Itsa Bagel

Tried to get a bagel from them this afternoon but was told when I arrived and tried to order that they didn’t have any eggs left. So I tried to order another bagel but was told they don’t have bacon left either.
Im surprised they actually had bread
Bunch of amateurs

I’m updating my review to less stars although I had the Cesar salad and it was lovely today like all the meals Iv ever had at itsa, which would equate to a lot.
Whilst in the Q a woman brought up a slice of cheese from her bagel that had visible ants on it, a staff member immediately took it off the woman and the woman stood for a minute before sitting back down. A few minutes later the manager I’m guessing came out looked and saw the woman was sitting down, shrugged his shoulders and went back into the kitchen.
I thought this was a bit of a disgrace that the manager didn’t even have the decency to apologise, her whole meal was destroyed, as well as anything the manager should take more pride in the food he’s serving. I would bring my rating down more but other staff members were very helpful and my food was nice but still poor show by itsa!

The staff were very nice, helpful and cheerful on day i was there. However the soup which was vegetable and lentil was packed full of pepper making the soup almost inedible. The pumpernickel bagel was dry and tasteless and i had to add relish to it to help the flavor along. Kind of put off Itsa Bagel after my experience with the food yesterday.

I’m definitely a fan of Itsa…
I might not go there often but that’s due to me usually preparing my own lunch not due to their food.
Last week I was getting hungy while around Dun Laoghaire at lunch time and from the restaurants on the Metals Itsa… was definitely the one for me for a lovely snack.
It was busy enough, mainly with mums and dads and their kids that have been to the nearby playground. So if you don’t like a bit of noise it mightn’t be for you. But I didn’t mind and enjoyed the lively atmosphere while enjoying my (The Italian Job) Bagel and a drink. It was quickly prepared and defintely tasted very good.
The staff was lovely and as I didn’t catch the code for the bathrooms she had no problem typing it in for me.

I’ve only had Itsa once, but I liked it. I was in the mood for some carbs after the gym one day and had been meaning to pop in for months and finally just did it. I knew that they had a peanut butter, banana and honey bagel, which is really the only way I like my bagels, but I was pleased to see that they had a smaller version of it available on the kids menu. At least I assume it was smaller than the one on the adult menu because it was .50 cheaper. I got it on a whole wheat bagel, which I actually found to be a tiny bit dry, but all in all it was good. I think next time I’d opt for a plain bagel just to see if it made any difference in texture.

My mum loves this place so much it’s worrying. She works in the hospital down the road, so at lunch you might find Ruth sitting in here, scoffing her bagel and sipping her americano.
The bagels are good. My fav one is the santa bagel, which unfort for me Is seasonal so I can only get it in the winter. If they had that bagel all year round I would defo come here more.
My next go to bagel is the vegan one. Hummus, roasted peppers, lettuce, avo all mushied up into a seedy bagel. It’s is gudddd eating.
All and all its a good bagel shop:)

As far as lunch spots go, Itsa never disappoints. Located right by the sea front, it’s a handy place to get some lunch after you walk the pier (but before you get an ice cream from Teddy’s).
For a bagel place the menu is pretty diverse. Yes, it’s all bagels but the combination of fillings is so well thought out. For example my favorite «The Club» comes with chicken, bacon, lettuce and mayo but it’s the addition of caramelised onions and brie that make it stand out from the competition. Although The Club is my favorite, there are at least another 4 or 5 that always tempt me.
If you haven’t tried it, the Spicy Lentil Soup is heaven. I had been after the recipe for years until Domini Kemp (the owner of the Itsa chain among others) released her own cook book that included it, oh joy! Now if I could just get my hands on the Milano’s baked cheesecake recipe…
Anyway it’s all great bar a couple of niggles:
1. People being allowed to reserve tables before they have been served. A few times I’ve gotten my order and had nowhere to sit because the couple that just arrived have split; one queuing while the other grabs a table. I wouldn’t mind but I’d have been done in the 10mins it takes to queue, order and receive your food. This shouldn’t be allowed anywhere especially in such a busy spot.
2. It’s not cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I know you get what you pay for but up until recently they were doing a meal deal. Buy any signature bagel and coffee for € 6. Now they’ve done away with that offer and my Club costing € 5.85 you’re looking at € 7.50 for lunch. It’s not a disgrace but I’ve had to cut back my visits to once or twice a week instead of 3 or 4.
All in all Itsa comes highly recommended. The staff are great and I’m sure they’ll have another offer on soon. Enjoy!

When this place first opened I was in my early teens and coming here on a summers day, when in Dun Laoghaire doing nothing with my friends, this place was IT.
The concept of bagels was then what falafel exploded into later and every day out, without fail, a caesar bagel would keep my hunger at bay, my trendiness in tact and my tiny purse constantly drained.
In DL the other day around lunchtime I was stumped for a quick, good lunch. Memories came flooding back, alas, the nostalgia was short lived.
A really dry, bland bagel which itself did not taste fresh, was thrown at me. At just over five euro i wasn’t going to complain and at that price didn’t feel too ripped off but on a hot day, forgetting to buy a drink, this bagel did not go down easily.
What I will say is that while I wouldn’t recommend, it’s a lovely place to sit on a sunny day.

All bagels I’ve ever eaten previously have been so chewy they left my jaw in agony. I assumed this was the nature of the product.
Well today I discovered this is not the case. My bagel was toasted but soft. Fillings were good. My son had a peanut bagel with honey and banana (which I ate most of).
Plus drinks and snacks and bagels came to € 17. Very reasonable I think.
Only issue was a long wait in the queue. I had to carry two plates, a coffee and bags outside which was awkward. It would be better if staff dropped down the orders.

I will start with the buggies. Itsa in Dun Laoghaire does seem to attract an inordinate amount of young mothers between the hours of 13:00 and 14:00. Buggy traffic jams are a common occurrence with a mild form of «road rage» brewing under the surface for some of the mothers. Coupled with this, the cries and screams of the children can make you reconsider whether you should be putting yourself through this on your break away from work.
If you do decide to take a chance on a possible quiet day in Itsa, it can be worth it. A tasty bagel (a «club bagel» and «an Italian Job bagel» I’d recommend) and an excellent coffee will come in around € 8. You can get a loyalty card which gives you a free coffee after every 5 you buy.

This is my local Itsa Bagel and have been going there for years. It serves great, well-​priced (they have lowered them in recent years) gourmet bagels from between 3 and 6 euro. The bagels are the proper big soft but chewy kind, not the glorified bread ones. The fillings are usually pretty big, it’s a messy thing to eat. They’re good about substitutions if you don’t like some of the fillings on their signature bagels, or want to mix things up a bit. They have good free wifi but not a lot of indoors seating. On weekends, it is packed with yummy mummy types and queues out the door. The line moves relatively quickly, it is definitely worth the wait so just grab one to go, head down to the back of the East Pier and enjoy the view over Scotsmans bay instead.

I love bagels so when I discovered this place, I had to try it. Choices are good, bagels are nice and soft, service is quick and prices are very reasonable.
The line up and lack of multiple cash registers is a real pain. As much as I love bagels, I refuse to wait in line for 15 – 20 mins to have one. Next I pass by one and if there is a big lineup it’s not good enough for me to get in line.

Itsa Crèche.
The hoards of buggies and screaming children will ruin your (very very nice) food so badly that it’s sadly best to just not bother.

First of all lets correct the grammar…
Itsa… It is a… it’s a
Bagels… well if there wasnt anything more bizarre in this world… its round … and has a kinda hole going through it… whats so special about that?
Obviously im missing something epic here because bagels have taken over the planet and this is yet another place that has helped in its ascention.
Itsa Bagel!

Itsa Bagel in Dun Laoghaire is Dublin’s best bagel joint. Irish Times food critic and long-​time restauranteur Domini Kemp is the brains behind the Itsa operation, which has expanded from humble beginnings in this bagel bar in the Pavilion, to more extravagant variations on the fresh quality theme such as itsa4 restaurant in Sandymount, and itsa@imma in the Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham. They also run the restaurants in Brown Thomas in Dublin and Cork, and offer a catering service Feast.
According to their promotional blurb, the bagels are handmade in the traditional manner by rolling, boiling and baking rather than filling with vegetable oil and steaming like most other places do. What I love about them is the range of healthy choices they offer — you can choose whole-​wheat or pumpernickel bagels which have a low GI and also taste great.
All the ingredients are top quality, and most appear to be handmade — apparently they make their hummous from scratch. There’s a fridge beside the main counter with tubs of the stuff, alongside jars of their divine red onion marmalade.
The décor is modern and tasteful — comfy leather chairs and simple, clean lines. There are a few tables outside on the promenade too, but generally if it’s a nice day I’d recommend ordering to go (which is about 50 cent cheaper) and taking a picnic down to the pier.
My favourite is Gourmet Veggie with a big hunky chunk of goats cheese, red onion marmalade, hummous and black olive tapenade. Delish.

The bagel phenomenon is really quite enthralling… once the preserve of clueless American tourists, who were about as likely to encounter a leprechaun as dedicated bagel cafés, they’ve now become pretty much the ‘sandwich joint’ of choice throughout Dublin, each claiming to be better than the other. My American side revels in this development, being partial to a cinnamon and raisin bagel (toasted with butter or cream cheese, if you’re wondering) myself.
To me though, the real joy of Itsa Bagel, and why it’s my favourite beyond a doubt, is not actually its (extensive) range of choice in bagels and their fillings. I’ve never really understood why you need to stuff a bagel full of other stuff when cream cheese is all that’s needed to be honest. It’s Itsa’s veggie soup that’s the real star of the show. Spicy chunky veg? Can’t beat it, never found anywhere that even comes close. And it’s not too expensive. Throw in a bagel and you’re happy out. So walk on out the pier, grab yourself a soup, sit at the metals and enjoy!!!