From the ashes of Royal Bagel & Deli comes… a place that clearly got some really big bagel ovens on the cheap. And, look, they gave the old place a really good overhaul. I mean, yes, you really have to love the color green to be super-high on their aesthetic, but it is, by all accounts, one trillion times better in there than it used to be. Like a place you might actually be okay ordering foodstuffs. Seems they’ve evicted whatever was living in the dark corners of Royal Bagel — a place that really needed a good fire bombing — and injected their strong sense of branding (including t-shirts) in a sparkly, made-for-social new package.
But O’Bagel? Since when are bagels Irish? Why is it even a thing? Are we going to open an Irish Pub called McLipschitz’s? I’ve been to Ireland and I don’t recall bagels even being something they sold there. And, yes, I’m just being stupid about the name, but you have to admit it’s a little confusing. Or strangely orgasmic. You know, give me your O’Bagel face. That kind of thing. It’s shiny and new, no doubt, but I imagine Royal Bagel looked like a million bucks back when it opened in the 1860s or whenever. That’s like 14 billion in 2025 dollars.
Now that I’ve talked about the name and the space, let’s get to the food. Hipster Jr. Jr. and I got bacon egg and cheeses on a bagel. What one might call a breakfast sandwich. Or a bagel breakfast sandwich. Whatever you call it, it’s pretty standard fare for any bagel joint. The baseline sandwich that features both their core product, bagel, and highlights their ability to use a flattop grill to cook an egg and some pork product. So, how did O’Bagel make out? Oh… well. Yeah, their bagels are a little bready. You can even see that in their photos on their website. The nooks and crannies are a little too nooky and a little too cranny-ish. Too many holes where there should be bagel. Too dry around the edges of the bagel flesh and holey the way a slice of sourdough bread might be and not the way a more doughy-based bagel is and should be. I suppose that there are some people who like breadier bagels. But there are also people who like well-done steaks and peach-flavored things. Black licorice and egg salad with pickles in it. So there is no accounting for taste. The egg was fine, but not evenly distributed on the bagel, which seemed a little — I don’t know — haphazard. Generally the whole taste profile was unremarkable. Hipster Jr. Jr. was also disappointed with the amount of bacon on her sandwich and the general consistency of what was there. Overall, five out of ten. Not totally dissimilar to the bagel place it replaced food-wise. Better than a McDonald’s bagel egg and cheese, sure. But not up to snuff for NJ. Will I go back to get a bagel and cream cheese out of convenience? Of course I will. Because I’m a sucker for convenience.
560 Bloomfield Ave. – Montclair
973/330-3512
obagel.net
