh and the food is awesome to boot. I had The Dotty, an onion bagel with fried eggs, cheddar, and Canadian bacon. Really fresh and well done basic sandwich. Prices are great too. Breakfast for three for $20. read more

Open faced breakfast sandwiches. Only thing missing was the smell of freshly baked bread.

Excellent bagels. And that's coming from a northerner who grew up with quality bagels. The staff is always really welcoming and nice as well. Parking can be a little difficult during the busy times, but it's worth it. read more

The food was okay, not the best. But more importantly a cockroach ran across the table as we were eating, so.........yeah.

really good lox bagel!! can't wait to try everything else on their menu

Awesome, friendly service and really good coffee and food at a great price. Super local feel, will definitely go back next time I'm in town.

Stopped in here for the first time last week and I've already been back twice! Friendly staff, clean facilities, and a good variety of bagels and spreads. Yum. read more

My first time there and it's The best Bagel shop! I'll have my breakfast there everyday now. The bagels taste great and their service is FAST. read more

Some of the best bagels I've had since living in New York. I definitely recommend the pumpernickel everything bagel.

I've been to Ideal Bagel twice now. The first time I went, my food was decent but the service was off-putting and unfriendly. I thought this might be an isolated experience so I went back this morning to give it another try. This time, however, was much worse. First I was overcharged over 2 dollars for my meal and upon confronting the cashier, her response was literally "Oh, I hoped you wouldn't notice that." She then asked if I wanted more food or else she could PROBABLY void it and redo it. She was completely unapologetic. To top everything off, when another employee brought the bagels to the table, he said the name of mine which I did not recognize at first. While I hesitated, he just slapped down my friend and my bagels on the table and stormed off. I would love to support local businesses, but poor customer service seems to be a theme at places around Athens like Ideal Bagel. That friendly person-to-person connection is what is supposed to make these kind of places better than chain restaurants, but both visits to Ideal Bagel have left me feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable. Please try another bagel place like Athens Bagel, or even Panera for that matter, if you are looking for a restaurant you can enjoy bagels and feel comfortable in. read more

What a cool little spot. Laid back with an urban feel. The Counter Culture coffee is amazing. Bagels are perfect....chewy and crusty. If you like fish, you must try the Smoked Georgia Trout. Yum!! read more

Love this place. Easy to get in and out. Fresh made bagels and a large variety of cream cheeses and toppings. I would love to try everything, but I can't seem to change from my usual : everything bagel with herb cream cheese and lox. This place is my go-to on Saturday mornings. read more

I was in town for a short 24 hour stay, and Ideal bagel was a 30 second walk from my airbnb. It has great reviews, and came highly recommended. It didn't disappoint, and even exceeded my expectations. Great NY style bagel, *plenty* of cream cheese (even for this cream cheese lover :)) and amazing coffee. I wish I could stay longer to try lunch!! read more