As realtors love to say, location is everything. When it comes to ideal placement, few could hope for a location for a bagel shop than right next to a high school. 

In the last month, K&L Bagels opened their second Dallas location at 4333 Lovers Ln, also known as one of the places in between the Petco and Drip. Owned by a married couple, Lisa and Kyriakos Kouzoukas, the first shop,  located on Preston Road, gained popularity for its rainbow-colored bagels and wide range of flavors. Now, the pair is branching out to a second location. 

At first glance the store is small but cleverly decorated, featuring ironic signs and well-designed furniture. The outside is simple bordering plain, with the main attraction being a bright red “Now Open” sign. With only a few benches though, the shop is clearly operating on a to-go model of business – the only problem with which is the wait times. 

When visiting at roughly 7:20 a.m. on a Tuesday, I waited about 20 minutes for my food after ordering. Which, to be clear, is completely reasonable, but means that I will likely not be in the habit of before-school breakfast runs. Perhaps because they are newly opened, but when I visited there were only two people working there: one woman taking orders and another making sandwiches and filling orders. Both employees were kind and impressively efficient, but they nevertheless seemed understaffed. 

Once I did get my food, I was pleasantly impressed. The “cowboy sandwich” – consisting of cream cheese, an egg and bacon on an everything bagel – was warm and the bagel was soft. While I would have liked more seasoning on the bagel itself, I enjoyed the fluffy and chewy dough. The woman making the bagel also did not hesitate to put plenty of cream cheese and bacon, which I certainly appreciated given the price of around $8 per sandwich.

Overall, I enjoyed the texture of the bagels more than those from Shugs; they were somehow both lighter and chewier. 

The bagel sandwiches were substantial and good. The menu sported an interesting mix of traditional sandwich options and more Texan options, featuring ingredients like chipotle sauce and names like “Alamo.” The fusion of these styles was delicious, and I look forward to trying more options in the future. 

The bagels at K&L are one of the best breakfast and lunch options in close proximity to the school. After one visit, I am already looking forward to another morning bagel run.