Bagel Café

Growing up in New York, I’m a complete bagel snob and rarely ever get bagels bc they’re never very good. I was BEYONE pleasantly surprised at how great their Liberty Bagel was (cream cheese, lox, capers, onion, tomato.)
I couldn’t wait to get home and add more capers b/​c no one ever puts enough capers, but I was wrong and they had much better capers than I did. Also, they placed them on the cream cheese, under the salmon — perfectly put together to keep everything in place.
The bagel itself was VERY fresh and had an awesome slightly doughy consistency.
I was surprised how slow service was, but luckily it was good enough that I’ll go expecting that. Everyone was very pleasant, so I can handle slower service.
Definitely going back.

Excellent bagel breakfast sandwiches! Bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel is my favorite! Huge coffee selection as well.

The sign above this store says Bagel Nation. If I had found their other reviews ahead of time, I wouldn’t have gone. Like most other reviews say, their bagels are good but the wait is NOT worth it. I waited 35 minutes for 2 bagels. I got the Bordeaux Brie, which was really interesting and tasty (bagel with melted Brie, raspberry preserves, and almonds). Husband had tuna on a sesame bagel. We enjoyed our food but the wait was ridiculous. Also, don’t bother ordering online. I overheard some people that placed orders online but their orders were lost and they wasted time waiting for their food that was never being made.

This used to be one of my go-​to places for a great bagel on the way to class, but after this morning, I will not be going back. The food is not the problem, it’s the service. Waiting 35 minutes for two bagels with cream cheese is ridiculous. Although there were 15+ people waiting for their orders, the staff seemed to have no sense of urgency. No way to describe this mornings visit as anything other than a cluster-​f.

Since this is the only real bagel place on JI I can see why it’s busy. It serves good bagels and decent food. If there are a few customers it’s fine.
Unfortunately, the absolute SLOWEST service in town as well. It took 40 minutes last time to receive 2 bagels and hash browns. They were also losing people’s orders and food was just sitting on the counter untaken.
Chaotic system. This is the second time it’s happened and we won’t go back. They can’t hang when it gets busy. Highly inefficient. We left unhappy like others standing around us.
Hope another place opens up!

Food is great. Bagel are great for sammies or with one of their creative and tasty cream cheeses. Sides are really small but the bagels are filling. Only 3 stars because the service is TERRIBLE. Why are they letting these people run this place like a McDonalds? Service does not match the food or food quality. Sad. We do continue to order often and just endure the sass and teeth sucking because we love it.

I moved from New York last year and this is really close to NY bagels. The egg are made fresh and the hash browns are very good. I would recommend giving them a shot.

Food is good, I got an everything bagel with bacon & cheese & it’s really good. However, the customer service was unpleasant. I care more about the food so 3 stars seems fair.

I rarely post. This one just needs to happen.
This is the saddest, most dysfunctional «eatery» in Charleston. Hands down. No contest. You don’t know of a more pathetic place to eat/​work/​support. I’ve called three times over the last year, asking them where their menu is online. I’ve gotten two «i don’t know if we have a website» responses (so pathetic), one employee admitted that the store he works in is sad, dysfunctional, and somehow thinks its ok to not have a real website (yes he said all three), and today I had woman who clearly doesn’t give a F$%& about her job or the establishment that pays her bills. Her response to my internet inquiry was: «I dunno. Hey! We got a website? Nope, no website, but you can order online…» Just.Think.About.What.She.Just.Said.
After getting discharged from the hospital for the stroke this young woman caused, I sit here warning the world that if you have a brain, have any self-​respect, and care about the food you eat and the people you support, then you will not even acknowledge the existence of this dump.
Oh, and as far as the «website» goes, it literally doesn’t exist. It is 2015, and the owner goes «Meh, website… don’t need it. I’m a smart guy. It won’t help generate any business. No one uses the internet to look up information.» The menu that we did find, after 10 minutes of two capable people searching, is buried deep within the loins of the internets; hiding under
,
and a beanie baby chat room.

Good place for a bagel sandwich and not too expensive. Service is fast and bagels are fresh. Many options available. Located in a small shopping area where Publix is located. Only a couple of miles from Folly Beach.

Always delicious bagels — they have tons of varities! The service is pretty quick (counter service), and prices are reasonable. Our favorite is breakfast or brunch but they also have many bagel sandwiches for lunch.

Sausage egg and cheese bagel on everything: ⁵⁄₅ excellent. Great bagels. Pretty quick.
Jalapeño cheddar wrap w/​egg cheese onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, ham, and bacon. ³⁄₅. Get the bagel it’s better.
Cheese grits on the side. Terrible. Bland. No flavor. Avoid. ¹⁄₅
This plus 2 drinks was $ 15 for me and the wife. Pretty inexpensive. Good low key brunch spot. Nothing spectacular. Don’t make the mistake I did. Get a bagel sandwich.

This place may be convenient but super slow and disorganized! Watching the people work behind the counter is like watching a train wreck after smoking about 5 bowls of Maui Waui. There is no spence of urgency even though this place is jammed up.
These bagels are the bready non chew kind, not your typical New York style like Brueggers. Not with the time, money or Frustration!
Better off to go to Brueggers and get decent service and Bagels.

If I was rating on food alone… it would be 5 stars. But part of the experience is the service provided. When you order, they take your name and then one of the employees making the bagel calls your name when it’s ready. Every time I have been… I get my food to go, therefore I usually stand and wait at the counter instead of taking a seat. While observing (every time… not just once)…I notice that the employees take their time and often stop in the middle of doing something while having personal conversations. It’s not a horrendous amount of time that I have to wait… but every minute counts when I am trying to get to work in the morning. Once my bagel is ready… they call my name and pass it over without anything as simple as a smile or «Enjoy!». I work in food and bev… it’s very easy to put on a smile even when you are not feeling it that day. This last time (earlier this week)…I ordered my usual and for some reason, it did not come up on the ticket correctly. Instead of the employee checking on it with the girl who took my order, she said, «I don’t know where this bagel is going.» and proceeded to stop working on it and begin working on the other items that had been ordered after mine. After about 10 minutes of waiting, I finally went up to the girl who had taken my order and asked for a refund since I was going to be late for work. The employee making the bagels heard my request and proceeded to finish the bagel I ordered and hand it to me with no facial expression or apology.
The bagels are wonderful and I will continue to go until I find another bagel spot… I just wish they prided themselves on their service just as much as their food.

They are lucky they are getting one star. I have always enjoyed this place for the eggwich sandwich. This past Saturday was absolutely horrendous. I took over 52 minutes to get 2 bagel eggwich sandwiches. I almost missed my kids soccer game. It was an absolute s– — t show with even the owner being there that day. All he did was stand around and watch the ship go down. He looked like a ghost owner. The other issues are the cleanliness of the restaurant, the staffs attitude and how they are dressed. I’m surprised this place has an A. The staff comes to work in their PJ’s and slippers … James island really needs help for a breakfast joint.

This place is always crowded. It is the only place like it on James Island. The food is ok and they have bunches of flavored coffee available. My wife loves this place, but if I want a bagel I would go to Bruegers. Now the folks working here are really nice but i find the place dirty! I do know its hard to keep up when things are busy but at least use some cleaner on the tables and chairs.

Defiantly the best place in Charleston to get a bagel/​breakfast for under $ 5. I’ve been a regular for about a year now, from highschool into college, and I can only recall a few times that my order was messed up in someway; in which cases they fixed my order quickly. They also have a huge coffee selection, all of which are fantastic, with syrups, cream and sugar.
I always get the Denver Bagel with Grits, best wake me up I’ve ever had. As for hygiene, some people have complained, I see no problem.
I highly recommend this place to all ages. I see parents take their kids in before dropping them off at school, students like myself, and working adults about to start their day at work. A visit be worth your time and money.

Dirty is the key word here. It feels «sticky» all over. The bagel is OK but I’ve had better. There are too many options to pick from, they should just stick to the Bagel. The crew does not react when the line forms. They just look out and and keep moving. There are no costs for beverages, so are they free? I assumed so. The layout of the place leaves one confused as to why it is what it is! I don’t know what they are trying to do, but I won’t pass there again.
Frank G

Okay. So I’m not exactly sure what to really call this place since Unilocal says Bagel Café and the building says Bagel Nation, but no matter what it’s called, it’s delicious. After a nice verbal lashing from two friends for having not eaten here before, I decided to give it a try. Be warned, this place is very busy, but it’s worth the wait. It’s not a fast food joint, so don’t expect it to be.
I ordered the Mt. Pleasant on an everything bagel with pastrami and mayo, and this is definitely the best bagel sandwich I have eaten so far. It was a delicious blend of savory, salty, and zesty in my opinion. Heads up for road eaters: by the time I had finished the bagel, my driver’s seat was «well seasoned» from all of the herbs and spices on the bagel.
This place looks pretty rough on the inside, and it would be nice if they had an intercom on the outside so that everyone waiting for their food is not forced to crowd around the kitchen like brokers at the stock market. Thus the drop of a star.

Get in, get out kind of atmosphere.
Lots of variety but not much flavor for the experience of dining out.
Charleston is competitive in the dining market but this niche’ needs come competition.

This place is listed under multiple names… Bagel Café, Bagel Nation… As an area tourist looking for a decent breakfast spot, I referenced my Unilocal app for suggestions. Then I was perplexed when I couldn’t find the place because of the name variations. Eventually the wife and I gave up and settled on what we thought was a completely different bagel shop. Upon entering we realized that they were one and the same. The name above the building seen from the street is not even the same as the name on the front door. Really? Get it together people! This doesn’t sound like a great business strategy to me!
Once the confusion passed, we focused on feeding our growling bellies. Tucked in the midst of a brick shopping center next to the Publix anchor you will find this hole in the wall bagel shop. The lines are long but they move quickly. Getting your food, however, is another story. We waited 20 minutes for 2 bagel breakfast sandwiches! Already irritated from the difficulty that came with finding the joint, we weren’t too pleased. The staff was somewhat rude, as were the other patrons. It also wasn’t the cleanest place to eat. The coffee, bagel and sandwich options were a plenty and once we did receive our food we were pleasantly surprised. Honestly, one of the best bagel breakfast sandwiches I’ve had in my life. Granted by that point my insides were digesting one another and just about anything would’ve tasted like it was cooked for a king!
The patio seating offered an escape from the angry bandanna yielding Aunt Jemima and her crew. Once we made it through what appeared to be a Star Trek convention, we were outside with a view of the neighboring ABC store window displays and littered lettuce and tomato in the bush beds. Birds pecked about picking up the scraps as we quickly devoured our meal.
Experience = Bad
Food = Excellent
How do you rate that!!! I guess it’s right down the middle. The food alone could be worth 5 stars. Everything else is fighting for one. So I’ll leave you with a 3 star rating and call it a day. My proposed solution would be a drive thru option. If that was available with more speedy service and all else could be avoided, we’d have ourselves a win win!