The Whole Bagel

I wasn’t sure how bagels in Bath were going to be… Sorry, but I’m American and Jewish so I definitely had low-​expectations for any foreign bagels masquerading as the real deal. Yet I’m happy to report, the Whole Bagel delivered for us! We came in for brunch on a Tuesday morning, the place was empty so we grabbed a table upstairs. Downstairs is grab-​and-​go, but they do have a dining area if you want to stick around. My fiancé and I split two bagels between us — they are served as a sandwich, filled with tasty toppings, and cut in half. So I had half French Brie and Pear, and half Avocado and Smoked Salmon. And wow — impressed! We had the fancy French one on a sundried tomato and olive bagel, and the more classic one on an Everything bagel. And yeah, I’ve had better bagels. But honestly, they were pretty good! They tasted fresh and soft, could’ve used more toppings on the bottom half of the everything bagel, but that’s a common occurrence. The ingredients really stood out though, very fresh and full of flavor. The brie, pear, prosciutto, and rocket went together so well, that one was really outstanding! It may sound a bit strange, but don’t be afraid to try the more unusual combinations. The bagel sandwiches all run you about £3−5, and they will fill you up for hours of sightseeing.

Bacon… lots of it. On a bagel with maple syrup. Nom. For just about 3 pounds I got a fresh bagel and what seemed like a whole pig’s worth of bacon. It was fresh, fast, and delicious.
Definitely a great place to stop for a quick breakfast to go (or eat in) and their lunch menu looked tasty too.

As an American, I think I’m entitled to the role of ‘Official Bagel Snob’. I take bagels seriously. I have a deep commitment to all things bagel or cream cheese related.
That being said…
Before our trip to Bath, I discovered a bagel place near our hotel. Lo and behold! Bagels! I hadn’t eaten a decent bagel since leaving the states and was pining for one in lieu of a sub-​par hotel breakfast so off we went.
The Whole Bagel is a two-​floor shop. Downstairs is great for grabbing a bagel to go but if you’d like to sit down, as we did, head upstairs — you can order your food there, too.
There are plenty of bagel sandwich combinations. Everything from bagels and cream cheese to bagel sandwiches stuffed with veggies and meats. My problem with this place (and maybe it’s because I’m used to the Mecca of Bagels being around the corner from me in the states) was that you don’t have much choice in terms of spreads or cream cheese. If you’re coming for breakfast, you can get butter, jam, plain cream cheese, chocolate spread… what about more types of cream cheese? You get four of five types of bagels to choose from (I ordered the Cheddar and Jalapeño which lacked spice altogether and wished later I stuck to an everything bagel) but you don’t get a lot of cream cheese options. Boo!
We ordered bagels with cream cheese, cucumber and cracked black pepper as a good mid-​moring option. The bagels arrived quickly with a side of potato salad. What The Whole Bagel gets wrong? THEY DON’T TOAST THEIR BAGEL SANDWICHES AS A STANDARD.
I had assumed my beautiful little bagel would be toasted, giving it enough crunch and chewiness to make the perfect bagel sandwich but it was, instead, cold — my fault, I shouldn’t have assumed. BUT, it would have improved the sandwich. The cream cheese was fatty and delicious, the cracked black pepper made a minor appearance or two and my husband’s black coffee was to his satisfaction.
I’d love to come back if The Whole Bagel gives people more breakfast options but I have to applaud them for their variety of choices of sandwiches and vegetarian fillings. Good, but not great. Lacking for me in the most important ways.

A good, varied selection and prompt, courteous service make this an outstanding choice for a quick lunch in Bath.

Although small, this takeaway bagel shop makes some absolutely delicious food. I would thoroughly recommend the Bacon Bagel which is served until 10:30am each morning and costing £2.50.
Alongside the bagels you can also get coffee, smoothies, fruit, homemade flapjacks and chocolate brownies and crisps.
The service is good too, if a little slow at times hence the 4 instead of 5 star rating.