W&T Bagels Replaces The Daily Bagel With Springy, Bready Sandwiches
Bagels should be consumed one way and one way only: straight from the oven and into your belly whilst still warm. Maybe that’s why many generic bagel joints are struggling in this city. That dearth of proper bagel havens was compounded by the loss of one of the few decent options in Beijing: The Daily Bagel, which didn’t make it through one year in the first floor of Liangmaqiao's FX Hotel but has since popped-up at Sanlitun's Yu Café. Now, W&T Bagels has quietly taken over the same space that The Daily Bagel formerly occupied and is eager to please you with their quality chewy bagels, lunch sets, and more.
In fact, the offerings here are good enough to cover the fact that The Daily Bagel never left. There is a variety of bagels that you can order at the counter such as plain, cinnamon, sunflower seed, sesame, tomato, onion, sea salt, garlic, and mixed (RMB 12-18). Add-ons include arugula, egg, cream cheese, jam, avocado, chicken, salmon, and salami (RMB 6-18) to make for a fancier and more nutritious sandwich. People with bigger appetites should pick from a dozen of the sandwiches made using bagels, grain bread, or baguettes (RMB 28-52).
The mixed bagel (RMB 18) was carefully cut into two pieces, sprayed with water, and stuffed into an oven for several minutes, making for a gratifying mouthful of chewy, dense, and crisp textures. Our only quibble is that the dusting of herbs and sea salt on top of the bagel all but disappeared during the reheating process.
However, the salmon bagel sandwich (RMB 48) with onion bagel (as per our request), was less dry than the mixed bagel; its slightly sweet onion flavor rounded out with mustard and three slices of savory smoked salmon. Sadly, this sandwich doesn't come cheap, especially given that there's no side to boost it to more than a sizable snack.
W&T Bagels also offers salads, pizza (RMB 35-55), and somewhat oddly, eel with rice, as well as weekday lunch sets including pasta, sandwiches, or rice with salad and a beverage for RMB 35-39.
A bigger surprise is the venue's daily happy hour (6-9pm) of buy-one-get-one-free on the alcoholic drinks and indicating that W&T Bagels' management is trying to net both the breakfast bagel crowd as well also boozy Beijingers in the late afternoon. With their inviting outdoor tables near the leafy banks of Liangmahe, they just might be able to pull that off.
W&T Bagels
Daily 9am-12am. 39 West Maizidian Street (1/F of FX Hotel), Chaoyang District (185 1119 5551)
花鳗：朝阳区麦子店街39号(富驿时尚酒店一层)
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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang
