Beigel Bake

Long before Brick Lane became a hotbed of cereal cafes and artisanal donuts, it was a big centre for the Bengali community and even before that, London’s Jewish community. Beigel Bake is a relic of that era, but based on the queue for their smoked salmon bagel and legendary salt beef sandwich, you’d never know it. The food’s cheap but very good, and while the salt beef bagel isn’t quite as good as it’s been in years past, it’s hard to quibble with that much food for less than a fiver. The queue moves very fast, and it’s also good if you want sweet pastries. It’s also open 24 hours, so is handy for late night pit stops.

photo credit: Stan Lee