Bagels are not fast food; bagels are a mentality - the epitome of American cosiness. You can feel New York vibes at these places in Berlin.
Now that the US borders have been reopened, more than a few Germans are drawn back to the city of contrasts, the giga-metropolis of New York. But not everyone has the pleasure of waking up in the Big Apple in the morning, going to the coffee shop around the corner and enjoying a bagel for breakfast.
Yet the bagel does not come from America at all. The bagel first appeared in Poland in the 17th century. Jewish immigrants are said to have brought the pastry to the USA - where it has since become a typical part of the American diet.
While Berlin is obviously not New York, it has some lesser-known places that serve homemade bagels. We reveal where in Berlin you can buy the yeasty pastry with the famous hole fresh. One of the locations even has an English bookshop - so it's also true in Berlin: read and enjoy.
Alex Frons invites you for homemade bagels in Alt-Treptow near the infamous Görlitzer Park. The bagel varieties include poppy seeds, sesame seeds and caraway seeds. Toppings include spring onions, dried tomatoes, olives, honey, almonds and even – very New York – peanut butter.
On weekends, the shop on Bouchéstraße serves brunch inspired by the American way of life, and Alex Frons also offers French toast and Eggs Benedict. The bagel shop's namesake, Masha, is the “Jewish grandmother you never had”, according to owner Frons.
When and where to enjoy it?
Wednesdays to Saturdays 9am to 4pm (kitchen only until 3pm).
Sundays 10am to 3.30pm.
Info | Masha's Bagels & Delicatessen
Bouchéstraße 15
12435 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 5059 7960
There are no less than 16 types of bagels to choose from at "Fine Bagels" - in addition to the usual suspects, there are also varieties such as rosemary sea salt, poppy seed egg, zatar and cinnamon sultana. Laurel and Roman Kratochvila and their team prepare the bagels in Friedrichshain. A video shows exactly how.
If you want to get cosy, have a bagel freshly prepared and then go to the adjacent English bookshop "Shakespeare and Sons" to browse. You can hardly get a more New York feeling than that. In a few weeks, the owner will present a book published by Prestel, entitled “New European Baking”, with 99 recipes for bagels, breads, brioches and pastries of all kinds.
When and where to enjoy it?
Daily 8am to 8pm
Info | Fine Bagels
Warschauer Street 74
10243 Berlin
The bagels Andreas Pfeffer and his team make in Kreuzberg flew around the world five years ago. The airline Air Berlin had given “Salomon” a catering contract. In addition to significant customers, “Salomon” also has a shop in Charlottenburg, not far from KaDeWe.
Pfeffer says he gets his ingredients from “Gut Rosenkrantz”, which does organic farming in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein. Since "Salomon" replaces the honey traditionally contained in the cooking water with maple syrup, the bagels on offer are vegan. Unique feature: The Charlottenburg store also offers bagels topped with cheese. Filling example; chicken breast and pesto.
When and where to enjoy it?
Mondays to Fridays 8am to 4pm, Saturdays 8am to 3pm
Info | Salomon Bagels
Joachimsthaler Straße 13
10719 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 88 62 65 73
If you want a coffee to go with your bagel, you'll find it at “Bagel, Coffee & Culture” by Erhan Yegin. There are exciting bagel combinations like pistachio cream with cocoa nibs and fresh goat cheese with salmon. In his shop in Kreuzberg, there is also home-roasted coffee, including all kinds of currently trendy variations.
Yegin also offers juices, smoothies and a ginger shot for a fresh kick in the morning in Kreuzberg. Those who want to stroll around a bit after eating a bagel will also find what they are looking for: Yegin has all kinds of coffee accessories on the shelves - and there is art on the walls, too; after all, “culture” should not be neglected either, as per the company name.
When and where to enjoy it?
Mondays to Fridays, 8am to 6pm
Saturdays 8.30am to 6.30pm
Sundays 9am to 6pm
Info | Bagel, Coffee & Culture
Mehringdamm 66
10961 Berlin
Tel.: +49 176 226 892 03
If you want to dive into an almost fairytale world while eating bagels, the shop “Wahrhaft nahrhaft”(which means genuinely nutritious) in Friedrichshain comes highly recommended. Betty Muschen has furnished her store with colourful antique trinkets - curtains, cushions and colourful pictures are everywhere. Cosy sums up the overall impression of the interior well. Here you can walk through the shop virtually.
And Betty Muschen is a real power woman: for around 15 years, she has been supplying the Südkiez of Friedrichshain with homemade bagels and homemade cakes, muffins and tarts.
When and where to enjoy it?
Daily except for Wednesdays from 10am to 5pm
Info | Truly Nutritious
Revaler Street 16
10245 Berlin
Tel.: +49 176 818 444 74
