Hidden Gem: KB's Bagels [VIDEO]

On the bustling sand and tarmac of Hampton and North Hampton's beaches, it's often easiest just to walk into one of a dozen sandwich, coffee or smoothie shops to get a little heat relief.

If you take a little more time to look around, though, you might just notice there's more than meets the thirsty eye.

Here's where Hampton-North Hampton Patch comes in. The first installment of our Passport Project features KB's Bagels, a "hidden gem" with ties to Hampton and North Hampton that all you Patchers out there said is one of the best-kept secrets in the area.

KB's first opened as JB's in North Hampton in the mid-'90s, catering to a relaxed crowd of surfers and locals looking for a calm place to chow down on some bagels and get away from the surf.

It's gone through several ownership changes, as well as a move to its present location at 72 Kings Highway in Hampton, but the environment is just the same -- which helps explain why many locals keep coming back for more.

"I like that it's not based on fast-food situation," said Edward Devereaux, a longtime regular. "They didn’t drive it toward a profit making business -- I think it was more to fit in and be a laid-back atmosphere. It was really opened up in '94 for the local surfers to hang out and enjoy the summer, and I think they took that concept and added the community."

Among the favorites on the menu are the Johnny Sav., a bagel or wrap sandwich with homemade chicken salad, cranberries, walnuts and lettuce, although the employees recognize it's not just some good ol' home cookin' that brings the locals in for more.

"We take pride in the fact that it is hidden and we have as many customers as we do," said Allison Herlihy, a "bagel girl" at KB's Bagels. "It's a really cool community down here, and it's great that the customers are mostly a very loyal group of locals."

Not having the massive tourist base of other competitors does have its downside, although Herlihy and Joe Titone, who has owned KB's for about a year, said they prefer it that way because the KB's they love wouldn't be the same.

After you grab your coffee fix, stop on over to in North Hampton, another "hidden gem" that has a lot to offer. For a little more information about Fuller Gardens, about a recent event at the historic grounds.

Have a location you think belongs in this entry of Patch Passport?

E-mail your name, some brief information about what you like about what the location has to offer, and some pictures to the editor at Kyle.Stucker@Patch.com and we'll include it here!