GBA Lifestyle News
Up until a few years ago, bagels weren’t really a thing in Hong Kong. A few local bakeries did their own take on the bagel and a few other places served frozen ones, but that was pretty much it. How times have changed. Here are the top bagel shops in Hong Kong where you can get your fix.
Peel Street Espresso Bar, owned and run by Redback Coffee, a local Specialty Coffee Roaster, serves Schragels bagels in their cozy, dim-lit venue on Peel Street. We recommend the Tomato and Feta ($88) which includes basil, cherry tomatoes, seasoning and feta on a toasted bagel, a perfect fruity and tangy combo. These are a little pricy compared to other bagel dealers in town, but paired with a flat white at $25 per cuppa, it’s not a bad combo at all.
38 Peel Street, Central, 5503-6880. Open Monday-Saturday 6am-2pm, Sunday 8am-6pm.
The Brew Job is a little specialty coffee shop in Tai Kok Tsui which is so close to Bagoes that when they receive their fresh delivery every morning it’s often delivered by owner Scott himself. There are three bagels on offer aside from plain with cream cheese. Try the spicy hummus bagel ($68), which includes creamy feta, cream cheese, rocket, tomato, cucumber and spicy hummus, which can be had on its own or with a coffee for just $88.
46 Hoi King St, Tai Kok Tsui. (MTR Olympic Station.) Open Monday-Friday 8:30am-6:30pm, Saturday-Sunday 9:30am-6:30pm.
Newly opened R&R Bagels is the latest bagelry to set up shop in Hong Kong. Tucked neatly behind some hawkers on Li Yuen Street West, this cozy little store — run by two English lads who can’t get enough of the popular pastry — makes for a great place to sit in and enjoy a bagel and a flat white in the early hours of the morning. There are a dozen bagel sandwiches on offer, including breakfast bagels for $50 and plain six-packs for $125. We suggest the The Hampton ($75), which includes grilled chicken, pesto, sun-dried cranberries, Camembert cheese, toasted peppercorns, candied walnuts and cream cheese.
28 Li Yuen Street West, Central, 2178-5168. Open Monday-Friday 7:30am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday 9am-6pm.
Morty’s Delicatessan, a New York-style Jewish deli located on the lower ground floor of Jardine House, is notorious for their heavy duty sandwiches and loaded bagels. On the menu you’ll find several different bagel sandwiches, including our personal favorite The Breakfast Bagel ($68), with house bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, butter lettuce and tomatoes. Customers can also purchase bagels in six-packs from $150, which includes a tub of dill and chive or regular cream cheese. Do note, bagels are available Monday to Friday 8:00am-10:30am.
2-14 Lower Ground Floor, Jardine House 1, Central, 3665-0900. Monday-Friday 8am-9pm, Saturday 11am-8pm.
What started out as a Jewish girl longing for a New York-style bagel in Hong Kong soon grew into full-fledged bagelry after friends and colleagues took an interest in her recipe and began ordering directly from her. Two years on and Chicago-born Rebecca Schrager now supplies many of the high-end hotels and restaurants in town as well as a few smaller cafes and Great Food Hall. Schragels, Hong Kong’s first and only New York-style bagelry, also serves up its own bagel sandwiches and bagel chips in-house at its bake-house-slash-warehouse in Sheung Wan. We recommend the Schturkey ($80), which includes honey and pecan schmear, green apple, cream cheese and turkey.
17 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, 9730-6727. Monday-Sunday 8:30am-4pm.
