Brick Lane Bagel Co. in Colchester High Street review

Brick Lane Bagel Co. opened its doors at the weekend in High Street, Colchester.

On Thursday morning I drove into the city to see if the new shop could settle my bagel cravings.

On approach, it looked clean and modern and seemed to fit in well with the surrounding businesses.

The design aligns with other shops in the franchise, which are based in Hockley, Chelmsford, Lakeside Shopping Centre and more. 

Outside: outside the new bagel shop (Image: Newsquest)

I joined a lady scanning the two menus, largely displayed on the wall.

One menu displayed the shop's signature bagels and the other showed its breakfast bagels.

There are multiple options on the menu for vegetarians, however there are few vegan options.

Spoilt for choice, I asked the staff at the counter what they recommended and they said the Salt Beef is a popular option.

Naturally, I went for the Salt Beef, which consisted of beef, dill pickle and English Mustard.

Menu: breakfast bagels on the menu (Image: Brick Lane Bagel Co)

I must admit, this wouldn’t have been my top choic - the oak smoked salmon and cream cheese and schnitzel chicken escalope both sounded delicious to me.

After ordering I was told to take a seat, so I headed off to sit on a high stool by the window, with a view of the High Street.

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Within about two minutes, my flat white and toasted bagel was placed in front of me.

I thanked the member of staff who brought it over and she told me to let them know if I needed anything.

On first glance, the bagel looked nicely toasted and the amount of beef was generous.

Meal: Salt Beef bagel and flat white coffee (Image: Newsquest)

I took my first bite of the warm toasted bagel and the beef melted in my mouth, the quality was clearly high and it wasn’t fatty at all.

One of the main flavours of this bagel was the Colemans Mustard, which was strong and gave the bagel a bit of a kick.

I would recommend going light on the mustard if you are not a huge fan.

As I enjoyed my food and delicious coffee I observed curious shoppers sticking their heads in the door to have a nose at the new shop.

The total cost of my breakfast was £9 - £7 for the bagel and £2 for the coffee, which I thought was reasonable for the quality of the food.

For a cheaper option, there are bagels for as little as £2.50 on the menu.

Staff seemed relaxed and friendly and asked me what I thought of the bagel on my way out.

I will definitely be returning to try the other items on the menu and the range of fresh cakes on display, which looked very tempting but very cheeky in addition to my breakfast.