A Review of Ithaca, New York's Collegetown Bagels

If you are thinking about going to Cornell University, you are in for a treat. One of the places you will be able to dine at frequently is Ithaca's CollegeTown Bagels.

With about three locations all over Ithaca, this local eatery is daily packed with college students and Ithaca's town inhabitants at all times. And Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels doesn't draw crowds for just any old reason.

One Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels is located right by Cornell University, in what is called collegetown. Collegetown is a place with thriving food merchants who sell everything from Chinese food to pitas. So Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels fits right in.

One reason Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels draws so many people into its doors each day is because of its ambiance. When you walk inside, you immediately feel as if you have entered some comfortable New York City coffeehouse. Decorated in muted tones of warm browns and shades of tan, Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels is the perfect college hangout.

But the food at Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels is great too. They just don't serve bagels either. They have homemade soup that they put into bread bowls. These soups are hearty, and there are many varieties served each day.

Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels also has the best deserts you could ever imagine. There's often cheesecake and small rich pastries like you might find at a famous bakery. My favorite thing to eat there was a plate-sized chocolate chip cookie. These things were perfect for relieving the stress that came from studying late the night before. And when I say plate-sized, I'm exaggerating a bit. They're more the size of a large saucer. But they pack the taste of something that's much bigger. Soft, but not too soft, these cookies can satisfy anyone' sweet tooth.

Another food I liked to eat at Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels was of course, the bagels. One bagel I liked in particular was a plain bagel toasted with a slice of muenster cheese on it. The cheese adds a great flavor to the bagel. Another bagel I liked was a plain bagel with plain cream cheese and smoked salmon. This is a bagel's best-kept secret. I would have never tasted this bagel if someone hadn't brought some salmon, cream cheese, and bagels into my English class one day. And I never looked back.

Ithaca CollegeTown Bagels has many varieties of other bagels, and they carry different breads that they get from the local Ithaca Bakery. The breads are great. A lot of them are baked with cheese. One kind in particular that I liked was pumpernickel bread that was baked both with beer and cheese. Eating that bread was like heaven on earth.

So if you are looking to eat good food in a comfortable atmosphere, try out collegetown bagels.