Schragels
37 Graham St, Central, Hong Kong
Instagram: @schragels
Grub: Freshly handmade New York-style bagels, sandwiches and spreads
Vibe: With exposed brick walls, contrasting wood furniture, and the delicious smell of the iconic New York nosh perfuming the air, you are transported, the moment you step foot into the shop, to a hipster Brooklyn deli.
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Who to take: The store is relatively small – there is only one island and a few stools to sit on. But that’s OK. If you want the real New Yorker experience, you’ll want to order your warm bagel to go, and eat it as you power-walk along to your next appointment.
What’s hot: Schragels is definitely one of the best bagel places in Hong Kong. Not only do they have a diverse array of flavours of their freshly made, chewy “rolls with holes”, they also benefit from friendly and efficient staff, and reasonable prices, despite their location.
The cafe takes their bagels to the next level with their revolutionary selection of sandwiches, which are known for being packed with fillings.
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The Loxy Lady Sandwich (HK$90) takes the crown. It’s a best-seller for a reason, stuffed with smoked salmon, spring onion cream cheese, capers, and red onion.
Also worth checking out is the Egg N Cheese Sandwich (HK$90), an elevated take on breakfast. With the perfect combination of fried egg, cheese, avocado and tomato, this sandwich will guarantee you start your day off right.
As far as the bagels themselves go, expect the usual line-up of plain, sesame, cinnamon raisin, and so on. They also sell an everything bagel (my personal favourite), which is pretty rare in Hong Kong.
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Topped with several of the “flavour” ingredients (sesame, onion, poppy seeds), then paired with a schmear of cream cheese, this awesome bite takes you to cloud nine.
What’s not: There’s only one branch! And that branch gets busy. However, Schragels is on Deliveroo, and their bagels can be found at Elephant Grounds, as well as the Grand Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula hotels.
Cost: Bagels are HK$25 and “schmears” (spreads) are HK$50-HK$70 (bundle deals are available). Sandwiches are HK$90 and drinks are from HK$25.