Mr. J’s Bagels is a restaurant within walking distance of EMU. With many different bagels, sandwiches, and drinks available, it’s easy to become overwhelmed just by walking through the door.

This family-friendly restaurant already has Valentine’s decorations up to catch the eye in a laid back yet exciting way. The curtains on the windows offer a homey feel that adds to the relaxed and casual atmosphere.

Last Sunday, a few of my friends visited this establishment located in the Food Lion shopping complex.

Unlike the Mr. J’s on the JMU side of town, the Mr. J’s near Food Lion has a short wait-time and plenty of seating options.

Sophomores Lindsey Histand, Tessa Waidelich, and I decided to stop by for a late lunch around 1 p.m. After feeling the stress that came from staring at the full menu most of us had never seen before, the three of us finally decided what we were having for lunch.

Lindsey ordered the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on a plain bagel and a strawberry smoothie for a total of $9.07. She enjoyed the sandwich but thought getting an everything bagel instead would have been better. She was also upset because the bacon was only in the center of the sandwich, without crunch around the outside of the bagel. Her smoothie was good, but she mentioned how she had to continue to stir it to prevent it from separating.

Tessa ordered Egg and Cheese on a wheat bagel and an order of home fries for $4.81. Tessa also enjoyed her sandwich; however, she said that the wheat bagel was too much. “It overpowers the rest of the sandwich,” she said. She also wished that they had used a cheese different from American. Despite paying the least out of the three of us, Tessa felt the meal was, “overpriced.” Her potatoes were only red, and they were too salty.

I ordered the Chicken Charlie on an everything bagel and a small coffee for $8.62. My sandwich had grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, bacon, tomato, and ranch dressing. It had a lot of chicken, but the rest of the flavors were lost. It was a decent bagel, but it would have been better with hot sauce. My coffee was fine; it was plain but all right, much like my sandwich.

Overall, Mr. J’s was a six. The food was pretty good, the prices were decent, but the flavors were bland.