What A Bagel

I’m never coming back here again. The HEALTH DEPARTMENT has been called on them and will be checking up on them. Hopefully they shut this DISEASE INFESTATION down. And I actually used to love coming here. NOT ANYMORE!!! Here’s what happened:
There was a lady getting bagels and she was pretty sick (coughing in her hands and in her jacket). Instead of using the tongs to pick up the bagels, she used her hands. The staff was notified about this and the lady was told to use the tongs instead of her hands. The idiot lady angrily emptied her bag of bagels she had picked up with her DIRTY/​COUGHED on hands and back into the bagel trays. She then stormed out.
The staff saw this and did not do any damage control on the bagels that she had contaminated. All the staff who did not see this were notified about what she had done to contaminate all of their bagels. The staff’s reply was that they could not force anyone to use the tongs. Ok. Understandable. But when asked what they were going to do about the bagels that she had contaminated and thrown back into the new pile of bagels???
Well… Their reply was «We cannot force anyone to use tongs». SERIOUSLY!!! There was no attempt to control the spread of the women’s dirty bagels and they did not even attempt to remove even the ones that she had left in their. They should have completely removed the entire bin of bagels that she had contaminated but they did not because they wanted to sell them and get other people sick. They knew that once all the people in the store had left, other unaware people would come in and buy the bagels that this women had touched with her BARE HANDS which she had COUGHED on and THROWN BACK INTO THE BAGEL BINS.
This is a disgrace and absolutely disgusting. The staff here have absolutely no common sense and no idea how to run a clean/​safe store. They were told that the health department would be called on them. Most of the customers who had seen this whole event dropped all of their items and walked out. I’m sure the new unaware buyers picked up the CONTAMINATED bagel and got sick off of it.
To anyone who got sick from after eating a bagel here, this is probably the reason why you got sick. The HEALTH DEPARTMENT was called and when told of what happened, their immediate response was «THAT IS DISGUSTING!!! We will definitely be doing a check on them now»
I hope they shut down this dump. If you want to get sick, then here is the perfect place to come. They should change the name from What a Bagel to GET SICK FROM A BAGEL!!!

Very good bagels. Good value and made fresh daily. We always take advantage of the free dozen bagels on your birthday. Only wished they had more.locations.

Great location and friendly staff! Went for a free dozen bagels (because its my birthday). Store was clean and well organized! (One of the associates was sweeping excess seeds and crumbs off the floor around the bagel bins). The bagels were warm from the oven and there was a wide variety of ones to choose from. I ended up with a dozen assorted consisting of: Whole wheat, pumpernickel, and I believe a flax seed variety… I have been going to What A Bagel since I was a kid and it’s yet to disappoint me!

Okay, let me start by saying that YES I have had Montréal bagels and NYC bagels and they are of course, in a category all of their own. But let’s focus on Toronto bagels.
Several months ago I had a hankering for bagels. I decided to give What a Bagel a try and was pleased with their prices (exactly $ 6 for a dozen bagels) and the taste. They were really, very good! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a variety of flavours to choose from.
But I had this nagging feeling, because it wasn’t a «traditional Jewish bagel shop». I swore I wouldn’t give a full judgement until I had sampled bagels from Bagel World. Bagel World, which has a few locations in the city, boosts the best bagels IN the city. They also have weird hours though, making it hard to get to on a weeknight.
I finally made it there and grabbed four bagels. My husband and I eagerly sampled the first two… and were VERY disappointed. (See full review under Bagel World).
SOOO What a Bagel wins! Never thought I would be saying that about a major bakery chain!

What a Bagel bakes pretty decent bagels by Toronto standard. This particular location gets a decent bit of traffic, hence providing the customers with freshly baked goods. They also serve a good variety of sweet and savory pastries in addition to their bagels, including rugelach, hamentashen, and even bourekahs.
While the variety, freshness, and tasty bagels are definitely a plus, the prices aren’t necessarily right across the board, and in fact very annoyingly, there are no prices listed on any of the baked goods, meaning you’ll have to take a chance or inquire about any item you are interested in.
The service used to be better as I remember and I wouldn’t bother with the challah!

No prices are posted at this self serve bakery. You have to ask for prices from the busy counter staff. While the products may be delicious, I left empty handed rather than going through the hassle of finding out what things cost before I bought them. The lack of posted prices is an unwelcome change at what was once one of my favorite places.

I know it might seem strange, but I just love What a Bagel! The pumpernickel bagels are my absolute favourite and something I always look forward to when I visit Toronto.
Besides bagels, they also have other very tasty bakery treats and a delicious array of cream cheeses — so good! I could really gain 20 pounds visiting here, so it’s a good thing I don’t live in Toronto any longer.
Definitely give this place a try for picking up your baked goods or even a nice quick lunch. The service is usually good and the prices are reasonable, can’t wait till I’m in town again — look out pumpernickel!

Obviously, this isn’t an eatery so much as it is an awesome bakery that serves some lunch-​oriented food. Prices are on the high side, but the quality is without question. The staff are friendly and quick, a must for such a popular place.
They have a fantastic salad bar where you can mix and match whatever you like with a healthy choice of toppings. The bagels are amazing and you can get them topped with whatever you like, whether it be a fancy cream cheese, or peanut butter and jam, or egg salad.
There are tons of pastries and sweets as well, which is amazing given my sweet tooth. I have to fight hard not to buy a double chocolate croissant each time I’m there.
There are a few small round tables and chairs outside that makes a decent patio to soak up some sun during your lunch break. But you better time your visit right because they’re a popular draw during the warmer months of the year.