Quick Take:
Location: 1242 N Florida Ave, Lakeland
What Mike Ordered: Bacon Egg & Cheese On A Plain Bagel (The Bronx Bacon Egg)
What Katie Ordered: Taylor Ham Egg & Cheese On A Bagel (New Jersey Taylor Ham)
Extra Order: Bacon Egg & Cheese On Ciabatta and a Blueberry Bagel w. Cream Cheese
Gluten Free Options: Yes
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Final Score: 4/5
Price: ~$10-20 per person
For our thirty third stop on our Polk Food Quest, we visited Mary's Bagel Cafe in Lakeland.
We've been meaning to get here for a while now, the timing has just been off and there have been SO many other spots you guys have asked us to hit.
That said, we ended up really enjoying ourselves.
We ordered more than we could eat, of course, but it was well worth it for the sake of the review.
If you've been reading our Food Reviews for a while now, you'll know we are BIG fans of Uncle Nick's Italian Deli, which is in South Lakeland.
Mary's Bagel Cafe is in North Lakeland, and while it isn't a direct comparison, it is a great option for anyone looking to grab a breakfast sandwich and/or bagel in the area.
By the way: if you're new here, the concept of my Polk Food Quest is simple: every week I try a local spot, order the most common thing people get, try a few extras, and rank it on taste, value, vibes, and overall.
This week: Bagels and Breakfast Sandwiches!
Which means I ordered a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel, Katie got taylor ham egg and cheese on a bagel, and we also extra ordered a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and an extra BEC on ciabatta.
How Does This Work?
I order the standard item for that category (for bagels and breakfast sandwiches that is a variety of options), plus a few extras so I can get a full feel for the menu.
Then I rank the experience on four things:
Taste | Value | Vibes | 
Overall
Taste focuses on the standard item.
The rest reflects the entire experience.
Taste: 4.5/5
Everything we had was really good.
There was nothing we were disappointed by, and some that even surprised us.
That said, they weren't the BEST breakfast sandwiches and bagels we've had in Polk County — BUT ... they were better than most.
Here's a quick breakdown for my quick scanners, though:
- Bacon/Taylor Ham Egg & Cheese Bagel (4.5/5): Awesome. Definitely will be back. Both Katie and I loved each of them. We split them down the middle and argued over whether BEC or Taylor Ham was better
- Blueberry Bagel With Cream Cheese (4.5/5): This was great as well. The bagel wasn't the best we've had in Polk, but it was close. It was fresh (literally came out and handed to us warm), which helped, so this could have been a 4-4.25 on a regular day, but we'd still grab it again and bet money that we'd be happy with it.
- Bacon Egg & Cheese On Ciabatta (3.5/5): This is the only one I'd pass on when I go again. They're a bagel place, but I was curious and wanted to let you guys know. Stick to the bagels.
As I mentioned with the blueberry bagel: all of our bagels came right out fresh.
This doesn't change the scoring, but it is something to be aware of, because ours might be *slightly* better than bagels that have sat out a bit.
That said, we were extremely happy with everything we got.
Vibes: 4/5
The vibes were high at Mary's Bagel Cafe.
The outside is very nice, and staying and eating inside is definitely something I'd recommend if someone asked.
That said, here is how I rank vibes:
- The Physical Location (Where it is on a map)
- Hospitality/Service
- The Interior/Space
The hospitality/service was a 5/5.
The physical location is fine, but it's not a 5/5 as though it's right in a downtown or easy access to other things to do after you hang. Not much of a bump down either, though, because it still makes it easy that it's right off the main road.
The interior space is *close* to a 5/5, the only thing that threw me off a little bit was the fact that I needed to ask for access to the bathroom and instead of getting a key they walked me over there and unlocked it for me.
I already don't love having to ask for the key while I'm sitting down for breakfast, but I get it. This just seemed A LITTLE excessive.
Not taking much off for that either, I'd just say 4/5 is a fair score; but know that helped us was SO nice, so if this was service alone we'd give a 5/5.
Value: 3.5/5
I'm not sure if this is the New Yorker in me, but over $10 for a breakfast sandwich feels like way too much, even with the current economy and prices.
The sandwiches were great, but not a 5/5.
And even for some 5/5 bagels and breakfast sandwiches we've had around Polk were priced around $7-8.
So for that I'm taking off a little bit on value.
That said, I do think part of it is that Mary's serves their sandwiches with 2 eggs (some places are only one and you have to ask for two or three if you want); but it could still be $7.99-$8.99, in my opinion.
Even with that, I still think 3.5/5 puts them at a solid score overall.
Overall: 4/5
Overall I'm giving Mary's Bagel Cafe a solid 4/5.
If you're in the mood for a good bagel in Polk and miss breakfast sandwiches like BEC and Taylor Ham on a bagel — this is your spot in North Lakeland.
Would I bring my visiting family there?
Yes.
Any version of yes here means it is really good.
My family is all from Long Island, New York — and Katie's is all from New Jersey.
They have high standards for bagels and breakfast sandwiches, but these are a good pass for someone who is really craving one — assuming we're in North Lakeland or even downtown and want to take a quick trip.
Here’s how I’d sum up Mary's Bagel Cafe:
This is North Lakeland’s answer to a real New York-style breakfast sandwich.
Katie and I walked in expecting a decent bagel and walked out arguing over whether BEC or Taylor Ham was the better order. That’s usually a good sign.
Neither sandwich was perfect, but both were better than most of what we’ve had around Polk. Everything we tried tasted fresh, too. The bagels were still warm when they handed them to us.
The one miss was the ciabatta. It wasn’t bad, it just isn’t why you come here.
You’ll pay a little more than you might expect, a little over $10 a sandwich. But they don’t skimp, either: two eggs come standard, and you won’t leave hungry.
Add friendly staff, a bright dining room and easy parking right off N Florida Ave, and it’s an easy breakfast stop.
My test is whether I’d bring my Long Island family here, or Katie’s New Jersey family. For Mary’s, the answer is yes.
If you’ve been missing a proper bagel sandwich since moving to Polk, start here. Order one of each and settle the BEC vs. Taylor Ham debate yourself.
Before You Go....
Hey!
I want to know what you think of Mary's Bagel Cafe.
Leave a comment below.
The more you share, the better, but anything is appreciated.
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