Ani’s Bagel Cafe
Born and raised in Bulgaria, Ani Petrov always knew that she’d one day want to have her own cafe — she even remembers from a young age pretending to be a cashier and making drinks for her customers. “Living in Europe, there are all these quaint little shops where you can sit and sip on your coffee for hours and hours,” Petrov said, “so I had always envisioned that.” Ani’s Bagel Cafe (12 Hampton Road, Exeter, 580-5363, anisbagelcafe.com), which opened in late 2014 directly adjacent to Churchill’s Garden Center, is the culmination of that vision. There are more than a dozen flavored bagel offerings and a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwich and salad options that are also available. The cafe also features coffees and specialty espresso drinks — sourced from Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co. in North Berwick, Maine — as well as fruit smoothies and assorted pastries like muffins and scones. The Scene recently caught up with Petrov, who is due to open a second location in Wells, Maine, later this year, to talk about her personal favorite items at the cafe and her picks for must-try recommendations.
How long has Ani’s Bagel Cafe been around?
We opened Oct. 11 of 2014. … The Wells location we’re trying to open definitely by late fall.
What makes Ani’s Bagel Cafe unique?
We’re more than just a bagel shop. You can get a bagel, and we bake them fresh daily, but you can also get a salad or a smoothie or a pastry. There is something for everybody. … The unique thing about our coffee, too, is that Carpe Diem … makes sure they have only one location in each town throughout the Seacoast, and we’re that place for Exeter. They buy their own beans and roast them to order, so it’s as fresh as it gets.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
This is a tricky question for me. My top choice is a focaccia bagel with olive cream cheese. We make our own cream cheeses … and, coming from eastern Europe, olives are a big thing, so I just love olive pimento cream cheese. Here’s the funny part — I’m gluten-free and dairy-free, not by choice, of course. My body decided to make that decision for me, so, sadly, I can’t eat either the bagels or the cream cheese. I always end up settling for the second best thing. I would eat the chicken salad sandwich on gluten-free bread, or … the fig salad, and then I’d get a tropical blend smoothie.
What is something everyone should try?
A bacon, egg and cheese [sandwich on a] focaccia bagel. … I’m telling you, the focaccia bagel coming out of the oven is just out of this world. If you want to make it extra special, add avocado and tomato, and boom — you’re in heaven.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at your cafe?
Maybe Gordon Ramsay. I’m not sure if I’d be ready for what he has to say, but I’d take it!
What is an essential skill to running a cafe?
I think, to me, the most essential skills are communicating and critical thinking. … Knowing how to communicate doesn’t just include talking; listening and reading body language are also essential. And then, for critical thinking … it’s so important to be able to think fast, come up with innovative ideas quickly and use common sense. … You need to know how to do all of that in order to succeed.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I love the community, I love the small-town vibe, [and] I love the people that live here. I love walking down the street or going to the grocery store and recognizing some of those friendly faces that I’ve met at the cafe. … Exeter is such a tight community, and I just love being part of it.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo courtesy of Ani’s Bagel Cafe.
