Where to find the best bagels in London

One of the two rival 24-hour bakeries on Brick Lane, the white-fronted Beigel Bake is arguably the most famous bagel shop in the capital – in part also due to often being mistaken for its counterpart down the street. Regardless, you’re as likely to run into peckish celebs as into hungry punters here, ordering up freshly baked bagels, stuffed to bursting with classic fillings such as salt beef, cream cheese and lox.

This bagel spot hand-rolls and bakes fresh sourdough bagels daily. The flavours come in plain, everything ( a popular New York seasoning), sesame, or poppy varieties. You can also choose from different fillings, including the breakfast-inspired bacon, egg, and cheese or the classic lox and schmear. They have a stall in the vibey Netil Market and a shop on Well Street in Hackney.

The other Brick Lane contender for top bagel bakery in the city, Beigel Shop is actually the older of the two – the first one on the street, in fact, back when the area was still home to a sizeable Jewish community. Like its rival, it serves plain and filled bagels by the thousands, as well as breads like challah and rye bread. It was also the first in the country to offer rainbow bagels, a sure-fire hit for those looking to add some colour to their social media feed.

The Good Egg is a beloved Stoke Newington café that serves all-day Jewish-style breakfast fare, including different bagel and pita sandwiches. There's usually quite a queue to get in during peak brunch periods, so if you'd prefer to just grab a bagel and go, considering stopping by their recently opened spin-off, The Good Bagel. The delicatessen actually offers a wider range of bagel fillings, including unique options such as matzo-fried fish, gem & horseradish mayo. There's even a dessert-style one with caramelised banana, tahini, date syrup, cream cheese & streusel.

The Happening Bagel Bakery has been hard to beat for a late-night or early-morning smoked salmon bagel in North London since opening in 1994. This compact institution next to Finsbury Park Station offers freshly baked bagels. You can get them plain or with simple fillings such as halloumi, cream cheese and more. Pick up some challah bread while you’re at it, or a sweet pastry for dessert.

By expanding the popular bagel shop concept to include hot coffee, fresh juices, seating and modern furnishings, the B Bagel outposts are making a serious play for the capital’s breakfast crowds. Their fresh bagels are available in a range of fillings, from classics such as cream cheese or tuna mayo, to more offbeat choices such as chicken avo or vegan schnitzel. The crowning jewel in their early morning offer are the breakfast bagels, which can pack a whole meal into a bagel with ease.

The Barbary has been a firm favourite of London foodies for years thanks to its efficient blending of Middle Eastern and North African culinary traditions. It’s a proper restaurant rather than a bagel shop, and its roll-with-a-hole offerings are limited to just one of the Jerusalem variety, but bagel-heads will tell you it’s worth queuing for.

It might cater primarily to South London’s party crowds with its cheeky slogan “everyone who goes raving in South and East London will know about Bagel King”, but don’t be surprised if you have to queue at this 24/7 bagel vendor regardless of the time of day. The fillings range from classics such as smoked salmon and cream cheese to more unusual options inspired by West Indian cuisine, for example ackee and saltfish or jerk chicken.

Somewhat surprisingly, the bagel on offer at the self-declared “home of real salt beef” doesn’t include salt beef. Instead, Tongue & Brisket offers a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with lemon and black pepper, or a vegan wholewheat bagel with homemade pizza sauce, stir-fried onions, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, topped with olives and za’atar.

Rinkoff Bakery was established more than 100 years ago and is regarded by many as one of the top baked goods experts in the metropolis. In addition to their fast-selling crodoughs, they also bake sourdough, challah, baps, layer cakes and, of course, bagels, including rainbow bagels and mini bagels. At their Deli in Spitalfields, they make their sandwiches fresh in front of you.

North London’s Carmelli Bakery has been churning out handmade breads, challahs, pastries, cakes and bagels since 1987, using special techniques in the process. The traditional bakery has a counter where you can stock up on freshly cooked traditional dishes, salads, quiches and other lunchtime options, as well as jam a bunch of different fillings into your old-school bagel.

Another stalwart North London bakery, Daniels Bakery makes authentic bagels, with both plain and filled options on the menu – the latter include classics such as cream cheese, lox and tuna mayo. Other breads are available as well, as are salads, cakes and other dishes. The bakery doubles as a catering kitchen, offering a range of platters to suit all group sizes and dietary needs. Their finger foods even include mini bagels.

The Bagel House in Stoke Newington is where many a reveller winds up to take stock of their night over a freshly baked bagel. The 24/7 bakery stuffs bagels and rolls with classic fillings such as cheese, egg, tuna mayo, salt beef, cream cheese, salmon and more, offering platzels, chollas, patties, samosas, scones, latkas, sausage rolls and all sorts of other carby goodness.

Hendon Bagel Bakery and its spin-off Bread bake quality kosher goods from the finest ingredients and following traditional techniques and recipes. At the bakeries, you can stock up on different bagels, rolls, breads, cakes, pies, pastries and other doughy deliciousness, with the lox and schmear bagel apparently enjoying a cult-like following. Both locations also have a café where you can enjoy your food with a hot coffee.

A New York-style delicatessen that’s been open since 1944, Panzer’s is a legendary London food store with culinary treats from around the globe. The bakery department includes bagels, and though the fillings are limited to smoked salmon and cream cheese, the bagels themselves come in different varieties, for example onion, everything or poppy. You can enjoy them at the in-store café.

Seeing as they’re baked by couple of actual factual New Yorkers, Papo’s freshly baked bagels are as close to the real thing as you’re likely to get. Launched during lockdown and quickly growing in popularity, the bagels here come in classic options such as everything, poppy or salt. You can add cream cheese, including flavoured with chives or olives, for example, as well as smoked salmon. They also deliver nationwide.

After pinpointing a niche for NYC-style bagels in London and conducting a successful trial with a temporary pop-up, It's Bagels launched their first permanent bagel shop in Primrose Hill, with more following soon after. Here, you'll find a selection of chewy bagels, from poppy seed to sesame and garlic, accompanied by an assortment of schmears and fillings like lox, bacon, and cheese.

Bagel on the Park stands as Victoria Park's top hidden gem, focusing solely on bagels with various fillings, including their best-selling salmon and cream cheese. Whilst they offer catering for special events, the true joy lies in enjoying their bagels with a coffee while leisurely strolling through Victoria Park's scenic surroundings next door.

Rye Lane Bagels, your neighbourhood go-to, serves classic bagels with delicious fillings. Run by locals, it offers a range of grab-and-go options in Peckham. With the entire menu under £8 and open until 4 am on weekends, it's the perfect spot for a late-night bagel craving.