Einstein Bros. Bagels, Columbus

You can build a lot with a fresh-baked bagel as your foundation: a quick morning meal with coffee, a gourmet sandwich for lunch, or even a national icon. Since 1995, Einstein Bros. Bagels has built all three. But that’s not without a lot of hard work. Each store’s team arrives early—2 a.m. early—to fire up their ovens to bake asiago, cinnamon sugar, and more than 20 other sweet and savory bagel varieties. Then they do it again, every four hours, until closing time. This ensures every bagel is fresh, whether customers bite into it at the store or a catered office meeting miles away.

• Classic and gourmet bagels range from sesame to sweet apple cinnamon.
• Cream cheese shmears: double-whipped and offered in a dozen flavors including sweet honey almond and spicy jalapeño salsa
• Make it a sandwich: Try a fresh-cracked egg sandwich such as the traditional applewood bacon and cheddar, or the Farmhouse, a cheesy hash-brown bagel piled with bacon, ham, cheddar, and a country pepper shmear.
• Fresh-brewed coffee is made daily.