Old School Bagel Cafe

Terrible service and food. The coffee was watered down and the bagel was flat. They say their bagels are the same as New York bagels, which is laughable. The original in Tulsa is a clear cut above this one.

Not as good as the original in Tulsa. Awful coffee, the bagel was barely toasted, it was flat, and very little cream cheese. I was better off drinking watered down coffee and a piece of toast at home. Very disappointed at the service as well.

Bagels galore, it’s like Panera but a little better. I got a brick town bagel, it was great as a brunch sandwich. My coworkers who came with me got a little sand which and soup, they didn’t seem to enjoy it all that much, but I thought it was good.
Good service, pretty clean dining area, and the staff were nice. We were here by chance but I think I might come back if I’m in the area.

This is a place my boyfriend and I used to frequent a lot for good reason. There are bagels, they’re good, they’re fairly priced. Unfortunately today wasn’t so good. The bagels are significantly smaller, which isn’t the employees’ fault. I’m sure it’s a food cost issue, but it’s never fun to see a portion go down. The guacamole was a darker green than I would prefer, and granted I am particularly pickier than most on this issue. And the
coffee was straight up room temp, but they immediately brewed more. I would assume the last 2 issues were due to it being later in the day after their rush, but it is still unfortunate to not be at the same standard throughout the whole day.
This is a favorite destination of ours and I want to keep coming back.

I can always tell an Old School Bagel. They are so much better than all the other places around Norman who sell bagels! They have a dizzying array of fresh bagels to choose from, many types of creative cream cheeses to add, and different breakfast offerings like sandwiches, pastries, muffins, etc. My husband is a coffee snob, and when he’s out at home or in a hurry, he goes to Old School because it’s «the only decent substitute.» Their bagels are everything a bagel should be. Soft and chewy on the inside, and not crusty on the outside. They are always cooked perfectly.
Their breakfast sandwiches are good, but a bit on the greasy side. I normally just go for bagels and cream cheese. My favorite is the everything bagel with onion and chive cream cheese. OMG… so flavorful and delicious! After breath, not so much. :-) They also have a fridge with juices, yogurt, and other chilled items.
The atmosphere is laid back with both tables and booths. Music isn’t intrusive. And the noise level is about average, if not on the quiet side. It’s easy to run in before work and get a baker’s dozen to share with the office. And they are always super helpful with putting it together.

I’m from New York and the bagels here match the standard. Great food, atmosphere, and friendly staff. Highly recommend!

I guess I’m more in the «bagels are bagels» camp, but I do love these more than Panera! I enjoy supporting local, and the bagels are fresh and just delicious! My fav is Asiago and jalapeño cheddar. Nice and chewy on the outside, and the bagels are huge!
I’m not a huge fan of the bagel sandwiches, to me it’s just too much stuff on the bagel and it all slides off and it annoys me lol
However, my one complaint is the cookies. Hey are terrible hard hockey pucks. I literally can’t even break a piece off of mine. I can hit it against my desk.
As far as wait times, I’m pretty used to it, they are always packed! And customer service is normal, I mean how much customer service so you need grabbing a bagel?

Came by on a Sunday. The place appears to be run by college kids, which definitely showed in our service and food quality.
BF ordered a Ruben, which was delivered cold. We asked that it be toasted, so they took only the bread and toasted it, leaving the ingredients still cold. We had to explain that Rubens are generally served hot and ask, again, that they remake it. They seemed equally apologetic and clueless. My breakfast sandwich was okay. I was really expecting a fresh fried egg and fresh-​cooked bacon, but the ingredients were more akin to something from Wendy’s.
The atmosphere, however, was nice and the bagels were really good. I’ll stick to those if I go again.

Longing for bagels which were similar to those we had while living in Amherst, NY, my husband and I tried Old School Bagel Café on NW Expressway in OKC. It was pretty good (of course, not NY good) so we would eat breakfast or lunch there a couple of times a week. When we moved down to Norman we were happy to discover that they’ve got one here as well.
The bagels are never quite well baked as their counterpart in OKC. My theory is that since OU is located in Norman they are turning out a much higher volume for the college students and, let’s face it, most of them are willing to eat just about anything. That being said, they’ve got some pretty tasty options.
I typically get a breakfast bagel sandwich which includes choice of bagel (asiago or jalapeño cheddar), sausage or bacon, egg, and substitute cheddar for American cheese with a coffee. Other than an occasional bagel that wasn’t quite ready to leave the oven I think they are great. The coffee is always piping hot with available additives like REAL cream and sugar.
Overall a great little place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch just not as incredible as those in NY and a little less yummy than those 40 miles north.

First time at Old School. Actually wasn’t too bad! I had the jalapeño cheddar bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese. Quite tasty, and just the right amount of spice! Also had a plain cappucino, which came in a generic Styrofoam cup, which was a little strange, but a cup is a cup. The coffee was pretty good, and there was just the right amount of foam. I will be trying the sausage, egg, and cheese bagel next time! And on a different bagel!

I got the veggie sandwich on an Everything Bagel. Wouldn’t do the avocado again. The veggie cream cheese was a little salty. May try the plain cream cheese next time. They were pretty busy at 11:30 and had to wait but it wasn’t bad. All in all 4 out of 5 stars! :)

I like bagels. I ordered a bagel. It tasted like a bagel. I definitely don’t consider myself some sort of bagel snob, and I have never had a real New York bagel, but I really don’t see what the big deal is. It tasted like bagels I have gotten from many other places. Don’t get me wrong — it’s good. I had the blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese. There was a generous spread of the cream cheese and everything tasted exactly as I had expected since I’ve had the combo many times elsewhere. There wasn’t anything stand out about it. Perhaps what does make it more stand out is that there are several options from bagels to spreads to sandwiches.
There were only a couple people ahead of me so it only took maybe a minute before my order was taken. Waiting for my order was another story. A bagel. Cream cheese. Chai latte. All that took 10 minutes. Did the only two people in front of me have such huge orders that it took 10 minutes to give me a bagel and tea?
Speaking of the chai latte… yuck. Oh the flavor would have been fine had it not been room temperature. Have you had room temperature tea? Let me save you the trouble and tell you don’t. Hot tea or iced tea. Keep room temperature tea out of it. And I will admit that I AM a bit of a tea snob and reheating tea is a no-​no. You just don’t. It messes with the flavor. So reheating was not an option. Besides, I got my order to go, so I didn’t realize anything until I was already in my car a distance away. And by «a distance,» I don’t mean far enough to cool it down. I mean about a mile. Hot tea doesn’t cool down THAT fast. If you’re not familiar with tea but love coffee, just imagine that served to you at room temperature. Not so great.
Eh — all in all, just ok. This location won’t be frequented simply because it’s way out of my way. I just happened to be in the neighborhood for an appointment. I’ll try another location to check out more options.

I’ve only been here once but I had a good experience!
The line was long (to the door) and the service seemed slow because I probably waited for 25 minutes in line. After I got to the register & ordered, my food came fast.
Fun place to go for breakfast or lunch!

I have only been here once and didnt really like what I got. I got the Pizza bagel and it was pretty hard. The place was packed so I am assuming that it was just what I tried. The environment was nice.

Perhaps, as some snobs remark, these may not be as good as actual bagels from New York City, but we aren’t in New York City, and these are as close to the real thing as anyone has dared to make around these here parts.
The Everything bagels are a must. The French toast, Berry Confused, pumpkin, jalapeño cheddar bagels: ditto. Want to take it a step further? Get a breakfast sandwich. You choose the bagel (the Everything is my everything), meat (ham — personal favorite, sausage or bacon), plus it comes with egg and cheese. There are other breakfast and lunch options as well. I still need to try their lox and cream cheese.
If there isn’t a line conveniently posting you by it for a moment, don’t miss the fridge on your way to the register. It has drinks, as well as some side goodies like three bean salad, fruit salad, and tabouleh, which pair with anything you have.
Their case shows you all the bagels freshly up for grabs that day. The top row of the case has options for your sweet tooth (I usually grab a cherry turnover to-​go for breakfast the next day). You can order a big container of cream cheese if you are taking bagels home. And last but not least, of course, they have coffee.
Weekends are busy, so while they have plenty of seating it can be hit or miss, but the line still moves quickly. I’m usually a to-​go order so I wait for my name to be called and later chow down in the comfort of my home and pajamas.
As with most of my favorites, prices are good, quality is phenomenal, the café is clean, and the staff is friendly and efficient. Apparently that’s all it takes to win this girl’s heart. Well, and an amazing bagel. Or two.

This was a solid bagel joint, but nothing to write home about. I had the pepperjack breakfast bagel, which comes with choice of meat, egg, pepperjack cheese, and tomato on a jalapeño bagel. I noticed the jalapeño cheddar bagel and decided it was worth the additional 30 cents. Glad I did, I liked the bagel, you could clearly taste both the jalapeño and the cheddar. But, they didn’t serve it toasted, which is the main reason I’m giving 3 instead of 4 stars. It never occurred to me they wouldn’t toast it, but they just warmed the bagel up. This made it chewier, which would be okay if the crust was crispy. But, since it wasn’t toasted, it wasn’t.
Also, and I understand this is a problem with a lot of breakfast bagels, but the ingredients only covered about 70% of the bagel. So, you had a few bites that were just bagel. I get that there probably isn’t a sausage patty available that’s the size of a large bagel. But, the eggs and the cheese certainly could have been spread out better. I wish the ingredients were more even distributed over the bagel.
There is a large menu with a lot of lunch options in addition to the breakfast choices. Also, the dining room is large and it was very clean. Service was good as well, they certainly got the food out quickly. I’ll return and I’ll remember to ask for the bagel toasted. Hopefully I can update my review to 4 stars.

I’ve been spoiled and have usually been delivered the deliciousness that is Old School Bagel, but with a rare few minutes to spare before a meeting on the Norman campus, I grabbed a few bagels for my team. Having never been in myself and needing to do a little guesswork for coworkers, it took me a few minutes to decide. The darling employees gave me plenty of time but also offered suggestions, including the breakfast sandwich options. I can attest that the sandwiches are in fact amazing, but I opted for a variety of bagels and cream cheeses and a soy latte for me. Not the best latte I’ve ever had, but I will let it slide because the food is so delicious.
It is probably a good thing I run late everywhere I go, especially in the mornings, or else I would be enjoying this doughy goodness on the daily and my tummy would become doughy to match!

We’re regulars at this place and love it. It’s clean and bright and the atmosphere is very welcoming. The staff is very friendly and have always treated us well, though there does seem to be turnover fairly often, but that may be because Norman is a college town.
The bagels are great — whether you’re getting something plain with cream cheese or trying one of their sandwiches. Their flavored cream cheese options are not my favorite, the one exception being the wasabi cream cheese on their Wasabi Bomb sandwich. It is *excellent*. If you haven’t tried it and wasabi is a flavor you enjoy, you must check this out.
There have been a few times where the ingredients have been wrong on my sandwiches (lox & cream cheese ingredients on my Wasabi Bomb), but they’ve always been very good about correcting their mistakes.
One last thing — when they toast the bagel and spread the cream cheese on for you, they tend to be very generous. I don’t mind at all because I always want a little more cream cheese, but my husband hates this and typically asks for them to go easy on the cream cheese. Just a tip if you like a little less cream cheese on your bagel.

When you’re familiar with something, you go with what you know or you try something new. I’m a Einstein’s Bro Bagels kind of girl. Too bad so sad, can’t get that here. Sooooo, Old School it is! I don’t really like breakfast food items so maybe this review will be a little skewed.
I walked in on a Saturday morning around 9am and didn’t have to wait in a line. Strange, for a breakfast joint don’t you think? They have an assortment of different mixed cream cheeses and flavorful bagels. I enjoyed half of a blueberry and half of a chocolate chip one. They weren’t too chewy, just kind of like a standard bagel that I could get at the market or by the brand that makes english muffins. Thomas is the name I think? Ya… The cream cheese comes in a small plastic container that some places use to put dipping sauce in. They had this bacon, onion and chive cream cheese which was exactly that. Cooked and chopped bacon and green onion mixed in with regular cream cheese. I’m more of a whipped cream cheese fan so this wasn’t my thing. I’d opt to go back and try their sammy’s, but that’s about it.

Can’t lie, I get pretty excited every time I drive past this place and wish I could have time to grab a bagel. Well, today is the day and it feels like my birthday. I expected it to be pretty busy with coworkers grabbing a bite to eat together or college students swinging by to get some brain food. I unfortunately didn’t get to park right in front of the business, but around the corner in a mutual parking lot for the other businesses to share next door. I walked in and HOLY CANNOLI it was freezing in there! Ah suck it up, I tell myself, I’m getting it to go anyways. But, I was impressed with the large space with plenty of seating, a tv and wifi area, and big open windows surrounding half the restaurant with a good view of Main St. to people watch.
Then my eyes just glued to the menu boards above me and I was back in the zone. Bagels. Everywhere. Over 12 different kinds, with the Bagel of the Month being Spinach Parmesan. Fresh baked cookies, apple and cherry turnovers, Lox, cream cheeses, honey butter, muffins… I’m getting indecisive. Well no I’m not, I’ll go with a bagel breakfast sandwich. So, I decided I’d get the Meat Lover’s Bagel with bacon, ham, sausage, egg, and white cheddar cheese on a bagel of your choice. They have other lunch bagels, which I thought were unique because some had roast beef on them, or BLT on a bagel… etc. I also got a medium café mocha and settled down at a table to wait for my to go order. BTW, the staff didn’t seem too enthused to be at work, almost borderline hating life. But whatever I just wanted to get a bagel, not bring someone on a date here.
I only waited about 4 minutes for my food, then I was out of there to race home to try the deliciousness. Sooo coffee was meh, it’s a coffee. But the bagel hit the spot, and wasn’t greasy at all with all the breakfast meat. A+ on bagel, B– on coffee, C on service.