Spread Bagelry Reviews

If you like to be ignored and get bagels that are more like rolls this is the place for you. The help is the worst in the entire neighborhood.

Coffee also good. There's a line outside on weekends...deservedly. The bagels are fresh and delicious. Excellent value for money. A couple of tables outside too.

small cozy bagel place that bakes them in a wood fire oven. also specializes in these spreads as the name sake. the two that we tried were an amazing plain cream cheese and a smoked salmon that it was equally amazing. excellent different refreshing .

The weekends will be sure to greet you with a long line, but its worth it. The bagel and egg sandwiches are good and everything is always fresh. The owner is always around helping out and love love the funky 70s and 80s jams they play. This is a weekend must stop for me.

When I lived in Philadelphia their bagels were my most favorite in The Montreal style category! The are tasty, chewy flavorful and pleasure to eat. In fact I purchased a half dozen, had two while in Philadelphia and bring the four back home tomorrow. While there are very fine Montreal style bagel in parts of Canada, especially in the City of Montreal, none achieve the outstanding quality of Spread Bagels in Philadelphia! Also, the service was and still is friendly, helpful and professional! Very Highly Recommended!

By far, Spread serves the best bagels in Philly. They are perfectly baked in the Wood fire oven. I love coming out of Spread after enjoying a delicious bagel and smelling like I've just visited a camp fire. They serve a refillable cup of La Colombe coffee, always piping hot. The toppings for your bagel are the usual, but they are very fresh. The atmosphere is great and sometimes you are treated to live music while your wait. The line may be long at peak times, but it is worth it. You never have to wait long after ordering and Rittenhouse Square is around the corner when the seats are all taken.

The best wood fired bagels with generous fillings and oozing cheese (top notch!). Friendly and smiling staff that made your day ! Standard price at US$7 and up (who is complaining ?) Limited sitting space to enjoy the ambiance.(Good for couples, lovers..) Limited standing space when ordering if more than 6 person in front of you.(Good food must wait, right ?) Like the poster with Clint Eastwood saying "Go on...Make my bagel !"

No other bagel like it in Philly. Love the taste and texture from the wood fired oven. Sesame bagel loaded with sesame seeds. Best whitefish salad ever - all fish, no filler. It's our go-to place for Sunday breakfast.

I've had Montreal style bagels and they were much better in Montreal. I think this place wins in style over substance and is a great, trendy spot for millennials. I think everyone works hard for the audience they are trying to reach. Good take out option.

I was excited to find a place with Montreal bagels in Philadelphia as they are rare on this side of the border. The bagel sandwich I had (The Classic) was good, but overpriced as was my beverage. Seating was limited and uncomfortable as I was there on a very hot day and either they did not have air conditioning or it was not working.

Got scallion cream cheese on a garlic bagel, the scallions were there, but literally not a drop of cream cheese. Also got a bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. They must’ve used one single egg and it filled half the bagel sandwich, the other half of the sandwich was actually empty. Absolutely terrible for $16.

The bagels are out if this world - super tasty dough, soft, moist inside, yet crunchy outside - heaven! Also great toppings - I recommend the one with omelette, cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato and red onion. Served on a heated bagel - wouldn’t change a thing! I would have given a 5, were it not for the staff. Guys - it wouldn’t hurt to smile once in a while ;-) Also, seating is limited, airco does not work properly, and the tables and chairs are a bit sticky - not cleaned often enough.

Small and nice place to grab the best bagel in the city and a cup of coffee from la colombe. The bagels are fresh and still warm. They come out straight from the oven! I tried the nova salmon and I was very satisfied!

Amazing bagels here! Love that the bagels are so fresh that they are still hot when they serve you. These are hands down the best bagels in Philly. The Standard is a nice hearty breakfast sandwich. The staff is very nice. Our order was served super fast, we got our food almost immediately. Love that they have espresso drinks and milk alternatives: soy milk. What makes Spread different is the freshness: the hot bagels are just coming out of that wood fire oven. There is nothing better in the world than a steaming hot freshly baked bagel. Yum! I’d eat here again and again. I would definitely recommend Spread Bagel to all my friends and family.

Just had breakfast there! Delightful wood fire bagels. I had the plain bagel with turkey bacon and scrambled egg. 2nd time here! Looking forward to stopping again on my next trip to Philly.

Stayed in Philly's Rittenhouse Square for a fall weekend and was drawn to a restaurant that had music out front and long line out the door. While waiting in line (well worth the wait) I thoroughly enjoyed the banjo player's music. Inside the staff were warm and friendly and to top it all, I had the best nova sandwich ever. The bagel was tasty, warm, and crunchy. The nova and cream cheese was delicious. I'll definitely return to this cute little place again.

If this place didn't state that they were Montreal style, it would get 3 stars. Not as good as NYC but respectable. I've been to St Viateur bagel for over 30 years and to advertise that and not even come close is false advertising. I find anyone going to Montréal has a standing 2 dozen sesame bagel order for me. No questions asked. Tried one sesame and a cinnamon bagel. Couldn't believe no whole wheat bagel at 8 am. They ate pretty good but not quite as good as NYC area bagels and definitely not Montréal style. Just because you use a brick oven, that's only one part of the process

Didn't know that Canadian bagels were square and um amazing. It's a small foot print with a big punch. Nothing fancy. Best bagel ever

I love these bagels and travel 20 minutes to get them! They are made in a brick open oven and just like the bagels you get in Montreal. There is some seating. There is usually a line when I go. The last time I went on a Sunday they restricted the number of bagels I could take out which was annoying because I do go out of my way to get them. Must try!

Wood fired bagels absolutely rock! The Montreal style bagel is sweet, has a smaller crumb than new York style with less of a crunch and a deeper,more visceral flavor! Superb product!

Had lunch with my husband, great bagels, interesting selections, awesome atmosphere. Old world and interesting...way too much food, but loved every minute of it! Would recommend and will go back

This place has great bagels! I went during lunch and it was very busy. The line moved pretty slowly but it was worth it. Recommended!

Went to visit my daughter and this was the first place she took me. While I don't typically eat bagels this was well worth it. The bagels are wood fired and they amish cream cheese was amazing, but it was the bagel breakfast sandwiches that were to die for. I never considered putting jam and eggs together with cream cheese but WOW. Only negative is the coffee is like sludge and it gets really hot in there, but it is well worth it since the bagels rocked.

I happen to be staying at the Sheraton (see my other review) for this stay. My first business day, I didn't get to visit, however a coworker stopped through and got a bagel with lox cream cheese and it looked scrumptious, so I opted to try it the following morning. The next day my other colleague and I had breakfast there, which was the best decision we'd made this far for food in the area. This place looks small, but there's lots of space in the back. I believe it's highly trafficked by university students, and businesses. We went early in the morning when it opened. It happened to be a nice day so we sat inside next to the windows and found they had rolled it 1/2 way so you can actually dine alfresco. Both myself and my coworker ordered the standard which is egg, on any bagel, egg, meat, and melted cheese. Oh my goodness, let me start with how fresh the bagels are!!! They make them Montreal style so the outside is crispy, but not thick and hard. The inside of the bagel was soft, but not overly gummy. They cook up the eggs fresh. I saw that they had a cat, so I think you can get your eggs poached as well. I opted for the grapefruit juice which seemed fresh (not sure if it was, but whatever brand they sell is great)! They have various types of hot sauce to add if you so desire. The other thing I had to mention was that they had a great cheese sauce/slices that melted, but remained soft and didn't turn oily. I highly enjoyed my sandwich and if I'd had the opportunity, I would have gone back for lunch! I'd highly recommend getting a sandwich from this place. They serve deli style sandwiches as well as breakfast ones. They have a bevy of beverages (on tap/bottles/cans) so there's plenty of choice. Enjoy!!!

We bought some for breakfast the next day and they held up well. Tons of schmear so no complaints here. Wish they had more options in flavors of both though.

Enjoyed fresh baked bagles and spread for lunch in this qutie little place we found walking along 20th street. We had wnated to have lunch at the Metropolitian Bakery, but no seating inside, and with the temp near freezing, inside was waht we wanted. One of those places ou would like to have at home. Freash, tastely and priced faily

So so so good. The coffee was fantastic, and the bagels are to die for. I don't think you can go wrong with anything you get from Spread.

A bit of a wait outside on a Sunday morning,but my poppy seed bagel was worth it!The crust was well covered with seeds and the oniony spread delicious

I have had the pleasure of eating these delicious bagels for a few years now must say that they are my favorite of all time! The flavor and the texture delivers more complexity than any of their competition. At $2.00 per bagel, they are the most expensive in the area, but quality is worth the extra cost. If you are tired of the mediocre commercial variety, do yourself a favor and rediscover the joy of eating a great bagel from Spread. Highly recommended!

Hard to resist the bagels when you see them coming directly out of the wood fire oven. You know for sure they are fresh. Best bagels we had in Philly. Friendly staff, great fillings & a few seats either on the street or out the back.

Had a great bagel, but felt very guilty afterwards as not low fat at all. Lol. It was very tasty though.

Been a long time fan since they first opened up their 20th street location and always patronize them a few times when I visit my old home town of Philadelphia. Also, I always return to Canada with a half dozen to share with my wife. Spread has a great selection of bagels that have taste, texture, balance and consistency that make them irresistible! They continue to produce possibly the finest Montreal style bagel worldwide! Very Highly Recommended!

This is the best place to grab a quick breakfast in CC. The bagels are so good and made right infront of you. They also sell La Columbe coffee which is the best in the city!

I learned after I was served, that all bagels are toasted weather you ask or not I returned to the counter and asked for a non toasted bagel and a worker behind the counter gave me the dirtiest of looks and I didn't hesitate to tell her , I didn't deserve that Truth be told the bagel was pretty good, the customer service experience, not so much

My husband and I came here around 11:30 for bagels with cream cheese. I got a cinnamon raisin bagel with apple cinnamon cream cheese and my husband got an everything bagel with plain cream cheese. What I liked: 1. Unique-tasting yummy bagels. These bagels are GOOD. If you’re willing to kill the time, you’ll be richly rewarded. 2. Cute decore. I’m a sucker for subway tile and fun lighting. What I didn’t like: 1. SLOW service. The line (which went out the door) was BEYOND slow. I’m not sure why it took an eternity to toast a bagel and put cream cheese on it, but it was a full 15 minutes for the 8 people ahead of us to order and another 10 minutes to get bagels with cream cheese. Not hating, just be aware. 2. Soup-Nazi-like staff. Ok. I know they are busy, but there was no smiling or happy workers here. Again, not hating, just noting it.

We got there in the afternoon, so the selection was minimal. The environment is very cramped and warm - not great for eating in. They were good bagels, but very different. The outer texture was more crumbly and crunchy than chewy. Great peach cream cheese. Not something we would do again.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. We visited this Spread Bagelry location twice on a recent trip to Philly. The first trip was on a Sunday morning and we ordered 1 regular bagel, 1 pizza bagel, and 1 iced latte. We waited close to 30 minutes for our food to be ready, which was ridiculous. The bagels were delicious, but not worth a 30 minute wait. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in my iced latte and would not buy coffee from Spread in the future. We visited again on a Monday morning and had a much faster experience, although we ordered 2 regular bagels with cream cheese that required no cooking or toasting, which made the order much quicker to make. If you are in a rush, avoid Spread Bagely on a weekend. If you are in more of a hurry, stick to an easier menu item, such as a regular bagel with cream cheese, so no cooking or more in-depth preparation is involved.

Montreal style bagels are distinctly different from NY or water bagels because of the process. I have been a fan of bagels for more than sixty years and have tried various versions of this process here and now in Canada, where Montreal style bagels are quite good where I live in Ontario and a bit better in Montreal, but none compare with Spread Bagels creation! Their bagels have taste and texture that their competitors in North America failed to achieve on this level. Also,their toasting of the bagel for cream cheese and or smoked fish is crisp, while not over powering the contents within. Since my last visit two years ago, they have expanded, adding new locations that make more convenient for others who to experience greatness! If you haven’t tried their outstanding production- due so now to understand what their fans have known for a long time. Very Highly Recommended!

I was intrigued by the advertised "Montreal-style bagels" and the wood-fired oven inside the shop, but I didn't find the sesame bagel that I got to be particularly noteworthy. It was soft and not particularly chewy, but it did have a nice number of sesame seeds. The iced coffee that I ordered was a bit watery/weak. The cafe just has one unisex bathroom, which can lead to long waits sometimes.

Great bagels! The frittata breakfast sandwich is yummy but messy. There was no where to wash my hands so I had to find other facilities. There was jam on the sandwich and the contents would slide off and the jam would get on my hands. Will try again but will be prepared with some wet wipes.

This is my go-to bagel joint. The bagels are Montreal style, which means they are chewy and dense. They also serve great coffee. It is hard to snag a table and the layout of the restaurant is a little awkward when you stand in line. I still say the bagels are worth the wait!

Cozy little place with sweet & smokey bagels - Beautiful oven - Toasty warm -

I went here with friends and split: THE STANDARD$7.00 Eggs or Egg Whites, Cheese, Smoked Bacon, Turkey Bacon or Sausage I am not a huge breakfast eater, but heard that this would be delicious and it was. I definitely recommend it!

Ordered an everything bagel with nova; it was actually pretty good. Definitely had enough nova lox and cream cheese. I would suggest they clean the place up. Floor was disgusting with pieces of mop laying around. Also check out the air conditioner above the front door..... hopefully they clean it soon.

Arrived this morning and ordered a plain bagel with butter. This is really simple. $3.25 and over ten minutes later, my order is still sitting on the prep counter. One guy is outside the other is fooling around with his service section. Took my bagel and left. Will not return. Overpriced anyway.

Came here around 3:00 on a Sunday and all they had left was everything bagels. We got 2 breakfast sandwiches and 2 bottles of water for $21. It was ok. Nothing mouthwatering or creative, but it tasted good. A little blanks but not bad. The order came quickly and the servers were nice enough. It was a fine place to stop because we were hungry and wanted something fast but it's not a place you should ever go out of your way for.

Wow. This is the best bagel I’ve ever had, and it wasn’t close. I was looking for a good breakfast and chose “The Cure” bagel, and boy was I happy, even though it was fairly expensive at $13.50 including tax. The sriracha smoked Gouda spread was amazing, and the bacon was perfect. They were out of whole wheat bagels today, but the regular everything bagel was very, very good. The line was short at 8 am on a Sunday, though it was certainly a popular spot. I really enjoyed watching the baker at work boiling, coating, and finally baking the bagels in the wood fired oven. I look forward to returning!

I'm from NY and know good bagels from bad bagels. These are not traditional NY bagels but Montreal style - boiled and baked in the wood fired oven. They are amazing and worth standing in line with the occasional hipsters. The orange juice is fresh squeezed and the bagel sandwiches great. My tip - make sure you get a dozen bagels to go...

This place is a must, a bit off of Rittenhouse Square, definitely worth the 5-10 minute walk. The lines (mostly locals) proved me right. Their Montral-style bagels are fresh and delicious, the service is quite fast, but most of all their are very cordial and accomodating. The owner seems very involved, and their passion for good service was obvious.

Delicious bagels here! The mister had the Bagel Burger and I ordered one of the breakfast ones. Both were good. I also got a Sour Monkey beer. That was a tad too sour for me. Not in a bad way. The ambience is lovely. Love the wood-themed decor.

My husband and I split the Nova Bagel on a plain bagel with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, red onion and salmon- it was delicious! It came with a small cucumber salad which was a nice bit of sweet and vinegar complimenting the richness of the bagel. The coffee was excellent. The service welcoming and warm and the restaurant cozy.

I've heard about this place from a few friends and finally tried it. Well, the shop itself is nice and cozy. They make everything right in front of you, so you know what goes in your meal. However, their bagels are not that great. The spread that they use here is nothing close to being good either. And one more thing, it is expensive!

We stopped by to grab some breakfast sandwiches on a Sunday morning. The food was pretty good, although the bagel was a bit dry. Even though the line was out the door, we moved pretty quickly.

My wife and I had been there several times when we are in Upenn, the price is reasonable and I like the bagels there.

Visited on weekday and not that busy, still no place to sit so turned into a takeout. Cashier asked several questions to clarify what I thought was a simple order….and they still got both wrong. My advice is to stick to the menu with no variations. Bagels were fine, not the best but far from generic. Already sold out of several flavors by 10. I’d go back but with more of a plan.

This is truly the best pastrami. I can't stop thinking about it. The whitefish was good, but the pastrami with mustard was worth the trip to Philadelphia ( or Carnegie Deli in NY) . Unfortunately they totally mixed up our takeaway order on an outrageously busy Sunday and we got the Russian dressing with Coleslaw Pastrami, which was less desirable as it was greasiest than the Mustard version and didn't compliment as well. I made 2 trips in 3 days. Weekdays are quiet but weekends the line is out the door with an accordion out front. I will be back!

A friend who has lived in the neighborhood recommended that we call in an order to Spread and pick up our build-your-own bagel sandwiches on our way to New Jersey. I absolutely loved that we could call in our orders. I got the cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and Amish jam and Granny Smith apple slices, and it was so delicious. My two other friends also really enjoyed their bagel sandwiches (one got the veggie cream cheese spread and the other got butter and jam).

Build your own bagel and enjoy the freshest bagel you may ever eat. Extraordinary place for breakfast! They have also soya milk. Highly recommended!

Spread bagelry is a good spot to grab a home made bagel breakfast sandwich or bagel with home made craft spreads. The bagels are good, not great, and the spreads are pretty good. The problem with this place is the service. The people behind the counter are often rude due to the long lines. The "free" water they provide is rarely filled and in the summer, the place is around 115 degrees. I understand it's a bagel shop where they have an oven going the whole time, but they can at least try and cool the place off. The air conditioner was barely running, i am guessing in an attempt to save money. I emailed the store about this and basically got a you don't like it don't come here response. Okay! Not going there anymore!

the faces i know ,the oven man/sandwhichmaker, where are they? Everyone seems robotic. Food ,bagels are off.

They call them "MOntreal Bagels" - and the line outfront of this place told us they must be good. They were. You can order a choice of bagel as a breakfast "sandwich" or with just a spread. I got the salmon spread. Very tasty. They boil the bagels, then put them in a wood - fired oven to toast up. Very "easy" to eat. Sometimes, bagels are either too chewy or too hard. These were just right - I told my daughter, "These are very easy to eat."

I'm not a fan of Montreal bagels or I would have given a 5. So i rate the bagels a 3. I give the sandwich I got as a 5. It was turkey with green apples and cheddar and bacon and maybe other stuff. The turkey on it was amazing! It was real turkey, not lunch meat! And tasted like it had been brined. I watched the sandwich being made, and have no idea how the guy cut the apple slices so thin without losing fingers. I will be back (but might ask them to leave off the bagel).

Hmmm, I have to say I was not impressed with the bagels from Spread Bagelry. It is a cute store, friendly enough staff on a busy morning, but I did not like the bagels. Disclaimer, I am from NYC so perhaps my taste leans towards the NY style bagel. The cream cheese spread was tasty enough.

Spread is the type of place where they do everything right, the bagels are made from scratch on site and baked in a wood fired oven that you can stare into while you stand at the counter. The fillings are fresh and generous and taste amazing. Spread is located in a really cool part of town just off Rittenhouse Square and beautiful for an early morning stroll. I would travel to Philly just to eat here!

I wanted egg, cheese, and turkey bacon on a bagel as the menu had promised. They didn’t have turkey bacon. It took them half an hour to make a bagel that wasn’t cut in half and the egg and cheese even fell off the bagel. Needles to say the service was abhorrent and the food ok at best. Choose wisely.

Trekked here on the recommendation of my brother, but saw that this little neighborhood place had one numerous "Best of" from Philadelphia Magazine and other notable publications. Reportedly there is always a long line, but we hit it late afternoon and walked right in. Nice staff, and a great wood oven smell will greet you. I ordered my bagel favorite: everything bagel with cream cheese & salmon. Here it was Amish cream cheese and Nova Lox; even better. Not exactly a NY style bagel, but that is not a criticism. The bagel was excellent and the freshest I've ever had. I may have just come from the oven. I'm somewhat glad I don't live in that nice neighborhood because I would go there daily and gain 20 pounds.

The coffee & juices were great but the bagels were just ok. If you like NYC bagels these are not your cup of tea. Interesting bagel but I did not care for the oven toasted bagel. I had the everything bagel and it had no flavor.

My son-in-law introduced us to this fantastic bagel place in the Rittenhouse area. The bagels are wood oven baked and dense. We had an egg, cheese and bacon bagel that we split and we were able to sight-see the whole day until supper time. Delish, and filling. I took some home, they freeze well. So good, like none I have had before.

With all the great bagels in and around this city this place keeps the bar high with nice offerings. We had the lox and cream on plain bagels and they were damn good. I will return again.

OMG. We went there recently and their bagels were to die for. They had a large selection to pick from. Great customer service as well. We highly recommend.

These bagels are every bit as good as the best in Montreal. Usually uncrowded, beware the long lines on Sunday morning. They also serve piping hot La Colombe coffee. Seating in the back a bit cramped. Banquette by the window and sidewalk tables provide more space.

Went here for breakfast over the weekend and was happily surprised by how good the bagels were. I had heard good things about Spread and was eager to try them while in Philly back in march but I wasn't able to get there. Finally was able to visit this past weekend and was so happy with the bagel I got. They use fresh farmer's cream cheese which totally made the bagel. It was so fresh and melty, it was just awesome. They do seem to run out of popular flavors (they were out of everything whole wheat by the time I got there around noon) but they have a bunch of other classic flavors to choose from. Their sandwiches looked huge and are also made with fresh ingredients. Their coffee was awesome, I think it was La Colombe coffee but I forget. There will definitely be a line but it moved pretty quick for us. There was plenty of seating inside and out. I definitely recommend this place for bagels and breakfast.

Weekends are always busy and there is usually a line, but it moves quickly. The bagels are crisp on the outside and perfect on the inside with a nice variety of spreads and fillings. A nice place to pick up breakfast and head to the Square (Rittenhouse, that is) to relax and people watch.