Sesame Bagel
Hand-rolled, honey-boiled, wood-fired. Buy a dozen, eat two in the car.
Bakery · Bathurst Manor
Bagel World
Montreal-style bagels out of a wood oven on Wilson, since before it was a trend
BakeryBathurst Manor, Toronto$Details being confirmed
The review
Bagel World has been rolling by hand, boiling in honey water and baking in a wood oven on Wilson Avenue since long before anyone in Toronto argued about Montreal versus New York. The queue on a Sunday morning is the whole neighbourhood.
Buy sesame by the dozen and accept that two will not survive the drive home. The lox and cream cheese bagel, built at the counter, is the reason to eat in. The deli side does a smoked meat sandwich that has no business being this good in a bakery.
Honest notes: weekend mornings mean a queue, the room is a bakery rather than a café, and the popular varieties run out. Go at 7am on a weekday and it is perfect.
What to order
Lox & Cream Cheese Bagel
Built at the counter. The reason to eat in rather than take away.
Smoked Meat Sandwich
The deli counter’s other job, and it is done properly.
What works
- Genuinely wood-fired, all day
- Very cheap by the dozen
- Deli counter is as good as the bakery
What doesn’t
- Queue on weekend mornings
- Room is a bakery, not a café
- Sells out of the popular varieties
Verdict
A dozen sesame, one lox bagel eaten standing up. Early, on a weekday.