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Cafe Fresh Bagel
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Bagels Coffee & Tea, Bagels [Edit]
896 Highland AveNeedham Heights, MA 02494
(781) 444-7444
- Nearest Transit:
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Highland Ave @ Mark Lee Rd (59)
Needham Heights (Needham Line)
Highland Ave @ Avery Sq (59)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
45 reviews for Cafe Fresh Bagel
Review Highlights
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"Excellent bagels and even better cream cheese." In 9 reviews -
"While you are there, get some breakfast sandwiches." In 6 reviews -
"Very New York taste." In 4 reviews
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45 reviews in English
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Review from Matt Q.
Waltham, MA
2/19/2012
I know a bunch of people from the North Shore that claim that Bagel World has the best bagels around. I suppose this makes sense, as people from the north shore are typically unaware that there is life/culture/people further south than Peabody. I've had both, and Cafe Fresh is the gold standard.
Bagels are always soft, never more than an hour or so old, and pretty large. Plus they have rye bagels with caraway seeds up in 'em.
It's not sexy, and there are always a million sniveling NHS kids there talking about how drunk they got the night prior, but its worth it. -
Review from Sofia B.
Somerville, MA
1/20/2012
Coffee is great. Oh, and the fantastic *insert perfect mouthwatering adjectives here* bagels.
If you want a hearty, messy breakfast sandwich you should try the sausage, egg & cheese. It has a little kick too!
No comment on the customer service :) It's great as long as they give me what I need in the morning! -
Review from Abbie M.
Boston, MA
1/11/2012
Perfect bagels.
That's really all there is to say! -
Review from Meg C.
Wilmington, MA
5/18/2012
This place has the most delicious sandwiches. From the egg and bacons to the chicken salad. Dont get overwhelmed by the line, it moves quickly.
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Review from Courtney N.
Gloucester, MA
4/2/2012
Usually when I'm in the area I stop at Finagle a Bagel, but this time I decided to try something different and I was glad that I did! First off, if you go on the weekend or the morning rush, I think you're going to stand in a line. There's no way around it. The place is incredibly popular; in fact, I almost stopped previously but did not want to wait behind 11 people (yup, I counted). Needless to say, you don't get diehards waiting so long in line if the bagels are poor quality and overpriced! One word: yum! Loads of flavors and great prices. Very similar to Bagel World (even the line was the same length!). Friendly service. I didn't feel like I was rushed despite the crowd. I saw several bagel flavors that I wanted to try but I only bought one to eat and one to go (sometimes I end up with too many bagels- it's a problem!). I do have to give it 4 stars and not 5 because you do have to wait. It's not a place you can pop in and be on your way- be prepared to feed the meter! Will I go back? Definitely!
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Review from Charity A.
Needham, MA
3/5/2012
All I can say is YUMMY! I frequent on the weekends and the line is generally snaked all the way to the back of the small storefront. The staff is great at moving the line along, they listen and get the orders correct. Cafe Fresh has the best bagels, great Lox and always makes my sandwich the exact way I order it.
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Review from Erick S.
Dedham, MA
5/20/2011
Cafe Fresh has a long standing record for their bagel sandwiches, and for good reason. Order an egg and cheese on bagel and you'll hear the eggs cracking and the griddle sizzle - no microwaves beeping or pre-cooked egg-square unwrapped here! It's a little more expensive than Dunkin, but you'll get what you pay for.
Personally, I go to Mocha Java (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) for a delicious latte, and then hit up Cafe Fresh for a Sausage, Egg and Cheese on Everything.
TIP: the sausage is a nice spicy treat! -
Review from Janina T.
Chestnut Hill, MA
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Another staple Babson location. Their bagels hit the spot after a rough, ROUGH night. I generally go straight for a bacon, egg, and cheese. They're simply incredible. My old dance team also used to get a ton of their bagels and spreads for our Sunday tech day. Not a bad way to kick start a 14-hour dance day. The people who work there aren't as friendly as I would expect a customer service-driven business to be but the food pretty much makes up for it. I honestly can't remember how much I usually pay for a bagel but I'm sure it is nothing that will completely break the bank.
I strongly suggest a visit. Especially after one of THOSE nights. -
Review from Avery C.
3/12/2011 4 Check-ins Here
On the look for the best bagel in town? Tired of settling for Finagle? Breugger's just not cutting it? Wondering what the hype is on Kupel's? Then check out Cafe Fresh. I make the 30 minute trip for the bagels -- big, plump, and the right amount of chew-- and they stay fresh for days. I just got my dozen and I'm already plotting out my meals for the week: sesame bagel, cream cheese, and lox for breakfast; then an everything bagel with turkey breast; and for dinner, perhaps a homemade pizza bagel.
While you are there, get some breakfast sandwiches. A bacon, egg, and cheese is food crack. -
Review from Tamarah V.
Needham, MA
12/27/2011
I love this place! They're bagels are so good! The only reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I keep running into all the jerks in needham every morning. smh
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Review from Lauren D.
Newton, MA
11/14/2011
One of the best bagel places I've ever been - also great coffee (New England Coffee). The prices are amazingly low and if your friends prefer starbucks, it's on the same block so everyone's happy! Everything is made fresh and made to order and there is no shortage of variety in bagels or cream cheese. I highly recommend this if you enjoy getting a coffee and a bagel for under $5.
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Review from Dianna B.
Needham, MA
2/15/2011
Love it. On a Saturday or Sunday morning, you can pick up still-warm bagels for breakfast. The crowd runs the gamut from hurried suit types to Needham high school kids to soccer moms to tradesmen. Everyone goes here, because it is so good and very reasonably priced.
The staff is excellent, the lines move quickly and the bagels are perfection. -
Review from Dan G.
Los Angeles, CA
11/23/2011
The bagels are quite good, soft and chewy with a nice crust on the outside, but for $6 I was hoping to get a bit more smoked salmon in my sandwich. Beyond that complaint, though, everything was good and fresh, and we were thrilled to see that the rye bagels had caraway seeds. Hard to find those these days!
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Review from Suzi D.
Littleton, MA
8/26/2011
I may never eat a bagel anywhere else. My bagel standards are super high now. Thanks, James! I can't wait to pick up a dozen for my next ski trip!
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Review from Elise W.
Needham, MA
2/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is great!!
I would say there bagels are at New York standard! It's that good. You can even watch then cook up a batch while you wait! Often in the early morning before the local high school starts it's a bit busy and on Saturdays and Sundays. Although don't, pass it buy because of the line. The employees are really quick at moving down the line, and don't waste time. It's a small place although there are places to sit. When it's busy you may not enjoy people waiting in line while you eat right next to them.
I would suggest; egg Bagel with chicken salad, egg and cheese on any Bagel, and always with a large coffee ( they know how to make a good coffee) -
Review from James L.
East Walpole, MA
8/27/2007
YES.
This place is great. their bagels are always fresh and their breakfast sandwiches are kick-ass. it's a quick-in, quick-out atmosphere with a few booths.
The only bummer about this place is that with a Starbucks next door I'm not too inclined to try their coffee, making a morning bagel & coffee trip a two-stopper. That being said... their bagels are big and perfect, and their breakfast sandwiches are huge with tons of whatever you ask for inside. Service is quick and not terribly friendly, but WHO CARES? They have sandwich options, lox, and a decent overall selection of bagels. I believe they have day-olds in bags to buy-n-fly. -
Review from Lisa N.
Provincetown, MA
6/11/2010
You may ask, what does an Irish girl from South Boston know about bagels? Plenty. I went to college in NYC and still dream about Ess-a-bagel... Cafe Fresh Bagel is one of the best in Boston, for sure. Sorry, Kupels, you dropped the ball a while ago.
The Cafe's bagels are just the right texture, crusty outside, softer and chewy inside. Yes, there's typically a long line that looks scary, but moves right along. You might see me buying dozens to bring down the Cape--where real bagels are a fantasy. They freeze well and I smile every time I pop one in the toaster. -
Review from Christopher M.
Somerville, MA
3/15/2008
Cafe Fresh gets 10 stars; their idiotic clientele get zero. . luckily that still averages out to five stars, which is fitting for the best bagels and breakfast sandwiches in [the] Boston [area]
Forget dunkies, you order a sausage, egg, and cheese and it takes a minute to get because they're cooking real eggs, and real sausage to give you on a real bagel. What a concept!! Oh and the chocolate chip bagels. . . toasted. . . with butter. UGH. Unreal.
The only drawback to Cafe Fresh is that there is inevitably a line of people too stupid to work the jobs that they apparently have. Yeah, you, the lady in the brown suit, I've seen you here every day for the past week. Stop staring at the menu like it's written in sanskrit and order your plain bagel toasted with light cream cheese and get the hell outta my way!
*sigh* -
Review from Lauren B.
Boston, MA
10/5/2007
These are the best doughy bagels in the Boston area HANDS DOWN.
The people who work here are really friendly and they move the line along quickly. I recommend an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese or a cinnamon raisin bagel. But be sure to get here early- sometimes they sell out and you get stuck with your third choice. -
Review from Emily H.
Roslindale, MA
7/6/2011
Excellent bagels and even better cream cheese. All I ask for in a place like this! Plus, Dedham square is always nice to visit.
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Review from John L.
Wayland, MA
1/23/2010
Some of the best bagels around Needham, and their breakfast sandwich is more like an delicious omelet wrapped in a bagel.. it's certainly splittable between two consenting adults. And the coffee is good.
The staff could be friendlier, and the place cleaner... but so be it. The food's good and the bagel boiler is so close you could fish one out yourself.
It's right down the street from Koko FitClub Needham, so after I'm done working out, I reward myself with a carbo up at Cafe Fresh! -
Review from Tiffany L.
Boston, MA
8/9/2010
LOVE Cafe Fresh. It's one of those places I crave all the time. I don't know how they make their bagels, but they are so good. I usually get the egg and cheese, and that alone is incredibly filling.
Staff: indifferent
Price: great
Added bonus: right next to Starbucks -
Review from Michele T.
Hartford, CT
11/24/2007
I think I have consumed 3 bagels in less than 24 hours. How could I not? They were so plump and soft. Fantastic flavor! We went to Cafe Fresh Bagel for a snack and brought home a few yesterday. So I had one before bed that same night. Then when I woke up my friend had gone out and bought more so I had my third for breakfast.
My goal is to eat at least one more before hitting the road and getting back to CT where good bagels are few and far between. -
Review from Julie S.
Auburndale, MA
10/26/2009
Let me preface this review by saying I grew up on Long Island, where we have a bagel store on every block. Cafe Fresh Bagel wouldn't last a week in New York.
I stopped in for lunch today and the place was dirty. Not a little dingy, not needed a quick once over with a broom- it was filthy. The kind of dirt only a power washer can fix. But I was hungry so I ordered an everything bagel, scooped out with low-fat cream cheese. The woman looked at me like I had two heads.
My bagel came out in 3 pieces. To save face, the server should have cut it into an even 4. I understand with scooping these things happen, but symmetry is everything. The bagel was also toasted. Not sure why, since I didn't request it toasted and they didn't ask.
The bagel itself was okay. Better than your average Boston bagel and better than Dunkin Donuts- although that is not saying much. Rosenfeld's is by far the superior Boston bagel. -
Review from Bacon P.
Boston, MA
12/31/2009
This review comes from my blog about breakfast sandwiches in and around Boston. If you like it, you can check out more reviews from around the city at http://bostonbsa.blogs.../
There were more pairs of UGG boots here than types of bagels, which is hard to imagine at this Needham Heights bagel kingdom. Café Fresh Bagel felt like I walked into something between an awkward mid-pubescent school dance and Chubby's from Boy Meets World. Equally difficult to adjust to was the front door that was swung wide open most of the time I was there, leaving me at the mercy of the elements.
I nabbed a couple Orangina's and placed my order with a grumpy little bird behind the counter. While waiting for my sandwich I glanced around for an open table without any luck. This place was packed to the gills and I couldn't see any opportunities in sight. After a squawking group of hens were done hogging half the tables, my old man and I were able to squeeze a cheek and enjoy one of the finest quality breakfast sandwiches I've seen around.
I got my bacon, egg, and (American) cheese sandwich on a ultra fresh onion bagel with onion bits on the top and bottom. The option of provolone or Swiss was also presented to me, but Swiss is one line that I don't cross. There was no question that the pile of eggs on there was 100% real. Maybe 2 or 3 fried eggs, which were a little browned and prepared in an omelet fashion. The bacon was a little flabby, but I guess I didn't request it crispy so I can't complain too much. Also, the majority of it was shifted to one side which made eating the other side a little uneventful. The sandwich was scorching hot to begin with, but the 40 MPH gusts blowing through the café took care of that issue pretty quick.
Blistering winds and high school flashbacks aside, this place was great. I obviously loved that they make their own bagels, and I definitely appreciated the omelet style approach to the breakfast sandwich. I would suggest that you always prepare bacon crispally (....sp?) unless requested otherwise and also ensure that it is equally distributed throughout the sandwich. However, these are not major issues considering the big picture of their high quality and hot ingredients.
After finishing my sandwich, it was no surprise why this place was so popular, but I think next time I'll bring a cattle prod to avoid any table issues. -
Review from Rosalind D.
Roslindale, MA
5/21/2011
their egg and cheese sandwiches are huge and delicious, the cheese is so melty and wonderful. I usually go for ham egg and cheese when i order breakfast sandwiches, but here i go sans meat because the straight up egg and cheese is SO good. Coffee is delicious here too.
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Review from Nicholas P.
Stoneham, MA
4/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Kind of expensive for breakfast but the bagel sandwiches are unbelievable.
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Review from Rick B.
Needham, MA
1/9/2011
Bagels the way they should be. Very New York taste. Egg sandwich worth driving for. Long lines move fast.
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Review from Gretchen D.
Torrington, CT
3/16/2011
Hole in the wall, but delicious, reasonably priced and fast. Thanks!
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Review from Quinn E.
12/2/2008
This place is a hoot! I went in and immediately felt that I should walk right back out. But my gf insisted and I'm whipped. It felt like I was visiting my relatives on Long Island. The Italian ones, with Mary on the half shell on the front lawn. Is that my Aunt Melanie, who was on the People's Court once (TRUE!), wearing an obviously stolen coat with the security tag still attached and whining on the phone to "Daaaaddddyyyyy"? Uncle Frank, did you just walk in off the street, go behind the counter and stick your dirty hand in the bin to pick out a nice marble bagel? Luckily, our bagels were already chosen and toasting up next to our bacon and egg on the grill.
The food really is fresh, we went in at noonish and they were bringing out batches of bagels that were just made. And like I said, they cook the eggs (and bacon,etc.) to order. It's a little pricier than like, DDs, but it's also way more delicious. And you get to experience something bizarre and unique when you stop in, as there are bound to be some wacky characters hanging around. -
Review from Katelyn M.
CHESTNUT HILL, MA
10/10/2011
Best bagels and coffee EVER! You have to try their bacon/egg/cheese bagel and their chicken salad bagel (with lettuce!). It's like nothing you've ever had! Their iced coffees are pretty big for a pretty low price too and are also very delicious. If you haven't been, you have to go!
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Review from Sarah G.
Concord, NH
1/23/2009
Best bagels around the Boston area. Catch them when they're hot for an even better breakfast. Beware of long lines and annoying patrons after 10 a.m. though. Service there is always friendly and efficient though!
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Review from Glenn B.
Roslindale, MA
4/1/2009
Best bacon egg and cheese bagel you'll ever have. Big enough to count for breakfast and half of lunch.
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Review from Scott F.
San Diego, CA
9/16/2010
Best bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich I have ever had. They use real egg that is blended in with the bacon so every bite is sooo delicious. The bagels are also made on location that day so you know you are truly getting the fresh part of cafe fresh.
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Review from Alison C.
4/8/2008
Wow...I walked past Cafe Fresh Bagel and was not impressed by the bland exterior. Fresh Bagel looks like any random bagel place, both inside and out, but I was very impressed by the quality and diversity of the menu. They offer big doughy bagels similar to those found in NYC (no one makes a better bagel than in NYC!) in flavors as unique as Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, etc. I ordered the Garden Salad with Grilled Chicken, which was an affordable $5.65 and included a free bagel of my choice. The salad contained crisp romaine lettuce, green peppers, carrots, tomato slices, and olives. The grilled chicken was extremely moist and well-marinated. My Multi-Grain Bagel was a bit hard for lunchtime on a weekday, but was still pretty tasty. It was a remarkable deal available for lunch and dinner!
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Review from Alan A.
Portland, OR
9/11/2010
Best bagels I've ever had. Thought it was just because I grew up in Needham, but am somewhat of a bagel seeker and have sought out the best bagels in NYC, Toronto, Seattle, Portland and more--nothing compares to Cafe Fresh. My go-to is an everything bagel toasted with bacon-scallion. But for some reason the Sesame bagels have the best consistency by far (in terms of moistness and doughiness). So for the newbie, I'd recommend a sesame bagel toasted with bacon scallion. Best purchase under $2 in the USA.
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Review from Glenn M.
Needham Heights, MA
9/10/2010
Absolutely the best bagels in New England. Kettle boiled and baked to a chewy perfection. Several flavors to choose from. Every bite from one of their fresh bagels is like biting into bagel heaven. Coffee is just ok but is fine but this bagel is worth 6 stars so I guess a 5 star rating is fine.
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Review from Jonathan D.
Bellerose, NY
8/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
When I visit family up in Boston there is one thing I always have to do before I leave. I go to Cafe Fresh Bagel. 20 years in and its still one of my favorite places to eat. The bagel sandwich is the way to go. They toast your bagel of choice, make the eggs fresh, and then add a spicy sausage that perfectly compliments. It results in an amazing medley of taste. And if you are fans of cream cheese or locks they have a flavor for you to satisfy. Its worth going out of your way and checking out this neighborhood institution. You will leave with a smile on your face.
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Review from Sham Y.
Boston, MA
9/2/2009
I think the name of this place is a pretty accurate description of it. I got an everything bagel with lox spread and a large iced coffee. The bagel and spread was nice and soft. The coffee tasted a little creamy despite being black coffee which I'm not really a fan of. Overall, I'd probably get breakfast there again if in the area for some reason.
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Review from D R.
Boston, MA
3/10/2010
Whenever I am in Needham, I find an excuse to grab a bagel here. And I don't even like bagels. They are just THAT good. Their sandwiches are also delicious (and huge!) Get your game face on though if you stop by on a weekend morning - there will be long lines, ugg boots galore, and general chaos. But the bagels are worth it!
