The Daily Bagel Pops Up at Sanlitun's Yu Café

We're always on the lookout for Beijing's best bagel sandwiches and we don't want to jinx it but this time we think we've found them. Said sandwiches come courtesy of The Daily Bagel, which has been around for a while in various locations (including Liangmaqiao and Hujialou) and has now popped up at Yu Café in Gongti (just off Chunxiu Lu, behind The Crib and opposite Café Groove).

The menu features a selection of sandwiches, open sandwiches, grilled cheese melts, and breakfast-type bagels. You pick your sandwich and then choose what kind of bagel you want from a selection including plain, sesame, everything, sea salt, and more. We tried the Tokyo Morning (RMB 65), a Japanese-inspired twist on the traditional smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, adding on ume-shiso cream cheese, avocado, nori, and a sprinkle of furikake. The latter two give the sandwich a delicious hit of umami and, more importantly, the bagel itself has the right amount of density to stand up to the slippery toppings. 

The bagel melts are also excellent with loads of properly stringy melted cheese. The Everything Grilled Cheese, with bacon, avocado, egg, cheddar, mozzarella, sweet pepper, tomato, and red onion, is a little pricey at RMB 70 but promises to be a one-stop hangover cure. For something a little less extravagant, although equally tasty, try the broccoli melt (RMB 50) with homemade romesco sauce.  

The Daily Bagel is open daily from 11am until sold out, so we highly recommend getting there early or booking in advance (call 135 2093 6328 or add "TDBagel" on WeChat). Grab your bagel to go or eat it inside Yu's gorgeous café space (there is also a sunny terrace outside). You can also order delivery via Sherpa's or Jinshisong. The pop-up should be there for around three months. 

The Daily Bagel (pop-up store)
Yu Café, Huatong New Hotel, Chunxiu Lu (opposite Café Groove), Chaoyang District (135 2093 6328)
朝阳区春秀华通新饭店宇甜品内

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Photos: Robynne Tindall, Dianping