KNOW GOOD

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

Bagel shop with artisan baked goods, toasts, and breakfast sandwiches

Perfect For: Baked Goods; Lunch; Casual Dining; Breakfast/Brunch

Standout Dishes: The Classic; Scramble Toast; Pesto Toast

Katina Talley had longe an important part of the Omaha food scene long before the idea for Know Good entered her mind. The owner of Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop since 2016, Talley’s cakes, cookies, scones, and other baked goods were already the stuff of legend.

But much as she loves the bakery, it doesn’t allow her to tap into one of her true loves: sandwiches. The idea for a sandwich/bagel shop was imprinted in Katina’s mind, but how and where to do it were less certain.

Then the kitchen at Little Bohemia’s Archetype Coffee (13th & William) opened up, and Talley began using the space to sell biscuit sandwiches, artisan toasts, and various other baked goods. But it wasn’t until the spring of 2025 that her dream was truly realized and Know Good opened off 35th & Center. Talley had the sandwich shop she always desired, and she was going to make the most of it.

The core of Know Good’s menu is breakfast sandwiches, all served on your choice of the shop’s bagels. Hand-rolled and boiled daily, the bagels walk that perfect line: when toasted, they have a crisp crunch on the exterior, but soft, chewy insides. This is critical because the failing of most bagel sandwiches is that the carb is too hard; as soon as you bite, most of the innards spill out the backside.

That’s not a problem at Know Good, where the bagel squishes nicely and allows you to get a full bite while keeping the sandwich intact.

Your bagel choices vary from the classic everything to blueberry, asiago, rosemary salt, and more. The shop is constantly working on new flavors, so you never know what might be in the case.

The simplest sandwich is the appropriately named The Classic: it’s just a bagel, protein (sausage or bacon) cheese, and scrambled eggs. The eggs are so buttery and smooth you could almost drink them through a straw, and they’re covered with enough melty, gooey cheese to make a cow turn lactose intolerant. While the bacon is crispy and salty, the peppery sausage patty, with its griddled exterior and meaty interior, is the way to go.

Know Good’s sandwich menu is quite creative, as each sandwich has its unique personality. The Mordain (mortadella, burrata, pistachio pesto), Karla (honey ham, Swiss, honey Dijon), and Orange Boy (smoked salmon, lemon dill cream cheese, capers), all start with the fantastic bagel base but offer widely different flavor profiles.

Then there’s The American, which stuffs all of breakfast in between a sliced bagel slathered in jalapeno cream cheese. Atop a crispy hash brown sit fluffy, supple scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a blanket of melted American cheese. It’s a mess of a sandwich to eat, but one well worth getting dirty for.

Another staple of Know Good’s menu are the artisan toasts. Served on a thick slice of bread, these can serve well as a side dish or be ordered in pairs for a filling meal.

The best of the bunch is the Scramble Toast, which mounts buttery soft scrambled eggs, peppery arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes on a bed of tangy goat cheese spread. The soft scrambled eggs are a revelation—they’re so soft, creamy, and indulgent that you’ll find yourself craving a skillet full of them. The Pesto Toast is another great savory option, as the herbaceous pesto is an interesting partner with the sweet challah bread, and the whipped ricotta is mild and slightly sweet. But the hero is the perfectly cooked egg, which happily shares its runny yolk with the entire slice when tapped with a fork.

On the sweet side is the Strawberry +Burrata Toast. Rich, spongey, and slightly sweet challah bread is slathered with rich, milky burrata cheese, then topped with bright, sweet roasted strawberries and a sweet balsamic drizzle.

One of the best dishes on the menu doesn’t include toast or bagels, however. It employs a different starch to take things to the next level: potatoes.

The Pigeon Fries are essentially breakfast tot-chos. The tots themselves are crispy grenades of salty perfection; seasoned brilliantly, they have just a hint of heat. The soft scrambled eggs are luscious and creamy with a rich flavor.

Melted cheddar adds a sharp component, but it’s the combination of the house Good sauce and sriracha that ties it all together. The former acts as a creamy glue that helps bites of potato and egg come together, while the latter adds just a touch of spice.

The pastry case is stocked daily with new goodies both sweet and savory, starting with the scones. Made famous at Sweet Mags, these rich, buttery, crumbly confections are laced with ingredients. Each bite of the Arugula Parmesan Scone is full of nutty, sharp cheese and acidic sun-dried tomatoes, and the Mushroom Feta Scone puts the earthy mushrooms and salty feta cheese on full display.

Know Good’s savory sausage makes another appearance in the Sausage Breakfast Puff, the restaurant’s take on a breakfast hand pie. It’s basically a savory Pop-Tart, but it’s been crafted by an elite baker and stuffed with housemade sausage, gooey cheese, and creamy, rich scrambled eggs.

If your sweet tooth comes calling, Know Good has you covered. The Sweet Corn Coffee Cake adds a bit of texture and natural sweetness of corn to the traditional cinnamon-forward coffee cake. And while the Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie is thick and crispy on the outside, it remains tender and buttery within and features massive chocolate chunks. Some bites are a bit salty, but that’s a minor complaint.

Know Good still operates out of Archetype, though with a limited menu. If you’re in the mood for a fantastic cup of coffee and a pastry or scone, stop into the 13th St location and you’ll start your morning off the right way.

But if you want the full Know Good experience and experience what Katina is passionate about, get to Know Good’s brick and mortar. Not only will you find a warm, welcoming interior and friendly staff, but some of the best breakfast sandwiches in all of Omaha.