Disclaimer: the salt beef is not halal nor kosher, the pictures of it in this post are not mine.
If you’re a tourist in England and you visit London, there are some iconic things that you just won’t want to miss. Think the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the two beigel shops in Brick Lane!
Yes, they truly are that iconic. Situated next to each other right in the middle of Brick Lane, East London, they are not to be missed. Unofficially known as the yellow one (the beigel shop) and the white one (beigel bake). They serve Jewish bagel classics and have been doing so since Brick Lane was predominantly a Jewish area (it’s anything but now!). When the Jews moved away from the area, most moved, these two establishments did not. Brick Lane is now known for its curry houses and its hip joints and vibes, but these two icons still remain and remain strong.
They operate 24 hours a day every day! So, whether you crave a bagel at 3pm or 3am, they’ve got your fix. The yellow one has been in operation since 1855!!!! However, the white one is probably the more popular one as you’ll see by the long queues. The menus have been the same since day 1! This deserves a round of applause.
The popular bagels:
Smoked salmon and cream cheese
Rainbow beigel
Salt Beef (not halal nor kosher)
It’s a shame the salt beef one isn’t halal nor kosher. But the classic salmon and cream cheese combo is still worth trying here. I mean for £2 you can’t go wrong can you!? Mind you, this is quite easy to recreate at home, so I probably won’t be heading back in a rush unless the salt beef one became halal!
The Spelling
Why is it spelt “beigel”? It’s to do with how it should be pronounced – bagel is strictly pronounced as beigel right? Like ‘vein’ or ‘weigh’ and not like ‘cat’ or ‘bag’. Also, beigel is seen as a Yiddish term and bagel as the Americanised version.
This has to be the OG London street food and cheap eat!
Have you tried this iconic place in London?
Getting there
Nearest Mosque: Shoreditch Mosque (1 min drive)
Nearest station: Shoreditch High Street
Picture credits:
Pictures 2 and 5: @eatallsupall on instagram
Picture 6: @fivesfood_ on instagram
