#shmear

The Einstein Noah Restaurant Group is the nation's largest bagel operator. Einstein Bros and Noah’s New York Bagels are independent brands. I haven’t been to an Einstein Bros in many years and during this recent visit, it struck me as being identical to Noah’s. The layout, design and menu offerings are so similar. Both have tiled floors. Both have fresh baked goods (bagels, cookies, muffins), sandwiches, salads, doggie bagels, etc. Both had refrigerated cases that hold shmears, drinks, juices, etc. Both have low carb bagels. I don’t like the coffee at either place.

Einstein’s has many kinds of bagels to choose from including signature/basic ($1.29), gourmet bagels and low carb Thintastic bagels. Top them with your choice of shmear (they have 12 kinds). You’ll find the bagels you expect – plain, poppyseed, pumpernickel, egg, everything, whole wheat, sesame seed, asiago, cinnamon raisin. They also have seasonal offerings: pumpkin lattes, pumpkin shmears and pumpkin lattes.

* Spinach Florentine bagel ($1.89): The bagel might be a tiny bit smaller/flatter than Noah’s and less flavorful but it’s very chewy on the outside, soft on the inside. There wasn’t much cheesy taste. The spinach and cheese are added on top of a plain bagel.

Coffee and drinks come with free refills. Help yourself to the coffee and fountain drinks. This location is small with mostly outdoor seating. It’s also connected to a Peet’s Coffee. Breakfast is served all day.

Join the eclub and get a free bagel and shmear. 

Update: I’ve been here many times and they are skimpy with the shmear and fillings on a consistent basis. But the rewards program has frequent perks and I appreciate the free coffee refills.

3 out of 5 stars