Solly’s Bagelry on West 7th (and all locations for that matter) is a must-visit food stop in Vancouver. The bagels, the breakfasts, and the takeaway items – all are top notch.

Solly’s is a Jewish family Bakery and Deli; with their signature item being their boiled and baked bagels. All flavors of their dense, chewy bagels incredible. I always let them choose a mixed bag for me. As with all bagels, they are best if eaten as soon as possible (hard to resist anyway).

Aside from bagels, Solly’s also carries a wide assortment of Jewish pastries. Their cinnamon buns are the stuff that dreams are made of: heavy, rich, caramelly. I dare you to eat an entire one to yourself!

They also have tasty rugoleh, knish, huge sandwiches and soups, including their famous chicken matzo ball variety. The breakfast menu is also worth noting, and the sinful Eggel does not dissapoint.

There is ample seating room, with lots of tables, chairs and nooks and crannies to hole up in. In fact, this is one of my all time favourite places in Vancouver to study or get work done. Once they politely serve you your food they leave you alone in peace to work or chow down.

Tips: On Wednesday they host a stellar bagel deal – $7.50 for a dozen of any kind of bagel!

Or, if you are in the mood for something a little different, try their hot dog bagel. They wrap a tasty hot dog in chewy bagel dough and bake and boil. Strange, but good!

Address:
368 West 7th Ave
(Yukon & 7th-1 block East of Cambie)

Phone: (604) 675-9750

Website & Hours: http://www.sollysbagelry.com/

Urbanspoon Says:

Siegel’s Bagels on Cornwall in Kits offers one of Vancouver’s only options for the Montreal style bagel enthusiast. They have a big wood fire burning oven, and serve up the routine poppy / sesame seed selection, along with an assortment of other wild and wonderful treats (rugella, Montreal smoked meat, lox, homemade cream cheese etc). They serve breakfast all day, and have a great selection of full meals. Nothing is cheap, in fact the place is downright pricey, and the service leaves a little something to be desired – but c’mon, you’re there for the bagels!

On Tuesday the bagels are cheap – $6.50 a dozen. Other days they are just over $9 for 12. They also usually have a few bags of day old bagels in the far corner. For just 5 bucks these are ready to pop in your freezer. While they aren’t quite as chewy as when they come fresh from the oven, they are cheap, quick, and still darn good!

Siegels, while no longer open 24 hours, is still open late each night, and opens early in the morning. Be forewarned, weekdays during prime commuting time can be BUSY. Be prepared to wait in line for your schmear.

UPDATE: Siegel’s in Kit’s is now open 24 hours again! Kitsilano’s late night carb cravings have found a cure.

Try: the rosemary rock salt bagels.

Address:

1883 Cornwall Ave.
Tel: 604 737 8151
Fax: 604 737 2180

(They are also available on Granville Island at 1698 Johnston St.)

http://www.siegelsbagels.com/

I used to live in Kingston Ontario, where there was a fabulous bakery, Pan Chancho, mere minutes from my house. I got quite accustomed to fresh baked bread, pain au chocolat, and brioche almost every morning. While it may not have been good for my waistline or wallet, it was certainly a treat, and something that I expected to find a replica of in Vancouver.

While Vancouver has it’s Cobb’s & Terras, I’ve yet to discover a quaint little bakery to hole up in and drown my Atkins’ sorrows with buns and breads and brioche.

Yaletown’s Boulangerie la Parisienne, at the corner of Helmcken and Mainland, is a quasi answer. Sure their pastries are the same ones you can get at Nesters and nothing is really freshly made, but if you sort of squint your eyes and are in a really good mood, the place almost feels like an authentic bakery in Paris. I said almost …

The building is small, but in warmer weather they open the garage-like doors and let the stools spill out onto a small patio. It’s ideal for people watching, and it’s easy to sit in peace and quiet and not feel compelled to look good or make small talk with the baristas. They always seem kind of moody, which they should if this was Paris right?

Despite the fact that nothing is baked in-house, the pastries are pretty darn good and they have a big, old, espresso machine that pumps out fairly tasty java. Avoid the paninis like the plague .. they all seem kind of old and chewy. But, overall, if you are in the area and sick of Starbucks Scones, then it’s worth a try.

Address:

1076 Mainland Avenue
Vancouver, BC