We had a quick walk at Reading Terminal Market and stumbled upon a bialys stand! It is owned by Kismet Bagels and I was instantly drawn by its cute logo, pink storefront and bialys selection.＊Caramelized Onion Bialy (vegan)They have some interesting bialy flavors like Buffalo Chicken, Pastrami and BEC, but we opted for a more classic flavor.It was fully covered by generous amount of poppy seeds. When we were eating, some people saw our bialy and also felt amazed. The center was stuffed with caramelised onion sprinkled with sea salt. They reheated the bialy for us so it was served warm.I swear I’ll bring a bag to carry their bialys, and run to their bagel shops in Fishtown and Rittenhouse next time!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Online Reviews
Very good. I went two days in a row. Dude working on Monday gave me great service. Looks like Judith and Kris (below with one star reviews of Kismet) only know how to give out one star reviews per their profiles.
Chelsea Collins
Friendly service, delicious bialys. I got the special of the day, schmear and strawberry jam. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catherine Sribar
Just ordered an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese. Had to post because even though bagels aren’t their specialty, it was perfect ! Staff were very friendly as well.
Nathaniel Jerue
This place has some good breakfast for if you wanna sit down or on the go this place beats any other Bialy not in New York City because you just can't beat New York when it comes to bagels but this is the best outside of New York. New York Bagels just cannot be beat people even Montreal bagels don't compare to New York Bagels.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bacon Egg & Cheese, Bottled Water
Joel H.
First heard of a bialy, and tried Kismet Bialys, at a Rights to Ricky Sanchez event at Underground Arts. They had a vegan, caramelized onion version. I loved the combo of bagel-like consistency surrounding a center of caramelized onion. I liked it so much that before I left town, I went by their Reading Terminal Market location and grabbed another one. Since that initial experience, I've returned to Philly a few times and made sure I grabbed a vegan bialy on each visit. I've had varying success with waits. My first visit I was in line for less than five minutes. Subsequent visits have ranged from ten to fifteen to twenty-five minutes. Despite the waits, I never leave that line. I know how good things are once that Bialy is in my hand. If you are a bagel or Bialy fan and in the Philly area, give Kismet a try. Their product speaks for itself.
Whitney L.
Was hungry after an early morning flight and decided to get breakfast here while in here. Line moved pretty quick even though it was long. I got The Egg and The onion. The egg is the one I ate at the market and it was so good! It was definitely filling and good for breakfast. The onion I had the next day and it was okay. Maybe it's better day of. Which is fine. Staff was fine and helpful for any questions. Would stop by again whenever I'm in Philly.
Katie Y.
Absolutely delicious! There will definitely be a wait. But we had the bacon egg and cheese bialy with hot sauce and I would recommend!
Lauren M.
We tried the BEC and the strami and enjoyed both! Because this spot is in RTM, finding somewhere to enjoy these fresh proved to be difficult. But, overall, they were satisfying! Only disappointment is that they were served slightly cold.
Dana Sullivan
This shop in the Reading Terminal Market was my first chance to try a bialy, which is like a bagel with a filled depression in the centre instead of a hole. I got a caramelized onion bialy, which happens to be vegan (the original is also vegan). They warmed it up for me to enjoy and it was super fresh. I really appreciated that the poppyseed coating actually mostly stuck to the surface of the bialy so that poppyseeds didn’t go everywhere while I was eating it. No line on Saturday morning (9:30 am), so it was a very quick and easy breakfast, and a bonus, all the staff were very friendly. If you like bagels and want to try something different, check them out!
I got turned on to authentic Long Island bialys a couple years ago. Believe me when I tell you there's nothing like them. Kismet doesn't really match an authentic Long Island bialy. Let me say that right off the bat. I tried the basic onion bialy from Kismet, and I will say that it's quite good. The onion in the center is well caramelized. But truthfully, a Long Island bialy doesn't really go that route. It tends to go more for a basic onion flavor and it spreads out well through the bialy. This one puts all the caramelized flavor in the center and it kind of stays there while the rest of the bialy is more of a bagel. I mean it's tasty. It's just not authentic to me. But then they won me over with the pastrami bialy creation they had. I didn't care one bit if it was authentic. It was hearty and flavorful. They kind of do their own thing. If you're a bialy snob, you might find something off. But, if you're just looking for something that is pretty darn good on its own, this will impress you.
Dana S.
This shop in the Reading Terminal Market was my first chance to try a bialy, which is like a bagel with a filled depression in the centre instead of a hole. I got a caramelized onion bialy, which happens to be vegan (the original is also vegan). They warmed it up for me to enjoy and it was super fresh. I really appreciated that the poppyseed coating actually mostly stuck to the surface of the bialy so that poppyseeds didn't go everywhere while I was eating it. No line on Saturday morning (9:30 am), so it was a very quick and easy breakfast, and a bonus, all the staff were very friendly. If you like bagels and want to try something different, check them out!
Wil Spillane
Absolutely delicious. Craveable. The zhug sauce, a Yemeni chimichurri, takes it to another level. Earthy spices galore. Honestly worth waiting in line for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel, Egg & Cheese
Lizzie S.
I've never heard of a bialy before! It's a "flat roll with a depression in the center typically seasoned with an onion and poppy seed mixture." Kismet has so many flavors, I wish I could try them all! I tried the BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) and the lox/salmon (not on the same day.) Both were delicious, filling, and unique. Love the small business--service felt like family. I hope they keep on flourishing (and I think they are--they started out as a pop-up, and now have multiple physical locations!)
Madison A.
We tried the classic bialy because they were out of the onion and this was the most similar. The classic was one of my boyfriend's top picks for food we ate while in Philly. I love their packaging and quick service. We managed to get there at a great time where the line wasn't very long but walked by about 10 minutes later and it was wrapped around the corner. Just keep in mind that it may be busy when you go. Definitely worth the stop.
We had a quick walk at Reading Terminal Market and stumbled upon a bialys stand! It is owned by Kismet Bagels and I was instantly drawn by its cute logo, pink storefront and bialys selection.＊Caramelized Onion Bialy (vegan)They have some interesting bialy flavors like Buffalo Chicken, Pastrami and BEC, but we opted for a more classic flavor.It was fully covered by generous amount of poppy seeds. When we were eating, some people saw our bialy and also felt amazed. The center was stuffed with caramelised onion sprinkled with sea salt. They reheated the bialy for us so it was served warm.I swear I’ll bring a bag to carry their bialys, and run to their bagel shops in Fishtown and Rittenhouse next time!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very good. I went two days in a row. Dude working on Monday gave me great service. Looks like Judith and Kris (below with one star reviews of Kismet) only know how to give out one star reviews per their profiles.
Friendly service, delicious bialys. I got the special of the day, schmear and strawberry jam. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just ordered an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese. Had to post because even though bagels aren’t their specialty, it was perfect ! Staff were very friendly as well.
This place has some good breakfast for if you wanna sit down or on the go this place beats any other Bialy not in New York City because you just can't beat New York when it comes to bagels but this is the best outside of New York. New York Bagels just cannot be beat people even Montreal bagels don't compare to New York Bagels.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bacon Egg & Cheese, Bottled Water
First heard of a bialy, and tried Kismet Bialys, at a Rights to Ricky Sanchez event at Underground Arts. They had a vegan, caramelized onion version. I loved the combo of bagel-like consistency surrounding a center of caramelized onion. I liked it so much that before I left town, I went by their Reading Terminal Market location and grabbed another one. Since that initial experience, I've returned to Philly a few times and made sure I grabbed a vegan bialy on each visit. I've had varying success with waits. My first visit I was in line for less than five minutes. Subsequent visits have ranged from ten to fifteen to twenty-five minutes. Despite the waits, I never leave that line. I know how good things are once that Bialy is in my hand. If you are a bagel or Bialy fan and in the Philly area, give Kismet a try. Their product speaks for itself.
Was hungry after an early morning flight and decided to get breakfast here while in here. Line moved pretty quick even though it was long. I got The Egg and The onion. The egg is the one I ate at the market and it was so good! It was definitely filling and good for breakfast. The onion I had the next day and it was okay. Maybe it's better day of. Which is fine. Staff was fine and helpful for any questions. Would stop by again whenever I'm in Philly.
Absolutely delicious! There will definitely be a wait. But we had the bacon egg and cheese bialy with hot sauce and I would recommend!
We tried the BEC and the strami and enjoyed both! Because this spot is in RTM, finding somewhere to enjoy these fresh proved to be difficult. But, overall, they were satisfying! Only disappointment is that they were served slightly cold.
This shop in the Reading Terminal Market was my first chance to try a bialy, which is like a bagel with a filled depression in the centre instead of a hole. I got a caramelized onion bialy, which happens to be vegan (the original is also vegan). They warmed it up for me to enjoy and it was super fresh. I really appreciated that the poppyseed coating actually mostly stuck to the surface of the bialy so that poppyseeds didn’t go everywhere while I was eating it. No line on Saturday morning (9:30 am), so it was a very quick and easy breakfast, and a bonus, all the staff were very friendly. If you like bagels and want to try something different, check them out!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I got turned on to authentic Long Island bialys a couple years ago. Believe me when I tell you there's nothing like them. Kismet doesn't really match an authentic Long Island bialy. Let me say that right off the bat. I tried the basic onion bialy from Kismet, and I will say that it's quite good. The onion in the center is well caramelized. But truthfully, a Long Island bialy doesn't really go that route. It tends to go more for a basic onion flavor and it spreads out well through the bialy. This one puts all the caramelized flavor in the center and it kind of stays there while the rest of the bialy is more of a bagel. I mean it's tasty. It's just not authentic to me. But then they won me over with the pastrami bialy creation they had. I didn't care one bit if it was authentic. It was hearty and flavorful. They kind of do their own thing. If you're a bialy snob, you might find something off. But, if you're just looking for something that is pretty darn good on its own, this will impress you.
This shop in the Reading Terminal Market was my first chance to try a bialy, which is like a bagel with a filled depression in the centre instead of a hole. I got a caramelized onion bialy, which happens to be vegan (the original is also vegan). They warmed it up for me to enjoy and it was super fresh. I really appreciated that the poppyseed coating actually mostly stuck to the surface of the bialy so that poppyseeds didn't go everywhere while I was eating it. No line on Saturday morning (9:30 am), so it was a very quick and easy breakfast, and a bonus, all the staff were very friendly. If you like bagels and want to try something different, check them out!
Absolutely delicious. Craveable. The zhug sauce, a Yemeni chimichurri, takes it to another level. Earthy spices galore. Honestly worth waiting in line for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel, Egg & Cheese
I've never heard of a bialy before! It's a "flat roll with a depression in the center typically seasoned with an onion and poppy seed mixture." Kismet has so many flavors, I wish I could try them all! I tried the BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) and the lox/salmon (not on the same day.) Both were delicious, filling, and unique. Love the small business--service felt like family. I hope they keep on flourishing (and I think they are--they started out as a pop-up, and now have multiple physical locations!)
We tried the classic bialy because they were out of the onion and this was the most similar. The classic was one of my boyfriend's top picks for food we ate while in Philly. I love their packaging and quick service. We managed to get there at a great time where the line wasn't very long but walked by about 10 minutes later and it was wrapped around the corner. Just keep in mind that it may be busy when you go. Definitely worth the stop.