Balena Bagels

Best bagels in the South Hills! Excellent service and atmosphere! Very convenient for the trolley riders on all 3 T lines!How to ride the T to Balena Bagels:Blue/Silver Line1. Take the Blue or Silver Line to Willow2. Take the access to Castle Shannon Blvd3. Cross the crosswalk over Blue/Silver line and Willow Avenue4. Turn right on Willow Avenue5. Balena Bagels is on the leftRed Line1: Take the Red Line to Overbrook Junction2. From the inbound platform go down the ramp and then turn left towards Willow Station3. From the outbound platform cross the crosswalk and then turn right4. Take the access to Castle Shannon Blvd5. Cross the crosswalk over the Blue/Silver line and Willow Avenue6. Turn right on Willow Avenue7. Balena Bagels is on the left

Stopped by on a Sunday morning about 8am. It was packed, and many bagels were out, but they mentioned to us a fresh batch would be ready in 10 minutes. I ordered 2 fresh Asiagos (a fave of the customers!) 2 seven seed(they were out of everything this is a good substitute), a plain and a jalapeño cheddar. Was excited to try the last one, but when I got home there were only 5 in the bag. They appear to have a solid order fulfilling system behind the counter, and I'm really bummed about this mishap. Plus, this was my second trip here, the first one being disappointing since they were all out by 930am.Also figured out why it's such a small place. The owner has trouble finding a place with strong enough floors to hold the heavy bagel making machinery and the freezer. I can see it expanding one day bc it is a neighborhood favorite already.I like the bagels( chewy, flavorful, interesting flavors), the employees are friendly, but paying for a half dozen and only getting 5 is very frustrating.

Do you think the South Hills is hungry for a good bagel spot? Balena Bagels has been getting ready to open for a while right next to Anthos, another favorite of mine in Castle Shannon, and I have been excited. When I saw on their Instagram that a soft opening was happening the next day, I planned to go early, before starting work, and grab a couple of bagels. Good thing I planned to go early, because any later and they would have been fully sold out. Word-of-mouth spread quickly, as the next couple of days saw them continue to sell out quickly, even as they ramped up production and offered more product. I heard stories of lines wrapping around the block. And they're worth it. The bagels are great. Exactly the crusty outside and chewy center I'm looking for in a bagel. They are a small shop, grab and go, no seating. They offer about 10 varieties and you can get yours prepared with cream cheese or butter or just take them in a bag to go.Although they are still clearly ironing out their operations, the product is fully baked, no pun intended, and everybody working here is super friendly and excited to be part of the community. They also offer La Prima coffee. I am so excited to have them in the neighborhood!

Very good and fresh bagels. The Asiago was very crispy when I toasted it at home. The bagels typically can get sold out early on in the day, so make sure you go early enough. But they seem to have started ramping up production to accommodate the demand. I would like more flavors to come in the future, especially when it comes to cream cheese. Would really love to see a vegetable, jalapeño, or chive (or all 3!). Would also love to see breakfast sandwiches to order in the future but excited to have a basic bagel shop thus far.

I'm picky about my bagels and I've tried a few places in Pittsburgh -- this one is in my top 2 if we're talking chewy, New York style bagels, which are my favorite. They also have a selection of flavors that rotate and can't be found elsewhere. Parking can be tricky but it's worth the hassle. The scallion cream cheese is amazing and we got the everything, Asiago and rosemary varieties and loved them all.

Finally, a New York City style bagel to beat all!!! Wonderfully fresh with chewy inside, substantial but tearable crusts. Love all the story options.

We were excited to visit Balena today for their soft opening! The two bagels we tried, Asiago and everything, were both excellent - Soft with a crunchy exterior when toasted, and the everything bagel had a lot of seasoning. Staff was really friendly, and seemed just as excited to be there as we were. They didn't have cream cheese yet, so we look forward to coming back soon. Drip coffee from La Prima was available, though we didn't try it.

There is a public lot close to the shop and some on street parking next to the T line. I was so excited that a new bagel place opened up. This is such a cute nook for a bagel shop and it's really bright. Already the word is out and new people were stopping in. The bagels were so fresh with the slightest perfect chew. They had the typical bagels along with Zatar. In addition to classic cream cheese, they offer plain and herb vegan cream cheese which is so creamy you can't tell the difference. They also serve la prima coffee. I can't wait to go back and try more bagels and when they start serving bagel sandwiches!

Stopped by early, about 7:15 since they are at soft opening with limited production. Line about 40 people long when I got there. When we were about 2/3 thru the line someone came out and announced that only 100 bagels left. Some people behind left but stuck it out. When I got to the door they said only one bagel per person. The guy behind me left, he wants two, one for his wife and himself. Only two flavors left and got a 7 seed bagel. The bagel was good, a little bready. Looking forward to stopping back in the future once they have the process down and they have been operating a bit.

Just heard about this place from Ana.eats.pgh and so glad that I did. We got a variety of bagels with their regular cream cheese. The bagels were proved and baked perfectly and made it difficult to eat just one. Will definitely be going back. Their early morning hours make it great for those of us with little ones to grab some food for everyone