Nothing beats a fresh bagel for breakfast. I’m not a morning person, never have been and never will, but a great meal before I start my day can make all the difference. Bagels & Noodles is great because they serve fresh breakfast with a lot of variety.
They’re a fusion spot, mixing together the cuisines of classic american breakfast with Vietnamese staples like noodle soup, thai curry and pad thai. There’s a serious lack of quality breakfast establishments in Gainesville, especially in the Midtown area. If you want fresh breakfast done right with a bit of twist, check out Bagels & Noodles on West University avenue, right across the street from campus.
The concept at B&N is pretty simple. Bagels in the morning, noodles for lunch. You can order anything off the menu for breakfast, but I’d suggest going with the American cuisine. My personal favorite dish is the open faced chicken salad sandwich on a plain bagel. The breakfast food isn’t going to change your world, but it’s definitely better than grabbing scones or a microwaved bagel from Dunkin Donuts.
I’m not as big a fan of their Vietnamese food because I’m usually in B&N for breakfast. The few times that I have ventured over to the noodles I enjoyed what I ordered, though. My favorite non-breakfast dish is the Vietnamese beef stew. You get big chunks of tender beef mixed in with all sorts of different seasonings and aromas, it’s an extremely comforting dish.
One of my favorite aspects about Bagels & Noodles is their service. This isn’t McDonalds, you’re not going to get in and get out in two minutes, but I consider that a good thing. The food isn’t ready 90 seconds after ordering because everything is made to order.
Even when the staff messes up, the service is still better than most of the restaurants in town. While dining in once, my meal took an inordinate amount of time to reach the table. The staff politely apologized and I got free drinks, plus a heaping portion of noodles once my plate finally arrived. The service is friendly, which is a definite plus when dining in.
Bagels & Noodles is my favorite breakfast spot in Gainesville. The food isn’t mind blowingly original, but it’s hard to beat the convenience of fresh bagels right across the street from campus.
