Bagel Palace Deli and Bakery

Do you know how the land and building that a foreign embassy has in another country is considered their sovereign land. Well the Bagel Palace is an Embassy from New York City. A helicopter must have snatched this resturaunt from Manhattan and drop it in the Toco Hills shopping center. AUTHENTIC - the Food, the Ambience, and even the Service. And that is what I expect and that is what I get. PERFECT. One of the very few places that are a True Deli in Atlanta. Where else can you get a dozen different schmears on a homemade bagel? This is it. Save your money don't go to the airport for a flight to NYC. This is the real thing. The manager even has a NY accent!

Normally, I would have given Bagel Palace FOUR STARS. However, what occurred today, Sunday, August 5 forced me to give the restaurant two stars.

At approximately 12:30p.m. today, my fiance and I came to the Bagel Palace, which was busy as usual. We were greeted by a woman named SUE, who asked us for the number of our party. We told her that there were TWO of us, and weasked to sit in Jim's section. She nodded and said "okay", went to the downstairs section and came back -- saying that she thought a table was open. Unfortunately, a table was not open, so it "would be a few minutes".

A table came open in the main room (upstairs), so Sue led us to that table. As we walked toward the table, I said that we wanted to sit in Jim's section; because she did not acknowledge what I said, I asked my fiance to ask her directly.

As I sat down, my fiance turned to her -- so that they were face-to-face and asked if we were being seated in Jim's section because we wanted to have Jim as our waiter. SUE SAID "YES, IT IS."

Satisfied with this, my fiance sat down. Within a minute or so, a young woman came to our table and took our drink orders. When she returned, she attempted to take our food order. I asked her if Jim was going to be our waiter, since Sue acknowledged that she was seating us in Jim's section. The young woman looked confused and said that it was her section.

While the young woman was a pleasant waitress, my fiance and I wanted Jim to be our waiter. That Jim was NOT our waiter (we certainly would have waited for a table in his section to have come available) is the result of one of TWO possibilities on the part of SUE:

1) Sue lied to us

or

2) Sue did not listen to us

As regular Bagel Palace customers, Sue's behavior was unacceptable. Sue either lied to us or she did not listen...either action on HER part is inappropriate, particularly with regard to customers. If Sue will lie or fail to listen to regular customers such as ourselves, how will she treat people who are new to Bagel Palace?

Later, I passed by Sue and another waiter/waitress, and I heard Sue say, "No, they didn't ask to sit in Jim's section." I want to say right now that hearing this comment made me very angry. Essentially, Sue was calling me and my fiance liars, and I do not appreciate her desire to escape accountability and responsibility for the fact that she either LIED to us or PURPOSEFULLY DID NOT LISTEN TO OUR REQUEST.

With Sue as an employee, Bagel Palace has on staff someone who 1) does not listen to the customer, 2) pretends to hear what someone is saying and does what she chooses despite all requests, 3) lies about Bagel Palace customers, 4) does not acknowledge that she has responsibility and accountability as a staff person of Bagel Palace, and 5) clearly is unable to be open, honest and trustworthy with customers.

Because of this set of experiences with Sue, my brunch at Bagel Palace was quite negative and unappetizing. I do not trust Sue, and, if she is the hostess the next time that my fiance, friends and family come to Bagel Palace, I most certainly will make sure that we will have NO interaction with her whatsoever...and will ask to interact with someone trustworthy and honest, instead.

I ask that Bagel Palace reprimand Sue for her lies and her inability to listen to customers.

Sincerely,

-Anna Gonowon

I used to live in New York City, and, when I moved to Atlanta, I was incredibly glad to find the Bagel Palace Deli & Bakery. The food is both wonderful and comforting, and, for the food alone, a trip to this place is worth every minute you spend on the road to get there.

The restaurant isn't fancy; in fact, Bagel Palace is far more a deli than a restaurant, particularly when it comes to the ambiance and decor. However, what makes Bagel Palace such a top-notch place is the service that you get from Jim -- the place's hands-down best, most friendly and attentive waiter. While everyone is good (to varying degrees) at Bagel Palce, Jim is beyond compare; he remembers you and really connects to you, which is refreshing when going to any eatery. He embodies the friendliness and attention that I associate with Bagel Palace. Another highlight is the male manager/owner (with salt & pepper gray hair and a moustache), who is rather friendly and delightful.

There are only four big downfalls of Bagel Palace: 1) The menus are no longer on the table, which is odd for a deli; 2) the big blue napkin containers take up too much room AND don't allow you to place the unnecessary items on top of them (like the former brown napkin holders allowed you to do); 3) the tables are often a bit too small to comfortably hold all the dishes and condiments(related to the previous point about the BIG blue napkin holders); and 4) the female manager, who is one of the most unpleasant and abrupt people at Bagel Palace. While the first three can be easily remedied, the fourth item (the female manager) could use some corrective action; she's unpleasant to customers, abrupt with the other waitstaff and, overall, gives off the impression that she's unhappy with being at Bagel Palace. Maybe she could take some advice and counsel from Jim and the male manager/owner?

Despite those four items, I'll keep coming to and recommending Bagel Palace to everyone I know. You can't get a better bagel, knish, lox or chicken salad anywhere else in Atlanta!