The shops have prompted both curiosity and innovation, adding to London’s long history of bagels — or “beigels,” as they were originally known here. Many of the new shops have similar stories: During the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, homesick New Yorkers in London started experimenting with bagel baking at home. Once the pandemic hit, Mr. Gomez, missing New York and dreaming of bagels, started watching bagel-making videos on YouTube and testing out recipes. Another bagel connoisseur, Francesca Goldhill, of London, spent hours in her mother’s kitchen trying to find a recipe that produced bagels similar to those from Brooklyn Bagel, her favorite when she lived in New York. She opened Bagels + Schmear in Hertfordshire, outside London, in 2022.

---

Persons: “, Georgia Fenwick, Gomez, Papo’s, “ schmear, Fenwick, Gabriel “ Papo ” Gomez, Francesca Goldhill Organizations: London, Brooklyn Bagel Locations: East London, Dalston, Britain, New York, London, Papo’s, England, Brooklyn, Hertfordshire