If Homer Simpson were less of a donut man and had lived nearer east London’s Brick Lane, his infamous catch phrase would most certainly have been ‘mmmmm, beigels’ and perhaps more specifically ‘mmmmm, salt beef and mustard from Brick Lane’s Beigel Bake.’ Much more of a delicious mouthful than his usual refrain, I grant you, but then so are the beigels.
Brick Lane may be mostly famous for its curry houses, cool club scene and having had a book (and then a film) named after it, but if you find yourself out east late of an evening then the first thing you should do is join the end of the queue at Beigel Bake. Chat amicably to the London scenesters about the latest band/artist/graffiti/vintage record shop (delete as appropriate), or, if you’d prefer, ask the local old-timers about life before the youngsters took over – everyone waits in harmony for their late night hit of smoked salmon, cream cheese, herring or lashings of salt beef.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during daylight hours Brick Lane Beigel Bake is a place where locals buy freshly baked bread and treat themselves to very fine cakes. By night it’s a refuge for the hungry on the way home. Over 7000 beigels are produced on the premises every night and the prices are ridiculously cheap (under £2 for a filled beigel).
Best way to find it? Under the cover of darkness simply follow the wobbling forms of the skinny jeaned, fabulously unshaven and fashionably dishevelled that are inevitably drawn here, or, if the sun’s up, just follow the mouthwatering scent of baking dough.
Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane. Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green. Find out more fantastic reasons to visit London.
