Athens Bagel Company was one of the first restaurants I visited as a prospective student, and honestly, it’s possible that the delicious, chewy bagels and quirky flavors of cream cheese helped sell me on becoming a bulldawg.
Athens Bagel lives on Jackson Street, in the heart of downtown. It’s one of my absolute favorite places for breakfast in Athens, and judging by how packed it can be at 10am on a weekend morning, the rest of campus agrees.
Open since 2012, Athens Bagel offers a variety of bagels, from the classic everything and blueberry to the more interesting jalepeño cheddar. Their cream cheeses are also superb: bacon-chive, snickerdoodle, and honey-pecan, just to name a few. My perfect bagel? Toasted everything with bacon-chive cream cheese, please.
Despite being extremely popular, the restaurant offers a decent amount of seating and the line moves pretty quickly. Although weekends are busy, if you come in on a weekday you’ll have no problem finding a table and probably won’t even have to wait in line!
Personally, I would have a hard time coming up with a better way to start my day than a trip to Athens Bagel with some close friends. I love chowing down on a delicious bagel while sitting in one of the giant booths, just hanging out and laughing before we go to class.
Haven’t been to Athens Bagel yet? Give it a try before the semester is over!