Kismet Bagels - Fishtown

Edit 4/11/24 - Jacob from Kismet reached out immediately (as can be seen in the below reply) with some added insight. I visited again and he and his staff went over and beyond to make things right! ------------------ I like Kismet and have been frequenting the shop since it opened and have bought their bagels even before the shops. The bagels are decent - they’re not as good as NJ/NYC bagels (too chewy), but they’re currently the best in the neighborhood (the best was at a different shop that has since closed, unfortunately). But the sandwiches are very good. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed in the sandwich (a “Fish”) I got this morning. In particular, the salmon and cream cheese were both really sparse. I’ve probably ordered this sandwich over a dozen times, and it used to always have a good amount of salmon. It was my go-to, because it was a great, tasty, and high-protein option. This morning, there was a single layer of salmon that blended in with the tomato. I’m not sure if it was due to inconsistent portioning on the line or if they’re now skimping on ingredients. — My other (minor, petty) complaint js related to an awkward encounter from a few weeks ago. I went 15min before closing and ordered four loose bagels (for breakfast the next morning). Because they were closing, they asked if I just wanted six instead. Shame on me for assuming, but I thought the implication was that they’d throw in an extra two. Unfortunately, I was charged for six, and walked away feeling like I had been upsold, at a bagel shop of all places. They did throw in a seventh for free, but despite a slight price break for a half dozen, I paid more for six than I would have for four and ended up with more bagels than I needed. The whole thing could’ve inspired a Curb Your Enthusiasm bit!

i got "the spicy," it was good but it had a little too much going on for me personally. the bagel itself was perfect, i definitely want to try the veggie cream cheese next time!

Good bagels but I don't understand why it takes over 30m to toast a bagel. You can order here, walk across the street to 3J's, order a cheesesteak, wait for it, eat it, then go back to Kismet and still have to wait 15m for a toasted bagel.

I like to get my bagels un-toasted to truly judge them, and Kismet bagels are very very good. Chewy but not tough and the everything seasoning is loaded on both sides. They certainly respect the schmear also. Easier to eat if you cut it in half at home :)

I love Kismet bagels. They're always so consistently cooked and sized. Happy medium between light and dense and they are a good size for making sandwiches. I've gone to this cafe and ordered online through the rounds and I would really recommend going in person if possible because when delivered, they come in this brown bag with a plastic-like liner and if they have been sitting too long the bagels and toppings can start to get gummy and mushy. I believe they also use local whole wheat flour in most (all?) of their bagels. They are a nice treat every once in a while but the whole wheat flour does kind of make the bagels taste like more like whole wheat bagels than traditional bagels with whole wheat flour in them in my opinion.

Tasty af

Lovely staff!