From the best house-cured lox bagel in Bondi to a sweet Nutella bagel in Redfern, discover where to find Sydney’s best bagels. 

Never to be confused with regular ol’ bread, the humble bagel is an artisanal baked treat that requires true mastery to nail the combination of soft:chewy:malty. First boiled, then baked for their signature texture, bagels have ancient origins spanning across the globe with more recent renditions rising to fame in New York and Montreal. 

As the popularity of bagels grew, we’ve seen more and more bagel-aficionados land on Sydney shores, bringing with them authentic recipes and fillings which have become our favourite lunchtime treat. Read on to discover where to get the best bagels in Sydney!

Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Surry Hills & Marrickville

Best for authentic, artisanal New York-style bagels.

Voted ‘The Best Bagels in Australia’ by Vogue magazine, Brooklyn Boy Bagels serves up Sydney’s most authentic NY-Style bagels. The traditional baking method of hand-rolling, boiling and finally baking each bagel results in a dense, chewy bagel with a malty depth of flavour that will keep you coming back time and time again. 

Now in its fifth year of operation, owner – Brooklyn-born food journalist Michael Shafran, has perfected the flavours to a fine art. From the best-selling ‘Everything Bagel’ topped with poppy, sesame, garlic, onion and caraway, to fully loaded fillings of Lox and Dill cream cheese with fresh dill, Spanish red onion, smoked salmon and everything else that’s nice in this world. Brooklyn Boy Bagels also has an unmissable selection of bread, sweets and pastries including a Maple Bacon Donut and Supersize Street Cart Pretzels. 

George Street Deli, Redfern

Best for a delicious neighbourhood escape, with added ambience. 

Bursting onto the scene earlier this year,  mother and daughter duo Anna Berlyn and Bernadette Sheppard wanted to bring something entirely new to Redfern. George St Deli serves up NYC-style bagels with all of the trimmings. For something extra, try their pretzels the size of your head, gooey babka, chewy cookies and fresh lemonade.

Inspired by visits to the iconic NYC bagel store Russ & Daughters, George Street Deli has encapsulated food-driven nostalgia. The buzzy, retro-feel space is bought to life by the smell of freshly baked bagels and soundtracked to hits from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Etta James.

The must-try is the Lox Classic Bagel with smoked trout which has been cured by seafood king Stephen Hodge, served with cream cheese, red onion, capers and tomato. The Pastrami Bagel is a pretty close second. When those afternoon sweet cravings hit, make a beeline for the dedicated sweet section boasting bagel fillings of Ricotta & Fruit Preserve, Nutella and Crunchy Peanut Butter. 

Best Bagel Co, Cremorne 

Best for fresh, organic, planet-friendly bagels with outside-the-box fillings.

Best bagels by name, and by intention, Sydney CBD’s Best Bagel Co use the simplest, sustainably sourced, organic ingredients, made to fresh order everyday. What are undoubtedly the best bagels in the North Shore of Sydney, are now also available in the CBD.

What we really love about Best Bagel Co is the atypical list of fillings on the menu. As well as the unbeatable classics including; Smoked Salmon with Lemon & Dill Cream Cheese; and a Grass Fed Wagyu Pastrami Reuben, you’ll also find new favourites like; TeriSlawrus featuring teriyaki marinated free range chicken with apple & cucumber slaw and Kewpie Mayo; plus a veggie-friendly Ode to Funghitown showcasing a flavour-filled sautéed field mushroom mix, crispy roasted kale, truffle oil, and ricotta.

EDP TIP:  Keep an eye out for the monthly bagel collab featuring a delicious new flavour each month. This October, Best Bagel Co has partnered with Head Pastry Chef, Simon Colacino, to bring us the Darth Bagel. Grab a Charcoal Glazed Bagel with vanilla bean custard, strawberry purée, and marshmallows, and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Guide Dogs Australia. 

Soulmate, Newtown

Best for laid-back, fuss-free, hand-rolled bagels.

This easy-like-a-Sunday-morning café just so happens to be open everyday of the week for your fix of some of the best bagels in Sydney.

The house made bagels are available in three signature flavours; Cream Cheese & Chive; Lox with herb cream cheese and pickled onion; and Pastrami with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, spicy mayo and pickles, each one as satisfying as the next. 

Soulmate is also known for its stellar sanga menu making it a perfect meetup spot to appease the squad. The Black Sausage Sanga is a firm house favourite served with herb aioli, sambal and white onions in a hoagie roll.  

Lox In A Box, Multiple Locations (Bondi, Coogee, Manly)

Best for generously filled, melt-in-the mouth Lox bagels.

Silky, buttery Lox. Schmear on a generous smattering of philly cream cheese and you’ve got yourself the greatest bagel filling of all time. That’s the sentiment at Lox In A Box anyway. The flagship store began serving up the best bagels in Bondi back in 2019, and hasn’t slowed down since.  

Each ingredient has been cross-checked for authenticity by the owner, Candy Berger’s grandmothers – one of Polish, and the other of German descent – and given the nod of approval. As well as The Classic Lox Bagel, you’ll find some familiar flavours in LP’s Beef Brisket Pastrami Bagel served warm with saurkraut, pickles, swiss cheese and russian dressing. For unique takes, try the Chicken Buffalo Bagel featuring fried chicken schnitzel dunked in buffalo sauce. It’s made with Franks hot sauce, shredded carrot, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, Pickles and lashings of ranch dressing.

At Lox In A Box, you’ll also find a decadent range of deli staples to take home. Grab a tub of herbed schmear, a pack of house cured lox and a bag of bagels to create your own rendition at home.