BEIGEL BAKE
★★★★ 4.3 / 5
“Big on Beef”
The review
Beigel Bake has been serving Brick Lane since 1974 and has become one of the street’s best-known food institutions. Open 24 hours a day, it’s famous for its salt beef beigels and the near-constant queues outside.
I went for the salt beef beigel with mustard, gherkin and cheese.
The beigel itself had a proper chew to it, with enough bite to stand up to the huge amount of salt beef inside. The beef was excellent — you could really taste the seasoning, with just enough fat running through it to keep everything rich and juicy without becoming greasy. Texture-wise, it was spot on.
The mustard was really well judged too. There was enough to cut through the richness of the beef, but not so much that it started dominating everything else. The gherkin added another sharp hit and worked exactly as it should against the meat.
My only real criticism was the cheese. There just wasn't quite enough of it to hold its own against that much beef, and I'd happily have taken about half as much again.
For £6.90, though, it's seriously strong value. You get a ridiculous amount of properly good salt beef, a chewy fresh beigel and very little to complain about.
★★★★ 4.3/5
Order again? Yep! One to eat outside, one to take home.