Modern Bagel Cafe

Worst bagel store in all of Fair Lawn. I ordered a taylor ham egg and cheese sandwich and when i got home it had 1 slice of meat on it. Are you kidding me? A roll the size of a loaf of bread at the supermarket goes for less than 10 $ and they gave me one slice on a 5 $ sandwich. Complete joke the ownership should be ashamed. They just lost buisness for sure. Try hot bagels on river road you’ll be much more satisfied.

This is a great place that my son and I both visit consistently. The atmosphere is very friendly and both the staff and customers are welcoming. A great place, I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick bite in a friendly setting.

Best Bagels in town. I’ve been going since I was s kid and always look forward to coming back!

Been going to this place for a long time. Always delicious food and the nicest people working there. The wraps, sandwiches, and bagels are the best in Jersey. If you’re in Fair Lawn, you have to stop by this place.

I was here this morning (1÷19÷16) at about 9:10. There were 4 people behind the counter, and one couple ahead of me being served. They left the counter area, and I was the only one standing there. I waited at least 4 minutes before anyone even acknowledged my presence. Don’t mistake me, I have absolutely no problem waiting my turn, but it is very poor customer service to ignore people. Simply saying «someone will be right with you» goes a long way. It seemed like the people behind the counter were playing «chicken» to see who would crack first and help me. I won’t be back.

Gone here for months & not one time did they ever mess up my order. Prices are reasonable for what you get. Staff is super friendly & food is good also! They do get busy almost every morning from 10 – 12 so if you are in a rush I don’t recommended coming in last minute otherwise it’s worth it !

THEY SERVE CUSTOMERS SCORCHING HOT COFFEE — but the service was quick and efficient — I also got 2 toasted buttered bagels and when I got home the bag was dripping all over the place– I realize I ordered butter but let’s keep in mind it makes a mess when you over do it!

Townie bagel spot. Very overrated. Always a line, which moves slow. The only thing that’s convenient is its location.
biggest issue:
Their version of a bagel with cream cheese is cream cheese with a bagel. basically cream cheese soup

Only reason I come here is because it’s walking distance from where I live, otherwise I go to Hot Bagels on River Road.
The bagels here are not that good, they are usually cold, even when come early in the morning. When I ask for a warm one the lady behind the counter looks at me like I have three heads (sign outside says «hot bagels»).
Apart from the bagels I only like the tuna panini and chicken salad.

Bagels are very good. Nice pizza bagels too!

This place is consistently bad. Honestly, the only reason I gave them my business is because its within walking distance from my apartment, but I’d be better off spending the same money for Dunkin or Starbucks breakfast.
If you want a bagel sandwich after 10am expect the bagels to be hard and the fillings to be sparse. The people who work there are too social if their friends walk in. Yesterday we stood there for 10 minutes while they were chatting with «customers» that were obviously friends.
More disturbing was the fact that the owner was there and had set up shop with a bunch of small children and toys everywhere. How unprofessional to take up eat-​in space with a daycare.
Food is mediocre at best. Service is consistently bad. I recommend Hot Bagels or the bagel shop in the jalapeños strip in Glen Rock.

I know a lot of people have had bad experiences, but it’s always great when I go. Once or twice they’ve been slow, but it’s usually great service and always great food. Everyone there is very nice and friendly, and they make an effort to remember the regulars. I always recommend it.

I have visited this place numerous times over the past few weeks and I must say, it holds its own. Firstly, know that it is a hole in the wall locally owned breakfast/​lunch joint. That being said, the food is incredibly well priced and I have not once been disappointed with the taste. Additionally, the iced coffee is really good. For these reasons it has become my preferred stop when I am looking for a cheap, quick breakfast or lunch. I will choose this over Dunkin donuts or Starbucks food any day.
As for the service: a lot of people on Unilocal seem to be complaining about the service here. My only explanation for that is that the shop is in Fair Lawn, a town whose resident population prides itself in how much it complains. I have had zero problems with the speed or quality of service and am usually greeted with a smile.

I have had some decent breakfast sandwiches from here but the service isn’t great. Most of the servers don’t care about anything and they state that fact often. Really hit or miss with me.
Update 5÷17÷15:
Just to clear the air, with the owner who pulled me aside today, a three star review is an average rating. There is nothing wrong with that. Before my first review, I stopped in a total of five times and yeah all of those experiences were average. Which isn’t a bad thing because I obviously came back each time. People need to realize that places worthy of a five star rating better be a five star experience each and every time I visit. Unfortunately for me my favorite spot for a bagel isn’t the closest to my house, and for that reason I am subject to going to this place. Convenience is key.
I could go on about what a four star review would be or a what two star review would contain. I am gonna spare you that grief because I shouldn’t have to explain myself.

Go to the place down on River Rd instead. The first time I went and got a taylor ham egg and cheese and realized they only put one slice on it I thought it was a mistake. The second time they did it I was enraged. So I made a point of asking for extra taylor ham and paying an extra $ 2.00 to only get 2 slices of taylor ham on my sandwich. I’ve lived in NJ all my life and if anything the problem is usually too much taylor ham on a bagel, but this place is refuses to indulge me no matter how I order the sandwich. I will never go here again. The bagels are as good as you’d get in any average bagel place in the area. Grow up and give me my taylor ham when I ask for it.

The bagels are good, the prices are fair, and they have a solid menu (salads, platters, several different flavors of cream cheese), but they really need to tweak their service/​ordering system. I’ve been here several times because it’s right around the corner from my house, and there hasn’t been a single time where I was out of there quickly with my order 100% correct (I’ve had one or the other, never both). I think this is because there’s no «assembly line» procedure. The same person takes, makes, and rings up your order. Also doesn’t help that it’s mostly teenagers who are either inexperienced or don’t really care. Modern Bagel Café, your food is good, but your service kills it.

For 20 years I have gone to Modern Bagel Café almost every morning. It’s truly a neighborhood treasure. Great Bagels, Great Coffee, and above all a consistently Friendly and Courteous Staff. I looked at some of the negative reviews here and wondered what place those people in, and how pompous to examine every nuance of there experience. ITS A BAGEL SHOP NOT LUTECE! One person said the line out the door indicated slow service, to me it indicates that a lot of people like it! THIS PLACE IS GOOD, and after 20 years there are still lines out the door, what does that tell you. Enough said?

I’m pissed about the unfavorable ratings here. Read and reread all the reviews and my consensus is that most of you are wrong. Someone wrote that there are long lines because the workers are slow. Nothing could be further from the truth. During prime time hours they have quite a few people behind the counter and, even though the food is cooked to order, it moves quickly. If the lines were long because the staff was slow, there wouldn’t be lines for long because people would go elsewhere. There is no shortage of bagel competition in Fair Lawn.
Someone else mentioned in a negative way that teenagers work there. Duh. If they hired much older people, they would have to pay them more, prices would go up and they would complain about that.
Businesses that have bad, food, high prices and lousy service don’t remain in business very long. Modern Bagel Café has been a fixture in Fair Lawn for quite a long time. Their food is quite good and very reasonably priced. They are also open just about every holiday and during snow storms, hurricanes and will probably remain during a Zombie Apocalypse which, as we all know, is coming soon.
I have eaten there literally dozens of times and have yet to have a bad experience. The staff, while young, is helpful, polite and efficient. They also move pretty damn fast. They’re a great addition to Fair Lawn and an awesome place to grab a quick bite or a cup of coffee.

Picked up a bagel with Chicken Salad and it has a few short human hairs in it. The «kids» that work behind the counter should really wear gloves and hair nets if they are preparing food. A few times I have ordered breakfast from this place and they never use gloves to handle the food.
Not a big fan of this place at all. Other bagel places are much better in the area.

I went to Modern Bagels today while visiting friends in the area. The place smells nasty, burning grease. Since it’s close to some family I’ve been here often, unfortunately last couple of times place was dirty.
SERVICE 1 Star *
I wanted a flagel and asked if they were made today, server a kid of about 16 or 17 said «I have no idea». I asked, «Can you please ask someone that might know?». They rolled their eyes at me. It was pretty funny actually, I decided against the flat bagel AKA Flagel.
Service on the weekends is awful when they have a bunch of High School kids working that require serious adult supervision. When I’ve been there on mornings during the week, counter staff seem WAY more on it.
COFFEE 1 Star *
Also the coffee is extremely weak and seems to made of low quality beans.
BAGELS 3 Stars ***
Overall their bagels are better than anything I can get in Colorado, or probably west of New Jersey. However, that is not saying much as there are so many better bagel places in the NYC Metro area.
The bagels at Hot Bagels on Saddle River Road are way fresher and better. Lesson learned, no more Modern Bagels for me.