Bagel Bazaar has already gained regulars who stop by up to three times a day, even after only a few weeks since it opened on November 14 according to owners Paul Salas and Randy Peltz. The restaurant is in Mercerville on Route 33, only 10 minutes away from MCCC’s West Windsor Campus.
The moment you walk in, a warm, sweet, freshly baked smell fills the air. It sets the mood before you notice the wall paintings and abundant natural light coming in through the big storefront window.
Customers can choose from fresh salads, flavorful spreads, and sandwiches, as well as many sweet bakery items and rare bagel flavors.
A good place to start on the menu is the bacon and egg option. The bacon is crispy and full of salty flavor. Generous portions of egg are seasoned just right and round out the bagel well.
The pecan caramel oat milk latte is a bit sweeter than typical, letting the caramel take the lead over the coffee.
The homemade chocolate chip cookies come fresh out of the oven every morning. The outside is crispy and caramelized, the inside is still gooey and tastes like biting into pure, only slightly-baked, cookie dough.
The menu doesn’t just stick to tradition. It includes creations like the fresh jalapeño bagel, French toast bagel, and even an Oreo bagel.
All recipes are homemade.
Peltz says, “We wanted to kind of enhance everything and source new products because, over time, there’s new products that become available, there’s different techniques, and the palette of customers also changes over time.”
Salas uses high-protein flour, traditional malt, and precise temperature control to make sure each bagel is treated with care.
Indeed, the bagels are exceptionally fluffy, almost cloud-like, with both sides toasted to a buttery crisp. Generous fillings that complement each other, make them satisfying but still light and fresh.
Salas says, “I started at 15 years old, working part-time on the weekends.”
The turning point for him was when his former employer offered him ownership of his new Bagel Bazaar location.
He says, “One of the things that I never did, which I really always dreamed about, was franchising.”
The interior is bright and polished, with small personal touches like branded mugs, shirts and thermoses that they sell. One of the walls is covered in hand-drawn doodles celebrating New Jersey pride.
Salas says four different designers helped to work on the hand-painted murals inside the shop. One side is airbrushed by former MCCC student, and well-known Trenton graffiti artist, Leon Rainbow whose work connects Bagel Bazaar to the local community.
The location of Bagel Bazaar was carefully selected.
Peltz says, “We think Hamilton is an amazing community, and we want to add value,” owner
Salas adds, “We always made sure that we took our time and we put a lot of thought and energy into making sure that we were giving Hamilton the best we could possibly give.”
Tatiana Espitia, another staff member said “All that we do is with our heart… It’s not only food, it’s giving an experience,”
For guests asking what to try, Cabrer points them toward one of the newest options on the board: “I’d probably say the Jersey Devil… just a spicy chorizo with pepper jack cheese, eggs and jalapeño cream cheese.”
About their food philosophy Salas says, “Everything that we do starts with one bagel.”
