My first visit here was a Saturday morning, there were a few people in line, but it moved quickly and I got my order fast as well. I like to judge a bagel place on there everything bagel with plain cream cheese with the bagel untoasted. The bagel was very tasty with a good amount of cream cheese. It had a bit of crisp on the outside, but a bit more toasty on the outside would make it perfect. The cut was also quite off center. Im looking forward to another visit.

THE best deli and bagel place in Wilmington. The food is excellent and the people are awesome. Highly recommend this shop to everyone and anyone that wants great food and great service!

Used to be my favorite breakfast to eat, bagels were amazing and order was right every time and the workers were efficient honestly went like 2-4 times week… Honestly just sucks since it changed ownership, everyone is slow and messing things up always getting my order wrong, they don’t answer the phone anymore at all I mean it’s so annoying, how do expect to make money for the restaurant if someone won’t even take an order… last owners were nice and cool and kept the place as its own and now it’s like every other chain bagel place in nc, rip to empire bagels you will be missed

Visiting from NY WANTED TO FIND NY BAGELS. The bagels here are very good and as close to NY bagel as you are likely to find. Clearly owner is from ny based on the decor. Staff is great service was prompt and courteous. Proudly supports 1st responders so I will support them every day!

Worst service iv ever experienced at a restaurant.

The food is alright but the service is trash. Youll wait over 20 minutes for two bagels and then when you get them they will be room temp and wrong.

Not sure what happened but the phones don’t work so I can’t preorder ahead of time for my big family. It is disappointing that it’s so slow and they removed all of the scenery inside. Might go to bagel king now.

AWFUL food, TERRIBLE service, DIRTY kitchen.Used to be a good spot but this was the last straw. I will not return.

Great bagels; great sandwiches. USED TO love this place. For many years. Two visits in the last two weeks… And despite the Mask Mandate in effect in New Hanover County since August 20, barely anyone was masked. NO staff masked. NO signs anywhere. Clearly NO expectations for anyone.Today, they were short-staffed and 12 people waiting for their orders (Props 🙌 to the two 20-somethings, sitting individually, wearing their masks btw!). And it wasn’t like anyone was drinking coffee or anything while they waited; no one was.Well, whether one has kids too young to be vaccinated, or one is immune compromised themselves, we have an obligation to take care of EVERYONE in our community.This is not a political statement; I AM following the science. And this Delta variant is real ya’ll. Keep it up and we’ll watch the schools (have to) go back to virtual learning, eateries (go back) to takeout or end up closing, and our medical care system be unable to support the surges and urgency. And we all lose.Who are you gonna watch suffer or wind up losing? It’s a mask ya’ll. If you ‘can’t talk’ when wearing it, then maybe it’s a great time to start listening more and talking less?Good thing we’ve now got a bunch of other great bagel places around Wilmington. Guess I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.

They’re overwhelmed on weekends, still good food. But can’t handle the massive amount of people. Waited 30 minutes for two bagels, for one to not have any egg and the other was coldBeen eating their bagels for years, best in town by far! Great lunch selection as well. Can’t go wrong stopping here

Best bagels Ive had in a long time. Im not local but Ill be going back!

Best Bagel in Wilmington. Real New York atmosphere but great service. Bagel sandwiches are huge and delicious. Very timely service for as busy as they get on the weekends.

It was my first time getting food here! I rarely leave any reviews, but the customer service is great, food is great, and the place has a good vibe. I highly recommend eating here (:

Super slow since it changed ownership. generous on the cream cheese... but also ordered a bagel with cheese and tomato, and got ONE slice of cheese??

Great food and even better service! I started coming here because it’s conveniently located, but I’ll keep coming back for the Asiago cheese bagels!

One of my regular stops consistent

Menu was good but food was so so.

This is my go to place for a bagel sandwich for breakfast. They do get very busy, but the food is worth the wait. I have experienced a little mix up in my sandwiches, but can understand because Im usually ordering for many people and their orders can be similar with little differences. Food is always hot and delicious!

Updated 10/13/21:New ownership ruined this place. Bagels are terrible and none of the staff wears masks.Old review: Authentic NY. Good service, great foods.

Awesome NY style deli! Great food friendly staff. Highly recommend!

Being on the north end of town makes this place a little drive for us but its worth it. Theyve been very cautious during the pandemic and always delivered great customer service. They bagels are fresh and taste so freaking good. They sandwhiches with Boars Head are always amazing and their homemade pasta salad is a favorite. They are quite popular so be sure to go early to get the best selection of bagels but know that no matter which variety you get, itll be good!

Great NY style bagels!!! They make me special order bagels too!!!

Awesome experience! Amazing, freshly baked bagels, cream cheeses and more!

Go to Wrightsville Beach Bagels if you want a good NY style bagel and decent customer service. Waited in line for 20 minutes to get a pick up order and at the counter they told me their credit card machine no longer works. Unfortunately did not have any cash and they won’t accept Venmo or Apple Pay.Disclaimer: same day, saw a customer return an order as he got the wrong name after discovering this in his vehicle, brought the food and bag back in for the actual customer.As a repeat customer, I will never be back.

Best sandwich place in town if your from New York.

Always great food and wonderful customer service!

Our favorite bagels in town! Staff are always super nice! Thanks for being awesome Empire!

Worst customer service ever. I don’t care how the food is - I’m not recommending this place to anyone based on how rude they are.

Areas best bagels. End of story.

Customer service lacks at the front counter. Bagels are subpar, not horrible, but not great. They will still fill you up. You can call ahead but you’ll still have to wait in the same exact line of people who are ordering. I suggest Donut Inn or Wrightsville Beach Bagels.

Bagels were good. You have to order at the window which was weird. They were out of many flavors.

Visited the store today at about 12:00 noon. Got home around 12:15 and found two of the ordered sandwiches had nothing on them. They were tuna sandwiches ordered with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, oil and vinegar. Arrived home and both sandwiches were a sad lump of tuna only. Very disappointing. My son in law called Empire and was told that they close in 10 minutes so if he could get back there they will fix it? Really??? Great customer service Empire!!! I live further away then that and offering us running back there is just not good customer service. Very disappointed in their management.

The BEST NY style bagels in Wilmington. I drive from Monkey Junction passing multiple bagel shops because their bagels are perfect! Yum!!

Awesome bagels. Its going home.

Im a New Yorker, so to find a bagel in North Carolina that can compare is very difficult! Empire makes an outstanding bagel, offering many varieties and thats not the best part. They have BOARS HEAD coldcuts!! The food is awesome and the prices are great! The young man that helped me was helpful, kind, respectful and interested in his customers. It was a very pleasant and tasty experience and I will stop there any time Im in Wilmington!

Great Italian combo on hard roll

Love these bagels! Truly awesome food and polite staff!

Terrific, authentic NY Deli with the best Reuben around. Quality ingredients and a bit of a mecca for law enforcement support. Owner has PD and County badges from all around the USA. Hard working team led by terrific, industrious and dedicated monster of a man with a kind heart. Best bagels south of Manhatten. Made fresh daily...Try the Everything Bagel with creme cheese....melts in your mouth!

Great food and great service. I wish the owners would let the employees work up front. Theyre far more pleasant.

First time going into the Ogden location, I used to work @ Leland Empire Deli before it closed down. I love these everything bagels! Drove from Leland just to get one with REAL scallion cream cheese. 🤤🤤YUM

Always enjoy stopping in here for a quick breakfast. While I dont live on that side of town anymore I still find myself going in every now and again for a breakfast wrap.They have quite a few boars head cold cuts used for sandwiches as well as some other baked goodies to carry you through the day.Pretty relaxed environment and a fun New York based theme to the store. Definitely worth stopping in for a breakfast or two.

Great bagels. Best around. Authentic.

I love this place but can only give it 4 stars right now because they never seem make enough of their most popular bagels like jalapeno and asiago. I understand running out early if you close at 2:00 but when its barely 12pm thats an issue. Make less of what yall always have and more of whats actually popular please. Ill be back of course!

Best to check ur order before u leave....😒😒

Stopped in with a family of 5. The store is clean and the people are friendly.The selection is amazing. Typical breakfast sandwiches on bagels. Plus wraps and healthy options. Plus they sell fresh deli meat and Cheese. And have you coffee. They have pasteries that are fresh and amazing.Prices are fantastic. A simple bagel with cream cheese is under $2. And a bagel with egg, meat, cheese is under $5.We loved it!

Drove all way from Carolina beach bagel was hard like rock embrassing front of my family ordered half dozen I think u own me fresh half dozen

I used to love this place however in the last 2 months the service has turned terrible and they are now charging almost double for the same item. I think the texture of the bagels has changed and it will be the last time I wait 25 minutes for a bagel toasted with egg and cream cheese....oh wait, they messed up the order again and there is no cheese along with unfriendly and confused staff, time to fine a new spot.

Lost a regular customer today. Forgot my wallet at home. Had a checkbook but the girl at the register wouldn’t take a check even after begging. Seriously over less than $4 an exception could be made for someone that comes in weekly.

Food was really good but one lady working was disrespectful and rude and messed up our order

The best bagels out of ny

My husband and I enjoy getting bagels there. They run out of our favorite bagels on occasion, but they have high traffic in the mornings. We had lunch there for the first time last week and the turkey club was amazing!!! Highly recommended. Small area to eat in.

Food is good,reasonably priced and counter person is pleasant. We had ham egg and cheese on a roll, Ham and other deli meats are Boars Head. They have limited outdoor seating. Located in a small strip mall

Beat Reuben in town. Hands down.

This place is usually busy for a reason. The bagels are top notch and worth a reasonable wait. However, the staff does a great job to help customers quickly. My favorite thing has to be the fact that they have Sun Drop as a beverage choice!

This is the only place we get bagels from for good reason. Staff is great, prices are reasonable and we have never had a bad experience here. Thanks Empire Bagel!

Im a bit of a bagel snob. Most bagel places make something more like round peices of generic white bread than the chewy goodness of a real bagel. I end up making my own bagels because its not worth it to me otherwise.This place is different, though. Their bagels are thick and chewy with the perfect crust that only comes with the best NY bagels. Finally, I can stop making my own bagels...

Got a great breakfast sandwich, and later in a strange coincidence dropped my wallet in a parking lot and an Empire employee drove it to my address from my license. saved me a lot of stress and expense! good food, great people. i think im indebted to get my bagels here for the foreseeable future.

Authentic New York style bagels. And you can get a traditional New Jerzy favorite, Taylor ham/pork roll, egg and cheese

Service was extremely slow even though there was only one person a heading of me at 6:35 a.m. Bagel was under cooked for my liking...and Everything Bagel had mostly sesame seeds...not certain they even gave me right bagel, although the employee did take it from the Everything bin.I use to adore this place!

Nothing bad, or particularly positive, to say about this place. Average bagels and toppings with average restaurant quality coffee. Good for a quick morning bite but nothing to go out of your way for.

Always a good place for breakfast.

Delicious grilled corned beef the way its supposed to be. What a relief to find it. French dip? From my youth in Jersey restaurants across the bridge from Philly.

I love a good bagel, and I love coffee so strong it can melt the mug. A good local joint.

True NY deli style bagels.

This place has the best bagels in town! Im from New Jersey and their bagels are just as good as any from the tri-state area, especially their everything. The staff is friendly, helpful, and just wonderful. I cant say enough wonderful things about them or their food.

Local bagel shop with great food and best prices on fresh dwli meats

Bagels are slack. Not even close to a New York bagel. Many better options in Wilmington

Nice employees but the bagels are terrible! Sad wish they where better. A frozen Lenders bagel might be better!

Food is good and the price isnt bad. Only problems are that I have seen pests in the dining area on multiple occasions (roaches and such) and the wait time can be lengthy (especially if they sit your to go order down on the counter and forget to call your name for 20 minutes, which has happened). Otherwise its a good breakfast joint.

NY style bagels...so hard to find in Eastern NC

Amazing Lunch and Breakfast sandwiches with a New York flare!

Had breakfast sandwiche . Bacon under cooked, toast and eggs burnt, and processed American chees . Is this how New Yorkers eat breakfast sandwiches?

Great tasting food and good service. Hardly any egg and bacon on my bagel unfortunately

Good, clean place to get a bagel or breakfast sandwich. I have not been here for anything else to judge the full menu. Very northern traditional breakfast sandwiches here.

Great food! service needs attention for 5 Stars

My son and I enjoyed it. Lady at counter had a good sense of humor. See you next time!

Great staff, and service! Im used to going to the Leland location, but I like the service here better. :)

Not my favorite bagel but great tasting food!

Brought my sisters for a bite to eat. Place was very dirty and we noticed that the person making the food wasnt changing their gloves after touching the cash register, tv remote, coffee pots, etc. We asked for the manager and it was the person not changing their gloves. Will definitely not be going back.

Great bagels of course but just as good of subs. Quality meats alwasys used!!

Friendly staff, great food. Tuna Melt without the melt (grilled) is my favorite. It is really tasty.

Toasted egg bagel, mayo, roast beef, tomato, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, side of macaroni salad. Great lunch!

Love Empire Deli & Bagel. Im an out-of-towner, but always try to go when Im there. The plain bagel with scallion cream cheese in my fave! 😋

AMAZING bagels and sandwiches. Steve is the best!I get the sausage, egg and cheddar cheese on spinach bagel !

Guess we found a new favorite place to have breakfast, brunch or lunch!! Loved my Tuna Melt and Reuben! Well be back!

Delicious food, good prices, great service!

Closest to NY bagels that Ive found in Wilmington. Theyre usually out of egg bagels on the weekend by 9ish but other than that this place is great! Good service and good bagels.

Great breakfast place and wonderful staff. A delightful place to grab breakfast.

Great people & Great New York Bagels. You cant beat them in Wilmington.

Bagel sandwich and coffee was very good. People were nice also.

The staff is always friendly, the food is made in a timely fashion, and its always, always good. One of my favorite local places.

As someone that grew up near NY, I can safely say that these are legit NY bagels. Nothing fancy, no frills, just some really authentic NY bagels.

Excellent sandwiches and wraps! Ive only been a couple times for lunch, so cant comment on breakfast sandwiches, but Ive heard they are delicious. I recommend the turkey club on a sundried tomato wrap for a nice lunch.

Ok, so I stopped in this morning and ordered a toasted spinach bagel with ham, Swiss and salami. I asked if she could put a very little bit of mayo on it? It came to me not toasted, and cream cheese on it? When I told the girl I ordered it toasted and mayo she said “ No, you said cream cheese. I asked the lady that was standing next to her if she heard me say cream cheese? She said “ I heard mayo” then the girl that took my order yelled back, No she said cream cheese! VERY UNPROFESSIONAL in front of customers!If that wasn’t bad enough, no one making the food wore gloves and the girl making the orders was ringing people in with all that dirty money and then went right back to making sandwiches! SO GROSS! The only reason for 1 star is the lady with the glasses standing next to her was very nice!

I come in there about three to four times a week and love the food. Danni is absolutely awesome.

Great food. Friendly staff. Been coming here for 10 years, always great.

Love the varieties of bagels and their coffee was pretty good

Great Bagels. Best price on Cold Cuts

Was staying at the KOA and saw this on the way in. Came in every morning to get some bagels. Grew up in NY and this was the closest Ive seen to an original NY bagel since I left.My only complaint was the cream cheese pricing. Not the end of the world by any means, but for a half size its $2.99, for a full size its $5.99. It costs a penny more for the larger size. I jokingly asked if anyone ever buys the larger cream cheese because of this, and the person taking my order gave me a crazy looks. I tried to explain and was simply told that most people buy the larger one. Okay, no problem.Normally you get a bit of a deal for buying more, but personally even if it was the same price, I would just get the two smaller sizes as if you had family over for breakfast you could have one at each end of the table.

Placed a to go order that was apparently forgotten about, the woman behind the counter says what do you want to do? Are you kidding me? After waiting for everyone behind me to receive their orders, thats the worst question you can ask a customer that is still content on receiving their order. I politely asked for my money back and will NEVER RETURN! Ive been a customer for the last 4 years