CJs has some of the best bagels you can find. The coffee is from Java Joes, so it's high quality and has free refills. Honestly, it's one of my favorite places to hang out when I'm doing laundry next door or needing a place to do homework. The service, on the flip side, is horrible; it's really the one thing that keeps this place from being 5 stars. They always give you the feeling that you're inconveniencing them and always seem irritable. So... 3 stars. Great bagels, bad service. read more

Might be the best bagel joint in town. If you grab a box of their frosted bagels for any work/team potluck or breakfast - you will win the crowd hands down, every time. Highly recommend! read more

CJ's Bagels has some serious execution errors that need to be fixed. There is no reason why anyone should go in, order two bagels with cream cheese to-go and have a 25 minute wait. This also happened to us two weeks ago. From the time we walked in the door to the time we left was an hour. Not to make comparisons, but at Panera you can walk in, order a bagel with cream cheese and get it immediately. Those high school girls need to be taught how to multi-task. We witnessed several of them standing around waiting for microwaves, etc., when they could've been working on more orders. Staff is not the friendliest, they don't listen and they mess up orders. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

These bagels! They are not your grocery store bagels. They are chewy and soft and delicious! The I had a BLT sandwich on a Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel. It was fresh and crisp and delicious! My husband and I shared the potato chowder. It was possibly the best potato soup I've ever had. Plus it came with a good amount of crispy bacon that was an amazing compliment to the soup. The bagel bites were just as good as everything else with a swipe of frosting. Perfect for dessert. All in all, best place I've been in the Des Moines metro for bagels. read more

Slowest service ever. Took an hour for two bagels. We almost cancelled and left. Yikes

I am blown away that CJ's does not have a higher rating. It is THE place to go for breakfast in Ankeny. You almost always run in to someone you know (for better or worse) and its sheer longevity and popularity are a testament to its food. I remember years ago when Brugels Bagels came to town, I thought it was the death knell for CJs. But guess who is still open? It has also maintained in the face of competition like Panera. You have to love that it's local and I don't know if I have ever been there when the owners WEREN'T working, which I admire. It is a solid Ankeny community restaurant. Now--I will agree that I have had service issues at CJs. Let's face it--their primary workforce is Ankeny High School students who aren't always the most detail oriented and may take a while with your order. BUT this is not enough for me to discount the whole place. Their bagels are great, particularly the asiago. They're insanely generous with their cream cheese and their lunch items always hit the spot. Decent prices, too. This place is not going to blow you away, but if you're in Ankeny, it's a great place to stop. read more

They don't answer the phone to take orders on Saturday and Sunday mornings, so you can't call in an order for carry out. Instead you have to wait thirty minutes for a bagel. So lame. Half the time I come there (very infrequently because the place is awful) they have already run out of some bagels. It smells like burnt bagels. The bathroom floor is sticky for some reason. And it's expensive. Every time I come here I remember why I almost never do. read more

Stopped by CJ's today on our way home after visiting friends, first time at CJ's. LOVED it! Very tasty bagel sandwich, bagel bites were delish! Will definitely be back the next time I'm in town! read more

I just happened to be in Ankeny and needed breakfast when I came across this place. My expectations shouldn't have been so high but it wasn't great. But for the price it was worth it. For about $5 you can get the breakfast combo before 10:30am. The combo comes with hash browns, a breakfast sandwich and a 16oz drink. The hash browns were more like trash browns. They were over cooked, extremely hard and too salty. The bagel itself was fantastic but the meat and cheese was mediocre. The drink I got was a pumpkin spice coffee which was perfect! I would honestly come back just for the coffee. All in all if you're looking for a quick breakfast thats not mcdonalds but in the price range this is the place to go! read more

We stopped in CJ's on a Sunday morning and ordered two bagels with cream cheese and two coffees. It took 20 minutes to get our order. At that time their were 15 other people sitting in th restaurant waiting for their order. While the bagels were OK, the slow service was unacceptable. We will not go back. read more

I've been coming to CJ's Bagels for years. It's still got one of the best deals in town: a bagel sandwich, baked lays and a pop for a little over six bucks! Their bagel bites are very popular and smoothies are awesome. They even have a donut shop inside their restaurant called Topped Donuts. They serve everything from old fashioned donuts to new and extravagant ones. They're only open for breakfast and lunch and unfortunately, not open on Sunday's. read more

TJ's Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

CJ's bagels is an awesome breakfast place in Ankeny. Generally always get the bagel bites(small bagel bites with cream cheese frosting) they have different flavors but all are really good. The Asiago Cheese bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese is excellent. Not a fan of all the flavored cream cheeses but you can get the cream cheese frosting as a substitute on your different bagels. Wish this place was open past 2:00pm read more

TJ's Bagels - Bagels bites with cream cheese frosting - Bagels Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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I arranged a networking event for work and went to CJ's for bagel bites because I wanted something different and fun. Those bagel bites are so delish! People talked about them the whole time! Loved the berry and the blueberry. The staff were easy to work with and very helpful and cheery. Love it! read more

Bagels are good but that's about it. Slow service and HORRIBLE customer service. I have been here too many times to count and finally have decided I'm done. Can we have the old owners back? read more

They have some AWESOME breakfast sandwiches here. You really can't go wrong with anything you order. The food is always made to order and fresh. I would advise going somewhere else if you have somewhere you need to be because it takes a bit to get the freshly made food, but if you aren't in a hurry the wait is well worth it. read more

TJ's Bagels - Meat lover's everything bagel. - Bagels Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Slowest service EVER! Someone needs to teach the staff how to multi task. I watched the people making the food do one bagel at a time. More disturbing was the girl who kept rubbing her nose and drinking her soda while waiting for the one bagel to toast. This place was an Ankeny institution and it has really declined. The owner/manager is not very friendly. She just looks stressed. read more

Don't get me wrong, their food is quite good but my problem lies in how long it takes to get said food. Furthermore, they almost always run out of frosted bagel bites by 7:45am. I have ordered a breakfast sandwich around 7am, there were 2 people eating and 3 people waiting. It took over 15 minutes after I ordered (waited a few minutes to order) before I received my sandwich. What takes so long? I have always waited just as long for a bagel with cream cheese but around 7:30am. In the morning time is a commodity and this takes too long. Maybe on a weekend but not before work. read more

I love the bagel sandwiches and bagel bites! I wish they had at least one gluten free bagel though. My fiancé just got diagnosed with celiac and we used to come here every weekend but do not anymore because they don't have any gf items. read more

Surprised to see their rating so low. I have regularly over the 3 years bought their bagel bites and brought them into the office. They are always a huge hit. I have never got anything else from there but never really felt the need to. Bagels are a little pricey but you pay for the quality. read more

Great bagels and cream cheese. Long lines on the weekends, but worth it!

I love love love bagels and cream cheese and this place hits the spot. Their bagels are more on the soft/chewy side which is a nice little change from my typical Panera bagels. I ordered the asiago cheese bagel with chive and ranch cream cheese. On my actual bagel you couldn't see a ton of the asiago cheese (almost looked like a plain one), but it was still good. They are very very generous with the cream cheese, almost a bit too much for me. Next time I will probably order it on the side. If you're big on cream cheese, it'll be perfect for you. There have been alot of negative reviews on the service here but I didn't seem to have any problems on my first visit. Hopefully they'll keep it up and I'll keep eating here. read more

The service is terrible. The food was below average. Ordered a sausage egg and cheese bagel and it was cold. The workers are somewhat careless. The presentation was very sloppy. The place is dirty. The workers weren't trained well. read more

Great place for bagels and to hang out on a Saturday morning. The bagels are delicious and the closest thing you will get to New York City! We have had a breakfast bagel, and brought bagels home for company. The breakfast sammy was sooooo yummy and delicious. The bagel was slightly buttered, the egg had just the right amount of pepper, and the ham was tender and flavorful. When you walk in the smells are overwhelming, and the staff are all so friendly and light hearted. You can't but be in a good mood when you start the day at CJ's Bagels. read more

Why is the owner lady so MEAN??? The food is good but not good enough for her to act like that and expect customers to return.

Since new ownership selection has been bad. No bagels at lunch on a Saturday. Not the same CJ's.

I've been a long time customer over the last 6 years. Today I ordered a breakfast bagel with no cheese. I can't have cheese and they messed up my order. Not a huge deal, I brought to their attention and in return the peeled the cheese off and gave me the same sandwich. I brought it to their attention and the reply was "ok" with a smile. Wtf read more

Terribly long waiting times! It took 35 Minutes's for them to make a ham-egg-and cheese breakfast bagel! Which is ridiculous! Decor is all over very the place; so random. This place looks like it's either pieces together or falling apart. The food was good, which is why I gave them 2 stars. But I can get faster bagels at Panera. read more

Great food- best bagels around. Most awful customer service. Avoid ordering online as its never ready- they said website was down- even though I had confirmation email. Manager refused to address situation. read more

this place used to be amazing... management changed and everything went down hill. the prices were raised, quality of the food went down, and very slow service. i recommend only if you have time, money, and patience on hand. please take this into consideration "tj bagels" read more

This is my favorite lunch place! In a town full of chain restaurants, CJ's stands out with their deliciously chewy bagels and menu variety. They have soups and salads as well, but I never stray from my standard order: BLT on an asiago bagel. The standard weekday staff is excellent and very efficient, but you may have a bit of a wait on a Saturday morning (as others have stated.) when the teenaged girls take over. Great for a cup of basic coffee too! read more

I am so saddened to have to write this. The last 2 visits to CJs bagels I have received a wrong order (completely different type of sandwich) and when I do get my order the bagels are dense and chewy and it's falling apart. The staff at the register seems thoroughly confused about items still on the menu but yet are made completely out of character, toppings faking off too much mustard and cheese not melted on a warm sandwich! Tables are turned without cleaning and no one seems to care yet 6 ppl are standing around with 10 customers. I hope these details will be noted and the food quality can shoot right back up! This is 1 of my families favorite places to eat and I want to continue to enjoy quality delicious food! read more

Slowest service I have EVER received at a bagel shop! The ladies working there are completely unaware that many of their customers come in before WORK. We don't have time to wait 30 mins for a bagel and cream cheese. It is ridiculous! After the slow service I received today I will NOT be going back! CJ Bagels could use a training makeover. I worked at Big Apple Bagel while in high school and we never moved as slow as these girls do. Today they literally stood around staring while waiting for my bagel to toast. Helloooo grab the next order and begin that while you wait! In the food service world multitasking is a necessity. The worst part is the owners are always there and seem to have no issue with the slow service they are providing. They need to fix their system! read more

Forever loyal to CJs whenever I'm in town and craving a bagel LOADED with cream cheese. Cannot go wrong here. However i have confused an employee in the past by asking for a cappuccino and she handed me a cup thinking I wanted the self serve coffee machine. No, no thanks. Gimme dat real espresso please. :) read more

Normally the food here is really good, and it's just the service that's annoying but today they were both awful. I ordered two breakfast sandwiches with four sliced bagels and bagel bites. All of our bagels were cut with a dirty knife that had blueberry cream cheese on it. There was purple in the middle and I could very obviously taste it on my breakfast sandwich and then noticed it was very clearly on the middle of all of them, if it had been a fruity bagel I probably could've gotten past it but I had a bacon egg and cheese breakfast bagel on Asiago and my boyfriend had a meat lovers and blue berry DOES NOT mix well with meat. On top of that we had to wait over 25 minutes just to place an order and then another about 35 minutes to get our food. I was very disappointed in this service and won't be going back until I hear things have changed, which with the staff I saw today that won't be very soon. read more

CJ's used to be a cool place to grab a yummy bagel when a I was in high school. Today I was in my home town and took my 9 yr old to a place I used to enjoy. When we arrived at 10:30 it was moderately busy, however there was plenty of seating. We ordered 2 breakfast bagel sandwiches and one plain with cream cheese *TO GO*....40 MINUTES LATER..... I had my son run up to the counter to politely ask when the order might be complete as I was concerned our order was lost. Some woman barked at my son without even looking up about how she was "working on it" lovely way to talk to a kid let alone a paying customer....glad to know I'm not the first to yelp about this place being rude and slow. Shameful that people who are snippy and slow work in the hospitality industry. BTW: at 10:30 you should not be out of bagel bites which is one of the original gems of CJ'S. We won't be stopping back....clearly. read more

I have to agree with another reviewer, they need to make better use of their time. It took forever just to give them my order, it shouldn't take 20 minutes for a "toasted" bagel". Either figure out how to multi task or hire another person for the morning shift. I ordered an everything bagel toasted with butter. What I got was a warm bagel with possibly margarine? I am not sure what it is, but it certainly didn't melt as my bagel wasn't even warm enough. Unfortunately, I got mine to go, so I didn't realize this until I got to my office to eat it. I was sadly disappointed as this was the only place remotely close and I had been craving a toasted bagel. Next time, I will just buy mine at the grocery store and toast it myself. Also, they were out of orange juice? I gave them two stars as I have previously had their bagel bites that co-workers have brought in to share and I really enjoyed those. I am not a big fan of chain food, but would say, go to Panera or Bruegers (or grocery store instead) instead, this was a disappointing experience and I won't be back to give them a second chance as I don't have the time to waste and then make sure they do what is asked of them (how hard is it to toast???) read more

CJ's has great bagels and great bagel sandwiches. Plan to stand in line for while. Order taking is slow partly because the customers are don't use their time WAITING in line to plan their order. Their on-line ordering (order ahead) is a FAIL, plus you still get to stand in that line just to pay for the on-line order (assuming they "received" it). In need of process streamlining. read more

The most unfriendly staff I have ever encountered. No "may I help you", no "thank you", no nothing..............Sure don't need to spend my money for that, won't return. read more

Bagels are delicious! The workers were friendly and helpful! Looking forward to going back and trying a donut. They all look so good!

The bagels are great....the problem is the staff. My husband ordered an asiago bagel with cream cheese, toasted. He waited 15 min, (it was not even crowded) and the first bagel was multigrain. When he went to the counter, the woman smirked at him, didn't say a word, and then started the order again. Second bagel wasn't toasted. This time we were the only people there, and there shouldn't have been any confusion re: the order. Finally, 3rd time was a charm. The non-eye contact making bagel lady did come over with 3 complimentary bagel bites as we were ready to leave. That was nice, but a simple "I'm sorry, let me fix that for you!" accompanied with a smile and eye contact would have been appreciated and sufficient. read more