Our History

Montrealers tasted their first bagel at the turn of the 20th century when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe brought this great tradition with them. Our appreciation of a true bagel led us to adopt Isadore Shlafman’s original recipe, which he introduced to the city in 1919 with its first bagel shop.

To this day, Hansel & Bagel continues to respect the artisanal tradition of the Montreal-style bagel. Just like several legendary local establishments, our bagels are made by hand and baked in an open-flame brick oven, in full view of our customers. We are dedicated to bringing you comfort food that embodies a bit of history, in all its reassuring and familiar qualities.

Our dedicated artisans hand-roll our bagels to perfection before quickly boiling them in honey-sweetened water. The dough is then baked in our open-flame oven before reaching your taste buds. This creates a clear contrast between the crisp exterior and the tender, yet chewy, interior:
The mark of a true bagel.

Our oven’s irregular flames give our bagels a dabbled, light-and-golden surface colour and glaze. This unique baking method, true to the Montreal tradition, is the reason why our bagels are recognized throughout the world by connoisseurs. Just like the equally famous Montreal Smoked Meat, our bagels travel to the four corners of the globe. If you ask us, Montreal-style bagels are definitely winning the battle with New York-style bagels, or any other bagel for that matter.