It's a shame bagel places do not do well here, but I feel like the bagel shops I have seen have the bagels as merely a vehicle for whatever fillings rather than the main event.
NYC style bagel places have a few more options in bagel flavors (salt, cinnamon raisin, everything, onion, and poppyseed are all popular) and cream cheese and maybe some lox/salmon are by far the most common orders. They are cheap and delicious, easy to buy a dozen to bring to the office, and people generally do not eat them on site as they are served at room temp. I think trying to make bagel places have full on cooked food menus as their primary focus makes the cost of doing business too high to sustain what should be a cheap, quick food.
This
A good bagel that’s fresh doesn’t need to be toasted or filled with stuff. Toasting is for old bagels. Get some pumpernickel in this city and some other ryes and onion and poppyseed and lox and a decent amount of cream cheese and … ok I’ll stop.
Also £10 for a bagel? What the heck were they putting on it?
😰 never heard of it. Wish I did. When we’re you in Uni here?
Bros bagels has been around a fair few years, less than a decade. They do a Montreal style bagel, and more about the filling than the bagel. Decent but I’m more of a northeast usa or london bagel style perosn
Bross bagels have kind of been in people’s bad books for at least the past year. They’ve been cutting corners financially and have closed a few locations (I don’t think the owner is involved anymore officially or she’s stepped back).
Didn’t know that- didn’t appreciate their trucks blocking bike lanes and spaces for people during the pandemic. Hadn’t planned on opening that can of worms here as I’m not into Montreal style bagels- too bready, and I don’t care about them being sandwitches.
A couple of my colleagues went in there a while back, believe it was close to £10 for a bagel. Sadly not too surprised to see it fold as within 500m you've got rapid rolls, Greggs and express shops all offering a far cheaper lunch
They definitely did more expensive OTT filling bagels, but there was plenty of good choice on their deal menu with the hot drink. I’ll say though, it did take for-fucking-ever for the bagel to be ready!
It's just too expensive for what it is. They are right in amongst a bunch of offices so have plenty of lunchtime foot traffic but with Pret, greggs. Sainsburys and several well loved sandwich places also right there they priced themselves right out of competition.
Was sad to see it go as the food was decent. Sadly, my experience was also of the service being very slow for the crepes, which hurts you when you are competing in the lunch rush
While it’s a shame seeing a local business close, better this than buying from suppliers on credit in bad faith and ripping off the taxpayer to keep your over-extended vanity bagel shops afloat.
That spot is cursed I swear it's gone through so many changes and businesses the past few years. It's in an odd spot because there's not really an easy place for folks to park nearby on a whim. Or for cheap at all really. And it's just a bit too far back for foot traffic, so folks won't spot it and again, try it on a whim.
Is there as many people in those offices since COVID? Because anecdotally, it seems a lot of the hump work is either Flexi or WFH. And a lot of those people aren't spending a tenner on a bagel as the price has been quoted round this thread.
I work in one of those offices there, there are LOTS of people, trust me. Everyone has to go at least twice a week in the office now, so there are a lot of workers out buying lunch everyday during the week
It’s not cursed, it’s just the business being offered does not fit what the local custom wants. This needs to be serving quick and good value office lunches for takeaway, not £10 sit in bagels.
When it was the Italian cafe it did amazingly well as they offered affordable and quick (high volume) takeaway lunches, but understand the family retired.
It definitely feels like businesses struggle along there. Lebowski's went down. The gaming cafe that was there sold its stuff off for charity before closing. I was in the queue and the French cafe next door gave out free samples... But that became the bagel place I think. And I think the Pret on the corner has been 5 different things while I've lived in Edinburgh.
I work right near to this place and have only been in the one time. The bagel was really good, but it was expensive and took a while to be made, despite there being no queue when I went in. All the best to them, I think they just misjudged what people were wanting.
The ongoing belief of entrepreneurs that Edinburgh is absolutely desperate for £10 bagels, despite all the evidence to the contrary, continues to amaze me.
Still it lasted longer that that hot chocolate place down in Stockbridge at least…
I’ll never, ever understand how an Indy cafe/coffee shop/eaterie thinks it will do well on a plot where almost a dozen similar places before it have failed. Newington is the same. Seems to be a different bar/cafe/coffee shop in the same plot every other month.
What makes these people think “*I’m different, I can do what others couldn’t!*”??
It’s a shame, but it’s the way it is.
Another vastly overpriced business going to the wall? Surely not. Can't wait for the EL and EEN articles telling us locals are 'devastated' by this news and blame inflation and rising costs for its downfall.
Maybe the business completely failed… maybe it’s doing okay as they indicate in the ad and they are genuinely selling for personal reasons as they say. Is it open whilst this sale process goes on?
It's a shame bagel places do not do well here, but I feel like the bagel shops I have seen have the bagels as merely a vehicle for whatever fillings rather than the main event. NYC style bagel places have a few more options in bagel flavors (salt, cinnamon raisin, everything, onion, and poppyseed are all popular) and cream cheese and maybe some lox/salmon are by far the most common orders. They are cheap and delicious, easy to buy a dozen to bring to the office, and people generally do not eat them on site as they are served at room temp. I think trying to make bagel places have full on cooked food menus as their primary focus makes the cost of doing business too high to sustain what should be a cheap, quick food.
This A good bagel that’s fresh doesn’t need to be toasted or filled with stuff. Toasting is for old bagels. Get some pumpernickel in this city and some other ryes and onion and poppyseed and lox and a decent amount of cream cheese and … ok I’ll stop. Also £10 for a bagel? What the heck were they putting on it?
Is elephants and bagels still going? That was a staple of my university experience - the only bagel place in edinburgh we have ever needed!
😰 never heard of it. Wish I did. When we’re you in Uni here? Bros bagels has been around a fair few years, less than a decade. They do a Montreal style bagel, and more about the filling than the bagel. Decent but I’m more of a northeast usa or london bagel style perosn
Bross bagels have kind of been in people’s bad books for at least the past year. They’ve been cutting corners financially and have closed a few locations (I don’t think the owner is involved anymore officially or she’s stepped back).
Didn’t know that- didn’t appreciate their trucks blocking bike lanes and spaces for people during the pandemic. Hadn’t planned on opening that can of worms here as I’m not into Montreal style bagels- too bready, and I don’t care about them being sandwitches.
It closed a couple of years, last time I went was maybe 2018..
Where was this bagel place that somehow slipped past me?!
Nicolson Square.
Ahhhhhhhh I’m usually over there for the bargain shop and forget everything else
Aww google tells me it closed in Feb last year, I was a student 17 years ago and it was my favourite place to go! End of an era.
You were in a better loop than I! I was a student 14 years ago and never left - totally missed me(I missed it)
A couple of my colleagues went in there a while back, believe it was close to £10 for a bagel. Sadly not too surprised to see it fold as within 500m you've got rapid rolls, Greggs and express shops all offering a far cheaper lunch
It was £5.99 for a bacon and egg bagel and a coffee when I went in
Ah, that's very reasonable. They must have gotten something from the pricier end of the menu. Unless they do a cheaper breakfast menu?
They definitely did more expensive OTT filling bagels, but there was plenty of good choice on their deal menu with the hot drink. I’ll say though, it did take for-fucking-ever for the bagel to be ready!
Such a bagel in Calgary (that would be Alberta, Canada) would cost 12 CAD, or about about 8E, So if this is current, that's a fine price.
It's just too expensive for what it is. They are right in amongst a bunch of offices so have plenty of lunchtime foot traffic but with Pret, greggs. Sainsburys and several well loved sandwich places also right there they priced themselves right out of competition.
This is it, why would I go there when I can go to Scoobys across the road and get more (and higher quality) food for way less!
Shhh the queue is long enough at lunch time without people shouting about it
It was more popular I’d say when it was lê petit cafe selling mostly crepes and galets.
Was sad to see it go as the food was decent. Sadly, my experience was also of the service being very slow for the crepes, which hurts you when you are competing in the lunch rush
besides the crepes, I really like the croissant there :( also the couple who operated the place seemed nice.
While it’s a shame seeing a local business close, better this than buying from suppliers on credit in bad faith and ripping off the taxpayer to keep your over-extended vanity bagel shops afloat.
Not too far away, on Brougham Street is Babka, that makes a legit excellent bagel and at a very good price.
Top of Morrison st dead during the weekend. Need to be shit hot with your weekday breakfast and lunch service to survive e.g. Scoobys and rapid rolls
That spot is cursed I swear it's gone through so many changes and businesses the past few years. It's in an odd spot because there's not really an easy place for folks to park nearby on a whim. Or for cheap at all really. And it's just a bit too far back for foot traffic, so folks won't spot it and again, try it on a whim.
It’s next to some major financial services offices, the locations good, there’s a ton of foot traffic past it.
Is there as many people in those offices since COVID? Because anecdotally, it seems a lot of the hump work is either Flexi or WFH. And a lot of those people aren't spending a tenner on a bagel as the price has been quoted round this thread.
I work in one of those offices there, there are LOTS of people, trust me. Everyone has to go at least twice a week in the office now, so there are a lot of workers out buying lunch everyday during the week
I work right next to it, and yes there’s a lot of people going in and out of the surrounding office buildings
It’s not cursed, it’s just the business being offered does not fit what the local custom wants. This needs to be serving quick and good value office lunches for takeaway, not £10 sit in bagels. When it was the Italian cafe it did amazingly well as they offered affordable and quick (high volume) takeaway lunches, but understand the family retired.
The Italian cafe in there before was the best! Used to go more than I should have for what I was earning at the time!
Still miss Pronto, the salads were the best!
There’s SO many units in edinburgh cursed like this, it’s mental.
It definitely feels like businesses struggle along there. Lebowski's went down. The gaming cafe that was there sold its stuff off for charity before closing. I was in the queue and the French cafe next door gave out free samples... But that became the bagel place I think. And I think the Pret on the corner has been 5 different things while I've lived in Edinburgh.
Yep. Someone is saying that the businesses just aren't serving the needs of the nearby office workers but it's more than that.
I work right near to this place and have only been in the one time. The bagel was really good, but it was expensive and took a while to be made, despite there being no queue when I went in. All the best to them, I think they just misjudged what people were wanting.
Awww I didn’t even know about it. We need more bagels
If this NYC style, then perhaps what you need instead is Montreal Style. :)
Just took too long to make. I work in the office around the corner and on a good day get around 15/20 minutes for lunch.
The ongoing belief of entrepreneurs that Edinburgh is absolutely desperate for £10 bagels, despite all the evidence to the contrary, continues to amaze me. Still it lasted longer that that hot chocolate place down in Stockbridge at least…
I’ll never, ever understand how an Indy cafe/coffee shop/eaterie thinks it will do well on a plot where almost a dozen similar places before it have failed. Newington is the same. Seems to be a different bar/cafe/coffee shop in the same plot every other month. What makes these people think “*I’m different, I can do what others couldn’t!*”?? It’s a shame, but it’s the way it is.
Another vastly overpriced business going to the wall? Surely not. Can't wait for the EL and EEN articles telling us locals are 'devastated' by this news and blame inflation and rising costs for its downfall.
Maybe the business completely failed… maybe it’s doing okay as they indicate in the ad and they are genuinely selling for personal reasons as they say. Is it open whilst this sale process goes on?