OC Bagels

When you're up at the crack of dawn for a White Elephant party and some networking, the coffee and bagels better be good.

OC Bagels is almost out in the middle of nowhere. It's past the 5 off of Alicia and almost gets buried in the residential lot and before you disappear into that oasis, there's a gas station and then there's OC Bagels.

I was pleased to walk up and discover a big sign on their door that said "proudly brewing Kean coffee." Having read rave reviews from yelpers Mary R. and Justin A. about Kean coffee, I was delighted that Kean was brewed somewhere locally in south OC and I didn't have to make the trek to Tustin to try some. And folks, this coffee is just out of the world. It's bold. It's fresh. And it's invigorating. It has the right kick to beat the sleep right out of my system and keep me on my toes.

The owner here is super friendly. We got into a good conversation before I ordered my OC Daybreak bagel sandwich on a sun-dried tomato bagel. The menu is small but these sandwiches are packed to the brim to keep you going all morning long. The eggs are fluffy and prepared fresh.

OC Bagels is what a local bagel shop should be like - friendly, inviting, with awesome bagels and coffee.

Even though I'm not a bagel connoisseur, I still can tell that this place is very nice. I wandered in today, after having passed it a dozen times. Turns out, OC Bagels has been only open for less than a month!

This place has everything a great bagel bistro (they don't call it a cafe) can have: espresso drinks, 21 different flavors of bagels, a half a dozen cream cheeses, free Internet wifi, about 30+ seats and tables. Indoor seating and outdoor patio seating too. The menu board is huge! The jalapeno cheese bagel even had visible slices of jalapeno under the cheese! And, you can watch them make the bagels behind the glass of the bricked-in corner.

The OC Register article (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bagel-bagels-mahshi-2301009-coffee-open) interview with the owner says its bagels are New York style.

And one more thing. Bagels are 50% off after 3:00pm weekdays / 2:00pm weekends. Sweeeeeet!

I wasn't in the mood for a big bagel sandwich today, so I decided to try the hummus plate. Wow! This is some tasty hummus! It had lemon in it, just the way I like it, and was served with toasted bagel chips. Delicious!

I am sorry to say that I completely disagree with some of my Elite friends here. This place is just horrible. Gross. Bad. Let me see if I can try to quantify some of this crap.

Bagel- just ok.
Cream cheese- tastes like it was from a grocery store generic brand which had been opened last week.
Apple pastry- Rock hard (stale) exterior, mediocre mush interior.
Coffee- me thinks they are not brewing Kean coffee- as advertised. The swill they served me was worse than Nescafe.

And the kicker: "do you have any fresh fruit?" Cashier: "uh, we only have these whole banana's and oranges, but they are about 6 days old".

OK, thanks for your honesty. Bye-bye.

I wish I could give OC Bagels a higher rating, and perhaps I will when I decide to return one day. However kind the service was and homely the establishment itself was, there are just some things that cannot be forgiven.

I woke up this morning with an intense craving for a bagel, lox, and all the trimmings. Eschewing my nearby I Love Bagels to try a new place out (especially a place that seemed more like a chill cafe whose wi-fi I could take advantage of freely and wantonly), I drove a tiny bit further away to check out OC Bagels, of whose family-run reputation and delicious bagel sandwiches I'd heard much about in the recent days. Found it. Already awesome.

The inside does look like a college student's cafe -- tables, couch seats, electrical outlets, and a small patio. Very cool. I proudly march up to the front and guess what -- they are OUT of their Nova Scotia salmon. Sigh. Instead of tucking my tail through my legs and just walking away, I opt for the lox spread on a chocolate chip bagel. "Interesting combination, but okay," I get from the lovely girl. Lox spread on choc chip + nonfat chai latte (20 oz) = $8.

Too much schmear, too salty. (As a matter of fact I ordered another toasted bagel so I could spread the love.) But it's not those qualities that bothered me; I mean, it was soooo salty it didn't even taste like smoked salmon anymore. Sad face. Then there were hardly any chocolate chips in the bagel. More sad face. Saving grace was the fact that the bagel itself was pretty delicious and definitely stood out as more of a New York-style attempt. Chai latte was delicious if needing a bit more spice to counteract the sweet.

I made the stupid, stupid mistake of ordering the whole wheat everything bagel to finish up my overdrawn lox spread account. Biiiiig mistake -- this bagel was saltier than honestly any other bagel I've had anywhere. Then I remembered seeing 'salt' bagels in their display and realized -- they put EXTRA salt on the everything bagel? Really??? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of an 'everything' bagel in the first place? You can't taste the poppy seeds and sesame seeds and caraway seeds and dried onion goodness etc. when it's all overpowered by roooocks and rocks of salt...

Anyway, I wouldn't label myself a bagel expert by any means but I must say I was disappointed overall. Reading about the owner's story and really really loving my NY bagels may bring me back someday soon, however. Please stop running out of smoked salmon on the weekends!!!

I'm not an expert, but because bagels are one of my favorite things I have had a lot of bagels.

The decor was nice, it was definitely clean and the staff were friendly. But if we are going to talk bagels I was seriously disappointed.

First, they use fennel seeds in their everything bagels. Probably one of my greatest pet peeves ever, and the easiest way to ruin a perfectly good bagel. For those of you who like fennel, not an issue. Beyond that the bagel was lacking in texture. They also didn't toast it long enough. It seriously lacked the crunchy top/chewy interior any good toasted bagel should have.

Jalapeno cheese bagels are my second favorite, and my husband ordered one that was displayed on a special place on the counter. It had poor texture, flavor and spice.

We were really hoping that it would be good because of it's convenient location, but sadly I don't think we will be returning to OC Bagels again.

My husband and I go here every weekend pretty much. They have only been open a few weeks I think, but we really like it. The bagels are tasty. I usually get the everything bagel with lox spread...yummy! My husband has had many of the breakfast sandwich bagels and they are awesome. Try the flavored cream cheeses too, the honey nut on a wheat bagel is great. Coffee is really good too! Give this place a shot!

Emmaline was SUPER friendly and helpful. Our breakfast bagels were quick and yummy! Normally I go to Bagel & Brew in MV but their 45-min wait for a bagel is outta control. OC Bagels was spacious, clean and had free WiFi and easy parking. A very pleasant change.

my boyfriend and I come here about once a week for lunch. Tuesdays they have a really good deal but I always forget about it haha. Bolsa chica turkey on rye...can't beat it.

As far as local cuisine in south county, this is pretty good. Cool, tan, good-looking south countians will serve you freshly-made-on-site bagels with delicious toppings. The sandwiches are the best and if you're heading in, I suggest grabbing a honey vanilla latte then crossing the street and chilling at the Laguna Hills community center/park for a bit of the best weather anywhere in Southern Califonia! ;)