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Mitch’s Westside Bagels Too STORY BY LAUREN MIRÓ · PHOTOS BY ABNER PEDRAZA
Bagels and a schmear, hot corned beef — order’s up! Mitch’s Westside Bagels Too boasts New York-style dining right here in Wellington. On State Road 7 in front of the Mall at Wellington Green, it is a dine-in or takeout restaurant where customers are family and Mitch is more than just a name on the sign. Owner and namesake Mitch Shidlofsky grew up on Long Island, moving to Florida in 1993. His motivation for going into the bagel business is no different today than it was then — great food, great service and most important, family. “I had a four-year-old son at the time and I swore I wouldn’t miss out on my children’s lives,” Shidlofsky recalled. “I looked at the bagel business. They close at 3 p.m. I could be home in time for the bus and all his after-school activities.” In 1994, Shidlofsky bought an existing bagel location in Sunrise, but sold it four years later. He then purchased a small shop in Coral Springs with the goal of creating his own brand with his own rules. “I envisioned building my own store my way, which I did,” he said. In 2002, Shidlofsky opened the original Mitch’s Westside Bagels Too, and has since expanded to three additional locations: Boynton Beach, Boca Raton and now Wellington. “We’re bringing our quality and service to the Wellington area,” Shidlofsky said. “We’ve been successful wherever we’ve been, and we saw a void in the Wellington market.”
green neon “Westside Bagels” sign hangs overhead. Customers can sit at a table with chairs, or sink into one of the restaurant’s mint green booths. There are flat-screen televisions turned on to the news, games or cartoons for the kids. But Mitch’s Westside Bagels Too has something New Yorkers only dream about: Florida sunshine. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows keep the place bright and welcoming. “It’s open, bright and clean with that New York feel,” Shidlofsky said. “It’s a neighborhood kind of joint. People don’t say, ‘Let’s go to the bagel place,’ they say, ‘We’re going to Mitch’s.’” Shidlofsky is on a first-name basis with many of his customers, and aims to treat them like friends and family. “We’re familiar with the regular customers,” he said. “It’s their place to hang out.” But while the atmosphere may entice customers, it’s the food that keeps them coming back. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, with a focus on fresh. “We serve only the freshest and best products,” Shidlofsky said. “Everything is made on the premises — from
Although the name boasts bagels, the restaurant offers an expansive menu filled with the best of New York cuisine. And native New Yorkers won’t be disappointed. The food lives up to its reputation, as if a Brooklyn diner had been dropped into Wellington. It even looks like it is straight out of the Big Apple. Exposed brick walls give a city feel to the place, a big glass counter shows off all the great food and a large WELLINGTON THE MAGAZINE • MAY 2010
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