Having visited more than one location over many years it's a place where food standards and quality have always been great. Unfortunately such is not the case with their Party Sandwiches. it's noticeable the change in how they are prepping them. In the past they were prepped by Leslie's party sandwiches and they were always fresh, delicious and with a generous amount of egg or tuna. Since the prep has now been done in house the sandwiches are now resembling a bread sandwich with the thinnest spread of egg and tuna. In more than half of our container the tuna was so thin you couldn't even see it between the whole wheat bread. Ain't no party when your party sandwiches have a whisper of filling. read more

French Toast was my choice. The bread was challah,but the fruit on the toast wasn't fresh and no powdered sugar was involved. I wanted to try the Canadian maple syrup and it was good, but not enough offered. Coffee was average. read more

What A Bagel - Coffee average - Bagels Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Amazingly Fresh large sized Bagels, loaded with sesame.Staff was helpful and greeted us with smiles. As soon as you enter, the aroma of the bakery lures you to stay even longer. With enough dining space to have the items there and then. A nice experience! read more

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What a Bagel is great. They make decent bagels. But, the thing they do amazingly is rugelach. My favourite rugelach in the city and so yummy. read more

Some of the best bagels in toronto! Cream cheese is TO DIE FOR Also great breakfast options and if you have a sweet tooth get the nutella french toast. Amazing read more

Place went down hill since the last time I've been here!! Service was not that great Food: The party sandwiches were 21$ ., little pieces of nothingness and was super dry and unflavoureful! They only used the multigrain brown bread for the sandwiches unedible! Their in house Babaganoush was so bitter and disgusting not how I remembered nastyyyt was like 15$ for 16oz threw it staight in the garbage! Their challah/onions rolls were already stale not fresh and everything has an early expiry date. I don't recommend this place it use to be really good and affordable now the quality has tanked and the price has risen makes absolutely no sense whatsoever ! I don't think I'll be back here again sorry :/ read more

Not by most people standard actually a bagel. More like a chewy roll with very few toppings. Ordered a tub of garlic cream cheese and got herb cream cheese the only tasted like savory. . read more

Are their bagels super good? Naw. But they have a big patio and a lot of options. Service was painfully fast, I barely sat down and the waiter came and asked me what I wanted. This is a huge menu so they need to chill. Anyway, i got a cobb salad and it came with a bagel, strangely, but the salad was gigantic and really good. I would go back for the safe patio and easy ordering options read more

Crappy service and over priced food. Their Bathurst and Steeles location is much better. Waitress did not understand English. Ordered a club soda - she brought an iced tea. After explaining the difference, I opted to order a water with lemon. Food was sub par at best - ordered food and got something completely unexpected. Israeli salad with balsamic vinegarette? How does that make sense? All in all, poor quality food, terrible service, and their prices are insane. read more

What A Bagel - Bagels Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

First time was last week. I walked in at 5:50 pm and asked for a bagel and the sassy AF cashier said they are closed. Why was the door open..no idea. This week, I went in early at 5:40 pm for the same. There was no one else in the store. I went to pick my bagel (as you do in every What A Bagel I've been to). I put in a brown bag and went to pay. I believe it was the same cashier as last week who said "what would you like?" I said bagel with cream cheese. She looked perplexed and took my bagel out of my bag, put the brown bag back into a pile of unused bags by the cash. I was also weirded out. I asked her what types of cream cheese she had, she was very annoyed. I picked roasted pepper and then she asked if I wanted it toasted. I said yes. I also said please don't cut in it half. She said too late, it's already cut. I just paid and walked out. Honestly appalling. Bagel as delish and so was the cream cheese but that's the only star they get. read more

Nice bagel store. It has Jewish sweets and colorful salad too. I ordered Hummus & Eggplant Bagel. It was stuffy and so fresh! read more

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Okay, so I'd been to another location years ago but, sadly, it wasn't anything like this one. You walk in and see blintzes, latkes, gorgeous looking salads, FINGER SANDWICHES (I have a thing for these) and a ton of gorgeous baked goods - oh and not to mention bagels! I felt like I just dreamt this place up so went into food hoarder mode. Here's what I bought: A bagel, lox and cream cheese (with red onions and lots of capers), a huge, yummy, raisin cinnamon bun (weighs the size of a toddler), a huge (also heavy) chocolate bun, and a chala bun. Everything tastes amazing! The staff here are wonderful - friendly, efficient and fast. They work harder than a barista or a bartender so tip 'em for goodness sake (there's a tip jar on the counter by the cash)! I'll be back here soon! read more

I swung by this What A Bagel location for the very first last week time and guess what, I had a bagel! First things first, you pick your own bagel and then bring it up to the counter. Then, be prepared to hand your bagel over and spout out your bagel requirements. For me? Toasted pumperknickle bagel with green onion cream cheese and slice of tomato. Simple. Super fresh bagel. Thick cut of tomato. Fun cream cheese option. So, why all the haterade by other people on this review page? I don't really know! It's not an up -to-date place by any means, but it's exactly what it's supposed to be. read more

This is my new go-to, on-the-go lunch spot downtown. I work nearby and, especially with the Ritual app, I can get a fast and filling lunch for takeout or sit-in. I have been pulling myself away from desk closer to 2 than 12pm lately, so I always manage to get a nice seat by the window to chill out and chow down. Can't speak for the seating availability during the true lunch rush. What I like about What A Bagel for a workday lunch is that you can customize it, get something a little carb-y and filling but not too heavy, and can add on a smoothie or salad to round out the nutrient factor. Most recently, I ordered a sesame bagel with egg salad, crunchy lettuce, and alfalfa sprouts, coupled with a green smoothie. Some might say you don't get enough egg salad on the bagel, but a) its only $4.50 and b) I would argue its just the right amount to be filling without overflowing the boarders of your bagel when you bite into it. The smoothie was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the Juice Bigalow, not because of the name (eye roll) but because of the ingredients. Pineapple, grapes, bananas, spinach, yogurt, honey, and mint. Smooth and not too sweet, with that lovely secret spinach you can see and feel but not taste (even though I do like spinach). Mint in fruit and dairy based things has been my jam lately, and this item has now been added to my list of faves. read more

I like this place. It's huge with plenty of choices: bagels, sandwiches, coffees, many pastries. I appreciated the interaction with the waitress, she was nice with me and explained to me the menu. The pastries are pretty good, tasty, sugary, and it's why I went there. read more

What A Bagel - Bagels Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

If you like being treated RUDELY, by the loud, gruff (dictionary meaning: abrupt or taciturn in manner) owner, whose employees emulate his punk-ass attitude, and you like to OVERPAY (a bagel lunch, little bag of chips, a pop and maybe a brownie will be $25.00) then THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU! The owner is the guy in the white T-shirt, shaved head, and nasty punim. He looks like his father. I like the food there, so I've try to look past the lousy service. But I think about it every time I enter. All the Phillipino workers are grumpy, rude ladies. Maybe they don't like the management. Once when I complained to the wife of the owner, she gave me nasty look and said, "they work hard". It is such a privilege to have a shop in Forest Hill Village -- you would think a little pleasantness could go a long way. However, they seem to be too arrogant for niceties. read more

Theres two things with a business, quality of food and quality of service. I am not happy this morning.....drove 15 mins cause they open early at 0600 and I arrived at 0630....and they had one type of bagel, sesame. Now if you offer 10 different types of bagels would you not have at least 3 flavors for your customers to choose from? The woman who played in charge with the Israeli accent said 'we've been doing this 20 years'. Well I've been going to other what a bagels since they opened and they all have multiple bagels at opening. The other staff asked me if I'm new to the area and I saud luckily no, and I won't be coming back to this location. Poor service and i-dont--give a shoot staff read more

The food is always good (try the pea soup!), but the place is in urgent need of a reno. The ambience is, shall I say, lacking!

My wife and I used to go to What A Bagel frequently when we lived nearby. During the course of our going there, after my wife became visibly pregnant we were informed by senior staff (either a manager or owner - not sure) that they have a policy of seating pregnant women and families with babies as soon as possible rather than having them wait in the queue. We went a few times after being informed of this and when we had our baby with us we were -- without asking -- accommodated in such a manner. Today we planned our morning around going to What A Bagel, knowing that there weren't many restaurants on a Saturday late morning which we could take our baby to without her having a melt-down from waiting. After driving a half hour into the city (we no longer live near by but made the trip because of their policy) finding and paying for parking, etc. only to find that when we went in, there was a ~45 minute long wait. My wife politely asked the hostess about being seated sooner because we were with a baby and that a manager/owner had told us in the past it was policy to do so (we didn't mention that they'd been consistent in accommodating us, but figured no reason to give her a whole novel). After checking with her manager, she said that "the policy wouldn't be applying this morning because of how busy it was". We left and drove home, having wasted well over an hour, parking and plenty of gas because either What A Bagel doesn't communicate out their policies to all their staff or because they apply policies inconsistently. Either way, it's we paid the price by having our morning ruined and wasting hard-earned money. Clearly, it's up to a restaurant if they want to make policies like what the previous manager (or owner) told us but if they decide to, it should be honored consistently -- especially since the whole *point* of such a policy is to for times when it's busy, to use being busy as an excuse is absurd. read more

For relatively cheap bagels at a decent price, What-a-Bagel is pretty good. They have more then just bagels, this location in particular has lots of stuff, like cookies. Their bagels are pretty good, they are bready and similar (though much fresher) to the bagged bagel variety you find at your local grocer. They have many different flavors, like sun-dried tomato (my fav). Unfortunately they do not make a cheese bagel! :-( The cookies there are by weight, so they are quite pricey, but good. There are tables outside so you can sit and eat (at least in the summertime), but there are also a few parks in the area as well. Great walking area, lots of little shops. There's street parking and a lot to the north of the store. read more

Came here for a shmear on the Friday to celebrate the start of the long weekend. This place has a lot of character for a chain. Both my partner and I got the sesame bagel with lox and Cream cheese. I got capers on mine. The traditional breakfast food of my mothers people was done quite nicely. Lots and lots of cream cheese, a good bagel and decent smoked salmon. Also had some Rugella (small Jewish baked pastries), which while okay were not as good as Mom's. read more

The bagels here are pretty good! Came here for the birthday special (buy 6, get 6 free) and chose a variety of different bagels. Some of the bagels sell out quick though so we couldn't get all the ones we wanted. They do get stale pretty quickly read more

What A Bagel - Bagels Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Almost inedible eggs a few weeks back (after a swim workout when almost anything will do), surly and slow counter staff, counters and tables that never look properly clean. Avoid during lunch and commuter rush, unless you're up for a long wait in a lineup that's painfully disorganized. read more

Really tasty and fresh baked goods. It's a shame that customer service is atrocious... really one of the worst and nastiest I've come across - roll their eyes when you ask for something, ignore you, turn your back to you, forget things in your order, overall just super rude etc. I know people who have now stopped going there due to it so not sure how sustainable it will be for them. read more

3.2*** Probably the most reasonable and hearty lunch you can get in the coveted village, I certainly prefer it over the pretentiously priced Aroma. As Sara K. mentioned, this place has it all in terms of Jewish baked goods. They also sell some kosher soups, Lox, and such in the refrigerated section. I work around here and it has the best deals for healthy hearty food in the area. I have heard that mashu mashu has some good lunch gyro type specials as well. Note that this place only has a couple tables on the ground floor, a few more on the landing above, but most people dont realize there is an entire lounge-like area up the stairs for people wanting to relax for a little while longer. Anyways, if your here for lunch as I frequently am, you get to choose your bagel fresh from the bins and get it subwayed up to your liking. I recommend if your willing to wait a tad longer and are in need of a good feeding, get the omelet with fillings deal. They will present you with a huge omelet (egg whites available) with cooked peppers, onions and mushrooms, a bagel of your choice (ask for it to be toasted with butter). You also get a small house salad, your chce of 2 potato latkes or a generous scoop of cream cheese to spread on your bagel, and a coffee or tea! I usually get the egg white omelet meal and it comes to just under $10...it's enough to share with another bagel perhaps or side salad. Otherwise, their normal bagel sandwiches are foolproof. The bagels are moist, squishy and warm. read more

Guys. I just love What A Bagel, what can I say? As far as bagel places go, it's nowhere near the level of St. Viateur or Fairmount in Montreal, so it simply must be measured on a level of its own. The bagel selection is diverse (my personal fave is the good ol' Everything Bagel, but I've been known to enjoy a Pumpernickel or Sesame now and then). Where What A Bagel really shines is in bagel sandwich art. The egg salad, cream cheeses, and other accoutrements are top notch. Personally, I like the chive cream cheese + tomato + salt and pepper combo (keep it simple, y'know?). Whenever my husband and I go up north, there is a mandatory stop at What A Bagel for these bagel sandwiches. Another reason to look forward to summer. Also, their bourekas are deeeelish. One thing I will say against What A Bagel, which bumps this review from a 4 to a 3, was the recent implementation of their revised Birthday Offer. Previously, you could get a FREE DOZEN bagels on your birthday!! Whatt!!! Yes, it's true. Obviously this WAS too good to be true, as they have now modified it to a free half dozen.... with the purchase of a half dozen. Sigh. I mean, I am sure they were getting slammed by that free dozen birthday offer, but it's just disappointing for us true What A Bagel fans. Anyway, What A Bagel, I can't stay away. See you soon. read more

We live in Los Angeles and always come to What a Bagel on our first day in Toronto ( and almost every day). Loved their baked treats, bagels and little sandwiches! read more

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I waited in line for ten minutes here this morning, only to get to the cash and see a small "cash only" sign posted near the register. No signs on the door coming in, at the start of the line, or anywhere else. I had ordered a bagel, and when I came to the front of the line, I told the cashier I hadn't seen the sign and did not have cash. The cashier pulled the bagel toward her on the counter, and said nothing but "I'm sorry, sir." When I brought up the absence of a sign indicating that their machines were down, she interrupted me and said, "We have a sign." The lineup was long because the cashier spent 2-3 minutes joking around with a pair of regulars, on a busy morning. The food here's overpriced: $5 for a bagel with cream cheese. You're lucky if they ask you what flavor you want before putting it on. The service is garbage. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

SUCH a disappointment - I was so eager to try this place and everything about my experience was negative. Very rude staff that seemed more interested in chatting than answering my questions or taking my order ( took 10+ minutes to get hot chocolate after placing my order!). The line was terribly unorganized and the food isn't as good as the prices might otherwise indicate. I literally created a yelp account so I could review this place. I'm only giving it one star because it won't allow me to rate the appropriate 0 stars it deserves. read more

Food is alright - pricey for what it is. I work nearby so more often then not if I go its to grab something quick before getting back to the office. Went in and asked for a simple bagel, toasted and buttered with soup. Took me asking someone where my food was 5mins later before they even started getting it together for me. When they did the bagel was not toasted. Asked them to correctly toast and butter it. Was returned to me without butter either on the bagel or even in the bag. INCOMPETENT to say the least. This is not the first bad experience I have had with them either. They are slow and have a tendency to get even the simplest orders incorrect. This was the last straw, will not be returning. read more

I don't get why this place is always packed when I walk by each day??? I had a breakfast there once and the quality of the food and flavour was very low. I stopped going after I ordered a toasted sandwich a while back that tasted like a dirty oil pan. You know that smell when you walk by the exterior exhaust of a food court? That is what is tasted like. If I want a proper greasy breakfast I go to Avenue Open Kitchen 2 seconds away for a much lower price. If I want incredible breakfast I just wait to do a weekend brunch - Bonjour Brioche, Maple Leaf Tavern, The Oxley (all so good)! read more

Rude people working the line. The woman who was making my sandwich never asked what I would like in it, instead she just started packing it up. I asked if she had put anything in and and another lady working there jumped in and said "Well you have to ask for it." and started going on a rant. In all the years I have been going to this location they have always asked me what I would like in it, today was definitely not a good experience. read more

Sometimes you want a bagel without the tough New York crust or the denser Montréal interior. Sometimes you want a bagel that balances malt with sweetness. Sometimes you want a bagel that isn't stale within 30 minutes of baking. Just admit it - sometimes you just want a chewy, yeasty, bready Toronto bagel. Stuck in the shadow of the enduring Montréal bagel craze, What-a-bagel remains underrated and underappreciated. read more

Food is alright while employees tend to be hit or miss. This is not a posh Sunday brunch spot but comes with a lot of sides for the boys. My husband always leaves full. Coffee is at the back, you serve youself and eventually youf food comes. It can be up to 10 minutes between plates so forgo edict and eat as soon as your food comes. Bathrooms are upstairs. Their juice is fresh and very, very taste. Also, a free dozen bagels on your birthday, though I have yet to meet someone who picked theirs up. read more

We get fresh bagels on a regular basis and only dine in occasionally. This past weekend we ventured in to have breakfast and what a mistake that was. Everything from the customer service to food quality was less than desirable. From so many choices downtown this place won't be filling tables for long if they do not pick up their game. To give you an example, I substituted fresh fruit for home fries with my eggs Benedict. You would think that they would place the fruit in a separate small dish when serving. Nope bruised lack luster fruit served on same plate as running eggs and red onion. Gross. I had to ask for a side plate for the fruit to quickly recover whatever fruit I could. It just wasn't the same. Ugh red onion pieces amongst sweet fruit. Next, cafe au lait was gross. This equal mixture of coffee and milk was basically strong black coffee with a hint of milk. I asked myself, how can you screw up this very basic coffee? I saved the best for last. When I finished picking off my fruit and placed the plate aside, the waiter reached over my plate of food and me to clear? Seriously???? Worst service ever. No line up? I don't understand why I was very rushed or why the dishes were being cleared when we had not finished our meal. Everything from the hostess, to the wait staff, to the food, save your time and money and go elsewhere. Just plain disgusting. read more

Rude lady at the cash. Four bagels went from $12 to $25 with the addition of cream cheese! One and done for this place

Stopped in for breakfast yesterday not having been here before. The eggs were supposed to be over easy and were rubbery and inedible. The hash browns were sopping in oil and tasted old.. The only decent thing was the bagel. The place gives an all round appearance of uncleanliness. Tables are just scattered over 2 levels with sloppy storage and garbage all aound. Down on the store level the open racks are set along line ups where people are coughing and breathing all over the baked goods. It is really quite insulting that the owners would think that little of their clientele. Never again will I eat or purchase anything from that place. My standards are much much higher than that. I think this place deserves a visit from the health board on an ongoing basis. read more

Came in this morning around10:30am and there was a lineup. Lisa and one other lady were doing their best to serve the rush of customers. I noticed that they called other staff to help but no one came to help for a while. Not fair. Is this a regular thing? read more