The best bagels in London
With origins in the Jewish communities of Poland, and variations hailing from faraway lands of New York and Montreal, the bagel is a delicious doughy roll that has seen a boom in popularity across London.
Bagels are a personal favourite of mine, I love devouring them, trying new fillings each time. Bakers are stuffing them with intriguing fillings – long gone are the days of simple cream cheese (although this classic still hits the spot when needed).
So, whether you are team Beigel Bake or Beigel Shop, these are the best bagels in London. Make a list and tick one off every time you find yourself with a weekend sans plans, because what better activity than chasing down the tastiest bagels?
Papo’s Bagels
Created by two New Yorkers, Papo’s Bagels brings a taste of the Big Apple to London – offering cream cheese schmear, smoked salmon, and seven flavours, from your plain to your everything bagels.
Papo’s is a well-loved location; it’s become a key part of many people’s weeks seeking their bagel fix. But this spot always lives up to the hype, I’ve never met a bagel I didn’t like at Papo’s.
Nothing beats chowing down on a chewy bagel – always toasted, personal opinion – topped with heirloom tomatoes during the summer, or the wintery alternative of oak-smoked trout.
Best bagel to try: the cold cuts bagel with mortadella, sopressa, fontina, pickled chillies, mayo, lettuce, and vinaigrette.
Hackney, E8 | paposbagels.com
It's Bagels
It’s perfectly crusty, it’s perfectly doughy, It’s Bagels. With a few sites across London, the bagel menu features 11 different flavours – including garlic, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, and rainbow at the weekend.
Sandwiches are on the more traditional side – think bacon, egg, and cheese or peanut butter and jelly – but the schmears by the tub are worth a trip alone. Try the jalapeño cream cheese for that hint of spice, sun-dried tomato for tasty saltiness or the perfect pairing to your bagel of lox cream cheese.
Buying in bulk to take away or getting one of your faves to enjoy there and then, It’s Bagels has you covered.
Best bagel to try: the works bagel with cream cheese, lox, onion, capers, lemon, and tomato (but only when it’s in season).
Primrose, NW1, Notting Hill, W11, Soho, W1F | itsbagels.com
Banook Bagels
Banook Bagels in Peckham takes its inspo from merging NYC- and Montreal-style bagels, creating what they call the ‘South London Bagel’.
These are some of the most pillowing bagels I’ve had the pleasure of eating, and you can experiment each time with Banook’s monthly changing cream cheese special. It’s the maple cream cheese that I always go back to, and if you’re also a sucker for the sweet and savoury combination, you’ll be sure to agree.
Specialising in the selling of bagels – grab them as a single, six or dozen – and a selection of cream cheese tubs, Banook also offers a small selection of sandwiches made to order. And the open sandos look as good as they taste.
Be sure to get down early before Banook sells out – or make a preorder to avoid bagel disappointment.
Best bagel to try: the fish one, with smoked trout, classic cream cheese, red onion, capers, dill, lemon, salt and pepper.
Peckham, SE15 | banookbagels.com
The Bagel Guys
East London is lucky to have its fair share of great bagels, and The Bagel Guys by Paulie’s Bagels on Well Street, and at Netil Market, is one for the hit list.
Inspired by the shops, delis, bodegas, and pizza slice joints of New York, The Bagel Guys make 100% sourdough bagels that are hand-rolled and baked fresh every day.
For 2025, the guys have added the pumpernickel and cinnamon raisin bagels to the everyday menu. Back to that sweet and savoury love affair, the pumpernickel is the classic sourdough base with an injection of dark rye, dark malt, and caraway seeds – add classic cream cheese and you’re in bagel heaven.
Be sure to also grab a bag of Paulie’s spicy bagel chips while you’re there. The no-waste snack sees leftover bagels made into tasty chips. Perfect for dunking into the leftover cream cheese, if there was such a thing.
Best bagel to try: the BEC, with streaky bacon, bodega-style folded egg, and melted American cheese topped with The Bagel Guys’ mildly spicy house sauce.
Netil Market, E8 and Hackney, E1 | pauliesbagels.co.uk
Rye Lane Bagels
Angel numbers and interesting fillings. A visit to Rye Lane Bagels will send you a message in more ways than one.
The smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers is £5.55, with the numbers associated with positive change, the twist on this classic is just that. It has a dash of hot sauce and a sprinkle of Tajin that takes this bagel from good to great.
And when I say these bagels are stuffed, you’ll have to open that jaw like a snake to get your mouth around it. And it’s going to be sensational.
Founder Abhi also stays open until 4 a.m. at the weekend, meaning you can enjoy one of his creations after a few beers at the local. That beats the usual McChicken Sandwich, for sure.
Best bagel to try: the salt beef – so good it gives Beigel Bake some competition.
Peckham, SE15 | ryelanebagels.com
Panzer's Delicatessen
At home in St John’s Wood since 1944, Panzer’s Delicatessen has always been known for its Scottish smoked salmon, which is, to this day, hand-sliced in the store at your request, as well as its variety of bagels.
The bagels are baked in the Northwest London bakery every day and are layered with history and a classic taste that can’t be beaten. Panzer’s shows that the OG is sometimes the best there is.
Best bagel to try: the Scottish salmon – because nothing beats the tried-and-tested deliciousness of this classic.
St John’s Wood, NW8 | panzers.co.uk
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