Gourmet bagel spot, The Bagel Nook, on the way to Route 36 in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN — Gourmet bagel shop The Bagel Nook is bringing its "overloaded" concoctions to a former bank branch on Route 36, one of several new locations that will open in Monmouth County.

The Bagel Nook has leased a 2,080-square-foot store at Eastpointe Center, a shopping center on Route 36 at the border of Atlantic Highlands. The space was formerly home to Two River Community Bank.

"We try and go to more upcoming areas and the Highlands is a great place to be," said Alex Berkowitz, co-founder of The Bagel Nook. He added the shop, operated by franchisee Michael Alfano, is projected to open sometime in late 2024 or early 2025. "We just wanted to be a part of that community."

The Bagel Nook is "perfect" for Eastpointe Center, said Matt Ardizzone, senior associate at Zoltek Commercial Real Estate Services, who represented the landlord in the lease transaction. With the residential growth in the surrounding neighborhood, a new breakfast and coffee option complements the center, he said. "It serves the community in that area," Ardizzone said.

Alex Berkowitz and his father, David Berkowitz, opened their first Bagel Nook in 2015 in Freehold Township. Others followed in Princeton and Las Vegas, and a second Freehold Township store opened last year.

Bagel Nook expands into Middletown The Bagel Nook is opening another Monmouth County location. Here's where to find it

You'll find traditional bagels like plain, cinammon and raisen, egg and poppy seed bagels. But The Bagel Nook has more than 45 different kinds. It's known for its own iconic varieties, such as Coco Puff Overload, a cocoa puff bagel with Nutella cream cheese and sliced bananas in the middle, or Fruity Pebble bagel which has birthday cake cream cheese and strawberries on a Fruity Pebble bagel.

There's more. Alex and David started out making small-batch cream cheeses in other flavors, cotton candy, s'mores, maple bacon, olive, and jalapeno cheddar before adding more adventurous varieties including cool ranch, coffee, ghost pepper, cannoli, and peanut butter swirl.

Once it opens, the new Route 36 spot will be The Bagel Nook's second location in Middletown. The other, which is projected to open in the beginning of August, is at 1868 Route 35 South, next to popular Mexican restaurant Casa Calaveras .

The Bagel Nook is growing. Other locations that are on the way include:

Aberdeen . The shop, located at 1071 Route 34, at the Aberdeen Townsquare shopping center, is expected to open around the end of the month, Berkowitz said.

Shrewsbury . The Bagel Nook has leased a 1,600-square-foot storefront at Staples Plaza on Route 35. The location was formerly part of a liquor store, according to Amy Staats, vice president at Katz & Associates, who represented the landlord in the lease. The store is projected to open late fall, Berkowitz said.

Ocean. The Bagel Nook has leased a storefront located in the Wegmans-anchored Ocean Plaza on Route 35 in Ocean, near Staples.

The company wants to continue its expansion. "We have a lot of incredible locations that we're still looking at that are open for franchising," Berkowitz said.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his free weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates .

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Gourmet bagel spot, The Bagel Nook, on the way to Route 36 in Middletown