Your hunt for first-rate pastries and bagels ends right here. It's not surprising that there's a…read moregreat deli like this in Cary -- a city as stuffed with new Northeastern transplants as it is depleted of old Southeastern woodlands. Despite the overdeveloped bleakness, Cary is, at least, a good town to find many foods, markets, and restaurants otherwise unavailable in the region. The pastry case has a wide variety of options -- everything you might hope to find in a Portuguese or Italian bakery in New England in the 1980s (my touchstone for fundamental pastries). They are all apparently made on the premises, and have the particular look of pastries from the Northeast. Purely in the interest of scientific research, rather than barbaric gluttony, I tried an apple danish, a cheese danish, and a lemon danish. The cheese danish was faultless in taste: The filling was classic New England bakery cheese filling, and the pastry dough was very soft, and light, but not crumbly. Unlike at some Italian bakeries, it wasn't edge-to-edge filled with cheese (though it was the most edge-to-edge of all three danishes, as is customary for the cheese ones, in my experience); you can, and should, easily remedy this by ordering multiples. The apple danish was of the more cinnamon-crumble-forward style, but it was still terrific. The apples were well-coated small soft bits (unlike at some lesser pastry shops where the apples are crunchy undersweetened slices or chunks). Lemon danishes are very hard to find anywhere, and it was exciting to see one here. It was also excellent. The lemon filling sweated a little bit, so be prepared to get a little sticky (well worth it -- since this is definitely the right kind of filling for a lemon danish). The bagels are also top-notch, as you'd expect. They are a tiny bit lighter and smaller than the classic NY deli bagels were a few decades ago. Which is probably a good thing, since the New York ones seemed to be made from lead-208, all-gluten flour, and condensed dwarf star. The taste is pretty correct, though (as opposed to another bagel shop in the region which does manage to make gigantic leaden NY bagels, but which taste like dense white bread). All of the expected varieties of bagels were at the ready, and in good supply. The bagel/egg/cheese/meat sandwiches are pretty much NY deli accurate (but a little lighter -- which, again, is most welcome, compared to spending the entire morning defeating a NY bodega BEC, and the entire afternoon groaning), and carefully yet briskly prepared (with very good quality meat, and with yellow -- the tastier color -- American). (There also was a slice of chocolate cake -- it, unfortunately, was of the minimally frosted type, with some sort of ill-advised sour cream mixture between the layers. We'll just forget about that item.) The shop itself isn't quite as densely packed (with either people or pastry) as a NY deli, and is also much cleaner and kinder. The service is simply excellent. Customers are all quickly moved through the line, and the orders are prepared very efficiently. Despite the speediness, everyone behind the counter is very friendly and as patient as needed. The speed of the North is combined with the friendliness of the South -- a perfect combination, especially for those of us who are hopelessly impatient, but have no desire to ever be yelled at while at a deli counter again. A great business. I hope they flourish for a very long time.

Came here to finally try the bagels. It's in a convenient…read moreshopping center in Cary so there's lots of parking. There was a line when we walked in and it was packed but the wait time wasn't long. They have a few tables indoor and outdoor for seating. We ordered 2 Nova Lox on everything bagels and we waited around 5-8 mins. The bagels weren't great. The lettuce seemed old and the bagels didn't have enough salmon for $15.50 a piece. I also got a black hair in my bagel and I couldn't finish it. When I mentioned it to one of the staff, he offered to make me a new one but I didn't want one anymore.

The first time I went here was after I ran 18 miles, I was unreal levels of hungry and went IN on a…read morechicken sausage, egg, and cheese. I was so happy with my sandwich that I was unaware my friend was having a horrible headache that sent her to the hospital afterwards. There was some sort of sauce that really defined the sandwich for me. I saved the pastrami egg and cheese for the next day and it came out of my air fryer appropriately. During my first visit I was also accompanied by a vegan who was satisfied with the options. The second time I went here was with a longtime friend and I only ran 7 miles prior. I watched him eat two bagels happily, and the cheese pull on the Reuben was admirable. I have to say I was disappointed in the lox sandwich but that is mediated by the horchata oat milk cold brew which is lovely. The bagels themselves are fairly standard and more a canvas for a satisfactory sandwich. 4 stars because I can't give 3.5 and I feel generous.

| Overview (Based on experience from 4 visits)…read more + Fine amount of different bagels to choose from, including Garlic + Good variety of breakfast deli-style options other than their nice selection of bagels + Nice casual breakfast spot despite small dining area + Fast and friendly customer service + Reuben breakfast sandwich is delicious - Bagels are terribly hard to bite unlike Panera's, which is disappointing considering that NC Bagel has "Bagel" in its name. - Cost about $1 extra to add the Jalapeno Cheddar bagel in the half dozen or dozen order. - Drink selection is limited with combos. Restricted from choosing bottled soda of any of the fountain drinks. - Asiago bagel tasted Plain. I could barely taste the asiago. |Final Thoughts: There is almost no reason to choose NC Bagel over Panera or other bagel shops if you just want bagel. The hard texture is a huge letdown. I've never experienced this bagel issue in Breugger's, Panera, anywhere really. There are other breakfast options I haven't tried here so might be worth exploring but right now the only reason I'd return here is if I am craving for a Reuben sandwich for breakfast. And that mostly makes up the 2 stars I'm giving it. Really hope they improve the overall quality of their bagels. This breakfast deli spot has great potential to be "The Breakfast Spot" but it won't be able to accomplish that if their bagels are as hard as rocks. | Overall Score: 2.4/5

Seriously great bagel. I got the #7 and added bacon. The pepper jelly with the salty bacon was…read moreperfect. Service was fast, the space was clean, and the space around was great! Definitely will be back.

Benchwarmer's is a classic in Raleigh and I am so glad they opened up this location in downtown…read more The space is absolutely gorgeous and there is a parking lot close by that offers 2 hours of free parking. There is also enough space to be able to telework here. I came recently around 10am on a Thursday and grabbed myself a breakfast bagel. Onion bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese for $9. I only had to wait a few minutes and they got it out to me quickly. It was delicious and absolutely what I needed to fuel my morning. The perfect morning pick-me-up if you're looking for one!

Super disappointed as we saw the bakery is big but instead inside is really small, we couldn't see…read morethe bakers working, only small area with limited items on limited display counters. We ordered a couple of cookies to try but the taste was just average. Service was nice though! We will dismiss this place and in search for another bakery

I went to a La Farm last week and had such an amazing experience that I wanted to go back. I…read morerealized all La Farm's are not equal. This location was smaller, but the service was still great and the presentation of the bread was pretty. The menu was smaller than the other location and they didn't offer fresh fruit/salad with the breakfast sandwich. Also, the bread was hard. Very disappointed in the quality of the sandwich, I didn't even eat it.

Stopped by La Farm Bakery on NW Cary Parkway in the afternoon for some snacks, and it was hard not…read moreto want to take home half the store! The space is spacious and inviting, with plenty of freshly baked bread, pastries, and other tempting goodies on display. We ordered two items: Poulet au Fromage ($16.90) -- Focaccia loaded with herb-roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, Applewood bacon, tomato, and herb mayo. This sandwich was plentiful, flavorful, and seriously satisfying. Every bite was packed with delicious ingredients! Chocolate Almond Croissant ($6.31) -- Belgian chocolate and almond fondant wrapped inside a wonderfully flaky croissant and topped with roasted almonds. This was an absolute treat. The Chocolate Almond Croissant is simply to die for! While enjoying our food, I couldn't help eyeing the scones, along with their beer and wine selection. Clearly, I'll need several return visits to work my way through everything that caught my attention.

Me and my wife stopped for an early breakfast after our chiropractor appointment…read more Stopped by La Farm for a coffee and breakfast. Service is always too notch. The Coffee and food is always so delicious. This time was no exception. We love the atmosphere at this location. It's nice and cozy.

Good bread. Really good coffee…read more Service is good. Kind of a weird setup for the shop and seems to impact service sometimes. Store is a mess right now with remodeling.

Iced lavender latte was delish but nothing special. Also…read moregot the spinach quiche and it was great!

This is the Sunday morning ritual. Always great bagels. Service always friendly, if a little…read moredisorganized. Forget those chain bagel shops... Shop local!

Very average bagel, nothing special. The ordering process can still be a hassle with clumps of…read morecustomers jammed by registers. Limited parking as the lot is tiny. As for ambiance, the restaurant is noisy, sometimes crowded. We prefer going to Bruegger's Bagels in Wakefield - much better food and a lot more parking. Plus ordering is better managed.

Despite living in Raleigh for over a decade, I just visited Boulted Bread for the first time last…read moreweek. If you live in Raleigh, you've heard people rave about Boulted Bread - from their titular bread to their morning bun to their croissants, they have everything a carb connoisseur could desire. I visited with a friend on a Tuesday morning (they currently are not open on Mondays) and it was busy. I ordered their seasonal fig leaf latte, the morning bun, chocolate croissant, and a tartine that was kind of like a pizza on a piece of bread. The latte was delicious - it has brown sugar in it, which was perfect as the iced version. The morning bun was delightful - probably my second favorite morning bun/cinnamon roll in Raleigh. The chocolate croissant was filled with chocolate ganache - which I was not expecting - it was messy but also very good. Lastly, the tarine, which like I mentioned, was kind of like a pizza on a piece of toast - it had cheese tomato sauce - simple and savory and tasty. Overall, I felt Boulted Bread lives up to the hype. A Raleigh classic that is a perfect stop for a morning treat.

Delicious as always. The morning bun stays being the best! Went around 2pm which made the seating…read moreeasier. If you go in the morning you usually can't get a table/seat. My tip is to walk over to the Platform apartments and sit in the common areas under there. The biale was a little hard, maybe because it was early afternoon. But morning bun was good. They had sold out a fair amount of the pastries by 2, but still had lots of morning buns. The light in the building is very nice. Good place to get a treat!