North London's bagel history runs deep, from the all-night shops of Brick Lane to the bakeries of Golders Green and Finchley. Where to find a proper salt-beef bagel.
The Best Bagels in North London
North London takes bagels seriously, and it has the history to back it up. The Jewish communities of the East End and later North-West London brought the bagel to the city, and the best ones here are nothing like the soft, bready supermarket version. A proper London bagel, often spelled "beigel" on the older shops, is dense, chewy and boiled before baking, usually filled with salt beef and mustard or smoked salmon and cream cheese. Here is where to find the real thing.
What a proper London bagel is
The London bagel is its own thing. It is smaller and chewier than the American style, with a tight, dense crumb that comes from being boiled before it goes in the oven. The classic fillings are salt beef with mustard and a pickle, or smoked salmon with cream cheese. It should be a substantial, slightly heavy thing, not a fluffy roll with a hole in it. Once you have had a good one, the bagged supermarket version is hard to go back to.
Brick Lane, the all-night institution
Technically the East End rather than North London, but no bagel guide can skip it. The Brick Lane beigel bakeries are open around the clock and have been for decades, selling hot salt-beef bagels to a non-stop stream of clubbers, workers and curious tourists. It is cheap, fast and a genuine London experience, especially at an hour when nothing else is open. The salt beef, carved to order with a smear of mustard, is the one to get.
Golders Green and Finchley
North-West London is the bagel heartland now. Golders Green and the surrounding areas, with their long-established Jewish community, have bakeries and delis making bagels the proper way, alongside the wider spread of Jewish baking: rye breads, challah, smoked fish. This is where to go for a bagel as part of a real food tradition rather than a late-night snack. The quality is high and the choice is wide.
What to order
For your first proper London bagel, get the salt beef. Hot salt beef, English mustard, maybe a pickle, in a fresh chewy bagel, is the classic for a reason. After that, the smoked salmon and cream cheese is the other essential. Both are simple, both depend entirely on the quality of the bagel and the filling, and both are done brilliantly at the right shops.
Where to go
- Brick Lane for the all-night, hot salt-beef classic.
- Golders Green and Finchley for bagels as part of a real Jewish food tradition.
- Order the salt beef first, the smoked salmon and cream cheese second.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the best bagels in North London?
Golders Green and the surrounding North-West London area, with its long-established Jewish community, has the best bagel bakeries as part of a wider food tradition. The Brick Lane beigel shops, just over in the East End, are the famous all-night option.
What is a proper London bagel?
A smaller, denser, chewier bagel than the American style, boiled before baking, usually filled with hot salt beef and mustard or smoked salmon and cream cheese. The older shops often spell it "beigel."
Are the Brick Lane bagel shops open all night?
Yes, the famous Brick Lane beigel bakeries are open around the clock, and have been for decades, serving hot salt-beef bagels at any hour. It is a genuine piece of London late-night culture.
What should I order at a bagel shop?
Start with the hot salt beef, mustard and a pickle, the London classic. The smoked salmon and cream cheese is the other essential. Both depend on the quality of the bagel, so go to a proper bakery.
