Unlike New York, which is famous for its high-quality shops specializing in hand-crafted bagels, Florida doesn’t have particularly strong associations with the breakfast roll. But bagels are increasingly popular across the country, including in the Sunshine State, with bagel shops popping up left and right in large cities like Tampa. From modest family-run bakeries serving classic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to modern bagel purveyors with experimental flavors, Tampa’s ever-widening selection of bagel shops has something for everyone.
Using Google Reviews, social media posts, and reports from local publications like That’s So Tampa, we’ve pulled together a list of the hands-down best bagel shops in Tampa, according to locals. If you’re looking for a more casual alternative to the city’s destination-worthy patio brunch spots with bottomless mimosas and elaborate omelettes, consider an everything bagel with cream cheese at one of these five spots — Homesick Bagels, PopUp Bagels, Bagels Plus, Baygulls Bakery, and Jeff’s Bagel Run — on your next trip to Tampa.
Homesick Bagels
The bagel purveyors at Tampa Bay’s newly opened Homesick Bagels in North Hyde Park already know their way around a hot oven. The shop is managed by the team that runs Santoro’s Pizzeria, a popular pizza spot specializing in New Jersey-style slices, and Giancarlo’s Cafe & Spirits, a stylish new venture that was an instant hit with its Italian-American sandwiches and gourmet pies.
As the name — and the focus of the shop’s sister businesses — suggest, Homesick is a nostalgic ode to authentic Jersey-style bagels. Owner Travis Kaiser grew up in Toms River, NJ, and his Florida eateries all reflect his Garden State upbringing. As he said of his first business, the pizzeria, “I wanted [it] to look like it was picked up from Jersey and placed in the heart of Tampa.” The same could be said of Homesick Bagels, which offers a straightforward menu of high-quality bagels and breakfast sandwiches…