In simple terms, bagels are everything. They are a delicious, chewy, and dense form of bread that takes a similar shape to that of a donut.
They are hugely popular in countries such as the United Kingdom, U.S., Australia, and of course, Canada – especially in Montreal and Toronto! It’s no surprise that people from all over the world — who are not familiar with these baked goods — often mistake them to be the same. Bagels and donuts share the same shape and size where they’re circular and have a hole in the middle, but are prepared differently.
Both bagels and donuts have become one of the most sought-after breakfast items over the years. Pair it with one of your favourite coffees, and you’ll have yourself a simple yet delicious breakfast!
The best donuts, especially the ones you’re hunting down for in Toronto, are chewy and will always satisfy the one who’s looking for a hint of sweetness in the morning or as a snack.
The ideal bagel, on the other hand, is a preferred breakfast or lunch item, which has the perfect softness, chew a light spread coating, and plenty of toppings. To this end, many Canadians refer to it as a fun food.
Initially, bagels were restricted to a bland morning snack with cream cheese and lox flavours.
Like donuts, they now come in more flavours than you can imagine. As such, this form of bread has climbed through the culinary ranks to become a popular sandwich foundation. That’s right, not only can you munch on these delicious chewy bagels on its own with butter and spread, but you can enjoy them in the form of a sandwich wrapped with your favourite meat, lettuce, and tomatoes. We even included some of the best sandwiches in Toronto for you see visualize the endless ways on how you can enjoy your bagel!
The Best Bagels in Toronto
There are so many great alternatives to pick from for the best bagels in Toronto, ranging in origin, style, and flavour profile.
Nothing beats biting into a fresh bagel with, quite frankly, anything spread in between, no matter what time of day it is. From New York to Turkish to Montreal, below is a list of the best bagel places in Toronto.
In turn, we hope these best bagel shops in Toronto will cater to you whenever you are looking to try something new.
1. Gryfe’s Bagel Bakery
Image by @gryfeswholesale
History is a potent component, and a Gryfe’s bagel serves as a nostalgic memory as it is so firmly embedded in warm fuzzy memories of family breakfasts for many generations of Torontonians.
As such, it might as well be the only bagel in town. It is impossible to miss them.
Their bagel products are softer, smaller, less sugary, and have a generally consistent texture, similar to a dinner roll. If those attributes do not appear to be on par with the competitors, ask any customers queuing outside the institution’s Bathurst location, which is 105 years old. They will gladly disagree.
2. Nu Bügel
Image by @nubugel
As implied by the stack of wood by its entrance, Nu Bügel’s bagels are made in a brick oven that burns wood.
The end product is a little firmer compared to Montreal bagels. The bagels are sweeter than average for the genre. But the outside is pleasingly crisp, and the toppings are far more than those termed as essential for bagels.
You will particularly appreciate the incredibly savory rosemary topping, which sticks out from all the bagels arranged attractively on the wooden and thick dowels. The Kensington business may be the city’s sole licensed Bagelry, a bonus for hungry bagel searchers.
3. The Bagel House
Image by @thebagelhouse
No self-respecting and real Montrealer would confess it, but Toronto’s Bagel House mini-honey-boiled, chain’s wood-fired bagel delicacies could be better than the classic Montreal bagel!
They are thick and ropy, with a burnished exterior and a hint of sweetness. However, these bagels are fluffier and lighter, with just a bit more chew than usual, making them even more enjoyable to bite into.
Bagel House has five different bagel places in Toronto, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
4. St. Urbain Bagel
Image by @sturbainbagel
The expert bakers at St. Urbain toss oven-hot bagels off long baking boards made from wood into troughs. They await selection and, eventually, gobbled up by the dozen. Often, many people term this spectacle as the best show at St. Lawrence Market.
These bagels are authentic Montreal bagels in the manner of Fairmount and St-Viateur. Not only are they sweet, thick, and lean, but they are also best eaten soon after removal from the wooden brick oven—the hotter they are, the tastier they will be.
5. Kiva’s Bagel Bar
Image by @kivasbagelsbakery
What started 40 years ago on Steeles and Bathurst as Kiva’s Bagel Bakery Restaurant has grown into a successful micro franchise with five physical venues. These include a casual and quick café at Richmond and York. Nowadays, downtowners can eat the very same hand-rolled and custom Kiva’s bagels they were born and raised with.
They feature a pleasant chew and just the perfect compression amount when squeezed. If you are familiar with these delicious treats, you know that this is essential for a bagel covered in cream cheese. Otherwise, the schmear will fly all over the place. Kiva’s bagels are lavishly wrapped in all the typical bagel seasonings and seeds, making them more New York than Montreal.
6. Bagels on Fire
Image by @bagelsonfire
As one of the best bagel shops in Toronto, this spot is known for its Montreal bagels. It features two physical locations in Toronto (one near Queen and Spadina and the other in the Beaches).
Hazel and Julio Penullar, a husband and wife team, create the bagels from scratch in a wood-fired oven. Huge twisted bagels with unique flavours like coconut and pumpernickel, and pretzels are available at this bagel shop.
It is also worth noting that the spot is a customer favourite for lunch and breakfast. Many people enjoy their bulk bagel packages and custom-made sandwiches, which are known to sell out during lunch hours. Among the choices is a sesame seed bagel with a tuna salad complete with tomato and lettuce.
7. What a Bagel
Image by @whatabagel
What A Bagel is a reputable bakery and bagel store in Toronto that serves excellent breakfast, lunch, as well as impressive catering services. Since starting up their ovens in 1997, they have been combining, boiling, seasoning, and creating bagels in the same manner for over three generations. As such, they have enough to entice even the savviest eaters.
The spot features a wide selection of salads and wraps and super and classic sandwiches. A Bagel’s trademark, piping hot pastries and bagels, are freshly made in-house throughout the day. Their Spadina bakery fills baskets upon baskets of custom-baked items every day from sunrise to dusk.
To this end, this guarantees that the next bagel from the oven is as fresh and soft as the last. They provide a complete breakfast menu with adequate selections to fulfill your demands if you want to spice up your breakfast regimen. Take note that What a Bagel also offers catering services for several events in the GTA and Toronto.
8. Primrose Bagel
Image by @primrosebagel
Jesse Rapoport and Sam Davis are dogmatists in the world of bagels. Malt-boiled and hand-rolled bagels influenced by Manhattan establishments like Tal Bagels and Ess-a-Bagel is their trademark. In their new Oakwood Village location, the bagels at Primrose Bagel are wonderfully irregular. It consists of a hallmark of hand-twisted bagels that burst with flavour, thanks to the malt’s nutty richness.
There are a few bagel flavours to choose from, including the rare salt bagels that go well with sour cream cheese. They also serve a carefully curated menu of sandwiches and house-smoked salmon. There is also a version of the traditional bodega bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese that many New Yorkers associate with breakfast.
Take note that Primrose is swamped with bagel-hungry neighbors the moment the doors open, and the nook-sized kitchen can only produce so many hand-twisted bagels each day, so lunchtime sellouts are a virtual guarantee. It is best to make the necessary preparations if you plan to visit the location.
9. Kettleman’s Bagel
Image by @kettlemans
This Ottawa-based Montreal bagel institution has finally opened a shop in Etobicoke, dishing customers some of the city’s tastiest bagel sandwiches. The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the business is a Kettleman’s Bagel Roller rolling out fresh bagels. It cuts the dough with a knife and boils it in honey water to lock in the moisture.
If you can’t make it out to Etobicoke to get a dozen bagels, most Farm Boy outlets around the city now sell Kettleman’s bagels in 6-packs.
10. Lox + Schmear
Image by @loxandschmearto
Lox + Schmear has something for everyone, whether you want a simple lox bagel or a more complicated Sammy.
Their tuna melt is impressive, and vegans will be pleased to find a vegan cream cheese choice.
In turn, they can pile their sandwich with as many vegetables as possible, pickled or not.
In addition, Lox & Schmear focuses on sandwiches made with Mendel’s cream cheese on St. Urbains’ Montreal bagels. They also cold smoke their salmon in-house. It is no secret that they want to keep this Jewish classic as close to home as possible.
The spot is a tribute to the Levine family, who owns the property. The basic notion here was inspired by childhood recollections of cramming into the family van for visits to Montreal, where they’d consume lox and bagels on a hotel bed.
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