Driving up Clifton Avenue on a breezy September morning, I opened the windows as I passed by Arts & Sciences Hall and saw students making their way to and from class. I didn’t go to the University of Cincinnati, but the drive reminded me of my days at Ohio University in the early 1990s – the excitement I felt as a college student, the world of possibilities that were open to me, the brilliant professors, the awkward dating, the late-night parties and the cheap diners, coffee shops and sandwich shops that kept me fueled.
In Athens, my go-to for that last one was Bagel Street Deli, which opened in the early ’90s and served excellent steamed bagel sandwiches that I ordered on an almost daily basis. (Miami University, in Oxford, has a worthy counterpart at The Bagel & Deli Shop, which opened in 1975.)
At UC, the go-to bagel shop is Bagel Brothers, a modest breakfast and lunch spot that was opened in 1990 by brothers Nick and John Georgiton and is now owned by Alecka Hines and her husband Carey Hines, who purchased it in 2000.
After looping over to Calhoun Street, I stopped by that day to order one of my favorite sandwiches: a turkey Reuben (also known as a Rachel). While I often find myself lamenting the state of sandwiches in this city − some of which are far too bready, many of which are far too fancy − the Rachel delivered exactly what I wanted: a big, messy, cheesy sandwich topped with tangy sauerkraut and sweetened with Thousand Island dressing on a soft bagel with just the right amount of give to let you devour it in no time flat.
More: The Cincinnati Sandwich Hall of Fame (class of 2023)
As I sat inside Bagel Brothers’ small dining area, I took in the deli’s mix of burnt orange and yellow walls, the dropped ceiling and battered woodwork, the circa-1990s bistro surrounding tables that, I’m sure, are moved around frequently to accommodate large groups of dormmates or friends.
Dated? Sure, a little bit. But that’s what makes Bagel Brothers feel so special now that UC’s campus is slowly being inundated by chains such as Chipotle and Raising Cane’s. (RIP, Tavern Inn the Wood and places of its ilk.) This is the sandwich shop you’ll remember long after you’ve graduated. The place where the owners took care of you, and the place you’ll drive by in your 30s (or your 50s) on a cool autumn-feeling day, wishing it was still an everyday part of your life.
Bagel Brothers. 347 Calhoun St., Clifton Heights, 513-221-4000.