Einstein Bros Bagels

I really hate leaving poor reviews but this morning was the last straw. I’ve called in phone orders multiple times so my boyfriend and I could grab bagels quickly on the way to work, and every time (3 times now) they’ve gotten our order wrong, between giving us the wrong bagels and getting our orders all mixed up. I didn’t leave a review sooner because I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because I understand how busy mornings can be and sometimes, mistakes just happen. This morning, I called in a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. Very simple, I wanted to make sure I got the correct order. The picture I included was what I received. It could be just me, but when I order a bagel, I expect there to be an adequate amount of cream cheese. That’s almost the entire point to getting a bagel! I’m leaving this review only in hopes that management sees how this location is running and will help build it up to be like the old Einsteins that I remember. There just seems to be a lack of care in this location.
Also, they always seem to be out of bagels. The bins in front are almost always empty when I visit.

I’m done with this place. Whomever said the customer service was excellent is delusional at best. For the past two years, every time I have stepped foot in the door of this place it has ended in total frustration. The manager is super nice for sure but there seems to be absolutely no communication amongst the team. As another women stated… the surly looks are real from the girl at the counter and when the manager isn’t there like yesterday when I came in, the place is utter chaos. Here was the scenario… but trust me… I have endless examples. (I know you’re probably thinking why do you keep going back there! but hey, it’s convenient!)
My kid wanted a breakfast bagel sandwich. No one was in line… there were three people behind the counter. We ordered and paid and stood there for 10 minutes. There was one guy behind the counter making bagel sandwiches fast and furiously… I assume they were phone orders as there was no one else waiting in line or around the counter. I wanted to give him a break as he seemed super busy and I didn’t want to be rude. Finally the surly one looked at me and I said «Excuse me? but we have been waiting a really long time for a bagel breakfast sandwich». Her reply to me? A sneer. She then walked over to the guy who was making bagels and asked him and he jutted his chin at the counter. My bagel had been sitting on the counter for god only know how long! But the thing that irritates me the most? All three of those employees behind the counter KNEW I was waiting for something… why not inquire as to how they could help? Or perhaps say «is this your bagel?» Customer service??? An absolute fail. As we were leaving I was grumbling… and my kid said…“It’s okay, I don’t think they are too smart in there”. I agree but even people who are not too smart can be courteous. This was the last time I’m going to Einsteins… I’m done.

I’m done with Einstein Bros. Bagels. For years I ate several times a week at the ones in Encinitas and Oceanside. Whenever the family heads to San Diego in the morning, we always stop at this location in Sol. Beach. Over the years their bagels got smaller and smaller, and the amount of cream cheese less and less. A few years back I discovered Garden State Bagels in Encinitas and Carlsbad, and Coast Hwy 101 and I Love Bagels, both in O’side. Or Seaside Market in Cardiff. Lots of cream cheese and bigger bagels, not little tiny round things like Einstein.
Today was the last straw. At this location I received a bagel with not a «smear» (their trademark) of cream cheese, not even a slithering, but what best be described as a light coating. When I inquired if this was a buttery spread, I was told no, that was the amount of cream cheese everyone gets. I was advised I could always ask for extra cream cheese, but I’m sure at an additional cost. When one eats a bagel from one of the other places mentioned, one can see the cream cheese oozing out of the sandwich. Napkins are required.
Not with this Einstein. There was no chance of getting cream cheese on your mouth or face with this bagel. I couldn’t even see the cream cheese on the bagel until I pulled it apart.
Its time we start supporting the mom & pop-​owned business in our community. Top of the Bagel is just on the west side of the freeway, in the Staples shopping center. I’ll eat there next time.

EH! Star for convenience and star for service.
Minus a few stars because the place is always a MESS! Doors are always dirty with greasy hand prints– not the most appetizing or welcoming first impression upon entering. They’re almost always out of everything bagels. And the bathroom is equally a mess! Coffee is decent and food comes out relatively quickly. Only stop in here when I need a quick bite and am on the run.

Worst customer service ever the teenage girl acted bothered with my order I asked her to repeat it and she still got it wrong. There were 3 people that ordered after me and they received their order first. I asked her where my order was and she said she was busy. They were more interested in filling phone orders instead of taking care of customers that there ordering. And they want a raise to 15 an hour. WTF

Very busy morning for this establishment. Even though it was busy, the morning team was very efficient and the service was fast and friendly.

The absolute worst run Einstein’s in the country. 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and no bagels! How can you not at least have plain bagels? Ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese which took 10 minutes to make. Ready to leave, but no one available to check us out. Ask one of the 3 employees to see if they could check us out and the response was” we are really busy and it is his first day so he cannot help.” I ask then why doesn’t he make the bagels and you check me out. Response «give me a break I’ve been working for 5 straight hours.» My response «I don’t care». Threw $ 3.00 on the counter and walked out.

This is the third or fourth occasion that we’ve been here that they do not have any bagels on a Saturday or Sunday. Slim pickings. How can you not have plain bagels or everything bagels on a Sunday morning? We will not be back.

All around stellar service!
I’ve trained customer service teams for years and know a great one when I see one, so when I say that this restaurant has an excellent staff, know that it’s the highest compliment I can give.
Kevin was a master at working the front counter, greeting each person with eye contact and a smile even as he deftly completed his transactions with the customers just finishing their orders. His clear, concise directions made the ordering process efficient and painless, even for a new customer like me, and I was impressed by how politely he addressed everyone, including his colleagues.
On the other side of the counter, Trisha and another staff member diligently manned the presses and produced orders as quickly as possible. Even though they joked and bantered, I really appreciated how they stayed focused on their projects and ensured customer wait time was kept to a minimum. Trisha’s humorous comments about my sandwich being awesome also didn’t hurt, especially since she was right: it turned out delicious. ;)
Over all this was a great experience. The establishment was tidy, clean, and run by a competent team who delivered both great service and a good product. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would come again!

I stop into this Solana Beach bagel shop every time I’m on the way to Grandma’s with the NY style lox setup that she misses from back East — these are her favorite bagels and nothing else will do :)
I always get friendly service here and the bagels are always fresh. A few times they’ve been out of the everything bagels, which are a key ingredient to the perfect Lox & Bagel experience, but we’ve made it through alive, Grandma included.
Last time I came in a used a 20% off coupon I got in the mail — keep an eye out if you’re looking for discounts!

I was watching the lady make my smoothie and she gave us attitude for watching her and was rude. The smoothie isn’t even that great. My breakfast sandwich was subpar at best and cold. They messed up my friends order and we continuously watched them mess up orders. My friend found a hair in her food.

Anaylsa was so accommodating ! I was in a bind and needed 100 bagels, she hooked it up and went above and beyond to help me out! Will be back for more orders! But call ahead of time ! Love this location, better than most. someone’s doing something right ! Thanks again!

The parking lot was stacked. It was a busy Sunday afternoon in a prime San Diego location. The workers were less than enthusiastic or attentive to their customers. A couple workers were evidently lazy, had an elitist demeanor, and were sloppily dressed… I’m not a fan… The bagel case was under stocked. See pics. They had the bagel I wanted on a rack in the back, but I think it’s good business to keep cases at least half full… I had to ask for a receipt… When my food was ready, they called it out in a low tone and placed it on the bagel case where customers waiting to order stood over it. Most other Einsteins bring completed orders to our table… The food was not good either. The bagels were under toasted, had very little shmear, and were squished flat. It’s like no one even cares… And to make it worse, when I asked for more shmear (because they totally skimped me on the shmear) they wanted to charge me $ 1.50 for the side. You’ve gotta be kidding! The bagel itself is $ 2.50 and a whole tub of shmear is $ 3! That’s outrageous. After I pushed, they added more to my bagel for free… The tables were not clean, chairs not pushed in, and there was trash on the floor… The store is just messy… The bathroom was disgusting too. See pics. Two employees used the bathroom while I was there and neither did anything about it.
Needless to say, I will not be returning. This location is a shame. If you want a good experience at an Einstein’s Bagel, go to the Oceanside location on Vista Way off 78 & Jefferson. Now that is a standard worth keeping!

Came down to watch the Superbowl with a buddy, ended up at this lovely place for breakfast. Loved it here, great employees (very funny), the bagels were awesome, and a great little shopping center. You’ll enjoy it here, might as well visit Von’s and Starbucks after Einsteins…

This place was a train wreck today. I’ve been here many times before, and it has never been like this. There would be no stars if I didn’t like the bagels so much. I really think the crew working today needs some additional training. The coffee counter was a sticky mess, and both the half & half and milk containers were empty. My toasted Nova lox bagel ‘to go’ was burnt, there was barely any cream cheese on it, and it was handed to me by a girl who still had her food prep gloves on, so the outside of the box had cream cheese, tomato pieces and lox on it. It got all over my hands and I had to wipe down the outside of the box so it didn’t get on anything else. Went to work with my hands smelling like lox.

Staff is extremely pleasant, bagels are good, they offer a few other food options as well such as their brie fig chicken sandwich, its great!

Craving some lox, I remembering Einstein’s had some, I stopped in this location to get my fix. I ordered the lox with everything on it, including the capers, on whole wheat bagel. I also ordered an iced tea from their unlimited station where I tried both the green and the black tea.
The lox came served on two halves with the capers and tomato hidden under a thin layer of smoked salmon (
). After a sprinkling of black pepper, I dig in. The smoked salmon was good, a little weak on the smoky flavor, but well salted it was (
) The whole wheat bagel underneath was lightly toasted and tasted good with a slight chewiness to it. The tomatoes were fresh and the capers surprisingly mildly good, compared to others I have had (
). Not to be greedy or anything, but one more layer of smoked salmon would of been great, but then again, it only cost $ 6.99.
Service was pretty good. They were a little busy when I came, so my order took a little long to come out, but nothing to bad. The employees at the counter were nice and brought my lox out to me when it was ready.

I stopped in on a blurry-​eyed weekday at the butt crack of dawn to pick up bagels for my associates on the last day of our busy season. I was already running somewhat late so I was not looking forward to battling a huge line of people as I anticipated. I should have figured that when you name your business Einstein Bros that you must be geniuses. Why, you may not be asking yourself right now? Because they have pre-​made, grab-​and-​go assorted bagel packs. Grab one, grab some cream cheese, and you’re on your way. A process that normally takes 10ish minutes at other places was like 3, tops. To boot, they were nice and friendly and efficient. They could’ve spit in my face for all I cared because I was, and still am, blown away by the bagel box. Prices were reasonable as well. I will definitely be back.

First time, I’ve ever been here. The employees were all smiles & polite. The bagel, was the best I have ever had.

This place is quick and the food is fresh. Nothing beats a fresh «everything» bagel with cream cheese, salmon, red onion and capers!
Unilocal ALERT: If they forget to give you a receipt here breakfast is on them! i wish you luck!
I give this smart bagel 8 «in, out and on with my life (and breakfast)» out of 10.