Einstein Bros Bagels

This location is very difficult to get into the parking lot or park. I will say, the people are friendly however they are a franchise and ale their own rules/​prices. An small butter annoying fact is that the difference between a plain bagel unbuttered and a buttered bagel is $.60 and although they say it’s better it’s not. It’s actually is margarine blend $.60 is a lot to play for plastic on your bagel and isn’t that illegal to advertise it’s butter when it’s not really butter? the bagels are good but take them home ‚(if you can get into the parking lot).

I’m surprised that not many people talk about the bagels themselves. My wife and I agree that they aren’t bagels but bread with a hole. I don’t know if they make the bagels in the store or get them from a central commissary, but I don’t think they’ve been boiled before baked like a real bagel. It doesn’t have that chewiness and stretch that bagels have. Also, the dough tastes odd. This was my first time trying Einstein. If you want a real bagel, try Western Bagel.

This lot started out a Shell station many years ago. Then it was a bank and then a loan/​mortgage company. The current tenants converted it to an Einstein franchise. The parking is tight and the place is always busy. While their bagels don’t compete with ones from Montréal or Miami they are tasty and the staff is perfectly fine. I don’t know what other reviewers are complaining about. This place is a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.

Great location. Great staff. By far my favorite Einstein’s. Great little stop on my way to work. If you are in the area stop by.

Location, Location, Location!
I don’t know what someone was thinking when they decided to put an Einstein Bros in this previous Financial Services location. It is on the wrong side of the street from 99% of all the commuters heading to the freeway, And there are maybe 7 parking spaces. I live fairly close to this location, but after multiple failed attempts to actually park and get inside, I always end up having to drive a few miles to the one on Mission Gorge where there is actually parking. Unless you can walk here, or are passing by willing to try your luck with a parking space, just skip this location.

I’ve stopped by this location at least two dozen times since its opening. Every time, the same outcome; Shitty customer service. All of the employees act like they’re doing you a favor when they take your order. Their faces match their miserable attitudes. The bagels are the same as any other Einstein Bagels. The exception is the employees. I’d rather drive a few more minutes to the Einsteins on Mission Gorge.
Also, edit to add: The parking lot is a nightmare.

Worst service unfriendly kids working there waited 10 minutes for a bagel with cream cheese asked for it double toasted it came so burnt that it was inedible
This place consistently disappoints

I was super pumped for my bagel with avocado and tomato, but the 1 measly tomato slice was mushy and the avocado was barely there. Also — no tapitio — no returno. The coffee was also no bueno. Oh well, west coast bagels — what was I thinking?

After numerous bad experiences, I kept going back because I really wanted to like this place. They frequently get orders incorrect; twice now when I’ve asked for no tomatoes, I can tell they put tomatoes on but then removed them at the last second (tomato juice/​seeds all over the bagel). Come on, guys, that’s bad practice! People could be allergic and you should be more careful.
The parking lot is a pain and it takes forever to get your order. It would be so convenient to stop here on my way to work but I can’t afford 10 minutes in line plus waiting 20 minutes for a bagel.
Tried again and again, finally giving up. Hopefully someone at corporate reads these reviews and helps this place work out the kinks.

I’m giving this place two stars. The food was good but Anthony on the register did not listen to anything we ordered. I got a Nova Lox with no capers and a thinastic chicken pesto with a side. We were the only ones in line. When we got our food, there was CAPERS on my lox when I clearly said no capers, and they didn’t put a side and claimed we said «no sides» but we clearly said fruit cups when he asked. How could u get a order wrong when we were the only ones in line

Oy, here we go again with the «holes with rolls».
Ok these aren’t bad bagels, just lacking authenticity, but after 18 years in San Diego
authenticity is very hard to come by.
Overlooking the fact that there was a looooong wait, & much confusion behind the counter AND my order being given to the wrong customer, (who brought it out to his car before he discovered that, but promptly brought it back) – the plain bagel was ok w/​cream cheese & Nova. Not a huge portion of Nova, but tasty & well cut.
**sigh**
Have had better.

Ordered an everything bagel with plain cream cheese smear.
Came out fast. And tasty of course.
Also got one of their orange juices.
Be careful there… It was way watered down. Went back inside and the girl gave me a fresh one.
Tip: sign up for their emailing list. I saved 20% off my order!

Really bad parking. I went here with my full-​sized pickup and had a difficult time parking. I was actually on my way to leave when a care with the only spot I could fit in left.
The remodeled the building but they left the old bank parking lot intact. There are lots of parking lot islands to maneuver around, that old external drive through thing, and all of it is on a hill. The spots are really small too.
I would stop here on my way home but there is now way I’d ever find a spot to park. There isn’t even an adjacent parking lot to go to. I’d avoid this place until you either start riding your bike up one of the most dangerous hills in San Diego or they fix their parking problem.

A new shop that still needs to fix a few kinks. Service is on the slow end. I stopped in to pick up a baker’s dozen. At other locations, they have them ready to go so you just grab two toppings and a box and your ready to go. The lay out needs a little streamlining. I like the sofas to sit and relax a bit.
The building used to be a bank. The drive ATM machine takes up a sizable chunk of real estate and makes for a oddball parking lot.

I am content to give this place one star because the food was good. The service was atrocious. My cashier (a blonde girl with a Harley Quinn tattoo on her left arm and a perpetual smirk) gave me attitude and when I asked a few simple questions (as I’d never been to an Einstein Bros before) she literally rolled her eyes at me before giving me the shortest, least helpful answers she could think of. When she offered me a side and i asked what my options were, she actually sighed at me before answering.
News flash: you work in customer service. You’re going to have to answer a question once in a while.
I never write reviews, but this woman was so rude to me that despite the food being really good and conveniently close to me, I actually doubt I will ever want to go back in.

I’ve tried this new location several times on my way to work. They have definitely NOT figured out the kinks yet and I would not recommend this branch for anyone that is in a hurry. Here are a few of the things I’ve experienced:
1) I ordered two bagels and a caramel macchiato. I received my bagels but noticed no one was making my espresso drink. Since lots of people were just standing around I asked if someone could start brewing it. Someone came over right away to start it, but then discovered that the machine hadn’t been cleaned from the night before so had an error message. After waiting for quite a while I finally had to give up and leave without my drink. I called the manager and told him what happened and he left a free drink coupon for me. But when I got home I realized that their grand opening special for that day was free espresso drinks anyway, so the staff shouldn’t have even charged me for the drink I didn’t get.
2) Three times now I have ordered a sandwich. Their menu states that all sandwiches come with a pickle and a side of your choosing. Each time I order the potato salad and I’ve seen that the cashier has put it in the computer. Each time I get my bag of food and look in it and there is no pickle and no potato salad. Every week I then ask for potato salad and the staff starts scrambling to look for it, and then each time they’ve told me they’re out and asked what else I wanted. Not sure why they can’t know they’re out when I order it or remember to include a side since every sandwich supposedly comes with one and because I can see it saying potato salad from my side of the counter.
All in all, they need to increase their staff’s training and familiarity with their menu and policies. It’s frustrating as a consumer to feel like you have to check to make sure everything is correct with your order, and it’s doubling frustrating when the staff seems unable to make it correct on multiple occasions.

Just like most of you, I like a good bagel, and even better, I love a bagel topped with smoked salmon. That being said, I ordered the Lox on Honey Wheat Bagel with cream cheese, capers, and a dusting of black pepper. To wash it all down, I ordered a house drips coffee and helped my self to the medium roast self serve.
The lox was pretty good and had a decent smokiness to it. I would I liked it a little more smokier, but it was good. The salmon was very soft and light with a creamy texture. The cream cheese was very nice, and the capers were surprisingly mild in flavor and did not have that heavy salty pickled taste that overwhelms the palate. The whole wheat and honey bagel was good, but they over toasted it, so it carried that burnt toast flavor here and there.
The gents at the counter were cool, and the lady who happen to be brewing more coffee at the coffee counter was very nice and informative. She gave me the spiel on Einstein’s coffee making process. The parking lot at this location can be cramped, especially during peak hours in the morning.
Easy on the toasting of the bagels.

This review focuses primarily on the Bagels sold here.
This Einstein Bros location opened yesterday, and as I did not have time to stop by for the Grand Opening I decided to check it out today. The building used to be a bank many years ago and then was an insurance agency for at least the last ten years. Therefore a complete makeover was necessary to turn it into a restaurant. The location at the corner of College Ave. and Del Cerro Blvd. is a good one with much traffic passing by. The property however is small with no more than a dozen parking spaces. There is ample street parking on Del Cerro Blvd, so that’s not too much of a problem. Everything in the restaurant is brand new which is nice, but there is not too much space. Whenever I get bagels, I get them to go and eat them at home, so the availability of seating in the restaurant is not important to me.
I purchased four different bagels to go and a 6 ounce tub of plain cream cheese which came to $ 10.07. Turns out they rang the order up wrong, and they charged me for two each @ $ 1.89 for a Spicy Nacho Bagel and $ 1.25 for a Everything Bagel. I actually also ordered a Garlic Bagel and a Plain Bagel, but I did not want to make an issue of ringing the order up wrong because they were very busy and the girl at the register was very nervous it only being the second day of business.
Now for the bagels, the consistency of the dough is wrong, it’s more like an English Muffin with a lot of air holes. This causes the bagels to toast unevenly on the cut side and also does not allow for the even spreading of cream cheese. They are also not easy to cut because of all the hollow spaces. The bagels lack density and do not have that «bagel taste» in the dough. The taste of the dough is very good, but not really very bagel like. The topping on the Everything Bagel lacked substance and quantity, the Garlic Bagel was better, but for some reason the Bagel was dark on the outside. The Spicy Nacho Bagel was quite good, nice and hot with a lot of cheese, but again full of air holes. I put it on a griddle and this caused it to shrink so it was about an inch thick when it was toasted. The Plain Bagel was good, but had the same dough problem as the others. I think they need to work on their recipe. A two star rating on Unilocal equals «Meh. I’ve experienced better» and that is my opinion.
I can get a much better made, much better tasting and cheaper bagel at another local bagel shop for 95 cents a bagel ($ 9.50 for thirteen) regardless of the type.
I support neighborhood businesses, so to be fair I will go back at a future date for a second try, but at this point I can not recommend the bagels.

Just stopped in here after school for their grand opening. Boy, they’re packed! Not much parking; you might just park at Windmill Farms and walk over. There’s also parking in the back, which is more easily accessed by going in through the College entrance. However, some of the parking along the fence is for the apartments, so look at the signage.
One thing I always notice about Einstein Bros. (and that I was hoping would change in this location) is that the food pick up is right in the middle of the register line. So, after you place your order, instead of stepping off to the side, you have to lurk around by the people trying to get their orders in, then muscle your way back through to the counter to get your food. Why not hand out the food near the drink orders, or design the flow differently? The setup really only works if there are like 2 people in line.
Today, the line went out the door. It took about 10 minutes for my sandwich and they forgot the potato salad. But they’re obviously working out kinks. The manager introduced herself and checked on my food for me, which I appreciated. I’m sure she is taking notes on what’s working and what’s not.
The food was good, bacon seemed fresh, potato bagel perfectly chewy. They left off the tomato spread my turkey-​avocado-​bacon sandwich, but that’s okay because I was thinking I might not like it anyway! Good call.
The seating design is great. They have outdoor couches and a number of tables. Inside, they have both the mass shared table and smaller tables.
Anyway, they were doing a great job for it a) being the first day and b) the mass of people that suddenly showed up. The workers were friendly though they were kind of packed in back there, each doing their best to help out. I suspect they’ll be getting more traffic once the high school lets out, too. And I appreciated that the manager and the staff seemed to care about doing a good job, so that’s why they get 4 stars!

I keep thinking about Woody Allen’s line: «…80 percent of success is showing up.»
On May 5, noticing a crowd inside the area’s newest Einstein Brothers bagel shop, I parked and walked to the door, where I was met by the owner. She told me that the people inside were «Friends and Family,» there to help break in the store’s new crew, ahead of the next day’s Grand Opening. The event was invitation only, she said, and with a dumb, optimistic grin, I replied, «You should invite me!»
She did.
Once inside, I realized that this was the nicest Einstein Brothers I’d ever seen, not simply because it was new. There were wooden counters and nice tile floors; shiny equipment behind the counter; and solid, comfortable tables and chairs — inside, and on the large and uncrowded patio, which overlooks Del Cerro Boulevard.
I remembered that Einstein’s parent company, Einstein Noah, was bought last fall by JAB Holding Company, which also owns a controlling stake in Jimmy Choo, and suddenly, the store’s appealing décor made sense.
At the counter, I was offered my choice of several bagel-​based sandwiches, a side order and a drink, at no charge. I guess I’d become a Friend. I selected my Einstein Brothers favorite: Turkey, Bacon and Avocado on Sesame. I also ordered a latte with two shots. My order was prepared quickly, and I found a seat near the coffee corner.
Though Einstein Brothers’ bagels aren’t as dense and chewy as traditional ones, they’re tasty, always fresh, and honestly, I think they are more convenient for sandwich-​making than are NY-​style bagels.
My lunch was delicious, the sandwich being filled with moist turkey, ripe avocado and tomato. And that sauce was a knockout; a thin, rich and savory roasted tomato spread that enhanced my bagel’s otherwise simple combination of flavors.
The latte? Of course, it wasn’t a high-​end, anti-​Starbucks, single origin, light roast made to satisfy the tastes of Hipster Nation; that’s not what Einstein does, and that’s ok.
Frankly, Einstein Brothers’ coffee used to be harsh and undesirable, but it’s gotten better, and I couldn’t help wondering if there’s a connection between that improvement and the fact that JAB also owns controlling interests in both Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Caribou Coffee Company.
It’s fun to speculate, and in the meantime, I enjoyed my lunch and coffee, prepared and served by the enthusiastic and well-​trained staff at this new Einstein Brothers. The store is a mile from my house. Look for me there around dawn, more often than not.
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n.b. Parking is the single negative aspect of this establishment. The store was installed in a former bank building, whose ATM still occupies valuable space in the parking lot. Some street parking is available. Ultimately, however, I believe this Einstein Brothers will attract neighborhood foot traffic, making it a gathering place for friends and families.