Restaurant Review: Star Bagel San Francisco, California

Star Bagel
1475 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA
415-567-9955

* Eat-in or take-out
* Cash only
* Limited parking on street
* 1 block from Van Ness bus lines

Star Bagel is a so-so, fairly low-cost bagel and donut dive in the middle of Polk Street at California, around the Tendernobbish part of town.

The bagels are pretty average, though they do get some bonus points as they seem to bake their own. You can get various bagel sandwiches such as egg-and-cheese, tuna, or just get a topping of butter or various types of cream cheese. The price range on these runs about $1.50 - $3.50 depending on what you order. I went with an egg bagel, which featured a microwaved-looking slab of egg as well as some American cheese and slice of reasonably fresh tomato. Better than a fast food breakfast I suppose, but not by a real long stretch.

If you're after donuts, you'd really be better served elsewhere. The selection is skimpy, and when I arrived at 9 A.M. it had already been ravaged and not replenished. All that was left was a few lonely looking cream-filled maple bars and some cake with sprinkles. Walk up the street a few blocks to Bob's Donuts, the extra effort is really worth it.

Same goes with coffee. There's a few self-serve canisters of some nameless brand. They have one coffee flavor here, Banana Nut, that I've never seen anywhere else. Being an adventuresome sort of lad who is always on the lookout for Excitement, I tried it. I can't report that I really tasted the banana or the nut. It just tasted kind of like Hazelnut to me. But the guy behind the counter said it was popular. Hm. If coffee is not your thing they have some teas and a cooler full of the expected sodas and juices and what have you.