Must-visit: Best Ugly Bagels

Bagels are an unpredictable beast at Best Ugly. The measured world of baking is turned on its head in the Auckland bagelry where producing consistently good Montreal-style bagels is a fresh challenge every day.

Head baker Angelo Munro says bagels are essentially a simple product, but the firewood that fuels the bespoke ovens needs to be of consistent quality, the honey water you soak the dough in has to be at the right temperature, even Auckland’s notorious humidity has an effect on the end result. Angelo says mastering the wood-fired oven is where Best Ugly truly crosses from the science of baking into the more malleable art of cooking.

“Everything is handmade, by eye and by feel”

Instincts and experience play a crucial role in getting it right. Even hand-rolling the bagels to a consistent size and shape

takes time to master.

Owner Al Brown says it’s a bit like perfecting your golf swing: “You swing and swing and swing to be a pro.” It’s safe to say they’ve got a good handle on it, with the bagel business that Al started in 2013 now selling around 2000 six-packs per week in retail, and they’re always busy filling bagels to order. Montreal bagels are chewier, fluffier and lighter than New York bagels, which are most commonly found in New Zealand. Wellington will be getting the Best Ugly treatment, too, with a bagelry opening in the central city in the middle of this year, and another at the airport.