Is there anything bread experience more satisfying than diving into a perfectly doughy, chewy bagel, topped with a healthy serving of schmear? The doughy O has has long held the title in certain quarters as the ultimate breakfast bread, and it’s not hard to see why. Bagels have had a long and distinguished history, from their supposed invention in 13th-century Prussia to its late 19th-century arrival in New York and Montreal courtesy of Polish immigrants, but they never go out of style, and have indeed had their own viral moments in recent years – think Brooklyn’s mid-noughties rainbow bagel craze.

While they are without a doubt a quintessential New York food, London‘s bagel scene has been quietly on the rise over the years. Brick Lane’s ‘biegels’ have been staples in the community for hundreds of years, while elsewhere in the city there’s a fresh crop of American-founded bakeries, serving up this chunky bread with a side of nostalgia. Look in the right places and you’ll find some really excellent bread, plus everything bagel toppings coated in salt, dried onion, dried garlic, poppy seeds and sesame seeds and a generous heap of lox and cream cheese.

As someone whose earliest food memories involve being sent to the local Jewish bakery on a Sunday morning in Manchester to get the freshest batch of bagels and schmear, and who subsequently moved near one of New York’s most hyped bagel spots – Frankel’s Deli (where a beautiful bagel can often set you back $25) – I come with high bagel standards. Thankfully, the British capital delivers. Join us as we hunt for the best bagels in London.

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The best bagels in London