The 12 best bagels in Cape Town

Brothers Adam and Joel Klein opened Kleinsky's in Sea Point in 2014, inspired by New York's Jewish delis and their family's recipes. More than a decade later, it's become a Cape Town institution in its own right. The bagels undergo a three-day fermentation before being hand-rolled, boiled in malted water and baked. They're excellent simply toasted with a schmear, but the menu is also ambitious: the California piles on smoked salmon, wasabi cream cheese and avo, while the L.e.o. adds scrambled egg and caper mayo to smoked salmon. They recently opened branches in Constantia and the V&A Waterfront, too!

92 Regent Road, Sea Point, Cape Town

Family-run New York Bagels traces its roots back four generations and remains one of Cape Town's great old-school food institutions. These are the real deal: hand-rolled, fermented, boiled and baked, with the bakery turning out small batches throughout the day. There are around a baker's dozen varieties (ahem, that means 13) to choose from, including smoked salmon, pastrami, rare roast beef and plenty of schmears. Keep it classic with smoked salmon and cream cheese, but leave room for a slice of their baked cheesecake.

44 Harrington Street, District Six, Cape Town

Small and mighty. That’s a fitting way to describe one of the newcomers to Cape Town's bagel scene. But, as estate agents say: location, location, location. Ty's Bagels has secured a prime spot on Beach Road in Mouille Point. The focus here is on sourdough bagels and a simple café menu, making it a handy stop to fuel up after a run, cycle or stroll along the Prom. It may not have the heritage of others on this list, but that's part of the appeal of Ty’s: a small independent with delicious bagels in a convenient space. I like to take mine and enjoy them on a Prom bench overlooking the Atlantic.

160 Beach Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town

Small space. Short menu. Seriously good bagels. Max Bagels opened in 2014 – during what the team calls Cape Town's ‘Great Bagel Drought’ – and helped kick-start the city's modern bagel revival. The bagels are handmade and boiled, and the fillings strike a neat balance between deli classics and contemporary café fare. The B.A.T. layers cream cheese with bacon, avo, tomato and mayo; the Reuben goes all-in with pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing; and the salt beef keeps things simple with brisket, pickle and mustard. There's now a second Max on Park Road, but the tiny Bree Street original still has plenty of charm.

120 Bree Street, Cape Town City Centre

Bagels are just one part of the menu at COOKED, but they're certainly not an afterthought. This family-run café draws heavily on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food traditions, and its hand-rolled, boiled bagels sit comfortably alongside falafel, flatbreads and shakshuka. For breakfast, eggs and smoked salmon are hard to argue with. Come lunchtime, look to more substantial fillings: perhaps chicken schnitzel, halloumi or smoked salmon with cream cheese, house pickles, red onion and dill. Delicious. You'll also find COOKED at The Watershed in the V&A Waterfront, but the Sea Point branch is a great option before or after a wander along the promenade.

Adelphi Galleria, 277 Main Road, Sea Point, Cape Town

Good bagel. Generous schmear. That's the simple idea at Woodstock's tiny Bagelz, where the formula is straightforward: choose your bagel, choose your schmear, and get stuck in. Cream cheese and chives is the classic. Jalapeño cream cheese adds a little heat, while salmon and capers or egg mayo make it a more substantial lunch. You can also take frozen bagels home for the freezer, which – let’s be honest – is always a good idea. 

135 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town

Born in Gqeberha and now expanding across South Africa (there are nine in the Western Cape alone!), Jack's Bagels takes a proudly local approach to the New York-style bagel. There’s a (frankly huge) menu that runs from ye olde cream cheese to breakfast bagels, salmon, pastrami, chicken schnitzel and vegan combinations. Also look out for the more South African options, such as biltong with cream cheese and red onion. 

20 Dreyer Street, Claremont, Cape Town

Other locations in Cape Town

This might seem like a contradiction in terms for a flour-based bite, but Off the Gluten Path (a specialist gluten-free bakery) produces sesame-crusted bagels with the chewy texture you'd expect from the real thing, yet they contain zero gluten. Here, they’re made from rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch and potato starch (along with other ingredients) to ensure they’re 100% gluten-free. You can buy them fresh, frozen and filled. The bakery and outlet store is in Woodstock, and there’s also a café in Sea Point. 

Unit 3, Mason's Press, 7 Ravenscraig Road, Woodstock, Cape Town

While most bagel shops in Cape Town are unashamedly inspired by New York-style baking in an alkaline water bath, did you know there’s a Montreal style too? Montreal-style bagels are traditionally thinner and slightly sweeter than those in the New York mould, thanks in part to a honey-water boil before baking. Montreal Coffee + Bagels draws on both traditions, with a hybrid dough that aims for New York chew with a touch of Montreal's lighter crispness and sweetness. The menu is not short on choice: the BEC keeps breakfast simple with bacon, egg and grilled cheddar; the Lox is the classic combination of cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and red onion. But why not go for the namesake Montreal, which goes proudly off-script with biltong cream cheese, barbecue chicken, avo, jalapeños and feta. That’s a mouthful! There are branches in Sea Point, Green Point and the V&A Waterfront, among others.

295 Main Road, Sea Point, Cape Town

Blink and you might miss it. Tucked into a tiny corner spot on Rouxville Road in Kalk Bay, opposite the (totally worth a visit) neighbourhood park, Bob's Bagel Café has been a much-loved local hangout since Robin Pollard opened it in 2013. The handmade bagels are superb, perhaps best with smoked trout and cream cheese, but also delicious with cream cheese and homemade jam. Enjoy them at a pavement table, or head across to the park with a cup of coffee. Great if you have kids in tow. 

6 Rouxville Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town

Marina da Gama. Perhaps not the first place on your foodie hit-list, but hear me out. Frank's Coffee & Bagel Bar is worth the trip down Prince George Drive. This family-run café bakes its bagels in-house and has grown from a neighbourhood coffee-and-bagel stop into an easy-going all-day café, with pastries, cakes and a broader breakfast and lunch menu alongside the original offering. But as locals will tell you, the bagels remain the best reason to visit, whether you're after a straightforward breakfast bagel or something more extravagant.

36 Eastlake Drive, Marina da Gama, Cape Town

Bagels at a drive-through? Hole-y heck, why not? Bagel & Fox brings the bagel game to Durbanville with a handy drive-through alongside Ruslamere Hotel. There is also seating if you're not in a rush. The hand-crafted bagels come generously loaded: the Atlantic King combines smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, cucumber and capers; Fox's Delight adds chicken schnitzel, slaw and a fiery lick of sauce. And you’ll either love or hate the Ploughman's: rare roast beef with pickles, mustard mayo and rocket. 

1 Fluweeltjie Road, Durbanville, Cape Town