Breakfast Bagel Showdown: McDonald’s vs. Bagel Pub

After the great Italian sandwich rumble last month between Bagels and Wraps and Subway, we decided to take some breakfast sandwiches to the mat. Today’s battle royale brings together two 9th Street heavyweights: McDonald’s (289 9th Street) and Bagel Pub (287 9th Street).

First, the side by side comparison. As you can see from the picture above, the Bagel Pub sandwich (on the left) is significantly larger than the contender from McDonald’s (on the right), has a beautiful golden brown exterior and contains a generous portion of bacon and egg. Although you can’t see it in the picture, there is a melted layer of pepper jack cheese (we were given a choice of cheese) covering the bacon and egg.

The McDonald’s contender is a pasty little fellow that appears to have come from the freezer. The cheese (which we’re assuming is American cheese product) is a slightly frightening neon orange color and not melted in the least. Although I asked for bacon, egg and cheese, I discovered they had given me some kind of “steak,” egg and cheese. The so-called steak smelled a bit like wet dog and turned my egg patty an odd shade of brownish-black.

Now for the taste comparison. Bagel Pub’s bagel was crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. The eggs and bacon tasted fresh and were obviously made when I placed my order. The best part was that the sandwich was still piping hot when I got home (thank you foil wrapping).

McDonald’s, on the other hand, felt like a hockey puck. It was cold and a somewhat odd combination of stale and rubbery. This is not surprising, though, considering our sandwich was handed to us within seconds of placing the order. The smell of the steak was somewhat nauseating, and made for an extremely unpleasant taste test, but we did manage to get a bite in. It was like chewing salty bubblegum that you’ve been chewing on for a couple of hours. Just. Plain. Gross.

Once again, there was no contest between the local shop and the big chain. Although the Bagel Pub sandwich was slightly more expensive ($4.25 compared to $3.99 at McDonald’s), the few extra cents are totally worth it. Long live Bagel Pub.