Beigel Bake

Beigel Bake is a Jewish bakery at 159 Brick Lane in Shoreditch, East London, England, open around the clock and baking bagels on site since 1974. It is a local institution, serving night-shift workers, clubbers, market traders and tourists through every hour of the day. The bakery's bagels, known locally as beigels, are boiled and baked in the traditional style and sold hot from the oven. The emblematic order is the salt beef bagel, with thick slices of hot, cured beef and English mustard, sold at a price far below most central London sandwiches. Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels are the other classic, and the counter also sells plain bagels by the bag, challah, cheesecake, apple strudel, cream cheese pastries and other Jewish baked goods. There is no table service and almost no seating, so most customers queue at the counter, order from the staff and eat on the pavement or take their food away. The queue moves quickly even when it stretches out of the door, and the atmosphere is bustling, direct and unpretentious. There is no dress code and no reservations. The shop does not serve alcohol, and drinks are limited to tea, coffee and soft drinks. Prices remain low, with a salt beef bagel costing roughly £5 to £7 and a smoked salmon bagel about the same or a little less. Late-night and early-morning visits are popular, particularly after nights out, so the busiest times are Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday market days. The bakery is a short walk from Shoreditch High Street and Aldgate East stations.