- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
30 reviews for Siegel's Bagels
Review Highlights
"My favorite is onion with the dill cream cheese."
(in 16 reviews)
"Viateur, the original Montreal style bagel shops."
(in 5 reviews)
"Hands down the best bagel experience" (what Chutzpah."
(in 3 reviews)
Loading...
30 reviews in English
-
Review from Namit M.
11/17/2011 6 Check-ins Here
Love the smell of fresh bagels on a weekend morning here. The bagels are really good. I stick with the everything with a light shmear.
The bagels are not as good as what you would find say in Montreal or NYC. But for being 2000 miles away they are pretty darn good. The service here is friendly, unlike that other bagel place that also starts with an S.
They have good deals on day old bagels. -
Review from Ralson C.
Vancouver, BC
12/6/2011
Okay let me just start off, I am from New York City, and I love NYC style H&H bagels, good size, hard on the exterior, and soft and not too dense on the inside. These bagels are more or your Montreal style bagels, soft hard, dense and only good fresh out of the oven. So if you are looking for NYC type bagels, this IS NOT THE PLACE, and there ISN'T ANY PLACE CLOSE in Vancouver.
The sandwich selection is a bit over priced for the small bagels for microwaved montreal meat. Also it takes FOREVER for them to make a sandwich. You are better off just getting bagels in the bag and bringing them home and putting your eggs on them. I know bagels are Jewish but let's get some Bacon please, there aren't jewish people working in this store so I don't see a problem putting Bacon on the menu. Nothing better than a good Bacon/Egg/Cheese on a bagel, and fresh fried eggs would be better. The wait time for a sandwich is ridiculous and this place is only good for a getting bagel if they are fresh from the oven. I thought this one was better than the Granville Island one however but still these bagels are not all that great as people review them to be. -
Review from Brian F.
Vancouver, BC
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
They fullfilled a need, a want, a must have!!!
Smoked meat is steamed to order - not the perfect world.
You can order it on rye. Expensive, but again this is a niche craving.
Bagels are very good. -
Review from Edward L.
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came by to try some late-night bagels.
Bagels are toasty (if you ask for it), and cream cheese is definite fresh, and tastes like something you just picked up in the produce section. Hipsters rejoice.
Parking was fine when we came by. Several spots available. Not sure how it'd be though during the day.
The inside is also hipster-feeling, with a slight dirty atmosphere. You can see their entire operation, which I am sure makes some customers FEEL good. Actually kinda cool. -
Review from Gary M.
11/1/2011
Today I had visitors and they brought me a dozen bagels from Siegel's.
Well actually I knew they were going to be in Kits and I knew Siegel's has a Tuesday special, so I asked them to pick some up for me. To my good fortune they agreed and I got my bagel fix for another week!
Oh Siegel's Bagels how do I love thee, let me count the ways....
You are moist on the inside, yet crisp on the outside. You toast well, yet still are amazing when you are not (toasted). You taste great with jam, butter, cream cheese or plain. You are a lovely breakfast time treat everyday, any time of the day.
Yep, I love Siegel's bagels. yum yum yum... -
Review from Melissa E.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2011
what can i say. i am a montreal native and i am pretty picky about my bagels.
no. bagels are not a bun with a hole in it. they are much closer to what Siegel's put's out which is a dense, chewy bread product, moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. also, a true bagel should be eaten on its own if it's any good.
Siegel's...it's pretty good. and admitedly the only times i tend to go is on my way home from some friends who live nearby and with whom imbibing is common. i usually grab some carbs for the walk home across the bridge.
is it amazing? no. is it decent and does it satisfy my half blitzed requirement for carbs? absolutely. would i really really appreciate fresher cinnamon raisin bagels? you better believe it. Siegels...you have the right attitude but you ain't no St Viateur. -
Review from Luisa D.
9/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I go on Tuesdays when the bagels are 1/2 price - $8.25 per dozen. I love the Rosemary/Rock Salt and the Cinnamon Raisin. I stock up, slice them in half and freeze them.
-
Review from Allison F.
Updated - 5/4/2011
Didn't bring breakfast today and so made a quick trip across the street for a bagel treat. They had a full selection of all kinds and I chose rosemary and sea salt again as it was super good last time. The list with available cream cheese varieties is gone and so you have to look at the little tubs in the cooler to choose. I chose feta and spinach.
Prices have gone up as my bagel came to $3.92. I tried to pay with debit and was told there's a $5 limit. In a shop where bagels are $1 each, this is irritating. If you're under $5, there's a $.25 charge, bringing my total to $4.17. For a small bagel with some cream cheese. No so pleased with my purchase today.Listed in: Worplace Neighborhood Haunts
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/21/2010
My 'explore the new office neighbourhood' tour took me to Siegel's bagels today. After hearing rave… Read more »
-
-
Review from Ramon V.
1/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is an update to my review.
Is it just my luck, or does Siegels seem to be out of all their bagels most of the time? I've visited in the morning and at night, and it's a real luck of the draw to get anything other than sesame or poppy seed bagels. Of which there are MOUNTAINS of. It's a bit annoying to have to drive over there for a variety and leave empty handed which I've done on more that a few occasions. This morning the entire display counter was empty, and it was not busy in there. Slightly peeved, Siegels. Make me some 5 star bagels!
--- the original review ---
These are probably the best bagels I've found in Vancouver.
They're not quite as amazing as the ones I've had at Fairmount and St Viateur in Montreal, but those are usually the benchmarks that other Canadian bagel-makers are based on. My favourites at Siegels are the rosemary and rock salt, the onion, and the plain old sesame.
And they're open 24 hours. How great is that?
The only problems I have with Siegels are firstly, the price. At just shy of $10/doz, it's a far cry from the $6.95/doz of their Montreal counterparts. Secondly, they offer a special on Tuesdays at $8.25/doz, but I've never seen anything other than sesame or poppy seed available. Just once I'd like to walk away with the usual assortment at the special price. -
Review from Doris L.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2011
Fact or fiction time, folks. I ate 6 bagels in less than 24 hours because they were fricking delicious.
Fact.
Yesterday, at around this time, I started on a bagel binge of a lifetime. I am digusted with myself today (even though I feel kinda healthy and alert).
These are wonderfully chewy and fresh bagels. The staff was fast and friendly and it was just an all around good bagel shop. On Tuesdays, they have a discount. But they are worth it even on the non-discount days.
The best flavours I've tried so far: Sea Salt, Seasame, Sundried Tomato and Original.
I am going to see if I can find some marathon to join into right now, because I've unintentionally done a bit too much carbo-loading for nothing in particular. -
Review from Tom T.
Burnaby, BC
10/24/2010
I've lived in New York for over six years. My ideal lazy weekend breakfast routine was a walk down to the neighbourhood bagel store and getting a coffee and a bagel. Now that I'm in Vancouver my morning routine has shifted somewhat. I now go to the local coffee shop for a scone or a muffin and a coffee for breakfast.
That's all well and good, but I still miss the ritual of walking three blocks for a freshly made (not delivered) bagel for breakfast occasionally. After looking through yelp to find places to go, I settled on Siegel's Bagels. It's supposed to have the best bagels in the city. More importantly, I was attracted by the novelty of having a bagel cooked in a wood-fired oven. I didn't think it would make too much difference to the taste but at the very least it would give me a story to tell people back east.
Overall, I was kind of disappointed. A bagel with cream cheese at $3 was about twice the price compared to what I'm used to paying. The bagel itself was pretty tasty but it was really small. The outside was nice and crispy while the inside was soft and chewy. The bagel had plenty of flavor. But again, it was really small. It was maybe half the amount of bagely goodness I would've gotten in New York. I really enjoyed my bagel while I was eating it but as soon as I was done eating it I was like "that's all there is?" I suppose I could have gotten two and played with different flavor combinations, perhaps wrapping one bagel around the other to create an ice cream swirl effect but at $3 a pop that's too much for a regular weekend breakfast.
Now I will say that of the maybe 40 people in the store I was the only one to order just cream cheese as a topping. As far as I could tell, everyone else ordered off the sandwich menu which would probably be a good amount of food. I've also never ordered a bagel in Montreal so maybe they're into less quantities of bagel there to offset the carbs from poutine... -
Review from Simon V.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2011
I grew up eating bagels. I've probably had thousands at this point. Siegel's Bagels makes the best bagels in town, bar none. I can't speak for NYC, but I'd venture to say no better bagel exists even in Montreal (Fairmount and St-Viateur both used to great but I suspect stopped caring a while back).
If you want to step outside the plain/sesame/poppy seed comfort zone, I suggest the rosemary rock salt variety. Their sandwiches are pretty great too!
The only thing that's preventing me from giving them a full 5 stars is the fact that they sometimes store their bagels in tapped-up cardboard boxes, and I've seen their driver handle bagels with dirty-looking gloves. Maybe that's part of what makes their bagels special though. -
Review from Scuba B.
Whitby, ON
9/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came in from out of town and loved it. Great for lunch or breakfast.
-
Review from Amber H.
Vancouver, BC
9/20/2010
Hands down the BEST bagels in town! I had the pleasure of going to Henry Hudson Elementary when I was young and have enjoyed them my whole life.
If you want authentic wood oven bagels this is your place! My favorite is onion with the dill cream cheese. ;) -
Review from Isabelle G.
Vancouver, BC
6/1/2011
Hands down the best Bagel experience that I have had in a long time. Shamefully I have grown up with crappy store bought or fast food bagels, thinking that there was nothing else. These tasted fresh and it was an interesting texture. Going back to the texture, it is Montreal style, therefore, a little chewy than most are used to. There were so many bagels to choose from that it took me 10 minutes to decide. We arrived around 5:00 pm and most of the selections were already sold. Imagine if it was mid afternoon, it would've taken me 15 minutes to decide. The bagels were good, however, they missed the mark on the desserts. The apple fruit filled bagel was horrible. Innovative idea, however, they need to just stick with the sweet and savory bagels.
-
Review from Joyce D.
Burnaby, BC
8/28/2009
I love Bagels, authentic real bagels not the kind you get at Safeway on the shelves.
You just can't beat that boiled, then wood-burning taste. It is true heaven especially when smeared with cream cheese. Mmmm, in fact I could do with a bagel right now.
Siegels is great, expensive but what deli food isn't.
My faves are onion of course and sesame second.
Love it. -
Review from Anthony F.
Vancouver, BC
3/9/2010
Background: I've tried the "best" bagels in Montreal and New York, so I have an idea of what good bagels should taste like.
Food: Omg try their cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted with low-fat cream cheese. It's heaven. Also good are their plain bagels and sweet cheese-filled bagel. Their smoked meat is ok, but it's nothing like Montreal.
Service: Good, like a deli assembly line. If you sit down they do serve your table. Service with a smile most of the time. They screwed up my order only once but were right on top of it.
Ambiance: It's a bagel shop.
Pricepoint: Bagels aren't cheap - if you buy by the dozen you'll pay about $8.50 before tax.
Overall: The quality here is worth the extra $ paid. You will not be able to go back to a regular bagel after this. -
Review from graham r.
2/2/2009 1 photo
This place is awesome because:
-Bagels are high quality. They are baked in a brick wood burning oven and they are usually really fresh (and sometimes still hot). Good variety of flavors.
-It's the only 24 hour food establishment in the neighborhood. I often find myself getting a bagel with peanut butter and jam at 2am.
-They serve proper Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches which I had never heard of in California... It's basically thin sliced pastrami that is smoked a certain way. I think they have it imported from Montreal. They also sell it weighed out in vacuum sealed packs (along with smoked salmon and many different flavors of cream cheese).
UPDATE -
OK, I figured out what I like about these bagels - there is no top or bottom half, both halves are identical. Usually the bottom half of a bagel is more crunchy/dry and the top half gets all the poppy seeds or whatever... At Siegel's they flip the bagels as they cook, and they put the poppy seeds on both sides.Listed in: Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC
-
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/16/2008
Ok, Vancouver is not a city that it is easy to find a good bagel in. Siegal's offers Montreal style bagels that are an above average version. No, they are not the bagels you will find back east. But it is a long trip to get a bagel, so these will make due out here.
They don't add preservatives, boil them in honey water, and bake them in a brick wood-fired oven. And they are open 24 hours a day, like a bagel shop should be. If you want a decent Montreal style bagel in Vancouver, this is probably the best option.
They have a 2nd location on Granville Island in the market, but I have found the quality to be much less consistent there. The Cornwall location is the place to get their best product.
If you like to get bagel sandwiches their two best in my opinion are the traditional lox & cream cheese (which they serve with wild sockeye salmon) for about $8.50, and the more west coast style candied salmon sandwich (same as the lox & cream cheese, but they use candied wild sockeye salmon) for $6.95.
Some tips:
- Tuesday's you can get a dozen for $7.50 instead of the usual $9.50
- Always look over the counter to the area where they take the bagels out of the oven and let them cool. Ask for whatever variety you see sitting there - they are the freshest and still warm from the oven!Listed in: Which wich is which?
-
Review from Reena M.
9/28/2009
So I stopped in this morning to check out the bagels because I was really craving some. These are by far the worst bagels I've ever had. The blueberry bagel is actually a whole wheat bagel, which I wouldn't mind, but this has absolutely no flavour. And what's worse is that I'm pretty sure it's not 100% cook all the way through, leading to a mushy-in-the-inside bagel. :( I couldn't bring myself to finish it. It's too disgusting.
The cranberry orange bagel wasn't so bad. And their blueberry cream cheese was okay. I would have like more blueberry flavour though. I don't think I'll be back. I prefer Solly's. -
Review from Vadim t.
Updated - 7/1/2011
I've posted a review previously about Siegel's bagels on Dec 2010... but I don't see my review on the main page anymore.... I'll let Yelp readers decide what that means. All the cutesy reviews here aside, lets get serious for a moment. I recently came across an article in Time Magazine that describes what a 'real' bagel is and should taste like. And unfortunately, Siegel's bagels are nowhere near their origin. I've read the reviews here... people saying: "I've eaten bagels all my life" (not if you've never had a real one) or "These are real bagels not like Safeway" (I guarantee you this person has never tasted a real bagel). "Hands down the best bagel experience" (what Chutzpah! compared to what?) It's a shame because people are claiming to be bagel experts, but what credentials do they offer? I am a Brooklyn native. New York City is the undisputed origin of bagels in North America, and I can tell you that you will not find a real bagel in Vancouver. You will find an imitation of what they imagine a bagel to be. What makes a 'real' bagel is the ingredients, the Jewish character AND the way old fashioned bagels are crafted. It's like comparing Neapolitan thin crust pizza to Chicago deep dish pizza... everyone understands that the two are very different. I've eaten sushi in Tokyo and I've eaten sushi in NYC and Vancouver. You will not find sushi that has the same level of quality in NYC or Vancouver. If you are serious about a good bagel, as I am, you will understand that the culinary artisans in Vancouver need to be encouraged to raise the bar in their aspirations to recreate a classic. And certainly not be allowed to lay claim to achieving the status of authenticity. If we allow this, then we be diluting the bagel experience for future generations to come. Our children will be walking around thinking that McDonald's is fine cuisine. If you truly want to understand why the bagels being made here are not the real deal... I urge you to conduct thorough academic research starting with this article from Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/ti... But what advice can offer those of you that are desperate for a real bagel? Max's Deli makes a very fine bagel and lox combo which is worth a try... but again the bagel itself is sub-par, which is really a shame because the lox sprinkled with capers is exquisite. The closest I've come to an artisan crafted bagel is Benny's. At least the chewy texture is approaching what a bagel should be like. Everything they make there is actually quite nice, but again, it's missing an important element of Jewish character. Don't let mediocrity let the bagel slide into a tasteless abyss of history. That would be tragic. By all means, eat at Siegel's, but please don't call it a real bagel.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
12/2/2010
I'm sorry but I don't understand most of these reviews. Have any of these people actually tasted a… Read more »
-
-
Review from Carolyn C.
Vancouver, BC
2/2/2009
Siegel's Bagels on Cornwall in Kits offers one of Vancouver's only options for the Montreal style bagel enthusiast. They have a big wood fire burning oven, and serve up the routine poppy / sesame seed selection, along with an assortment of other wild and wonderful treats (rugella, Montreal smoked meat, lox, homemade cream cheese etc). They serve breakfast all day, and have a great selection of full meals. Nothing is cheap, in fact the place is downright pricey, and the service leaves a little something to be desired - but c'mon, you're there for the bagels!
On Tuesday the bagels are cheap - $6.50 a dozen. Other days they are just over $9 for 12. They also usually have a few bags of day old bagels in the far corner. For just 5 bucks these are ready to pop in your freezer. While they aren't quite as chewy as when they come fresh from the oven, they are cheap, quick, and still darn good!
Siegels, while no longer open 24 hours, is still open late each night, and opens early in the morning. Be forewarned, weekdays during prime commuting time can be BUSY. Be prepared to wait in line for your schmear.
Try: the rosemary rock salt bagels. -
Review from Andres F.
Vancouver, BC
8/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
The place is nice where you can se how they are making fresh bagels and sweet bread. In the other hand I was there fie Bkfast, service very slow, o has to wait like 20 min for eggs Benny, which they were disgusting.... The hollandaise sauce is made of flour, the eggs were harder than hard boiled eggs. I think I won't have Bkfast any more there. I will stop only for bagels and little croissant, they are delicious.
The place is nice where you can se how they are making fresh bagels and sweet bread. In the other hand I was there for Bkfast, service very slow, I have to wait like 20 min for eggs Benny, which they were disgusting.... The hollandaise sauce is made of flour, the eggs were harder than hard boiled eggs. Also cutlery check every time if you go cause also dirty, I asked to replace them and I got them dirty again, I have to clean it my a I think I won't have Bkfast any more there. I will stop only for bagels and little croissant, they are delicious. -
Review from Ali L.
Montréal, QC
12/3/2009
Don't even bother getting bagels anywhere else in Vancouver!
I could go on in extended detail about the differences between Siegel's and Fairmount/St.-Viateur, the original Montreal style bagel shops. I've spent way too much time comparing the two... Siegel's bagels are smaller and a little bit chewier (a Montreal bagel, freshly made, melts in your mouth more.) They also have a bit less of a smoky flavour. Siegel's is more of a variation on a Montreal bagel than a perfect copy. As the definitive West Coast bagel, it's very good!
I actually prefer a plain Siegel's bagel to the more classic Montreal style bagel, the densely coated sesame (Montrealers will note Siegel's coats their bagels with fewer sesame seeds.) It is also an excellent base for Siegel's sandwiches. Smoked meat on a bagel may seem odd to a Montrealer, but it's fantastic. The lox is also a classic here, made with the best cream cheese ever, which you can also buy separately along with smoked meat, smoked salmon and other fridge necessities. Don't forget to pick up a rugelach or two - Siegel's has the best I've tried in the city. -
Review from Judy H.
Vancouver, BC
1/15/2009
Yay to Siegel's! Cheap discounted dozens on Tuesdays, though they usually only have plain and sesame (and sometimes poppy seed) on those days.
-
Review from Opey B.
Vancouver, BC
11/12/2010
Best bagels in Vancouver. Only Solly's comes close (but Solly's glacial service will make you hate) and the rest you can forget. Siegel's is actually better than any I had in NYC. The light cream cheese is also good and a good idea.
-
Review from Lee N.
Vancouver, BC
8/13/2009
I drive by 10 times before I remember to stop and pick up a dozen. Real bagels are real. The chain store approximations just don't cut it, you need a real bagel once in a while. I buy them on GI but they are fresher in Kits. If you want the whole experience, get plain, poppy or sesame and whipped cream cheese with a little BC smoked Sockeye (none of that eastern farmed smoked lox for this boy) and 2 capers, sublime.
-
Review from Victor H.
2/27/2010
Rosemary bagel is the best bagel that I've had. So good that I have little interest in bagels anymore here in the bay area since nothing has come even close to what they have here. Baked in a brick fire oven, freshly made, no preservatives.....seriously... it's the perfect bagel. Get the lox sandwich here and you won't be disappointed.
-
Review from Cindy H.
1/23/2011
Not my favorite. The place was a bit small and the wait was a bit long. But other than that, everything was normal.
-
Review from J G.
Vancouver, BC
9/26/2008
As a former Montrealer, I'm pretty critical about bagels, and I have to say that in Vancouver my favourite bagels come from Siegel's. They claim to make Montreal style bagels, and though nothing is quite the real thing, these are pretty good. They're fresh, light and chewy all at once. And you can have your bagel served up with a variety of toppings including different types of cream cheese. You can also check out their Granville Island location.
