"When you walk in, you're family. When you leave, you're still family." – Steve Constantino, employee.

Finding an authentic New York style bagel is not hard to do if you know where to look in Germantown. Royal Bagel Bakery on Germantown Road offers a cornucopia of bagels, spreads, cookies, pastries, and cakes—all made on premise.

Owner John Constantino has been working in the bakery business since he was young. His parents owned a bakery in New York, and John helped them as much as possible. His wife and co-owner, Cookie, was originally from Maryland, but relocated to New York when she was young.  John and Cookie met and married at a young age, and later decided to open a bakery of their own.

In 1992, the Costantinos purchased a small donut shop in Germantown. The couple transformed the shop into a New York style bakery using authentic recipes from John's Italian and Cookie's Russian-Jewish background. Service was slow at first, but word of mouth soon turned the Mom and Pop shop into a booming hot spot.

Daughters Julie and Jackie now take equal responsibility in managing the business. The sisters do whatever job is necessary to keep the bakery running. Son-in-Law Steve Constantino, who also works at Royal, says that Jackie makes sure that the staff is doing their job while Julie handles most of the financial aspects, as well as the catering.

On weekends, the line for bagels and pastries is out the door. The bakery is fast-paced and very busy with an exciting atmosphere. Regulars give the staff their orders with no hesitation, while first time customers may be slightly intimidated. The staff quickly fills each order with ease, yelling out each item ordered as they type it into the cash register. Weekdays and evenings are slower, but the staff makes sure the case is always stocked with baked goods.

Steve describes the clientele as, "a collage of people," from teens to senior citizens, and from every ethnicity.

The bakery sells several varieties of bagels including jalapeno, sun-dried tomato, and egg-everything, along with old favorites. Bagels can be purchased individually or by the dozen. Pair them with a delicious cream cheese spreads, fresh lox, or whitefish salad.

Sandwiches at Royal Bagel Bakery are packed with quality meats and cheeses. For a light lunch, try an egg salad sandwich on a croissant, or a turkey sandwich on pumpernickel. Customers with a large appetite might enjoy a roast beef, turkey and cheese club, or the Hot Mighty Reuben Triple Decker. Any sandwich can be ordered on a bagel.

Fancy Italian cookies, gigantic pastries, and mouth-watering cakes lace two of the front cases. Satisfy a sweet tooth with a chocolate cigar, apple turnover or a slice of New York style cheesecake. Donuts are sold individually or by the dozen, and cookies can be ordered by the pound. Black and White cookies are sold on the weekends.

Royal provides delicious, quality food and a fun atmosphere, but to them the most important part of the bakery is the customers.

 "For those that don't know us, come on in!" Steve says. "We are here to make people's day!"