Hear hear, the rumours are true! South Londoners no longer have to trek to Brick Lane to indulge in their bagel cravings. This new South London bagel spot is not only affordable with the entirety of the menu being under £8, it’s stacked with generous toppings and is open till 4am on the weekends to relinquish your drunk carby-cravings away. Sounds unreal right?
Run by first generation Brit, Abhinav who initially worked in fine-dining restaurants in Mayfair eventually started The Gladstone Arms in Borough – a stunning pub serving delightful Anglo-Indian inspired dishes including Anglo-Indian pies filled with flavours from chicken tikka masala, paneer makhani and Indian-inspired Sunday roasts serving specialties like railway lamb or butter chicken supreme alongside Bombay potatoes, seasonal greens and homemade Yorkshire puddings!
His next adventure – Boxwallah, an Indian restaurant in Peckham and a takeaway spot, served mouth-watering Indian dishes varying from street food to currys and biryanis! ‘Boxwallah’ refers to the Indian peddlers selling food and other products in the streets of Mumbai and Delhi – with his time in culinary school in Lucknow, the dishes are delicious and reminiscent of his time back home in India.
And now, his next venture is Rye Lane Bagels. Located smack in the heart of Peckham’s Rye Lane – Rye Lane Bagels is serving up absolutely stacked classics like salf beef, salmon and cream cheese and pastrami but don’t be shy and definitely try out Abhinav’s recommendations.
The star of the menu personally is the Beef Brisket bagel, oozing with flavour and melted cheese – it’s definitely one that will require some skill to eat but is so so worth it. Another one that Abhinav recommends is ‘Abhi’s Creation‘ – inspired by Indian flavours you can choose between Butter Chicken, Lamb and Prawn that will surely take you back to the tastes of Boxwallah.
Abhinav is the friendliest owner with the best spirit, chatting and serving bagels to the locals of Peckham at 12pm and 1am, all to the background of what sounds like rave music – his story is not dissimilar to those who lost businesses over COVID. With prices set as angel numbers (£5.55, £6.66, £7.77), I have no doubt that Abhinav will have all the success in his new venture. I know for sure, I’ll be going back very soon.