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Hot Bagel Shop, The

MY REVIEW: I've been eating their bagels for many many years. Yes, it's a dump but it's also the real deal. Family run, cramped quarters, diverse selection, cheap prices, reasonably fast service and convenient location.

It's about the most authentic bagel shop you're going t find in the Houston area.

NAME: Dave
SUBMITTED: 5/2/2013   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2013
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: The Short of it.. we love this place at work. i stop and pick up bagels for special events and meetings.

great cream cheeses! have never been a fan of bagels but they made me a believer!

NAME: Fritz Lawson
SUBMITTED: 2/17/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/09
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I just moved to Houston from NJ, and I assumed that I wouldn't be able to find any decent bagels here. But, thankfully, the bagels at HBS are just as good as what you typically find in the NYC metro area. I really felt like I was back at home while there (except that they call everything bagels by a different name -- "supreme" I think it is). The grunginess of the shop only added to the authenticity.

I went to HBS after reading the review by FlipFromQueens, so I didn't have high hopes. But now I can say that I'm not sure what Flip was talking about. The bagels tasted like bagels, not pretzels. True, I would have preferred a harder crust, but really only a handful of places in NY make 'em better.

BTW, these bagels are MUCH better than E*instein Bros "Bagels" (which I tried for the first -- and last! -- time a few days ago).

NAME: newjerseyguy
SUBMITTED: 8/24/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Aug 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I am from a NYC neighborhood of a predominantly Jewish community with bagel shops on almost every block. I have eaten at The Hot Bagel Shop and wonder: why is there a line out the door? I guess people do not know what a good bagel tastes like. The bagels are bad, they taste like pretzels. The mini dogs were delicious because they make good pretzel dough. The service was friendly but slow. Plus they got my order wrong, they toasted my bagel when I asked them not to. So now my bagel tasted like a crouton with cream cheese on it. I am used to eating in "holes in the wall" restaurants but this place is beyond that. The condition of this establishment is deplorable. The dining area smells like a basement, moist and mildew. I believe there was a flood in the store, you can tell by the walls which they have not repaired. I do not recommend The Hot Bagel Shop.

NAME: FlipFromQueens
SUBMITTED: 6/15/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: The bagels here are the BEST IN TOWN. Service is sometimes gruff but always friendly. This is a great local BAGEL shop, not a spot for a fancy brunch. The breakfast bagels are great, the lox is awesome, the variety of cream cheese is stupendous, and the Kosher Sausage Bagel is superb. There will be a line on Saturday/Sunday mornings, but the wait isn’t that bad, giving you enough time to figure out your order or make some last minute changes.

NAME: Rock
SUBMITTED: 4/2/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 3-30-2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Great hole in the wall bagel shop. Only place to go if you want bageles in town since they are the only place that knows how to properly make them. I'm from New York so my wife and I love bagels!

Don't eat in if you want a clean table and chairs cause that's not this place. It's pretty run down and simple. Just stand in line (can be out the door at times) get your breakfast and leave. I do it every weekend and can't imagine what I would do if they ever closed.

They had some very bad service recently, but the problem employee seems to be gone...I hope.

NAME: Mitchell
SUBMITTED: 1/19/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Good, fresh bagels ($.60 each, 6/$3.25), less fluffy than N*0ah*s, maybe a little more substantial than E*instien*s. Passable bagel dogs for 59c or 2/$1 (good bagel, oscar meyer dog at best). No cheese bagel (sad face) but the others were good and plump. Staff had had a busy morning (busload of junior high students came through) but were plenty chipper after they finished serving everybody up. Friendly counter folks, maybe a tad bit eager.

Summary: good cheap eats. Budget breakfast "bagel" = 99 cents of sausage-&-egg-wrapped-in-bagel-dough. Good stuff.

NAME: Fayd Michael Shelley
SUBMITTED: 1/11/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/11
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Service is absolutely deplorable. Today, a woman behind the counter was visibly upset when I requested that my 2 bagels be toasted. She said it would take at least 10 minutes, which I was OK with. After 20 minutes, I inquired about my toasted bagels. She had given them away to someone else and could not have been less apologetic!

The service really suffers when a long line forms. These people do not do well under pressure. If you are there on the right day, you may be treated to a huge family fight behind the counter. This is quite an awkward situation for the customers! I suggest you get there early in the morning to avoid drama that unfolds as more customers arrive.

The inside of the place is decrepit. The floors are dirty, the walls are falling apart, and the furniture looks 30 years old. They obviously do little to maintain the place. I reluctantly keep going back because they have the best bagels in Houston! I am from New Jersey, so I know what good bagels should taste like! On some days, I settle for the inferior quality of other bagel establishments because I don't feel like dealing with the inefficiency, the attitude, or the squalor of the Hot Bagel Shop.

NAME: jerseyboy
SUBMITTED: 11/18/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This place rocks! They have a Cuban lady working there who is super cool. I love this place.

NAME: jocelyn
SUBMITTED: 9/8/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/04/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: A church I used to attend, used to serve free breakfast from the Hot Bagel shop. I couldn't believe how good the breakfast bagels, and the hot dog stuffed bagels were. I don't think there is one thing that I have tried there that I didn't like. The service is not always that friendly and the parking is limited, but the trade off is well worth it! Atkins dieters, you have no idea what you're missing!

NAME: Loxlover
SUBMITTED: 7/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/07
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: This is the best breakfast stop anywhere! Great coffee and a variety of insanely inexpensive choices, one morning get the breakfast bagel, the next a banana walnut bagel with cinnamon cream cheese, then mini-sausages or a pizza! I've been a daily regular for several months now, and I'm hooked. Imagine my dismay when I found them closed yesterday, and my sense of impending doom that they are again closed today! No sign, no memo, nothin'. Since its a "Mom & Pop," it could be anything. Maybe just a little fall vacation? Anyway, I hope they come back soon. I'm pining for a bagel... My day is just not the same.

NAME: Tibby
SUBMITTED: 9/19/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/06
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: The bagels are the best I have tasted. They have s*tarbucks coffee with all the extras and unlimited refills! The prices are insanely low. 2 bagels and a large coffee - $2.06! I don't see how anyone could complain about this place. It is awesome!

NAME: David
SUBMITTED: 6/19/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2006
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I love this place. My parents brought me here as a child, and I have been a loyal customer for over 20 years. Best lox & bagel i've ever had. I eat here 2 or 3 times a week. The "unsatisfied customer" who last posted must have confused it with some other place!

NAME: loyal hot bagel shop patron
SUBMITTED: 4/29/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: today (4/05)
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Based upon the recommendations on this site, I took a family of out of town guests to eat here. What a mistake! Even though the name of the place is The HOT Bagel Shop, they refused to toast 6 bagels for this family--not "okay, but it's going to take a while" nor "they won't all come out at the same time"--simply and rudely NO, we won't do it. My sister-in-law was very gracious and took it very well even though the cashier continued to be rude (flinging the credit card at her, not responding to questions, etc.)

Never again!

NAME: unsatisfied customer
SUBMITTED: 4/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I love this funky little bagel shop! They have the most awesome breakfast bagels and amazing bagel sandwiches. Today I had the Smoked Turkey bagel sandwich and it was the perfect lunch. Bagel of your choice, topped to order and served with a smile. Thanks Hot Bagel Shop!

NAME: LoWest
SUBMITTED: 10/29/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2004
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

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