The holey grail of baked bagels on Newcastle's Hunter St
Papa's Bagel Bar brings an authentic bagel experience to Newcastle with their New York style bagels - bring on the carbs - these delicious circular baked goods reach the perfect balance between a chewy centre, glossy crust and flavoursome toppings, mmmmm….
Speaking of toppings, their usual list of flavours goes something like this: sea salt, poppy seed, sesame seed, caramelised onion, chutney + parmesan, hot chilli jam, cinnamon + sultana and blueberry.
Owner Johno is pumping out these popular bagels with great speed, hand rolling over 200 each day! The process begins the night before with the preparation of the dough, it is then left overnight to prove, by the next morning at 5am it is ready to be rolled into their distinctive bagel shape, then briefly boiled, toppings added, and finally baked.
The open style kitchen at Papa's Bagel Bar means that as you perch at the bar and enjoy your breakfast or lunch you'll be mesmerised by the kitchen staff rolling and preparing the next batch of bagels. The intoxicating smell of freshly baked bread fills this cute little cafe to the brim!
Johno and the team are now offering bagels delivered to your office within the CBD, thanks to their new customised postie bikes. Check out their Facebook page for all the details of their corporate catering menu of bamwiches and bagels.
With vinyl spinning some tunes at the end of the large wooden bar, Johno explains to me where the name of Papa's Bagel Bar comes from: he recalls memories of his Grandfather mopping up the very last of every good meal with some bread or bagels, it is always a sign of a great meal if you are wiping the plate clean of any last remaining skerrick of sauce. A great meal isn't complete without a serve of bread.
The coffee is Veneziano coffee from Melbourne, namely the Forza blend which is known for its notable full body, partnered with low acidity and bittersweet finish. It is a real stand out in the area and is a new coffee go-to spot mid-Hunter Street.
Papa's serves up breakfast and lunch six days a week, their breakfast menu starts out as simple as a plain bagel with house made jam and cream cheese through to the extravagant, beef mince, poached egg, topped with parmesan cheese on a bagel.
Lunch favourites include the perri perri chicken, caramelised onion, capsicum on a bagel or my favourite the smokey barbecue beef brisket on a bagel (of course).
So drop in for a Saturday morning bagel hit or a mid-week snack attack.
