I Love Owen's Bagels!

Charlotte, NC
South End

Hiya folks.  It's Markus!  I'm here to tell you about one of the best lunch spots in Charlotte.  When I'm looking for a midday meal that is a little different than a normal everyday hamburger or sub sandwich, I always like to turn to Owen's Bagels.  Bagel sandwiches are not your ordinary sandwiches.  It combines a breakfast staple with all the fancy fixings that lunch has to offer.  Are you ready to have lunch on a bagel?

When you first walk into Owen's, the first thing you might notice is that the walls don't go all the way up to the ceiling or all the graffiti on the walls.  The only reasoning for this is because the place would explode from all the awesomeness inside.  You can't contain the awesomeness that is Owen's.  Well... this probably isn't the reason, but I will tell you that this is probably my favorite places to eat in Charlotte.  

The menu is pretty extensive as far as sandwiches goes.  You have your breakfast sandwiches, pizza bagels, turkey, ham, roast beef, tuna, chicken salad, corned beef, vegetarian options, you name it, they can probably make it.  There are so many fresh toppings, condiments, and spreads to choose from, there are literally hundreds of different sandwich options.  If you aren't interested in designing your own bagel sandwich, the menu has plenty of pre-concocted options that are listed by main ingredient.  Many of them are hanging on decorated signs on the clothesline above the sandwich line.  One of the most popular lunch options is the South End Special.  It's made with turkey, spinach cream cheese, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and banana peppers on a bialy bagel.  It's got just the right amount of creamy, crunchy, salty, sour, and chewy to make a great sandwich.  All the bagel sandwiches are steamed so your sandwich will be nice and warm and the bagel, nice and soft.  Definitely a plus over a cold deli sandwich.  

Everyday has a lunch special that includes chips and a drink.  Just check out board to your left when you walk up to the counter to place your order.   

If you still can't decide what you want and you are feeling a little brave, have Ashley the owner make you a lottery bagel.  A lottery bagel requires a willingness to try new combinations of sandwich toppings, and so far, I have not had one sandwich that I wouldn't want to eat again.  Just make sure to tell Ashley what you don't like and she will dream up a unique sandwich of the day just for you.  I trust in her culinary ability 100%;  after all, she did graduate with a degree in culinary arts. :-)

Here were the two lotteries I received today:

The first was a pastrami with melted pimento cheese, banana peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and I'm not sure what kind of other condiments on what looked like an everything bagel, but I can tell you that it was delicious.  

The second sandwich was turkey with bacon, avocados, lettuce, honey mustard, jalepenos, cucumbers and maybe a provolone cheese on maybe an asiago bagel.  This too was a good sandwich.  

The best lottery I've had was the first one Ashley made for me.  She called it A Nice Piece of Ash.  Ashley described it as the South End Special on steroids.  It started with a South End Special, add some bacon, sprouts, and a bunch of other things and you get probably the best sandwich ever.  A notable second place lottery was called Evan's Heaven.  It had a base of chicken salad.  I've also had some made with Srirachi hot sauce, marinara sauce, and even a breakfast lottery.  The best part about lottery bagels?  You always win and your meal comes with chips and a drink.  

I've been coming to Owen's Bagels for quite some time now and I will keep coming back.  I always bring my out of town guests here for a casual lunch.  There is always something new to try and Ashley will always be there for me to challenge my taste buds to try new and exiting combination of flavors.  Here's a tip if you plan on testing out Owen's:  every now and then they have Groupon or Living Social Deals so keep your eyes open!

Overall, How Nuts Are We about Owen's Bagels?
Food: 5 coconuts. Great.  What else can I say?  The bagels and fresh and the sandwiches are made to order. 
Service: 4 coconuts. It get's pretty busy at times and they can only make so many sandwiches at a time but they do get you in an out pretty quickly.  
Repeatability: 5 coconuts. The menu is extensive and atmosphere is great. I've been getting lotteries for a while now so I haven't had the same sandwich twice in quite some time.