O Bagel | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition
Unbearable Bagels | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition
Good Company | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition
NYC Bagel Deli | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition
Mr Badgers | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition
ASA Cafe | Brisbane's best bagels | The Weekend Edition

The round-up: where to find Brisbane’s best bagels

Look, we love sourdough loaves just as much as the next person, but we’ll always have a particular soft spot for bagels. Lightly toasted with a schmear of cream cheese or sliced and stuffed with deli meats, these delightfully doughy circles are a joy-bringing source of sustenance. We’ve taken on the hard task of finding the best bagel slingers in Brisbane, including dedicated bakeries to bagel-sandwich dispensaries.

O Bagel, Brisbane City: This Broadbeach-born bagel crew had already won over Gold Coast chow hunters before arriving in Brisbane in late 2022. It’s new sandwich spot on Elizabeth Street is serving the same kind of bagels as its southern sibling, with an array of chewy, fluffy and firm bagels (in flavours like plain, poppy seed, sesame, spinach and cheese, blueberry and everything) available topped house-cured salmon and plain cream cheese, avocado, whipped citrusy fetta, spinach and tomato, or Biscoff spread. You can also get sandwiches like the Big Mama (a meaty medley of salami and wood-smoked ham, Swiss cheese, rocket, tomato and seeded mustard mayo), the Classy Lox (house-cured salmon, soft herb cream cheese, baby capers, tomato and red onion), available alongside coffee from Adore Coffee Roasters.

The Bagel Boys, various locations: This list wouldn’t be correct if we didn’t starting with a mention of one of Brisbane’s most consistent bagel bakers. After scoring a huge following for its New York-style bagels in the early 2010s with its market appearances, The Bagel Boys opened a string of bricks-and-mortar dispensaries, including  two in The City, one in Milton and one at the University of Queensland in St. Lucia. Each bagel bar dispenses a range of schmear-topped and filled bagels, including salmon lox, bacon-and-egg brekkie bagels and even a small selection of bagel melts.

Unbearable Bagels, Teneriffe: The Zero Fox crew entered the bagel game in 2021 and Teneriffe locals have been ecstatic ever since. Here the menu is shaken up often, but you can reliably snag an option to satisfy any taste. Pop in early for a brekkie bagel with chorizo patty, egg, cheese, caramelised onions and house-made ketchup, or corned beef hash, fried egg and Russian dressing. Thinking of checking it out at lunch? We suggest Unbearable’s salami and salad bagel sandwich with lettuce, carrot, tomato, pickles, Swiss cheese and ranch, or on filled with grilled mushrooms, pickled cabbage, vegan Russian dressing, pickles and vegan cheddar.

NYC Bagel Deli, West End and Chermside: Another early pioneer of Brisbane’s nascent bagel scene, Eddy Tice and Ania Kutek have gently nurtured local love for bagels with their successful NYC Bagel Deli concept. These hand-rolled beauties (crafted over a 72-hour process) are made using a special recipe tailored for Queensland’s climate, meaning they’re soft and oh-so sublime. At either of the couple’s bagel bar, you can order the likes of bagels filled with smoked salmon, spring onion and dill cream cheese, capers, black pepper and cucumber, 12-hour pulled pork with Swiss cheese, pickles and apple slaw, and espresso butter, cream cheese, poached pear and berry compote. The team’s South Brisbane bakery cafe, Cordelia Sourdough Bakehouse, also sells a selection of filled bagels. How good is it to have options?

Mr Badger’s, Woolloongabba: This Logan Road deli and sandwich bar is a great pitstop for something filling – like a bagel! Mr Badger’s has five kinds to choose from, including the chicken club with chicken, bacon, rocket, tomato, Swiss cheese and aioli, and the grilled haloumi bagel with avocado, tomato, rocket, beetroot relish and lemon.

Good Company, Scarborough: A newcomer on the cafe scene, Good Company is making a great first impression with its evolving food offering, which is headlined by a selection of kettle-boiled bagel sandwiches. Keep it simple with an onion bagel topped with cream cheese, tomato and basil oil, kickstart your morning with an everything bagel filled with maple-smoked bacon, fried egg, tomato chutney, herbed mayo and chedder, or shake it up with a plain bagel stuffed with mustard, leg ham, cheddar, caramelised onion jam and herbed mayo.

Scout, Petrie Terrace: A perpetually popular cafe, Scout earns its loyal following thanks in no small part to its ever-evolving menu of bagels. Get a bagel with schmear (including a vegan option with cashew, jalapeño, pistachio, mint, coriander and lime), or go for something more substantial like Scout’s pastrami bagel with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, capers, cornichons and red onion slaw, ultimate ham, cheese and tomato bagel (with leg ham, pickled green tomatoes, salsa verde, cheddar and mozzarella) or the roast eggplant bagel with taleggio cheese, fermented chilli aioli, pickled white onion and rocket.

Agnes Bakery, Fortitude Valley: Though it’s common to see pastry lovers lining up every morning to snag one of Agnes Bakery’s beloved kouign amanns, when the clock inches closer to lunchtime demand switches towards the bakery’s bagel sandwiches. These seeded beauties come filled with the likes of chicken salad and salmon with dill cream cheese and zuni onion.

ASA, Yeronga: This cosy cafe is all about convenience, and what’s a more convenient bite than a bagel? ASA’s menu sees delightfully doughy sesame, wholemeal rye, plain and blueberry bagels from NYC Bagel Deli topped with spreads or stuffed to become sandwiches. Smoked salmon with cream cheese, chicken club bagels and vegan-friendly bagels are perfect grab-and-go lunch options.

New Day Cafe, Windsor and Milton: With two locations on either side of the river, it’s now twice as easy to get a fix from bagel sandwich specialists New Day Cafe. The signature brekky bagel is an Instagrammable eat with eggs, gooey American cheese and crispy bacon, but it’s hard to look past other outstanding options like the Rueben (with pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, pickles and seeded mustard) and the Veggie (boasting avo smash, grilled haloumi, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, rocket and balsamic drizzle).

Brewbakers, Albion: If you like to construct your own bagel sanga at home, then you’d best stock up on some great bagels to build with. Brewbakers is one of Brisbane’s best bakeries, so it’s no wonder that its bagels are exemplary.

Flour & Chocolate, various locations: Every Friday, Flour & Chocolate’s three locations (Morningside, Northgate and Redcliffe) hosts brownie and bagel days. No shade to brownies, but right now the bagels have our full, undivided attention. With a crispy outer and pillowy inner, these bagels come with assorted toppings – including special flavours like rosemary, garlic and cheese, and pesto bagels filled with tomato, fior di latte, rocket and pesto.

Danny’s Bread, Teneriffe: This artisan sourdough bakery is a great spot to nab some bagels for home or office consumption. The crew keeps it simple but oh-so satisfying, with options including plain, sesame-seed topped, poppy-seed topped and mixed bagels available.

The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.

Subscribe:

Sign up for our weekly enews & receive more articles like this: