Word of Mouth: Bagelicious

By Travis Hill

The James Bond might be the messiest sandwich in world history. I tried to corral it with my first bite, but the heaps of roast beef rode the huge tomato slice out the backside of the garlic bagel on a flood of melted cheddar. With cheese slathered everywhere, I plowed through the first of 47 napkins and smiled: They were right.

I haven’t heard a bad review yet, and you won’t find one here. Indeed, Bagelicious deserves its reputation as one of the best breakfast/lunch spots in town.

You can always tell a great eatery by its clientele – the wider variety, the better the grub. Good food knows no social boundary. Bagelicious smells of fresh baked bread and coffee, and with its witty menu and laid-back vibe, you get the feeling only hippies and college kids hang out here. And they do. However, there’s also a steady stream of older locals, families and young professionals through the door of the storefront, which sits in the strip mall on the northeast corner of S.R. 312 and U.S. 1.

As I battled with James Bond, I watched as one customer ordered a Hungry Hippy (hummus, avocado, tomato, sprouts and havarti cheese), and another a Van Gogh (apple slices, raspberry preserves and melted gouda). The Hungry Hippy and the Sorry Charlie (you guessed it; it’s tuna) are two of the most popular orders. The Sorry Charlie on an everything bagel (with a pickle on the side) is a favorite in this office, nicknamed The Stinky Stank Special. Breath mints required; toothbrush recommended.

There is a daily special board, and I discovered that on Mondays you get a free drink with your sandwich and on Thursday, sandwich orderers receive a free cookie. I lamented that it was a Friday.

I couldn’t resist – I was willing to pay for a cookie. Let me make one thing clear: This is not some super-processed Subway-cookie that tastes like preservatives. This came from a real bakery. My peanut butter-filled chocolate monster later served as the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

The breakfast menu included all the standard egg, cheese, ham/bacon bagel combos, but it also had the Senorita Sunrise, a creation that included eggs, cheeses and fresh salsa. And then there was something called Sticky Fingers that came on a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with maple syrup dipping sauce … and I stopped torturing myself by looking away.

After finally scraping the cheese from under my fingernails, I was stuffed and happy. I think the next time I swing by I’m going to be one Hungry Hippy. And it’s probably going to be on a Thursday.