I was really hoping that Bagel Jay’s was going to turn into one of my favorite restaurants. I really would love to have a go to Bagel shop. I’ve had some pretty ‘eh’ experiences at Manhattan Bagel and every time I shop at Wegman’s the bagels have been out for several hours and by the time I’m eating them at home they are anything but fresh. Ever since my trip to NYC and my experience with proper sliced Lox, I’ve been dying to recreate the experience. My coworker Sue had some coupons laying around that were about to expire so we thought a lunch trip to Bagel Jay’s North Buffalo location (on Delaware Ave.) would be a good idea.
From the moment I walked in, I was a little skeptical about how our meal was going to turn out. Granted we went during a really busy time of the day (lunch time on Friday), but the place was a mess. Several of the tables had been moved around, there was a big “wet floor” sign (you can see above) but there was no wet floor in sight. Napkins, straws and other garbage was thrown all over the floor.
Still, we went up to the counter and figured out what we were going to eat. We had to explain the coupon deal to the cashier (who seemed new, so I’ll give her a pass) and then sat down to eat.
Our coupon was one of those buy 1 ‘Bagel Sandwich’ get 1 free deals, so we ordered their Buffalo Club (pictured above) and their Athens Turkey. The Buffalo Club was the sandwich that stuck out to me, the bacon was actually very fresh and crispy and was great on top of the sliced turkey, lettuce and tomato. The only negative of the meal was actually the bagel itself. It was a little stale and chewy, so I was very disappointed. Bagel Jay’s is constantly being voted “Best Bagel in Buffalo” by various publications, so I was hoping I’d have some eye opening experience. I did not.
I also ordered an additional (plain) bagel, with their Lox smear. The smear itself was actually not too bad; I’ve tried Manhattan Bagel’s as well and I thought Bagel Jay’s had much more flavor. Manhattan Bagel’s had a really salty taste and was almost distracting but Bagel Jay’s had more of a smokey flavor and I really liked it. It’s still nothing like eating a bagel with some fresh, large slices of Lox but I guess I can settle. What I don’t understand is why they don’t offer fresh slices as they actually serve smoked salmon in a refrigerated case. I looked over the menu several times and I’ve never seen it, so unless I’m missing something I don’t understand why they wouldn’t offer it.
My coworker Sue also ordered herself one of Bagel Jay’s soup of the day, I believe it was Chicken Gumbo. She seemed to really enjoy the soup but I enjoyed the bagel chips they served on the side. It was a pretty affordable price to get a cup of soup along with several chips.
Maybe it was the bad service or my expectations not being realistic, but I walked away from Bagel Jay’s not thinking their was another reason to go back. My coworker had mentioned the Williamsville location might be a better experience. Even without a coupon they still have some pretty affordable prices and you could easily have a very filling lunch for under 6 dollars a person. But I just didn’t notice anything dramatically different from every other Bagel experience I’ve had in Buffalo.
i had a similar experience my first time. the bagels were old and i havent been back since!
hi, In response to your comments, there is fresh sliced nova, its considered the cream cheese and nova not the lox spread.