BAGEL BAGEL — Restaurant in Taipei

If you know where to look, Taipei has some pretty decent bagels. Nevertheless, the bagels here stand out for their nice, chewy texture under slightly taught exterior. In contrast with some other places I’ve tried in Taipei, the cream cheese here is nice and tart, and their mixtures are creative and tasty (the bacon dill cream cheese is a winner, for my money.) The interior is a sleek concrete affair, but the cute cafe tables and the relaxed atmosphere created by the super friendly staff still make the prospect of lingering for a while with a book (or even bringing a laptop and working for a bit) an appealing proposition.

This isn’t a New York-style bagel shop——you won’t be greeted by hampers of freshly baked bagels, you can’t choose from tubs of freshly mixed schmears sitting in a deli case, and you’re not going to see NYC-style lox. The bagels are also a little smaller than most NYC bagels, closer in size to a Montreal-style bagel (although without the sweetness of a Montreal bagel.)

So if you’re missing NYC and want to feel like you’re stepping back into a Manhattan bagel shop, this might not scratch that itch. If you want a quick, satisfying breakfast/lunch/snack that executes well on American flavors and textures, drop by and give...

Take away. 🥯 $120 for the bagel. $30 for the bacon.

Delicious cream cheese bagel with a side of bacon. Cream cheese was smooth, seasoned well with dill and a generous amount of bacon pieces. The bagel itself was perfect. Firm outside and soft inside. The extra piece of bacon made this a perfect brunch meal.

All the staff here this morning were kind, friendly and extremely helpful.

The kitchen environment is open with glass windows to separate it from the restaurant seating. The chef is extremely talented and caring about plating meals. One of the most hygienic restaurants I've visited. Chef washes and wipes his hands between each new order. 🙏

I'm very glad I decided to visit...

I had an excellent brunch consisting of a toasted wheat bagel with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, homemade smoked salmon, avocado and spring mix salad. Everything was fresh, well-seasoned, and delicious. The bagel itself was soft and airy like most bagels in Taiwan, rather than the dense and chewy traditional style. Sad but not surprising, as local businesses must cater to local preferences. Still, it was worth the detour. I would come back here next time I...