Cj’s Bagel Basket

Since new ownership selection has been bad. No bagels at lunch on a Saturday. Not the same CJ’s.

I’ve been a long time customer over the last 6 years. Today I ordered a breakfast bagel with no cheese. I can’t have cheese and they messed up my order. Not a huge deal, I brought to their attention and in return the peeled the cheese off and gave me the same sandwich. I brought it to their attention and the reply was «ok» with a smile. Wtf

I just happened to be in Ankeny and needed breakfast when I came across this place. My expectations shouldn’t have been so high but it wasn’t great. But for the price it was worth it. For about $ 5 you can get the breakfast combo before 10:30am. The combo comes with hash browns, a breakfast sandwich and a 16oz drink. The hash browns were more like trash browns. They were over cooked, extremely hard and too salty. The bagel itself was fantastic but the meat and cheese was mediocre. The drink I got was a pumpkin spice coffee which was perfect! I would honestly come back just for the coffee. All in all if you’re looking for a quick breakfast thats not mcdonalds but in the price range this is the place to go!

I love love love bagels and cream cheese and this place hits the spot. Their bagels are more on the soft/​chewy side which is a nice little change from my typical Panera bagels. I ordered the asiago cheese bagel with chive and ranch cream cheese. On my actual bagel you couldn’t see a ton of the asiago cheese (almost looked like a plain one), but it was still good. They are very very generous with the cream cheese, almost a bit too much for me. Next time I will probably order it on the side. If you’re big on cream cheese, it’ll be perfect for you. There have been alot of negative reviews on the service here but I didn’t seem to have any problems on my first visit. Hopefully they’ll keep it up and I’ll keep eating here.

CJ’s bagels is an awesome breakfast place in Ankeny. Generally always get the bagel bites (small bagel bites with cream cheese frosting) they have different flavors but all are really good. The Asiago Cheese bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese is excellent. Not a fan of all the flavored cream cheeses but you can get the cream cheese frosting as a substitute on your different bagels. Wish this place was open past 2:00pm

I’ve been coming to CJ’s Bagels for years. It’s still got one of the best deals in town: a bagel sandwich, baked lays and a pop for a little over six bucks! Their bagel bites are very popular and smoothies are awesome. They even have a donut shop inside their restaurant called Topped Donuts. They serve everything from old fashioned donuts to new and extravagant ones. They’re only open for breakfast and lunch and unfortunately, not open on Sunday’s.

I have to agree with another reviewer, they need to make better use of their time. It took forever just to give them my order, it shouldn’t take 20 minutes for a «toasted» bagel”. Either figure out how to multi task or hire another person for the morning shift. I ordered an everything bagel toasted with butter. What I got was a warm bagel with possibly margarine? I am not sure what it is, but it certainly didn’t melt as my bagel wasn’t even warm enough. Unfortunately, I got mine to go, so I didn’t realize this until I got to my office to eat it. I was sadly disappointed as this was the only place remotely close and I had been craving a toasted bagel. Next time, I will just buy mine at the grocery store and toast it myself. Also, they were out of orange juice? I gave them two stars as I have previously had their bagel bites that co-​workers have brought in to share and I really enjoyed those. I am not a big fan of chain food, but would say, go to Panera or Bruegers (or grocery store instead) instead, this was a disappointing experience and I won’t be back to give them a second chance as I don’t have the time to waste and then make sure they do what is asked of them (how hard is it to toast???)

I tried their coffee here because I just decided to check it after realizing it was connected to Topped Donuts. Their coffee was descent, not really than anywhere else I’ve had (I’m not really a coffee connoisseur, so most coffee taste alike to me). I saw other customers eating bagels and sandwiches and they looked pretty good.
I will definitely do a review update when I come back here to try their food items.

I am blown away that CJ’s does not have a higher rating. It is THE place to go for breakfast in Ankeny. You almost always run in to someone you know (for better or worse) and its sheer longevity and popularity are a testament to its food. I remember years ago when Brugels Bagels came to town, I thought it was the death knell for CJs. But guess who is still open? It has also maintained in the face of competition like Panera. You have to love that it’s local and I don’t know if I have ever been there when the owners WEREN’T working, which I admire. It is a solid Ankeny community restaurant.
Now – I will agree that I have had service issues at CJs. Let’s face it – their primary workforce is Ankeny High School students who aren’t always the most detail oriented and may take a while with your order. BUT this is not enough for me to discount the whole place.
Their bagels are great, particularly the asiago. They’re insanely generous with their cream cheese and their lunch items always hit the spot. Decent prices, too. This place is not going to blow you away, but if you’re in Ankeny, it’s a great place to stop.

Great food– best bagels around. Most awful customer service. Avoid ordering online as its never ready– they said website was down– even though I had confirmation email. Manager refused to address situation.

Great place for bagels and to hang out on a Saturday morning. The bagels are delicious and the closest thing you will get to New York City! We have had a breakfast bagel, and brought bagels home for company. The breakfast sammy was sooooo yummy and delicious. The bagel was slightly buttered, the egg had just the right amount of pepper, and the ham was tender and flavorful.
When you walk in the smells are overwhelming, and the staff are all so friendly and light hearted. You can’t but be in a good mood when you start the day at CJ’s Bagels.