New York Bagel in Rohnert Park, CA: A Review

Rohnert Park is not exactly one of California's top culinary destinations. Coffee is especially a problem in the morning, unless you want to go queue up in the ridiculous line at Starbucks. A quick grab-and-go breakfast also isn't easy to find, unless you're willing to stoop to the level of Jack In The Box or McDonalds.

So thank goodness for New York Bagel, courageously setting up shop just across the plaza from one of said Starbucks at Commerce and Expressway. When there's a line out the door at Charbucks on weekday mornings, you only see one or two people in here, which is a mixed blessing. I want to see the place get more business than that to be sure that they're doing OK, but it's also nice to not have to deal with a line or wound-up yupsters on their way to the office.

Bagels are the specialty of the house (you think?), and there's a good twenty or thirty varieties. Apparently they actually have an operation going in the back where they put together bagel sandwiches that go out to various grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops and suchlike all over Sonoma and Marin counties. So I guess I actually don't need to worry too much about the lack of morning traffic. Anyway, you can get the usual range of toppings, or a steamed egg bagel sandwich with cheese. All quite good and at a reasonable price.

The real star of the show is the coffee, however, which beats Starbucks by a mile. It comes from Marin Coffee Roasters which is a little operation down in San Anselmo that deals in all sorts of organic coffees. Not only is it better than Starbucks, it costs a little less too. Why anyone would wait in line for that when you can get this instantly is beyond me, but I know addicts don't think rationally. If you aren't into coffee they also have teas, and an interesting selection of organic sodas in the cooler, some of which I'd never seen before.

One interesting final point is that they are apparently a notary public. A sign says "Spanish notary" so I don't know if they can handle your documents in any other languages. But what the heck, why not be a notary while also serving up coffee and bagels. Three birds with one stone and all that.