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Header image courtesy of R&R Bagels (Facebook) and Shragels (Facebook)
The humble bagel may not have experienced a meteoric rise to fame even in carb-infatuated Hong Kong, but you’ll find reliable bagel gems in this city if you just know where to look. Whether you’re a die-hard Montreal-style devotee or bat for New York, bagels in Hong Kong proffer a unique blend to suit any and all taste buds. Lox, schmear, and everything bagels, here we come.
Popular with lunch-goers looking for an efficient meal, R&R Bagels is one of Hong Kong’s most successful bagel stories. Located in a narrow market alleyway, it may not be the easiest shop to find, but it’s well worth the hunt.
Offering the largest selection of bagels amongst its competitors, sink your teeth into a range of options, from wholegrain, cinnamon raisin, and onion, to staples like plain, sesame, poppy, and everything. But the real draw at R&R is their stacked bagel sandwiches. You’ll want to try the more eclectic flavours here, like the Gardener’s Breakfast ($65), topped with a fresh spinach omelette, melted cheddar cheese, ripe tomatoes, pesto, and low-fat cream cheese, and the Hampton ($85), with chicken breast, pesto, camembert cheese, walnuts, sun-dried cranberries, arugula, toasted peppercorns, and cream cheese.
Of course, standard choices like the smoked salmon bagel ($85) and avocado feta bagel ($75) are up for grabs, as well as the vegan bagel ($75), which comes with a filling of house hummus, smashed avo, arugula, shaved almonds, and chia seeds. And if nothing on the menu catches your fancy (we find that hard to believe), then throw all caution to the wind and go for the build-your-own option. Honestly, just settling with one bagel at R&R is a constant struggle. If the goal is to indulge at home, R&R Bagels is also available for takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo.
R&R Bagels, 28 Li Yuen Street West, Central | (+852) 2178 5168
If authentic New York is what your tummy’s calling for, then Schragels has your cravings sorted. They do quite well with their wholesale and delivery bagels in Hong Kong, but on a good—and not too humid—day, we like to make the short climb up to their production kitchen in Sheung Wan to grab us a fresh order of the SchReuben ($90), a sandwich of beef pastrami, brown mustard, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese, and the SchTurkey ($90), with honey and pecan schmear, turkey, and sliced apple.
Of course, if your taste buds are travelling all the way to NYC, then the Loxy Lady ($90) should be the first thing on your mind, complete with scallion schmear, smoked salmon, capers, and red onion. Of the smoked salmon bagels we’ve tasted in Hong Kong so far, Schragels offers the most authentic one—high praise indeed. The unnecessary and added effort in pronouncing their products’ eccentric names, now that we could do without. It’s worth noting that Schragels has very little space for dine-in, so takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo are your best bets.
Schragels, 37 Graham Street, Sheung Wan | (+852) 9730 6727
This Sai Kung hideaway is known for its idyllic, minimalistic interior design, as well as its diverse list of coffee, teas, and smoothies. Dibs a spot outside on Little Cove Espresso’s ample alfresco seating and enjoy the slow life with a smashed avocado and feta bagel ($92) with a side of turmeric latte ($36).
Little Cove Espresso, Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Siu Yat Building, Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung
Third-wave coffee proponent Polygon is one of the trendiest spots in Sai Ying Pun for a strong cup of joe—and bagels! The food menu may be on the small side, but they offer some customisation options: first, choose your bagel from plain or onion and chive. Second, top that off with fillings from the avo smash bagel ($78) with avocado, mixed veggies, and pine nuts, or the classic smoked salmon bagel ($88) with cream cheese, capers, smoked salmon, and onion. Grab a bite and swill it down with a cup of their much-extolled Intelligentsia coffee.
Polygon, G/F, 14 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun | (+852) 2915 8878
Who can resist a charming, pastel-coloured coffee shop with thoughtful little green touches? Café Zi is a hard one to pass up, luring you in with their industrial-chic aesthetics and enticing you to stay for the bagel sandwiches.
Using handcrafted bagels made in Hong Kong by Tuen Mun-based Plum N Bagel, make your choice between the avo bagel ($78), filled with avocado, egg, and cream cheese, the signature smoked salmon bagel ($88), and pastrami bagel ($98), with beef pastrami slices, gherkins, tomatoes, rocket, and a powerful combo of Swiss and cream cheese. Café Zi also serves up some mean brews and house-blend smoothies and juices. Not a bad way to spend a few relaxing hours on the weekend.
Café Zi, G/F, 8 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2778 1628
This cosy nook on the corner of Po Hing Fong boasts an unpronounceable name and a neat selection of three bagel sandwiches on their menu. Classicists will want to try the smoked salmon bagel ($98) with all the fixings, but brekkie lovers might get a taste for the bacon and scrambled egg bagel ($98) with bacon, scrambled egg, lettuce, and tomato with cream cheese on a toasted bagel. Last but not least, if none of the above appeals to your cultivated tastes, the earthy aromas of the black truffle scrambled egg bagel ($98) will be more than enough to pull you in.
SP_CE, G/F, 20 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan | (+852) 2807 0978
Fo Tan may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to bagels in Hong Kong, but this industrial and residential neighbourhood does have a grab-and-go spot for coffee and bagels. Several combos of breakfast bagels can be had here, from the vegetarian-friendly avocado, cheddar, and sun-dried tomato bagel ($58) to the classic smoked salmon bagel ($28) with capers, radish, cucumber, and rocket, as well as the beef pastrami bagel ($75) with avocado, cheddar and Swiss cheeses, mushroom, and more. For a quick bagel fix, it’s an incredible steal.
The Brew Corner, Shop A6, G/F, Valiant Industrial Centre, 2–12 Au Pui Wan Street, Fo Tan | (+852) 6739 5068
This sweet little corner café in West Mong Kok gives us rainy day hideaway vibes. Diners with plant-based palates will want to try the spicy hummus and feta bagel ($70), which comes with homemade hummus, cream cheese, crumbled feta, tomatoes, and rocket. The menu also boasts reliable standby flavours, like the New Yorker ($70), the smoked salmon supreme bagel ($70), and avocado and egg bagel ($70), a favourite amongst breakfast lovers.
The Brew Job Coffee, G/F, 46 Hoi King Street, Tai Kok Tsui | (+852) 6097 9030
Neighbourhood bistro Feather & Bone boasts a grand total of one bagel sandwich on their menu, but it’s a good one. The cream cheese bagel ($78) is like the blank canvas on which to paint your own masterpiece. Whether you’re looking to recreate our smoked salmon sweetheart with capers and dill, or add on fresh honeycomb, thyme, and bee pollen, you have to admit, it has a certain simplistic appeal. Feather & Bone is also available on Deliveroo.
As the name might suggest, Bagels Alley requires a little bit of effort to find. Tucked into a basement corner of an arcade building just by bustling Central Market, this grab-and-go spot offers locally-made, hand-rolled New York-style bagels made with low-sugar and preservative-free ingredients.
Their Pastrami Bomb ($75)—with beef pastrami, mustard, gherkins, Swiss cheese, arugula, and cream cheese—is a best-seller, as is the smoked salmon bagel ($75). If the search for Bagels Alley is proving a little too elusive, just follow the bagel-themed mural around Jubilee Street and let your nose do the rest.
Bagels Alley, Shop A1, G/F, Haleson Building, 1 Jubilee Street, Central | (+852) 9793 8401
As the only Deliveroo-exclusive bagel shop in Hong Kong, Bagel Factory is also one of the most creative when it comes to its bagel sandwich toppings. Treat yo’self to an extravagant bagel lunch spread with a tropical Piggy ($78), with marinated pulled pork, grilled pineapple, tomato, rocket, and mayonnaise; an Italian-inspired Parma ham bagel ($88) that looks and tastes as good as it sounds; and the chicken schnitzel bagel ($78), with a slab of breaded chicken breast, tomato salsa, and rocket salad on a poppyseed bagel. You could be eating a different bagel a day from Bagel Factory and still have fresh choices for the following week.
Bright and early gets the finest breakfast bagels in Hong Kong. Using handcrafted New York-style bagels supplied by Schragels, Morty’s Delicatessen puts together a selection of hearty bagel sandwiches with classic brekkie ingredients. We like to start our day off with a fresh egg salad and pickled tomato bagel ($70) and the robust breakfast bagel ($75), with house bacon, fried egg, lettuce, cheddar, and tomato. On extra hungry days, we’ll also grab an aromatic pastrami and egg bagel ($80) to go for a mid-morning snack.
Morty’s breakfast bagels are only available in the mornings from 8 am to 10.30 am, but the promise of a bagel will be enough motivation to get you out of bed. Morty’s is also available for takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo.
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Germany, and educated in the U.S., Jen is an award-winning creative with a background in illustration, communication design, art direction, and content creation. When she’s not getting lost in a good book, you’ll find her doing crosswords, eating dim sum, covering all sides of a “Hamilton” number, and taking naps.
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