I was excited to try here but I felt like the bagels, aren't bagels? No chew, no yeasty flavor. They were kinda crumbly and oddly dense. I find this difficult to rate, they are good tasting - but not bagels so take that as you will. They are like a cross between bagels/biscuit/scone? Something weird about it. I bought a jalapeño cheddar bagel with bacon scallion cream cheese in store, and brought home 6 more various bagels. They all had the same off texture but I do like the tastes of the bagels, and they were generous with the smear of cream cheese. It's okay, but I like other places more. read more

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Amazing! Loved the cream cheese ratio! It's a great bagel joint. You walk up and order and they call your name when it is ready. They have outdoor seating available. They also offer some drinks inside. Seems more of a take out kind of place. read more

The Twisted Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

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Surprisingly, not good bagels. These are dense bread rings with a dull surface (i cannot even call it a "crust"). I am not from NYC but I make bagels at home and know good bagels are good because of practice, time and space- many NYC shops have the experience making literally millions of bagels per year, have the time and space to refrigerate and proof and boil them correctly. Has nothing to do with the NYC water. TB on the other hand seems to skip or incorrectly do much or all of this. And yet...not horrible reviews. Why? Some reviewers correctly point out the bagel quality issues but don't really understand why (many rave about the "maple walnut pumpkin spice honey cream cheese" or the sandwiches loaded with bacon and cheese. Or they, incredibly, rave about the actual bagels. To understand this I turned to chat GPT with others' review photos, my own photos and review, and got the following: ==================== (after showing pic) Exterior -Surface: Matte, dull brown, minimal sheen -- suggests boiling was either too short or skipped entirely. Without a proper malted boil, you don't get the gloss and thin, snappy crust typical of a well-made bagel. -Shape: A bit lumpy and irregular; the seam lines and surface folds indicate uneven shaping and possibly underproofed dough that didn't relax before boiling or baking. -Rise: Low profile; it hasn't puffed much in the oven -- further evidence of underproofing or insufficient yeast activity. Interior -Crumb: Very tight, uniform, and fine-grained. There's no visible air cell variation. This is a hallmark of underfermented dough -- the yeast didn't produce enough gas before baking. The texture looks almost like dense sandwich bread or even cookie dough when sliced, rather than the slightly elastic honeycomb a bagel should show. -Color: Even, somewhat dark (likely from cinnamon or malt syrup if it's a raisin bagel), but that doesn't change the structural issue: the crumb is compacted. -Mouthfeel prediction: Chewy but not pleasantly elastic -- likely heavy and gummy when bitten. Probable Process Errors -Underproofing / Short Fermentation. The dough didn't get enough rise time. Could be due to cold dough going directly to boil, skipping the pre-boil bench rest, or insufficient yeast. -No or Short Cold Retardation. Overnight refrigeration develops flavor and structure. Skipping it often results in bland, tight bagels like this. -Boil Problems. Either unboiled (baked directly) or boiled briefly in non-malted water. The dull, bread-like surface suggests a dry bake, not the gelatinized crust of a true bagel. -Possible Flour / Hydration Error. If lower-protein flour was used, it can't trap gas effectively, compounding the density. ============ OK. So the bagels suck. Why aren't the reviews? ============ -1. Psychology of Local Business Reviews. When a small, independent shop opens in an area dominated by corporate chains (Dunkin', McDonald's, etc.), it often becomes a symbol of authenticity and community identity. -2. Social reinforcement bias: Locals want it to be good. They want to support "the little guy," so they unconsciously inflate their evaluations. -3. Contrast effect: Compared to fast-food breakfast sandwiches or factory-made Dunkin' bagels, even a middling fresh-baked bagel feels like a revelation -- "real bread!" -4. Limited exposure bias: Most reviewers aren't bagel purists. They may have never experienced a true New York-style bagel, so their reference standard is low. -5. Halo effect: If the staff is friendly, the shop smells good, and the sandwich tastes rich (thanks to bacon, cheese, and sweet cream cheese spreads), the entire experience feels premium, masking a mediocre base product. =========== OK...so why does the owner not seem to understand or care? =========== Why Many Local Bagel Shops Miss the Mark -1. Not Trained Bakers: Most owners are entrepreneurs who inherited routines, not artisans. They follow hand-me-down recipes without understanding fermentation, gluten, or proofing science. -2. Lost Craft Knowledge: Bagel-making isn't taught in most culinary schools; it was once passed through NYC-style apprenticeships that vanished as chains industrialized production. -3. Economics of "Good Enough": Once customers accept dense, sandwich-friendly bagels, there's little reason to improve. Speed and consistency outweigh authenticity. -4. Unskilled Staff: Teen or part-time workers just follow timers and checklists; no one adjusts for dough variables, so mediocrity becomes the standard. ======== It referred to this as "the death of craft under the banner of 'local.'" read more

The Twisted Bagel Company - Bagels Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

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I'm not usually one to write negative reviews but since there aren't many here... yikes. Ok positives: the staff is super friendly, food was out quick, love the self serve coffee station. Iced coffee was delicious. How you can call what you're serving a bagel I'm not sure. I ate half and couldn't do it anymore. I'm not one to not finish carbs, but this was disgusting. There are plenty of other really decent bagel shops within 10 minutes of this place, just drive the extra. read more

The Twisted Bagel Company - Iced coffee, two egg and cheese on sesame bagel - Bagels Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

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Excellent bagel shop. Crisp outside and soft inside. Quick and friendly. A must stop when in Saratoga.

I hate that I can't give a glowing review but maybe this will help them up their game. My family was thrilled a bagel store was opening nearby saving us a trip to Clifton Park on Sundays. The first time we went, the bagels were just "okay". We went back today for a second try and unfortunately it was even worse. The first picture you see is a cinnamon raisin bagel, my favorite, compared to a bagel from West End Bagels. The Twisted Bagel was small, thin, and hard and the raisins tasted burnt. Basically they were inedible so in the trash they went. We reached for their garlic bagels and after toasting and putting our favorite cream cheese on, it was also a less than glorious experience. They were dense and chewy and not what my expectation of a good bagel is. The dozen is inexpensive, $10 and you do not get the extra "baker's dozen" bagel. I would gladly pay more for better bagels and for now we'll still be going to Clifton Park for bagels. In a pinch I'd recommend Price Chopper or Trader Joe's over these. Really. I'll revisit this shop in a couple of months to see if they've improved and report accordingly. read more

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These bagels were great! So many different bagels in the area all with their own unique taste & textures. Service was quick and friendly will for sure be back for some more. read more

The Twisted Bagel Company - Jalapeño Cheddar & Everything Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

Decided to try the bagels recently and was extremely disappointed. Nothing like Uncommon Grounds bagels, which are the closest, in my opinion to a NYC bagel. The inside of the twisted bagel was awful. Got the sesame and cinnamon raisin. Both were equally awful. Will stick to my Uncommon Grounds bagels and the Bagel Train in Suffern, New York. read more

Very quick service; the lady making our awesome bacon & egg sandwiches, was in a hurry to get to a doctor's appointment. Still, one of the tastiest bagel sandwiches I've had in a while. Just the right crunch and softness to the bagel. Some bagels in the area are too large and too hard. Not my taste. I really like Twisted bagels Of course we also purchased some flavored cream cheese and extra bagels. Just in case we crave one at 3 am. Check this place out! First check out the hours so you don't miss them. read more

Really good bagels and sandwich's in a great location. Food comes out relatively quick as well.

The variety of both the bagel and the cream cheese was so good it was a hard time picking what to get! We didn't even get to the sandwiches which will be a must next time we are in the area. Everything you could want in a bagel and I still dream about these! Here's hoping there's another family wedding in the area soon! read more

No sure what everyone else deal was but I had a great experience. Service was quick and accurate. Stopped here at 730am on my way to work and got an egg everything with bacon scallion cream cheese and the bun burner sandwich on an everything. Bagels were fresh and soft. Cream cheese was flavorful. Some times bagel breakfast sandwiches can be messy to eat when bagels are firm. Everything tends to squeeze out of the sandwich but that wasn't the case today. No problem at all biting thru the bagel. Honestly I'll probably be back tomorrow. read more

The Twisted Bagel Company - Bum burner - Bagels Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

Great bagels. Nice people. Convenient location. They also have mobile ordering. Highly recommend The Twisted Bagel Company!

These bagels rival many of the best bagels you can find in NYC! Excellent flavor and the right "bite." Definitely no need to toast!

Coming from Brooklyn this is hard to digest. I can't even believe this place has a line. Probably because it's the only bagel place for miles. The bagels are not good. Market 32 has better bagels. read more

Meh. I wish I could give a better review, but for now for a good bagel I'm going to have to trek up to Bolton Landing. These were somehow very dense but didn't have enough chew, and were also kind of sweet. The bagel & lox sandwich had a very small portion of lox - the tomato slice was thicker than the lox. I'd rather pay a little more for a decent amount of lox on the sandwich. read more

I have been to Twisted Bagel quite a few times since they opened. The bagels are outstanding! The texture and flavor are the best that I have had locally. I have also enjoyed a roast beef bagel sandwich for lunch and several turkey sausage breakfast sandwiches- again outstanding. Another plus is that every person that I have interfaced with are EXTREMELY friendly and accommodating. It is a pleasure to do business with a locally owned company. I do notice on weekends they get quite busy and the wait for your food can be fairly lengthy. I think this is a combination of customer volume and making your food from scratch. Just be forewarned if you are in a hurry. read more

Deprived of bagels living in Syracuse area after moving to NY from Jersey. Was in Ballston Spa and decided to try this place. Definitely a worthy EBBECSPK (everything bagel bacon egg & cheese salt pepper ketchup) - that's what a bagel should taste like! This place definitely is deserving of more than what it's rated right now. Girl at the front was nice. Huge line built up after I ordered and everyone was treated nicely. Sorry to those who had other experiences - but it was a nice place!!! read more

Heard the buzz about this place and thought I'd see for myself. Came in on a Monday around noon to get a bagel sandwich to fuel me for the rest of the day. I got the sliced chicken, pickled beet, Swiss cheese, w smear of onion cream cheese on an onion bagel. Came with a side of homemade macaroni salad which was recommended by the lovely woman behind the counter. I ate my macaroni salad first and wished I got more! And the side portion was hefty! It was tangy but not too tangy and macaroni was cooked perfectly and so fresh. My bagel sandwich was out of this world. I've never had anything like it and would def get again. I wish this business tons of luck and I will definitely be returning. read more

incapable of following the order written on the brown paper bag hanging above their heads. Every time I order, there's no napkins in my bag, the bagel is never toasted like I ask, and they forget any extra topping I ask for. Not to mention the insane wait time for a SINGLE bagel. On top of all that, the place is so jam packed with people. Terrible service... terrible bagels, save your self the anger and go to market 32 next door instead. read more

WOW! I can't believe we finally have amazing bagels in town now! The home fries are awesome too! I love the fair prices and the outstanding quality of the food! To add to that, there was a younger man at the counter who had such a great personality. When I come back I'll update the review with his name (if he doesn't mind). But, above and beyond service. Thanks twisted bagel! read more

First time at this place and will NOT be returning. The girl working the register was SO rude. Giving me attitude because she messed up another customers order. I said, "I won't be returning" and all she said was, "I'm having a bad day". Absolutely awful read more

First time stopping at the store for some breakfast sandwiches. Girl at the front desk messed up the order in front of me and took her attitude out on me. When I said I won't be returning she replied with "im having a bad day." No sorry or anything. Will not be returning read more

This is a great place for a bagel sandwich. The staff are always kind, helpful and efficient. I would highly recommend this place!!! Keep up the great work!!! read more