The Eisenhower Bagelhouse

Yes, Yes, a thousand times YES! New Eisenhower Bagelhouse location — same flawless bagels + new items and booze. What’s not to love?
When I do indulge in a bagel, there is nothing more disappointing then deciding to throw calorie caution to the wind only to accidentally eat a bunch of bland crap. Eisenhower consistently turns out a perfect — oh so worth the carb binge — bagel.
Eisenhower Bagelhouse boils their bagels. Hallelujah! They have all sorts of flavors — the usual suspects. Normally a purist at heart, they’ve won me over with their Sriracha garlic bagel. With the cream cheese to cool the heat, it’s the perfect balance. They have all sorts of fancy bagel sandwich options. Eggs, kale, bacon, cheese, whatever your fat kid bagel breakfast dreams consist of chances are they can bang it out for you. They’ve added English muffins which are okay, less crispy nooks and crannies then I’d like, more like thick bread — stick with the namesake. They have a few gluten free treat, for those unfortunate souls.
Prices are cheap. c-​h-​e-​a-​p! Their coffee game is likewise tight, I’ve had a few legit lattes and drip coffees here. Now they offer mimosas and beer which is tops. I can’t say enough about the friendly staff which is always going above and beyond. There will probably be a little line when you arrive, screaming children (family friendly), but it wont take too long and you’ll be rewarded with the bagel — to end all bagels.

This place is great. The line cooks are obviously busy but put out a stellar product every time. I’ll be back and honestly can’t wait to.

Very excited to be moving closer to Spielman’s. I grew up in crowded NYC bagel shops and have never waited for so long. Two bagels (untoasted) with cream cheese, the most basic of bagel orders takes 45 minutes (after you order). That whole «we’re-so-good-you-can-wait-and-honestly-we-don’t-care» thing is going to wear off quick especially considering the bagels are fine but certainly not worth my entire day. Hire some more people. It seems you have the budget.

The bagels are some of the best; crunchy on the outside, tender in the middle. The sandwiches are also marvelous. But, service here is SLOW. Don’t stop by if you have to get somewhere. I came in on my way to work at 7:35 with two people in front of me. I ordered a toasted salt bagel with cream cheese ten minutes later and left at 8:05! We walked over on a weekend and stood in line forever. It was worth it, but next time I will bring a snack.

Great customer service, deliciously made sandwiches (the crispy sea salt kale on their breakfast sandwich is amazing), and a fantastic choice of bagels, including my favorite, salt. Nothing bad to say about this place other than the line you may have to wait in because everyone else has discovered how good it is. I miss living so close by to this!

Great bagels… But OMG unbelievably slow!!! You might die of old age in line before you get served so be careful enough here. And it’s not like the place is serving that many people… just a painful experience to watch how slow the cashier operates. This place would be out of business in a few weeks in most cities.

Without question, one of the best bagels in Portland! Recommend the everything bagel toasted with garlic Rosemary cream cheese.

I love this place! The staff is great. But the bagels are amazing! (tip: if you get the chance, take a bag of day old bagels home with you.
I had the lox bagel. A great bagel with a generous portion of fresh lox. Thin slivers of fresh red onion and a sprinkling of capers. All over a nice smear of cream cheese. A perfect bagel and lox!
Oh, and they have really good coffee and a cute collection fun coffee mugs. If you are in the neighborhood stop in and if you aren’t in the neighborhood, it’s worth the drive.

Holy crap, the service here is glacial. Maybe more than one person should be preparing the food on a Saturday morning? Look for other options, perhaps Bowery Bagels.

This isn’t a New York bagel, buts it’s still a top notch bagel. We went for a late lunch on the weekend and yes, they had run out of the most popular flavors. I appreciate that they have cashew cream cheese (non-​dairy) but it’s not very good. Overall though, scrumptious bagel sandwiches and awesome French press coffee is the standard. Also convenient location right in front of the MAX station. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would chow down.

The bagel breakfast sandwiches at this place are awesome. Only been once but would recommend to others to try it out.

So it starts with a genuine warm greeting — not phony, but very genuine. First time there, like the vibe, and friendly as hell. Bagels look good, but want a breakfast sandwich. Where’s the typical bacon/​egg/​cheese on a bagel. Can’t find it but there are other choices, combinations I wouldn’t have thought about (like the Wesley — kale, bacon, serrachee, cream cheese). Not a big serrachee fan (don’t even know how to spell it, so didn’t land on that one. But I ask — what’s the most popular? The Eisenhower and Wesley, and the Wesley edges out the Ike for bestest. Ok — try — based on this genuinely friendly guys recommendation.
I’m hungry so kinda want it fast — but wait — they actually take time to make it.
Finally I get it (really not that long but I was hungry) and I take it to go. Sitting in the parking lot in my car, take a peak at it, maybe just a bite, and suddenly it jumps in my mouth and forces me to inhale it!
The perfect balance of flavor was amazing!
A lot to write about just a sandwich (which I had on sesame seed bagel), but as I write I’m hungry for another. Had I not left Portland today, I’d be there at opening Sunday morning.
By the way, had a cup of coffee to — very good as well! But damn that Wesley was the bomb!
Have already booked next trip to Portland and will be going on for Wesley Round 2.

Sine finding this place about 2 months ago we’ve come EVERY WEEKEND to get our cravings satiated. Seriously, I’ve gained a few ‘worth it’ pounds eating their breakfast bagels.. Our usual order is the Mad Turk w/​no turkey add serrano cream cheese and the Wesley which doesn’t need any changes because it’s the perfect breakfast sandwich! I almost didn’t write this review bc I don’t want this place to become SO busy that we can’t get served. but, also I love to show people good food that matches good service. so… you’re welcome!

I dream about Eisenhower bagels.
Extremely pleasant service, the tastiest bagel combos & fun coffee mugs w/​stellar coffee in them!
Eat Eisenhower Bagels!

So. Freakin. Good.
The serrano and cheddar bagel might be the best bagel I’ve ever eaten and the bagel sandos are amazing. I’m not a coffee drinker but my wife tells me the iced coffee is excellent. And everyone who works there is so friendly. Can’t say enough good things about this place — so happy they are in the neighborhood.

This place has delicious, boiled bagels and a ton of delicious breakfast sandwiches (on your bagel of choice, may I recommend the salted bagel?)
They recently moved out of Pinky’s (by recently I mean October, apparently I am out of the loop). Anyway, they have a nice, clean space now where you can order to go or stay a while. Service is friendly and coffee is brewed via french press and delicious.
I’ve tried a few things here but my favorite is the Eisenhower — pretty much can never go wrong ordering the thing on the menu that the restaurant is named after. A breakfast sandwich with egg, cream cheese, bacon, potato — it hit the spot!
Service here can be a little slow so don’t come if you’re in a hurry, especially on a weekend. Still not my favorite review ever (Blackheart bagels takes the cake on that by far!) but super tasty nonetheless!

Amazing, natural-​light filled space. I got the lox (cream chee, capers, onions, dill, tomato) on a Montréal-​spiced bagel. It was outstanding.
They have a rad selection of teas and the people working were incredibly pleasant.

Eisenhower is hands down my favorite breakfast spot in Portland. The bagels are deliciously soft and salty — the best I’ve ever had. The variety of toppings appears to change every now and then, but my favorite is still the serrano cheddar followed by the cheddar and parmesan. No matter which bagel you choose you’ll love their breakfast sandwiches. I always go for the Eisenhower with serrano cream cheese. A few of my friends always go for the Wesley. Both are amazing time and time again.
They serve Oblique coffee, which I hadn’t heard of before going to EBH. It’s quite good and you get unlimited refills. We often find ourselves hanging out for an hour or more chatting and drinking coffee after we’ve finished our sandwiches. It’s always a great experience and the staff are always friendly and welcoming. They recently got their OLCC license so you can get mimosas or bloody mary’s as well.
I started going a few years back when they first opened their previous location inside Pinky’s Pizzeria down the road. Back then there wasn’t as much of a line and we could usually walk right up to the counter to order. They’ve since relocated to the Prescott Apartments on the corner of Skidmore and Interstate. Even before the relocation, the crowd was growing strong. On a Saturday or Sunday you need to make it in before 11 to get a reasonable choice of bagels. Usually after that point they’ll only have plain bagels left if you’re lucky. No matter when you get there expect to wait in a line for 15 minutes or so. Surprisingly we can usually get a table, but they do stay quite full. On weekdays there usually isn’t an issue.

Still my favorite breakfast bagel sandwich in Portland!
Cheddar Serrano bagel is #1 but since they were out today I tried the Black Sesame & Sea Salt and that could easily be my #2 choice.
Ms. Wesley, you rock! Your sandwich is the best! Oh yah people, order the Wesley sandwich. Bacon. Kale. Sriracha. Egg. Cream cheese. Sea salt. Yummmm.
Haters gonna hate… but seriously, when a great business opens a new location, they are popular and delicious… Why hate? Just love them and show up early to get a bagel, duh.

My wallet hates you, Eisenhower Bagelhouse.
It hates you for being so delicious with your variety of bagels, especially the Black Sesame Sea Salt, Montréal, and Cheddar Serrano.
It hates your tremendous French-​pressed coffee from Oblique.
It hates that you now have a liquor license and will tempt me with mimosas every weekend (and probably the occasional weekday).
It hates that you draw me back every time with your friendly smiles (and equal amounts of sass).
It loves that you sell out of bagels sometimes, though that means that you’re doing really well, so I am personally happy for you.
It also loves that you moved away from my building so I have to walk the treacherous three blocks, but I just appreciate the extra exercise in the morning.
What’s important is that I love you, Eisenhower Bagelhouse. While my wallet may suffer, continue to grow and reign as the bagel czar of Overlook. I’ll be there with my crying wallet at hand.
— — — -
P. S. I don’t know what «Food E.» is smoking, but it’s a terrible shame to score a business so low for selling out of their great product and having days off. Michelle and Joel worked their asses off to get their own location, so never doubt that they are passionate about their craft and customers.
— — — -
DIsclosure: I do have a bagel sandwich named after me, but it does not bias the score of this review. I would love this place even if it named a sandwich «The Lame Ehow».

I am over it.
Out of the 6 times I’ve been here, only ONCE were they actually open during business hours AND had food to serve their customers… At the same time! I realize for most food focused establishments this wouldn’t be considered a huge accomplishment, but for the Eisenhower Bagelhouse, it has proven to be a most difficult challenge…
On one occasion they actually had a few plain bagels left… But no eggs… Or bacon?! Their only offering was a plain bagel with avocado… Umm… What? I’m sorry… That would almost be funny if it wasn’t so rediculous… Oh did I mention it was barely after 10AM… On a Saturday!
Also, perhaps they should just be closed on Tuesdays… Since they are repeatedly unable to open for one excuse or another.
It is obvious to that they are unable to meet a demand which they themselves have created (or perhaps simply do not care to).
The real shame is that the breakfast sandwiches (should you manage to get there before they sell out at 10 AM) are delicious! Unfortunately, no bagel is good enough to accept continuous disappointment.
You know what they say, if you can’t take the heat, don’t open a restaurant…

Not a New York bagel shop, but I can accept and love Eisenhower Bagelhouse for what it is. But to clarify, I will first explain what it is not. It is not a perfect boiled bagel, although close. It is not a place with a large array of cream cheeses (maybe 5?) It is also not the most efficient/​forward thinking of shops. In fact, they have a «sold out» sign prepared on the back of the board and ready to flip at a moment’s notice. I personally prefer a shop that is prepared to meet the demand instead of prepared to run out and turn people away, but that’s just me. They were completely sold out of ALL bagels before 11:30 when I was there. Luckily I got there in time to get one of the last few. And I realize I was eating an unusually late breakfast that day, but sometimes I like a bagel for lunch, ok?
On the other hand, Eisenhower is everything I would expect and want from a Portland bagel shop. Unique and incredibly tasty sandwiches! I ordered the Wesley, and I loved it. The crispy kale really adds a nice touch and makes me feel a little better about the other contents, as if they somehow magically cancel out. They do create some delicious and complimentary flavors though! I would never think to add both hot sauce and cream cheese to my egg sandwich, but somehow it works wonderfully! I will be back, and I will be there early next time. (So I guess the marketing tactic worked? Nice job, Eisenhower.)

This place is wonderful. The proprietors care a tremendous amount about what they do, and it shows.
Exhibit A: the bagels are delicious, and freshly made every morning. Also, they aren’t like A lot of bagels I’ve had, which are the size of a Buick. These are just the right size.
Exhibit B: The coffee is ALL French pressed. Wait. Think about that for a second. No fewer than 40 people have come and gone since we’ve been sitting here, and most have had Eisenhower’s delicious coffee. Think about how much extra work that is.
Exhibit C: The guy at the counter is not only super friendly, but has great recommendations on bagel combinations and customizations.
Exhibit D: they opened an hour ago and there has been a line out of the door ever since.