Spread Bagelry expands to N.J. with opening of Cherry Hill location

A popular bagel shop is "spreading" to another state to serve breakfast fare.

Spread Bagelry, based in Philly and known for its hand-rolled, Montreal-style bagels, opened its first New Jersey location last week in Cherry Hill.

The 1,564 square-foot Cherry Hill store has seating for 18 inside, as well as an adjacent patio outside for up to 25 guests during warmer months. Highlights of the space include a wood-fire oven in the heart of the store, a chandelier over the coffee bar and a large pink-flowered cherry blossom tree which pays homage to the new location. The architectural flourish is the work of Niko Kotopoulos of Nest Studios in Media, Pennsylvania. 

At Spread, customers can see the special bagel-making process firsthand, watching as their Montreal-style bagels are paddled hot from the oven. The shop offers a selection of 15 types of loose bagels, plus La Colombe coffee and sandwiches made with fish and meat almost entirely prepared in-house. Spread also makes its own cream cheese, including elevated gourmet flavors like Apple Brown Butter, Jalapeno Lime and Maple Bacon.

Montreal-style bagels differ from other varieties in that they are hand-shaped, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-fire oven. The result is a crispier, slightly sweeter, denser bread, noticeably different from the puffier, smooth-surfaced New York bagel. The process pulls inspiration from centuries ago, when immigrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries brought the technique to North America.

The first Spread location opened in Rittenhouse in 2010. The company has since enjoyed a cult following and, at times, lines forming around the block full of hungry customers waiting for their breakfast sandwich.

Spread now has five locations in Philadelphia (Penn, 16th Street, Rittenhouse, Walnut Street and South Street). Outside of Philly, there are stores in Bryn Mawr, Wayne, Glen Mills and a King of Prussia location coming soon. In 2023, the company plans to expand to more locations in Pennsylvania, as well as South Carolina and Georgia.

The Cherry Hill shop, which opened to the public on Dec. 12, is located at 950 Garden Park Blvd. within Commerce Square. It is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until the bagels sell out. Online orders and catering requests are not yet available.