The Back Bay Bagel Company in Brockton, MA (so much alliteration) has an amazing selection of breakfast and lunch bagels. Complete with a wide array of coffee flavors at their coffee bar, it’s no wonder this place has continued to be successful even though it’s located right next to Dunkin’ Donuts.
The Back Bay Bagel Company’s….You Guessed It: Bagels
There is very good reason that this place still survives even though a Dunkin’ Donuts is located in the same strip mall. Back Bay Bagel has a ton of different flavor bagels ranging from jalapeno to banana to egg to sunflower. Their bagel sandwiches are also excellent and the ingredients taste better than those used in the Dunkin’ sandwiches.
They offer both breakfast ingredients (sausage, egg and bacon) and lunch ingredients (deli meats and cheeses) between all the selection of bagel flavors and sandwich selections, you really can’t go wrong.
What Do I Get?
I like to stop here before I set out on any long car ride or day trip. I have to admit though, I am a little boring. With all the flavors they offer, I usually end up choosing something less colorful: a sesame seed or wheat bagel.
I have tried some of their other bagel varieties (and most of them are really good), but what can I say, I love me some wheat bagel. I am experimental with coffee though, I feel that more than makes up for my plain-Jane bagel choices.
The service is on the slow side, the setup is not as efficient as it could be. You wait in line (usually a big line if you go during typical breakfast hours) until a worker asks you what you want.
They have a big deli/topping counter that you get shuttled along as the worker prepares your food. If you order a hot sandwich or want your bagel toasted, the worker goes into the backroom and gets it started. They will then usually take the next customer and start their order.
At times, my order has been forgotten for several minutes. Then once they bag up your order, it gets passed off to the check out clerk, at which point you need to reiterate your order to them. The process is not as streamlined as it could be, but people will wait (and pay) for quality.
The Coffee Bar at the Back Bay Bagel Company
This is my favorite part of The Back Bay Bagel Company, the coffee selection. There is a big coffee bar with all kinds of hot coffee flavors. Their iced coffee selection is much more limited: usually a choice between a breakfast blend caffeinated, decaffeinated and french vanilla or hazelnut. But their hot coffee…heaven!
I am a coffee addict, I get a coffee everywhere I go; things like this get me excited. I especially love seasonal coffee and BBBC always has them. I get pumpkin coffee in the fall, gingerbread coffee in the winter, caramel in the spring and a dark, espresso roast in the summer (ok, so not a flavored coffee, but there aren’t any special ones for summer).
Some of the more interesting flavors include Chocolate Raspberry and German Chocolate Cake, but it’s self-serve so you could even mix a few up and create your own flavor.
Pro Tip: Sometimes Matt and I go here just to get a coffee. If you’re ordering only a coffee, go right to the register and don’t wait in the line. The line is for bagels and it moves slowly.
Back Bay Bagel Company Location and Parking
The Back Bay Bagel Company is part of a busy strip mall at 1280 Belmont Street in Brockton, MA on the Easton line.
Located on a busy part of Rt 123, getting into and out of the parking lot can be a hassle. Dunkin’ Donuts (right next door) has a drive through and, at times, the line stretches all the way out to the road making it almost impossible to get around in the parking lot. To make matters worse, the parking lot is narrow, so driving defensively is a must.
Pro Tip: I use the back entrance to the parking lot. If you follow Pearl Street a little ways past the gas station, on your right you’ll see the back entrance to the parking lot.
I then park in one of the spots on the left (opposite the Dunkin’ drive through) and walk over to the entrance. This avoids having to deal with all the crazy old lady drivers who use the main lot and avoids all the psychos waiting in the drive through at Dunkin’. This is back entrance:
Hours of Operation
A common complaint about Back Bay Bagel is that they don’t list their hours and it’s true! There are no hours to be found anywhere in the store. A quick call revealed all (hey look I’m a poet!):
5AM – 5PM
Best Bagels in Eastern Massachusetts
The Back Bay Bagel Company in Brockton gets my award for the best bagels in Eastern Massachusetts. They are vastly superior to the chain stores and have a great selection of coffees. Price-wise, they are on par with Dunkin’ Donuts and much cheaper than Starbucks – for 2 coffees and 2 bagel sandwiches, it ran us about $10.
The downside to BBBC is that parking situation and the slow service. These are easily remedied however with my parking tip above and a little patience.
What’s your favorite bagel place in Massachusetts?
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