Bagel Rack: a breakfast that’ll put a schmear on your face (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)

Editor’s Note: Last year, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. This review is one of several written prior to LVFC’s partnership with LebTown, initially posted Aug. 7, 2021. Bon appétit!

Today, we skipped our normal breakfast routine of going out and ordered online, instead getting sandwiches from The Bagel Rack, located near Ebersole Honda on Cumberland Street.

Thanks to all our followers for making this suggestion! If you’ve never been to the Bagel Rack, they specialize in fresh bagels, sandwiches, soups and salads.

In addition to their breakfast offerings, check out the Bagel Rack for lunch. They have plenty of flavors of bagels but get there early to get some of their more popular specialty bagels, like the cinnamon crunch or sun-dried tomato.

Their specialty sandwiches are unique and delicious. We especially like the Hot Rack and the Veggie Rack.

If you have ever driven by their location, you surely have seen the long line of cars for the drive-through. You can choose to wait in that long line, or you can place your order on their website and then have it delivered to you in their parking lot, no waiting needed. Allow 30 minutes for orders to be ready when choosing this option.

Their online ordering process was easy, but don’t forget if you don’t want a second cheese option to scroll to “no second cheese.” Took me a while to get that and add my sandwich to the cart.

We had a guest with us this morning, so we got to sample three different styles of sandwiches.

Our first sandwich was the Big Rack on a sun-dried tomato bagel, with a hash brown, egg, pork roll and cheese. A schmear of honey walnut cream cheese added a little sweetness ($5.99 + .75 for cream cheese).

You couldn’t really taste the hash brown in the combo, but the thick sandwich was overall wonderful. The cream cheese was the right add-on. I may have also chosen a sweet bagel for that perfect combo of sweet and savory.

The other sandwiches were sausage and cheese, one with a sundried tomato bagel and one with four cheese ($3.49 each).

We both got the sharp cheddar cheese on them, and it was the right choice. The sausage could have been grilled longer but was tasty.

One critique we all had was that the bagels stuck all over your teeth and could have been a little more toasted, but isn’t that really the sign of a good bagel?

All our bagels had good flavor and so did the fillings.

Our take: The bagels are fresh, the menu provides many options, they offer drive-through and online options, and the value is high. We got three sandwiches for $12. You’ll want to come back and try different combinations. They allow the flavors to speak for themselves. If you’re not a normal bagel connoisseur, begin with a flavor or filling that you know. Don’t be afraid to explore a new taste. You might be glad you did; we are!

We give this restaurant .

If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.