One morning over brunch, recent coffee enthusiast Swati Patel and her husband noticed a gap in the local scene: a place serving both a great cup of coffee and a hearty sandwich to go with it.
“We would always go out to brunch on the weekends and my husband would want something good to eat like a bagel sandwich and I would always pick places based off of coffee because if I’m going to have coffee, I want it to be good. I always complained that there were no places where we could get both of these items at the same time,” Patel told What Now Philadelphia.
Patel took matters into her own hands and created a one-stop shop called Bagel Or Nothing opening this fall in Westampton.
The new spot will serve housemade, hand-rolled bagels, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, alongside a curated coffee menu to caffeinate minds and fuel stomachs. What also sets Bagel or Nothing apart is its inclusivity, with gluten-free bagels and options for those who are dairy-sensitive or following an anti-inflammatory diet.
“We’ve tried to adjust as much as we can,” Patel said. “It’s open to a lot of people and not just one group of folks who don’t have any of those restrictions, so we want to be inclusive.”
Bagel Or Nothing will offer classic breakfast sandwiches like egg and cheese or meat, egg and cheese. They also feature signature creations, including the Bee Sting, a sweet-and-spicy combo of crispy bacon, egg, cheese, scallion cream cheese and hot honey; the Loaded Lox, with smoked Nova lox, chive cream cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and capers; and the Triple Threat, stacked with three fried eggs, bacon, pork roll, sausage and American cheese.
Lunch offerings range from classics like the BLT and Philly cheesesteak to ham and turkey with cheese, grilled chicken and BBQ chicken, all topped with crisp lettuce, tomato, onion and a touch of mayo, oregano, salt and pepper.
The shop will serve a variety of drinks, from coffee and specialty lattes—like Spanish, caramel, pumpkin and salted maple—to matcha drinks in classic, mango or strawberry flavors, as well as frozen brews, teas and refreshers.
“I’m excited to see how everyone responds in the community. It’s a little different from what we have in the area. Jersey is known for bagels and there’s a lot of bagel shops out there. I’d be interested to see how we’ll differentiate ourselves from other businesses that have been around for 15 plus years in the area,” Patel said.
Bagel Or Nothing plans to officially debut mid-October. For updates, visit the shop’s website and follow along on Instagram.
[Editor’s Note: This story was first covered by The South Jersey Food Scene.]
