I grew up in NYC, and recall all the great Jewish bakeries of the 1950s and 1960s in the Bronx and Brooklyn. They're almost all gone, and I miss the homemade bagels, bialys, rugelach, bobka etc. We knew all the great ones.
Asa's isn't amazing, but it's good. Along with Cecil's in St Paul, Jewish food is represented well in the Twin Cities. I enjoyed Asa's homemade bagels and bialys. Along with some lox and cream cheese, Asa's suppled a great lunch. Go and enjoy some authentic food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Edison Estrella
Delicious pastries and great bagels.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick
The people leaving 1-star reviews for the mask requirement are hilarious. Any business has a right to require facial coverings, especially when dealing with food. And in doing so, these folks have provided masks right by the entrance. It's not that hard. Some of you just wanna feel oppressed so badly and it shows.
Anyways, I highly recommend the salt bagel with lox and dill scallion cream cheese. They had this seasonal cream cheese I can't remember the name of (liptaur?), but it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacob Dunning
An amazing bakery with a robust assortment of tinned fish. The bagels are perfectly chewy and delicious. I'm glad they remain committed to community safety and masking!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delorianne Sander
The most wholesome and delicious spot for handmade bagels. Get there around 9 for a bialy with salmon it will change your life
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lox Sandwhich on Bagel or Bialy with Choice of Cream Cheese
Deléa
Agree with other reviews regarding mandatory masks, lack of toasting of the bagels, and not being able to sit indoors.
You walk into Asa’s in very late 2025, almost 2026, not expecting someone to tell you that must wear a mask..ok..So you put on the mask even tho it’s been years since the mask mandate has been lifted and COVID is no longer a public health emergency and no other businesses require this.
Next they only have a few bagel options and you ask if they toast them and they say “no, they’re baked fresh” well what does that have to do with wanting a warm toasted bagel? So you order a couple of bagels and notice that one of them is so hard and chewy because it was baked in the morning and it’s now afternoon. Everyone knows bagels get touch quick if they’re not heated or toasted.
After all of that, you realize that you’re not allowed to sit down at one of their tables because they have notes on each one saying indoor dining not allowed because of Covid. WHAT.
All of those things plus the sign that tells you how to address their employees and what pronouns to use while you’re in a bagel shop for 2 minutes created a very unpleasant and overbearing environment.
2 stars instead of one because one of our two bagels was soft, good, and the cream cheese was tasty.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
joseph Werner
I was really looking forward to going to this place. Immediately upon entering I was asked to put on a mask… it’s 2025 almost ‘26 and I’m not sick. If you’re living in fear that’s fine but don’t make other people bend a knee. Also, they only had 4 different types of bagels available and we went at 9am on Sunday morning. Staff was also rude about me not wanting to put a mask on. Bagel was sub par and experience not great 2/10.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Micah Helle
Great quick grab and go breakfast spot. Liked the bagels and the dill scallion cream cheese. Would have loved if the dine in area were open, but great otherwise!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zach
These are our favorite bagels in the TC area. The bialis and loaves are excellent and should not be skipped. Great staff too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tahseen
Disgusting, awful, non-food.
I got an everything bagel, which is more poppyseed than anything but I digress. I asked to get it toasted as I saw the bagels sitting in a rack silently. I was told very confidently that the bagels are made fresh, and the store doesn't even have a toaster. Fresh is relative. A bread item, made in the morning and left in room temperature, is not fresh to me. But maybe it is, to this bakery's standard which has to be very low. Would not visit again.
Also, I understand the health concerns. But the no dine-in policy reeks of cost cutting measures from management.
I am not a fan of cold hard bagels and the amount of cream cheese given is sad
Bill Horn
Excellent baked goods! All the doughs are fab - sourdough, rye, pastry… Bagel texture and size are just right. Could use more salt and garlic on the everything’s…. Good whitefish. Would be good to be able to sit and eat in the shop.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jonathan Uzcategui
The bagels are great but they really need to have inside eating. It’s so non sensical at this point
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Erin Bogle
I have cancer and am greatful that I can get delicious bagels from Asa's Bakery and not worry about getting sick on top of everything else. Thank you to this business and their staff for continuing to practice community care in this way. The food is so dang good also!!!
Recommended dishes: Everything Bagel
Miranda Rich
Tried to go this morning and the mask requirement stopped us, as we no longer own any in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five. I’m in disbelief. I work at a large healthcare facility where we treat both infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases, and I can confidently say that the author(s) of this policy should seek psychological help. I mean that kindly, though I doubt it will be taken that way. You don’t have to live in fear like this anymore, and I feel sad for you that you do.
I grew up in NYC, and recall all the great Jewish bakeries of the 1950s and 1960s in the Bronx and Brooklyn. They're almost all gone, and I miss the homemade bagels, bialys, rugelach, bobka etc. We knew all the great ones.
Asa's isn't amazing, but it's good. Along with Cecil's in St Paul, Jewish food is represented well in the Twin Cities. I enjoyed Asa's homemade bagels and bialys. Along with some lox and cream cheese, Asa's suppled a great lunch. Go and enjoy some authentic food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Delicious pastries and great bagels.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The people leaving 1-star reviews for the mask requirement are hilarious. Any business has a right to require facial coverings, especially when dealing with food. And in doing so, these folks have provided masks right by the entrance. It's not that hard. Some of you just wanna feel oppressed so badly and it shows.
Anyways, I highly recommend the salt bagel with lox and dill scallion cream cheese. They had this seasonal cream cheese I can't remember the name of (liptaur?), but it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An amazing bakery with a robust assortment of tinned fish. The bagels are perfectly chewy and delicious. I'm glad they remain committed to community safety and masking!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The most wholesome and delicious spot for handmade bagels. Get there around 9 for a bialy with salmon it will change your life
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lox Sandwhich on Bagel or Bialy with Choice of Cream Cheese
Agree with other reviews regarding mandatory masks, lack of toasting of the bagels, and not being able to sit indoors.
You walk into Asa’s in very late 2025, almost 2026, not expecting someone to tell you that must wear a mask..ok..So you put on the mask even tho it’s been years since the mask mandate has been lifted and COVID is no longer a public health emergency and no other businesses require this.
Next they only have a few bagel options and you ask if they toast them and they say “no, they’re baked fresh” well what does that have to do with wanting a warm toasted bagel? So you order a couple of bagels and notice that one of them is so hard and chewy because it was baked in the morning and it’s now afternoon. Everyone knows bagels get touch quick if they’re not heated or toasted.
After all of that, you realize that you’re not allowed to sit down at one of their tables because they have notes on each one saying indoor dining not allowed because of Covid. WHAT.
All of those things plus the sign that tells you how to address their employees and what pronouns to use while you’re in a bagel shop for 2 minutes created a very unpleasant and overbearing environment.
2 stars instead of one because one of our two bagels was soft, good, and the cream cheese was tasty.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
I was really looking forward to going to this place. Immediately upon entering I was asked to put on a mask… it’s 2025 almost ‘26 and I’m not sick. If you’re living in fear that’s fine but don’t make other people bend a knee. Also, they only had 4 different types of bagels available and we went at 9am on Sunday morning. Staff was also rude about me not wanting to put a mask on. Bagel was sub par and experience not great 2/10.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Great quick grab and go breakfast spot. Liked the bagels and the dill scallion cream cheese. Would have loved if the dine in area were open, but great otherwise!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
These are our favorite bagels in the TC area. The bialis and loaves are excellent and should not be skipped. Great staff too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Disgusting, awful, non-food.
I got an everything bagel, which is more poppyseed than anything but I digress. I asked to get it toasted as I saw the bagels sitting in a rack silently. I was told very confidently that the bagels are made fresh, and the store doesn't even have a toaster. Fresh is relative. A bread item, made in the morning and left in room temperature, is not fresh to me. But maybe it is, to this bakery's standard which has to be very low. Would not visit again.
Also, I understand the health concerns. But the no dine-in policy reeks of cost cutting measures from management.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I am not a fan of cold hard bagels and the amount of cream cheese given is sad
Excellent baked goods! All the doughs are fab - sourdough, rye, pastry… Bagel texture and size are just right. Could use more salt and garlic on the everything’s…. Good whitefish. Would be good to be able to sit and eat in the shop.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
The bagels are great but they really need to have inside eating. It’s so non sensical at this point
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
I have cancer and am greatful that I can get delicious bagels from Asa's Bakery and not worry about getting sick on top of everything else. Thank you to this business and their staff for continuing to practice community care in this way. The food is so dang good also!!!
Recommended dishes: Everything Bagel
Tried to go this morning and the mask requirement stopped us, as we no longer own any in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five. I’m in disbelief. I work at a large healthcare facility where we treat both infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases, and I can confidently say that the author(s) of this policy should seek psychological help. I mean that kindly, though I doubt it will be taken that way. You don’t have to live in fear like this anymore, and I feel sad for you that you do.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
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