A guide to the ultimate bagels in your city
Joburg
Fournos Bakery, across Joburg (also in Faerie glen Pretoria)
This is probably the most well-known and well-loved bakery in Joburg, holding over 10 branches across the province. They offer a build-your-own sandwich option which includes their freshly baked bagels, so you choose your own filling for sit-in or take-away. Bagels come in plain, cheese and chocolate, yes a chocolate bagel exists in Joburg!
Bread Basket, various branches
Since 1982, these guys have been baking the most incredible bread with passion and a drive to give their community the best possible in baked goods. Doubling up as a deli, Bread Basket has 8 branches across Joburg and Pretoria, each with a delicious sandwich offering which is where the bagels come in. You have a choice of roast beef, smoked salmon, Parma ham, olive tapanade and so much more.
Tasha’s, Rosebank
This particular Tasha’s is inspired by New York, and so its only natural that they have bagels on their signature menu. They do four gourmet bagels, all served with a crunchy slaw. We recommend the Upper East Side bagel of salmon trout, or the Wall Street egg bagel.
(Image by Tasha’s, The Wall Street bagel)
Shoshana’s Bakery, Glenhazel
This is a proper family run kosher bakery which has been operating since 1995. You can sit down for a coffee and a bagel but they only have two fillings, either egg mayo or tuna mayo. If you don’t fancy those, buy some bagels to make at home. It’s got a nice old school feel like something out of a 90s New York film scene.
Cape Town
Max Bagels, Bree Street and Riebeeck Street
This a Food24 favourite and they’ve just opened their new store on Riebeeck Street. They only serve bagels, and make sure they get these right. The fillings vary from classic trout and cream cheese, to leek, fennel and cream cheese as well as the killer roast beef and horseradish. Choose from various seed toppings, or a mix of everything or a spelt bagel. Get this with a Rosetta coffee or pressed juice.
(Image by Ceili McGeever, Max on Riebeeck)
Kleinsky’s, Sea Point
This New York inspired deli and café would not be complete without traditional boiled bagels and the schmears that go with them. If you aren’t familiar with the schmear, its the American-Yiddish term for spread, so basically anything spread on your bagel, and Kleinsky’s has a variety of these. Also the breakfast bagel is incredible!
(Image by Ceili McGeever, Breakfast bagel with avo)
Origin, De Waterkant
Cape Town’s well-loved coffee roasters, aside from serving all-day breakfast, also serve Montreal-style bagels baked on-site. Montreal bagels differ from the New York bagels, that we are used to, in that they are a thinner ring, slightly denser and have a sweetness to them. Origin has been baking these for almost 10 years, with their signature being the Franschhoek smoked salmon or trout.
New York Bagels, Harrington Street
This bagelry and deli started in 1990 in Sea Point, before closing its doors and reopening in 2014 on Harrington Street. They boil and bake all bagels on-site and have the widest selection of fillings you’ll find in Cape Town. Try the Frikadel bagel or The BART. They have a sit-down area and really good cheesecake if you have any space left after the bagel!
Bob’s Bagel, Kalk Bay
A lovely, little, quirky coffee shop with a relaxed surf shack look and feel. It opens up onto a park so its nice for a sunny day to grab a bagel and chill under the trees. You can buy bagels singularly or in a pack of 4. Try the salmon cream cheese or the bacon and avo.
(Image by Bob’s Bagel)
Durban
Circle Café
A modern yet authentic kosher milchig café situated next to the the Jewish Holocaust Museum.They do three types of bagels, either toasted or plain. Choose from the classic salmon cream cheese, avo cream cheese or caprese. Also don’t miss out on one of their baked sweet treats.
Yiroll, Springfield
Yiroll is a continental coffee shop serving a a selection of café-style food and freshly baked breads, most notably their bagels. They make these from scratch, the traditional boiled-then-baked way. They offer a variety of filled bagels, all named after different land marks or areas in New York, as well as a bagel burger! Try the classic New Yorker with pastrami.
Glenwood Bakery, Glenwood
This bakery is driven by quality and serving their customers the best freshly baked bread. All their flour is stone milled, GMO free and unbleached. Their baked treats and baked breads are incredible, as are their bagels. You can choose from salmon and cream cheese or roast tomato and cream cheese.
(Image by Glenwood Bakery)
Have we left any out? Comment below by telling us your favourite bagel spot!
