El Bagel has held the unofficial title of Miami’s best bagel shop since it launched as a Downtown food truck in the summer of 2017. Back then, locals would queue up in the hot morning sun to get their mouths around the oversized, NYC-style bagel sandwiches—or take home a bag of hand-rolled bagels and schmear for later. Now there are two brick-and-mortar El Bagel locations, one in MiMo and a second in Coconut Grove. At both shops, you order at the counter, wait outside and take your loot to go. Wait times can be pretty long, especially on weekend mornings. But it’s worth it for anyone who’s a fan of super soft, perfectly seasoned bagels and generous, high-quality fillings.
Not sure where to start? Stick with the classics, like the locally-smoked Lox Supreme with all the accoutrements, or Miami-fy your order with the King Guava, layered with guava marmalade and crunchy papitas. The EB Original is an aptly named go-to that perfectly balances mildly sweet scallion cream cheese, roasted jalapeños and salty thick-cut bacon in every bite. They offer the requisite bougie morning bevs, too, including a potent cold brew made with locally roasted Great Circle Coffee, matcha from JoJo Tea down the street, and freshly squeezed unpasteurized O.J. from Pompano Beach.
Time Out tip: Order online in advance to spare yourself the long, hot wait for your bagels.