It’s Bagels is growing. On September 26, it’ll open its fourth bagelry, this time on Hampstead High Street – a handy new option for Heath picnics this summer. The New York-style bagel joint has grown at a rapid clip, hitting a quartet of venues just three years after it opened its first bricks-and-mortar shop in Primrose Hill. (Its other outposts are in Soho and Notting Hill.)
The space will be designed in cahoots with Superfutures (Parillan, Bar Draskal), echoing a classic New York bagel shop, with capacity for dining in, as well as takeaway. It’s Bagels classics like The Works (schmear, lox, capers, onion, lemon and seasonal tomato) and the BEC (bacon, egg and cheese) will be on the menu, alongside bagels to take home, in varieties like plain, sesame, everything and onion.
“We want to be the place people stop before a walk on the Heath, before school drop-off, or before a picnic on a sunny weekend,” founder Dan Martensen said in a statement. “The goal is for people to feel like we’ve always been here. There’s also not a huge amount of elevated grab-and-go food in the area, and that’s where we think we can bring something different to the neighbourhood.”
It’s Bagels was born as a lockdown project, when Martensen – a native New Yorker and fashion photographer – yearned for the bagels of his home city. He dug in, researching bagel recipes and speaking with bagel experts to find a version that tasted the same as those he used to eat back home.
To mark the launch of its first shop, It’s Bagels will throw a back-to-school party: every child will get a free bagel, and it’ll sell sets of school supplies.
It’s Bagels opens on September 26 at 60 Hampstead High Street, NW3 1QH.
