Schragels Delicatessen — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Had an early morning departure out of Hong Kong, and decided to pop by 5 minutes before they open to see if they could accommodate an earlier seating. The door was open with the air condition flap down, so we decided to go in and ask - but was immediately given a very dismissive wave, and told to come back after 8am. Which is perfectly reasonable.

Went back at 8am, but the service staff gave a condescending look to say they’re not yet open. Fine. My friend continued to just clarify if we can use our hotel breakfast voucher later when they open, and instead of replying professionally, she said “don’t mean to be rude but… we’re not open”, with a snotty shrug. She then proceeded to lecture us and said it’s “common sense” (I quote) that a shop isn’t open when the air con flap was down. Where I come from it certainly isn’t, especially when the doors are open.

It’s perfectly fine to not serve customers before shops open, but nobody deserves to be treated in this manner. I’m truly shocked we were given a lecture and faced a lot of condescending rebuttals when all we wanted was some bagels for breakfast and to check if we can have an earlier seating a few minutes before they started operations. Could very easily have replied “I’m sorry, we’re not open yet but feel free to have a seat and I can attend to you when I’m ready.”

A true disappointment - was looking forward given the good reviews about the food...

For anyone craving a slice of classic New York deli culture, Schragels in Sheung Wan hits the spot. The décor and atmosphere feel like they were plucked straight from Brooklyn, with a cozy, no-frills vibe that instantly sets the tone.

Service is about as authentically no-nonsense as you'd expect—neither overly warm nor curt, just straightforward and efficient. It’s all part of the charm, really.

When it comes to the food, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The Reuben? Absolutely worth writing home about—perfectly balanced, loaded with flavor, and just the right amount of indulgence. The pastrami on rye, however, leans on the dry side, leaving it a little underwhelming. The matzo ball soup is solid, hearty, and comforting, though nothing groundbreaking. But the bagel dawg? Now that’s a winner—simple, satisfying, and downright delicious.

On the flip side, the avocado toast misses the mark. A bagel that’s not toasted enough? That’s a hard pass, especially at this price point. Speaking of prices, it does feel a bit steep for what’s on offer, but hey, you’re paying for a slice of NYC in the heart of Hong Kong.

All in all, Schragels delivers a mostly satisfying experience for deli lovers. Stick to the classics, soak in the Brooklyn vibes, and you’ll leave feeling like you’ve had a little taste of the Big Apple—just maybe skip...

First visit was great- a woman who I believe was the owner was there, chatted with us, and even gave a free bowl of latke fries, which were delicious. I got a smoked salmon bagel (Foxy Loxy?). A little light on the cream cheese and salmon, and no tomato (not advertised, so I should have asked for it to be added), but the bagel was delicious. We saw that there was a bottomless brunch on the weekends, and said we would come back the following weekend to try that out. Went back the next Sunday, asked for the brunch, and we were told that doesn’t exist. I pointed at the chalkboard that advertised the special, the employee went to look at it, and said ‘oh, we don’t do that anymore’. Ok, fine. Ordered a Foxy Loxy and latke fries ‘oh, we don’t have those’. Ok, fine. Got the regular latkes instead and two glasses of prosecco. Noticed afterwards that the server handed a QR code card to subsequent customers asking them to write a review (but not to us- I get it though, I wouldn’t have either). Too bad, because the bagels are the best in HK that...