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Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe vs. Bergen Bagels — Brooklynian

Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe vs. Bergen Bagels

jack krohn
jack krohn
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights

I was so happy when Olde Brooklyn opened because I figured I would no longer have to walk to Bergen Bagels. After several months of giving Olde Brooklyn a try, I've returned to Bergen, despite the walk from my home.

I can't figure out why, but Olde Brooklyn just can't seem to do anything efficiently. My order is always simple (bagel with some type of cream cheese) and the customer gets the coffee him/herself, so why does it always take the staff so long to get the bagel ready? Last time I was there, I waited 15 minutes after placing the order!

At Bergen, things run like a machine. Year after year, you see the same staff and they move like clockwork, are able to remember all details without writing things down, and rarely make mistakes. In the amount of time that Olde Brooklyn takes to toast one bagel, staff at Bergen can do that, plus make coffee, pack the bag, and ring up the order.

The coffee is better at Olde Brooklyn, but I can always stop by Joyce on my way home from Bergen.

For the record, I have no connection to either place, but I do appreciate good service.

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Comments

  • xlizellx
    xlizellx

    I hear you on the long wait, but I 99% of the time will endure a long wait if I don't have to walk further.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I wish one of the PH places would cater to those of us who would like a smaller, chewier bagel. Bagel Hole in PS is the closest such place, and it has sporadic hours.

  • ltjbukem
    ltjbukem

    they really do need to get their act together. but the constant lines on weekends tells them that their inefficiency is ok because there's no other competitor.

  • idlewild
    idlewild

    whynot_31 said:

    I wish one of the PH places would cater to those of us who would like a smaller, chewier bagel. Bagel Hole in PS is the closest such place, and it has sporadic hours.

    Foodie places in PH will become worse as time goes on and they try to cater to the Arena crowd. Get ready for the Invasion of the Jalapeno Buffalo Wing Flavored Mozzarella Sticks.

  • xlizellx
    xlizellx

    Idlewild said:

    Get ready for the Invasion of the Jalapeno Buffalo Wing Flavored Mozzarella Sticks.

    My mouth literally watered at that sentence. Too much wine tonight? Perhaps....

  • idlewild
    idlewild

    xlizellx said:

    My mouth literally watered at that sentence. Too much wine tonight? Perhaps....

    I probably should have added "...Week Old Frozen, Re-Heated, Refrigerated & Re-Heated Again...".

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    xlizellx-

    Pathmark might stock the frozen variety.


  • smokin joe
    smokin joe

    i've become a regular at olde brooklyn. sometimes there's a wait, and it can be annoying, and on a complicated order (meaning an egg sandwich as opposed to just a bagel and cream cheese) they've gotten it wrong a couple of times. i'm not sure where the flaw in their system is but they should study terrace or bergen. i'd like them to succeed.

  • goodprospect
    goodprospect

    I literally live across the street from Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe and yet, after trying it when it first opened, we returned to Bergen Bagel every time. Just this week I tried Ye Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe for the second time (jonesing for some carbs as I got off the B69 in front of it) and found it again disappointing.

    Had a salt bagel with lite cream cheese, and then gave in and got a chocolate chocolate-chip muffin. Both were oddly flavorless. What's that about?

  • jgregorie
    jgregorie

    I went to bergen bagels for years but when OBB opened I just couldn't justify the 10 min walk on a sunday morning any more. Personally I think the bagels themselves are just as good as Bergen's but the service is slow. Ive found it starting to improve though, the lines are no longer 15 people deep. All in all its a great addition to the hood. the place looks amazing, its probably the most attractive bagel place ive ever been in, I know thats not saying much but hey give credit where credit is due. I also like the fact that its open till about 7:30 and makes that corner more lively in the early evening.

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    The bagels are better at Bergen. I'd much rather be taking a nice walk down the block than standing in a line.

    And I don't understand this "I want a smaller bagel" BS when it costs the same or more. Just don't eat the whole damn bagel if you don't want as much bagel.

    One thing I don't like about Bergen is that their bagel dough is too sweet. You have to salt it a lot to correct for that as a result. Mmm, salt.

  • booklaw
    booklaw

    It's not so much the size of the bagel as the firmness of the bagel. The steroid-infused bagels are soft and puffy, rather than crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside like traditional bagel-union-made bagels.

    The common bagel shop bagels are like the Wonder Bread equivalent of bagels, versus the Bagel Hole or Mile End-type bagels.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I think there is an inherent inverse relationship between bagel size and chewiness.

    If they could make a big bagel chewy, I would eat it all and like it.

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    Put it in your refrigerator for a day. It'll get chewy :-P

  • catwalkertexasranger
    catwalkertexasranger

    Bergen.good bagels, pretty fast, touch my coffee. Old Brk Bagels take a little longer but I pour, cap and get my own coffee while they are making the bagel or sandwich.

    Regular coffee is made by you,not somebody adding sugar and and milk for you. I like both places, getting my own cup,cap and any crap in my coffee at my speed is worth the wait for the bagel.

  • architecture biscuit
    architecture biscuit

    Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe's bagels are just to soft for my taste. The space is nice and the coffee isn't bad, but the waits have at times been long. I definitely like the bagels at Bergen Bagels more, but it's a long walk over there for me so I don't usually go unless I'm going that way for some other reason as well.

    When I do get a bagel in the neighborhood I usually just go to Penny House. They have Terrace bagels, which I think are pretty tasty (much chewier [which = better to me] than Olde Brooklyn) and I like their drip La Colombe coffee as well.

  • smokin joe
    smokin joe

    Architecture Biscuit said:When I do get a bagel in the neighborhood I usually just go to Penny House. They have Terrace bagels, which I think are pretty tasty (much chewier [which = better to me] than Olde Brooklyn)

    terrace are the best, but i think penny just gets them once a day, in the morning, so if you come by later, they're not as fresh. olde brooklyn makes them throughout the day, and getting one that's still warm is excellent.

  • unicyclist-courier
    unicyclist-courier

    whynot_31 said:

    I wish one of the PH places would cater to those of us who would like a smaller, chewier bagel. Bagel Hole in PS is the closest such place, and it has sporadic hours.

    I think you can get Bagel Hole bagels at Prospect Perk. They definitely sell a smaller, chewier bagel variety there.

    I haven't tried OBBS, but I will say that Bergen Bagels has a nicer-than-average selection of tofu cream cheeses.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    On Washington Ave, there is Washington Bagel Cafe.

    I never see anyone in there, but it is often open.

  • architecture biscuit
    architecture biscuit

    The folks at Washington Bagel Cafe are super nice, but they're bagels are nothing special I'm afraid. Still, they're prices are good and you can always get breakfast stuff besides bagels (I think they do omelets, pancakes, etc. and all pretty cheap).

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    Went to Bagel Hole today to see what the fuss is about, and now I understand -- seriously great bagels. Worth the extra trip from Bergen.

    I'll be going there from now on.

  • jack krohn
    jack krohn

    After taking a break from Olde Brooklyn, I gave them another try, tired as I was with the walk to Bergen. True to form, Olde Brooklyn screwed up my order. How difficult is it to remember: chicken salad, lettuce, tomato, toast bagel? Especially when I am one of three people in the store?

    Back to Bergen...

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    Theres supposed to be a bakery Cafe opening soon that will have baked goods, maybe it will be good.

    http://brooklynian.com/forum/prospect-heights/bakerycafe-for-vanderbilt

  • ltjbukem
    ltjbukem

    if you're closer to atlantic, start going to bergen bagel soon at fulton/washington. they are opening soon...

  • bkchickie
    bkchickie

    I've been to Olde Brooklyne Bagelse only once, and I will agree about their speed. But, in my case it wasn't so much that it took them a long time to finish my order, but rather it took them a long time to notify me that the order was done and waiting (i.e. cooling off) on the counter.

  • thelambchop
    thelambchop

    i want to like olde brooklyn, but, yeah, there's something about their process that just doesn't work. and why is it that none of the bagel shoppes can brew a decent cup of coffee? i wind up almost never getting a bagel since i'd have to stop elsewhere for coffee anyway! i did just discover that hungry ghost carries bagels from terrace bagels, but i haven't tried them yet so have no idea how they travel.

  • notsayin
    notsayin

    The new Bergen Bagels on Fulton and Washington installed their sign yesterday. I'm excited for another good bagel offering in the neighborhood - but disappointed they went with the suburban strip-mall meets orange-yellow Hot Wheels fade plastic lettering, instead of a fabric awning (NOT backlit canopy), or a shingle or something a bit classier.

    A local biz ought to know better - what percentage of their clientele is likely to be whizzing by in a car as opposed to walking down the sidewalk? Signs like these were designed so you can tell Supercuts from Foot Locker across a 1,000 car parking lot - not for a walkable retail strip.

    Still...hot everything bagels with lox and schmear...


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  • notsayin
    notsayin

    WTF with the upside-down iPhone photos - that appear upside right on my laptop before posting??!?

    Is it just me?

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    It is not just you. When it flips somethng upside down, I find I can trick it by sending it upside down, which will make it flip it right side up.


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  • notsayin
    notsayin

    Snuck some pics of NEW Bergen Bagel's interior Friday AM. Looks like opening is days or weeks away.

    Modern fixtures and decor, lots of space, exposed brick. And two accordion-style glass patio doors facing Washington Ave suggest possibly outdoor seating in good weather.

    Can't wait.


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