We stayed in Center City for three days, and this place was just a block from our Airbnb, so we ended up coming here a few times. Overall, I'd say it's hit or miss. The plain bagel with cream cheese was really good. The next day I tried the Avo Turkey, but it was disappointing. The avocado cream cheese was pretty bland, and there was barely any of it on the sandwich. I also ordered a caramel iced latte that day, and it was delicious. Unfortunately, I ordered the exact same drink the following day, and it wasn't good at all. Lastly, some of the employees need to work on their customer service skills . Tone matters read more

I walked to Fitzwater street Philly bagels although the signs outside state it is named Schmear bagel parlor. It is a small location and super busy on a Saturday morning. I ordered a plain bagel toasted with American cheese and tuna. I loved the texture ( not runny, pretty solid ) and taste of the tuna. The coffee was so good that I finished it before my bagel was ready. read more

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My husband and I get breakfast here every so often. I'm surprised about the mix reviews because we've always enjoyed their sausage/bacon, egg and cheese (toasted) bagel sandwiches. This place never disappoints. The food is good, service is fast (you can order online ahead of time) and the price is reasonable. read more

A solid bagel place! They have quick service, you and order online, and it's pretty good!

What an amazing bagel shop in my neighborhood that I've never been to. After living in Graduate Hospital for 2 years, I finally had the pleasure of trying this place out. I have passed it a million times. The music from the inside was blaring outside as well. There is a ton more indoor seating than I was anticipating from seeing the outside. They have a ton of speciality bagels and spreads. Ended up getting a toasted jalapeno/cheese with dragon cream cheese. I really liked how spicy it was. I highly recommend the dragon cream cheese if you like spicy stuff. It had scallions, walnuts, jalapeños. They had whole walnuts on the spread which made it really filling. The service was super quick which was nice. I can't wait to come back. They seem to have a lot of variety when it came to their coffee speciality drinks and their breakfast items. read more

Schmear - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Decent bagel, fast, friendly service. Lox cream cheese was underwhelming and barely had any pieces of lox in it and was overpowered by the scallion/onion pieces in it. read more

So many options, amazing bagels, incredibly fast service, good quality coffee. 10/10! Only thing that would be even better is a vegan meat alternative read more

Two visits and while I haven't sampled a wide variety of the offerings, I had the bagel and as a highlight of the establishment. Bagels are darn good and I say as a NY'er. We're the self-professed champions of bagels. I had a basic cinnamon-raisin bagel with light cream cheese. My partner had a whole wheat bagel with lox, veggies and onions. Customer service took and processed our order swiftly albeit on a super rainy day. Keep in mind that the store is tiny and can only hold about 5-6 people at a time. The overall vibe is grab and go. We devoured half the bagels in the car. Bagels never made it home. That's all the review you need. Get the bagels and move on. read more

Came here for some bagels and BEC on a everything bagel. For my two bagels I got the fun tie dye bagel and then a cinnamon raisin bagel for my husband. The everything bagel sandwich was pretty decent. Not the best ive had but pretty average. I'm sure there are better bagel places in Philly and I tend to try more! read more

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Pretty standard bagel shop. I'm from jersey so my expectations are pretty high and this shop was pretty average. They weren't the friendliest bunch and they also had an entire box of eggs just in the ground, which was very strange. Probably wouldn't go back here because thankfully there are plenty of other bagel options. I got a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel and it was barely toasted and also barely tasted like cinnamon raisin. read more

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THIS IS SHRINKFLATION!!! Cold brew coffee says 20oz online and on menu. It used to be 20oz but now 16oz for the same price... You're crooks read more

Got 2 BEC on egg bagels, 2 lattes. Everything was perfect. Probably one of my top fast bagel spots for sure!

Stopped by here at 7:30 am on my way home after a 24 hour shift. I walk in and see 3 women working behind the counter. I say good morning and they all turn around, look at me, say nothing, and turn back around to continue working. I say there for a full 90 seconds, contemplating on just walking out, before one of them acknowledges me and says I can take your order. I ask for 2 everything bagels, 2 chocolate chip, and 2 cinnamon raisin bagels. They give them to me quickly, I pay and I'm on my way. I get home only to realize they gave me 2 plain bagels instead of chocolate chip bagels. So not only did the workers see rude, they gave me to incorrect food. read more

These are some of the most disappointing bagels in Philadelphia. I forget every time I order here until I take that first sad bite. As I type this, my mouth is getting more and more dry with every bite. At least the bagel can absorb my tears. RIP Korshak Bagels. read more

Schmear - Club Sammy Bagel w/ turkey - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The bagels are really good! Staff is friendly and always greet me with a smile . The place is super clean and that includes the restroom read more

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I'm leaving this review after my third attempt here at Philly Bagels. I've come on weekdays and weekends and it seems that the day of the week does not impact the fact that they are very slow. If you want to get a bagel here, your best bet is to order ahead over the phone. On this current visit, I ordered three breakfast sandwiches. After waiting 20 minutes (which I feel is a bit long) I went to the window to make sure they were working on my order. I had seen many people order after me and leave before me, so I was a bit frustrated. They told me they were still working on it. The reason I felt so inclined to ask is because the last time we were here, we waited 20 minutes for two breakfast sandwiches, and we were what seemed to be the only customers. When we approached the window to ask where our order was they told us they forgot it. Things happen, so we were understanding and came back. While we stood outside waiting, we saw many customers confused about the ordering process. There is limited signage and it's very small. After a full half hour, we finally got our order from a woman wearing a mask that didn't cover her nose. Bagels are good but not worth the aggravation. I'd rather make my own at home. read more

Schmear - New order protocol - definitely call ahead because it takes a WHILE. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Me and my girlfriend always come here when we are in Philly. I love the hot honey sandwich and the coffee is good too. 10/10 recommend

Had a rowing event in Philadelphia for Lehigh University Fitzwater made brown and white bagels specifically for the men and women of the team. Also grabbed a coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese and they were great. This is a gem I would highly recommend stopping by and ordering something. read more

We have ordered from here a couple times -- reading the reviews, we always order over the phone and then walk over to pick it up. Bagel shops are super busy especially in the morning, and I've never ordered from one and NOT had a wait (that's a sign that it's not going to be a good bagel!). There's usually a wait on the phone and then a 15-20 minute estimate so by the time we finally get our bagels and get them home, it's been at least 45 minutes. It's an investment, but for special occasions we feel it's worth it. My husband usually gets the lox sandwich, and I usually get pork roll, egg, and cheese. Both are consistently delicious. We'll keep coming back. read more

Schmear - Pork roll, egg, and cheese on poppy seed bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great bagels, fine coffee. I loved the lox special with everything bagel, no capers, scallion cream cheese. My friend loved her peanut butter and jelly bagel. Coffee was pretty average, but bagels were delicious. Kind staff, no indoor seating, and outdoor ordering available through a side window. read more

Schmear - Peanut butter and jelly bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Philly Bagels had some incredibly delish breakfast sandwiches, albeit a bit pricey by my standard. You can walk in and order (3 people allowed in at a time right now) or call to pick up, and either way there's a little window on the outside of the building where they yell out your name when your order is ready. My boyfriend and I went around 9am on Saturday and there was a small line accrued. It was a short wait. For our two breakfast sandwiches and an iced coffee it was a bit over $16. I HIGHLY recommend going for the pork roll. It's thick cut and totally worthwhile. Oh, and they told us that my boyfriend's severe peanut and nut allergies wouldn't be an issue and made note of it on our order (as they do have peanut and nut products here). read more

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Fitzwater Street Bagels is always solid, in my experience. In pre-pandemic times, I'd occasionally swing by for a turkey sandwich, customized to my liking. Nowadays, customizing gets a bit trickier through an online delivery app, so I've had to modify a bit in order to get what I want. My go-to bagel breakfast sandwich is an everything bagel with bacon, veggie cream cheese, tomato and cucumber. This is obviously not a combo that's offered online (or anywhere, probably, because it's super random!) so over the weekend I instead ordered a BLT, hold the L, plus some extra bagels and cream cheese to have on hand. I was able to add my desired cream cheese to my BT bagel, and now I have bagels in my freezer for whenever I want one. I've never had an issue with my order, and I love having a bagel shop in the neighborhood that's both walkable and available for delivery on a lazy Sunday morning. read more

Schmear - Everything bagel with veggie cream cheese, bacon and tomato - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Friendly staff, EXCELLENT bagels and spreads, great chai... highly recommend‼A wonderful neighborhood establishment!

Good but nothing super special. Definitely generous portions of egg and bacon on the bagel read more

Schmear - Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Bagels are great. 4 stars. The bagels here are some of the best in Philly. They have a nice crunch and a doughy interior. That is the good news. The coffee here is terrible. I have tried it multiple times and it ends up in the bin every time. 3 day old gas station coffee is better than this stuff. Zero stars. Service is variable, ranges from pleasant to "I am just going to ignore you like you are a ghost" depending on the day. read more

So glad I was able to check out this bagel spot during quarantine! I placed my order and paid over the phone. When I arrived at the pickup window, the bagels were ready and they poured my coffee right then and there so that it was hot and fresh for me. I was very overwhelmed with the huge variety of bagels and cream cheese flavors. I ended ordering with an egg bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese. It was delicious, and they were very generous with the cream cheese! I definitely plan to return when in the neighborhood for breakfast or lunch. read more

As a NYC/NJ girl, I am reasonably very picky about pizza and bagels. I was really craving a lox bagel today and I had some time before I had to be where I needed to be. I walked from Rittenhouse Square to this cute corner bagel shop, and was impressed at the crowd outside of the corner shop standing out and inside. I was also more shocked to observe that there were mostly kids behind the counter. I don't think that the children were dealing with the food, just orders and cash register. The worker specifically toasting and making my bagel was definitely an adult. Also, you order one side, then pay another side. I paid with cash and they specify two different prices if you pay cash or card. I ordered the lox special (lox, cc, capers, tomato and red onion) on an everything bagel which were mislabeled as French toast bagels. I also asked for an iced coffee with oat but got regular cream and sugar (I didn't really mind this error, but I can't speak for everyone.) The coffee was very smooth and creamy and your average corner store coffee, which did its job and was satisfying. I got my coffee almost immediately after I paid, but the bagel took about ten minutes to wait for, but I wasn't in a rush. Be prepared to not find seating at all- I came around early afternoon (brunch-y hours) and the place looks as full as it probably was around breakfast. However, the atmosphere of sitting on a Fitler Square Park bench did make the dining experience quite nice. The bagel itself was nicely toasted (I opted to toast it) and bagel toppings were present in flavor, but I did find the bagel to be a little flat and dense. Also, the sandwich wasn't cut completely through in half and I did suffer from the lack of a clean split trying to open the bagel. The cream cheese layer was very liberal (just how I like it), with a thick slice of tomato and a good amount of red onion. The lox was also quite generous, smoky, and velvety. The light amount of capers were also patted into the cream cheese for easier enjoyment, which was greatly appreciated. Overall, this Philly bagel spot passed my NYC/NJ bagel test. Obviously not as good and not comparable, but it did the job quite well and satisfied that craving today. read more

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Found this place while doing a search for local pork roll on a bagel. They were out of pork roll, but they're definitely a hit!! I ordered The Godfather on a veggie bagel. Good heavens THE FLAVORS!!! Will definitely be back. read more

Schmear - The Godfather - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I've been here twice so I'll update if I come again, however the first time I ordered here it was early about 830, I had ordered an everything bagel and an 8oz cream cheese, cinnamon raisin bagel with bacon and egg, and two blueberry bagels regular. Basically they the made the best breakfast sandwich ever! It was quick and they toasted and cream cheesed the everything bagel anyway! The second time I ordered the next day around 945am and it was busy, waited outside to order and waited outside for my order,it was hot outside, and no shaded place to stand, people who called in received their order faster, and after about 10mins I got my order after a couple who ordered the same thing... so I suggest to call ahead if your going there later then 9:15am so everything is ready when you arrive. read more

Schmear - Early morning order. Great service and perfect amount of bacon! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Awesome bagel shop in grad hospital. They have an extensive selection and bagels, cream cheese, as well as special sandwiches. Solid spot for breakfast in the area. I went with the lox special on a whole wheat everything bagel, which was great. Make sure to get there early if you want one of their speciality bagels (French toast) as they were sold out when I went at noon on a Sunday. Great selection of coffee as well. Will be back soon, glad to have found a great bagel shop in my neighborhood. read more

Schmear - Lox special on whole wheat everything bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I waited close to 40 minutes for them to toast 2 bagels with cream cheese. I would maybe understand a busy weekend morning if they were understaffed but they had 5 people working. Never in my life have I seen people move so slow. I am pretty sure they toasted my bagels when I ordered and then they sat there until someone could spread cc on them a half hour later. They were cold by the time I got them. At least at spread after a 40 min wait your food is still hot when you get it. Come up with a better system. Also upon getting home I opened my bagels to find 2 bagels with cream cheese and raw onions?!? And a sesame bagel with approximately 5 sesame seeds on it. Never again. read more

Schmear - Cream cheese and raw onions. Ordered a toasted bagel with cream cheese and butter.... - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First time order, delivered by Grubhub. *Ordered rye bagels but received only plain. *Ordered four 1 oz sides of flavored cream cheeses. Flavors received were correct but two of the tubs were only 1/2 filled. *Ordered the caprese sandwich. Cheese is not thick slices of mozzarella as pictured but was shredded, sprinkled on top of cream cheese. Also, no basil was on the sandwich as listed in the description, only lettuce. Verdict: tasted okay but for so many errors not worth the money and likely will not return. read more

I'm almost certain that the management of "Philly Bagels" tells their employees to skimp on the cream cheese on all their bagels. I have tried both the Fitzwater St and JFK location and it's the same thing every time-- ordering a bagel with cream cheese, opening the bagel, and seeing the thinnest layer of cream cheese on one side and absolutely nothing on the other. The everything bagels are so good but I'm not spending money to eat them dry. I feel like this 'chain' won't last much longer compared to places like Kismet and Spread that actually load up on their bagels and sandwiches. read more

Went here for the first time today -- ordered two bagel sandwiches (gravlax and white fish), the gravlax with no onions due to an allergy. There were only a couple of people ahead of us. The wait was about 15 minutes. The person at the window called our names and handed us a bag. When we arrived home 15 minutes later, we discovered that they'd only made one sandwich despite us paying for the two we'd ordered. The one they made was the one that we'd requested with no onions, but it came with several slices of onion on the bagel despite that. We had to go all the way back and wait again for them to make the other sandwich, which they'd just forgotten to make altogether. In the end, by the time we got to eat our meal about an hour after our initial order, the bagels were chewy, the cream cheese was oddly chunky, and there was very little of the protein on them. Overall, bad service, not great sandwiches, poor value for the price read more

I have enjoyed Chestnut Street Bagel for years but have had less than stellar experience with this location due to long waits. Still, the bagels are the same and this one is closer so I stopped in this morning when no one else was around. Upon entering and ordering, I asked if I could wash my hands in the restroom. I was informed that the restroom was for employees only. Okay, no worries. So I requested hand sanitizer and received the same answer. I became uncomfortable and stated very clearly, "there is no way for me to clean my hands?" and received and affirmative. Waited outside for the bagel and left to wash my hands at home in order to eat my bagel. read more

I can see exactly why the reviews for Fitzwater Street Bagels are so mixed: everything was just a bit "off." I ordered the Western Club on a whole wheat everything bagel: spicy artichoke cream cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey, ranch, and avocado. There was barely a line to order which was great for Sunday at 11:30 AM, but then we waited 30 minutes for our bagel. The bagel was loaded with bacon and turkey (yay!) but the bacon was a little burnt and the turkey was literally cold sandwich meat slapped on top (meh). The artichoke cream cheese was yummy (yay!), but I think they forget the ranch, and there was only 1 piece of lettuce and the tiniest piece of tomato (meh). They definitely didn't skimp on the toppings (yay!) but the ratio was quite off (meh). I'd rather have less if it meant that I didn't end up with a mouthful of cold turkey deli meat. The bagel itself was also sooo small, barely 3.5 inches in diameter. It was also kinda flat - like the dough didn't completely rise. For $8, I did expect a little more substance. I think there are redeeming qualities to this place: for one, the menu is very interesting and has options beyond the basic egg/bacon/cheese breakfast sandwich. There are definitely some kinks and I'd like the ordering process to be a little more efficient but the foundation is there. read more

Schmear - Western Club on a whole wheat everything bagel: spicy artichoke cream cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey, ranch, and avocado - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Graduate hospital neighborhood is in desperate need of a competent bagel store! Bagels here are delicious, but service is poor enough to go elsewhere. The store routinely opens ~30 minutes later than their posted hours without explanation. At peak hours, in-person customers are ignored and not acknowledged in favor of online orders (which they do not seem equipped to efficiently handle). If it's busy, be prepared to wait 20 minutes both before AND after ordering your food. read more

The bagel itself was decent but definitely not a New York bagel. The best bagels are those that don't need toasting and these are borderline for that criteria. PROS: Very friendly employees! Reasonable prices CONS: TINY containers if you get your cream cheese on the size...only an oz! VERDICT: will return! read more

I will never be returning to this business. Poorly, poorly, poorly managed and poorly, poorly, poorly operated. A few weeks ago I ordered food from here. Not only did they happen to simply not include an entire item that was order but also the items they gave us were completely wrong. Despite this mishap, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried to order from them again. You can see about how well that went. An item clearly labeled "NO CHEESE-ALLERGY" is smothered in cheese. In addition to the absolutely miserable food experiences here, the wait is often 20-30+ minutes. I would advise everyone to shy away from Fitzwater Street Philly Bagels. read more

Schmear - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nice place will visit again. French vanilla Coffee and the bagel Sammy and hash browns are good. read more

Schmear - The Sammy with hash browns and a cup of French vanilla coffee. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania