11 places to get the best bagels in town and what to order at each
When I moved from Long Island to Charlotte many years ago, Bruegger’s Bagels became my go-to for New York style bagels. There and Manhattan Bagel were really the only places to buy a bagel, if you wanted something better than a Lender’s Bagel.
Things have changed significantly in Charlotte’s bagel world. There are great bagels being baked locally and regionally. I’ve tried a bunch – from Poppy’s, to Owen’s, to Nova’s, to Smelly Cat — and loved them all.
If you’re still not convinced you can find a good bagel, New Jersey transplant Arthur Nardino at My Brothers Bagel in Denver, North Carolina, says it all, “Fahgetabout it, we have the best bagels.”
They’re next on my quest to find the perfect bagel.
Go find your bagel at one of these 11 best spots in town:
Owen’s Bagels & Deli
2041 South Blvd.
Bagels are shipped from Bronx, New York and baked fresh every morning.
Bagel flavors: Everything, asiago cheese, bialy, plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, wheat, onion, sesame, poppy and pumpernickel. Gluten free plain and gluten free everything are available.
Price: Bagel, $1; bagel with cream cheese, $2.50.
Cream cheese flavors: Plain, veggie, bacon ranch, spinach, strawberry, jalapeno, chocolate chip, honey walnut, sundried tomato basil and pimento. They also offer vegan cream cheese and veggie vegan cream cheese. Cream cheeses are made in house.
Popular bagel sandwiches:
– Ya Boi: everything bagel with plain cream cheese, bacon, turkey, American, cheddar, steamed and topped with Nacho Dorito chips.
– NicepieceofAsh: bacon ranch cream cheese, bacon, turkey, onions, banana peppers, pepper jack cheese, steamed and topped with sprouts, tomato.
– Phish: asiago bagel with bacon ranch cream cheese, bacon, scrambled egg, onions, pepper jack cheese, steamed and finished with tomato and fresh avocado.
– Angry Steve: asiago bagel with sausage, scrambled eggs, onions, green peppers, habanero cheese, steamed and finished with tomato and house-made ‘Angry Steve Sauce’.
They all range in price from $3.60-$7.50.
Poppy’s Bagels and More
2921 Providence Rd.
Bagels are made on site and dough is made every day.
Bagel flavors: Plain, blueberry, salt, asiago, pumpernickel, egg, onion, honey wheat, poppy, cinnamon raisin, garlic, multi-grain, everything and sesame.
Price: $1.18 bagel, $1.73 butter, $2.59 cream cheese, $2.98 flavored cream cheese.
Cream cheese flavors: Plain, low fat, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip, maple walnut, cinnamon raisin walnut, veggie, low fat veggie, lox spread, scallion, jalapeño, olive.
Popular bagel sandwich: Low works: lox, cream cheese, onions, tomato and capers. Their bagel sandwiches range in price from $4.99 – $13.99.
Bagel Bin and Deli
16709 Orchard Stone Run
Bagels are house-made and baked on site.
Bagel flavors: Pumpernickel, rye, egg, egg everything, cinnamon raisin, honey wheat, blueberry, plain, everything, sesame, poppy seed, onion, garlic, salt, chocolate chip, Hawaiian, spinach.
Price: $1.09-$2.69
Cream cheese flavors: Plain, lite plain, lox spread, vegetable, scallion, vegetable lite, walnut raisin, strawberry, jalapeño, sundried tomato, vanilla.
Popular bagel sandwiches: Turkey, ham, roast beef, tuna salad and chicken salad. Bagel sandwiches range in price from $5.99-$7.95
Smelly Cat Coffeehouse & Roastery
514 E 36th St.
Bagels are brought in from Dave’s Killer Bread.
Bagel flavors: Plain and everything; they are organic and soy flour free.
Price: $2
Cream cheese flavors: Plain
Popular bagel sandwiches: Sausage, egg and cheese; bacon, egg and cheese; turkey bacon, egg and cheese; and egg and cheese. Bagel sandwiches range in price from $4.95-$5.95.
Coco and The Director
100 W Trade Street
Bagels are brought in from Neomonde Bakery.
Bagel flavors: Whole wheat, plain and everything.
Price: $4 with cream cheese.
Cream cheese flavors: Plain.
Popular bagel sandwiches:
-Lox on an Everything Bagel: salmon cured in horseradish and beet with red onion, capers, whipped cream cheese and dill.
– Egg White and Spinach on a Whole Wheat Bagel: egg whites, spinach, Swiss cheese and turkey.
Bagel sandwiches range in price from $7-$10.
Adams 7th Street Market
401 Hawthorne Lane, Suite 100
Bagels are brought in fresh every morning from Poppy’s Bagel.
Bagel flavors: Plain, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, sesame seed and everything bagel.
Price: $1.69-$2.19
Cream cheese flavors: Vegetable, strawberry, plain and low fat.
Bagel sandwiches: Any sandwich may be made on a bagel. Bagel sandwiches range in price from $5.94-$6.94.
Nova’s Bakery
1511 Central Ave.; 1515 South Blvd, 1108 Cherry Rd., Rock Hill; 3565 Matthews -Mint Hill Rd., Matthews
Bagels are baked at the Central Avenue shop.
Bagel flavors: Honey wheat, cranberry orange, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, plain, onion, sesame, sea salt, 3-seed (flax, sesame and poppy) and everything bagel (onion, flax, sesame and poppy).
Price: $1-$1.50
Cream cheese flavors: Plain.
My Brothers Bagel
751 Hwy 16 N., Denver, NC
Bagels are hand rolled and baked on premises daily.
Bagel flavors: There are 21 flavors including plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, everything, asiago and French toast
Price: $1-$2.50
Cream cheese flavors: Scallion, vegetable, jalapeno cheddar, olive, walnut raisin, nova, strawberry and a weekly specialty cream cheese – alternating between sweet and savory each week.
Popular bagel sandwiches: The Murphy: fresh chicken salad, swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, honey mustard and grilled in a panini press. Also, make sure to try the Rueben or the Brothers Italian. These bagel sandwiches are all $7.
Local Loaf of Charlotte
Uptown in the 7th St. Public Market at 224 E. 7th St. and NoDa at 800 E. 35th St.
All bagels are made from scratch, hand rolled, boiled and baked daily.
Bagel flavors: Plain, everything
Price: $2.25-$2.75
Cream cheese flavors: Plain.
Popular bagel sandwiches:
– Bacon, egg and cheese.
– Breakfast Burger: a six-ounce Tri-Tip Beef Blend, bacon, aged white cheddar, over-easy egg, served on a bagel.
Bagel sandwiches range in price from $7-$12.
The Common Market
2007 Commonwealth Ave. and 4420-A Monroe Rd.
Bagels are brought in from Poppy’s Bagels.
Bagel flavors: Everything, plain, asiago, wheat, cinnamon-raisin, gluten-free; $2.
Cream cheese flavors: Plain.
Popular bagel sandwiches:
-The Later Hater: house made pimento cheese, baby spinach, tomato, protein choice, eggs.
– The Dragon Slayer: pepper jack cheese, red and green bell peppers, red onion, jalapeno, eggs and protein choice
– The Breakfast Sammy: eggs, protein choice and cheese
– The Billy Club: Boars Head provolone, oven roasted turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato.
Bagel sandwiches range in price from $2-$8.
Poppyseed Bagels
1311 Chestnut Lane, Matthews and 13645 Providence Rd., Weddington
Bagels are made in-house daily.
Bagel flavors: Plain, onion, sesame, poppy, salt, garlic, everything, egg, egg everything, cinnamon-raisin, pumpernickel, whole wheat, whole wheat everything, French toast, blueberry, chocolate chip and asiago. They also carry bialy’s.
Cream cheese flavors: Plain, veggie, scallion, bacon tomato, scallion, olive pimento, jalapeno cheddar, walnut raisin, honey almond, lox, strawberry and blueberry.
Popular bagel sandwiches:
– The Godfather: salami, provolone, cappy, lettuce, tomato, onion and oil and vinegar.
– The Dagwood: roast beef, ham, salami, turkey, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion.
– Rueben: corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut.
Bagel sandwiches range in price from $8-$11.
Photos: Taylor Russell, Poppyseed Bagels, The Common Market, Local Loaf of Charlotte, My Brothers Bagel, Nova’s Bakery, Ada,s 7th Street Market, Coco and The Director, Bagel Bin and Deli, Poppy’s Bagels and More, Owen’s Bagels
This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 1:00 AM with the headline "11 places to get the best bagels in town and what to order at each."