B For Bagel Review: Does This Popular Korean Cafe Still Deserve Its 8/10 Rating?

B For Bagel in Tanglin Mall has sweet and savoury bagels

I remember my first visit to B For Bagel back in 2022, when bagel cafes weren’t as popular as they are today. Their bagels left a strong impression, and now that they’ve become one of the more popular bagel cafes in Singapore—with plenty of new spots popping up—it felt like a good time to return and see if the 8/10 rating still holds up.

For the uninitiated, B For Bagel is a Korean bagel brand from Gangnam, Seoul. The cafe specialises in a range of sweet and savoury bagel sandwiches and toasts, with all bagels made from scratch in-store at their Tanglin Mall cafe.

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Food at B For Bagel

We ordered the Smoked Salmon Bagel ($16.90+) again, which stood out during our last visit. It’s still priced the same and remains a permanent item on the menu. As before, the bagel is generously filled, with no skimping on the smoked salmon. It’s layered with tomato slices, egg, and onions, and topped with a generous sprinkle of chia seeds.

The bagel itself is light and chewy on the inside, and doesn’t turn soggy even with the smoked salmon. It tastes just as good as we remembered. Each bite delivers a mix of flavours, from the saltiness of the smoked salmon to the tanginess of the tomatoes, the floral tartness of the capers, and the slight crunch from the onions. Altogether, it comes across almost like a smoked salmon salad, just in bagel form.

The Onion Bagel ($4.50+) isn’t available this time around, so we go for the Sesame Bagel ($3.90+) instead, another one of their popular savoury options. It may look simple, but it packs a punch in terms of flavour. Since the inside of the bagel is fairly plain, we pair it with a tub of Maple Cream Cheese ($4.30+), which stood out as a highlight from the previous visit.

The Maple Cream Cheese comes in a tub, and you’ll have to dig all the way to the bottom, where the sweet, sticky maple syrup sits. I spread the bagel with the rich, dense cream cheese, slightly sweet with a light tang. It isn’t too cloying, with distinct notes of caramel. No complaints here.

B For Bagel also serves dessert bagels. It’s a little disappointing that the Peach Cloud—their signature bagel loaded with cream and peach slices—has since been discontinued and replaced with the seemingly simpler Fresh Milk Cloud Bagel ($8.50+), which is essentially the Peach Cloud sans peach. Though it still comes with a shocking amount of whipped cream, the bagel does feel a bit one-dimensional, especially without the juicy and tangy peach slices to cut through the richness.

That said, the cream is light and fluffy, without the greasy aftertaste that can come from overwhipped cream, and melts in the mouth within seconds. It is a decent bagel, though I much prefer its predecessor.

I remember enjoying B For Bagel’s Einspanner ($6.50+) last time, so we ordered it again. The Viennese-style latte comes through punchy, without the bitter aftertaste we experienced previously. I prefer my coffee less sweet, but for those who do, the drink can be mixed with the sweet, foamy whipped cream, which tastes similar to the topping used on the Cloud Bagel.

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Ambience at B For Bagel

Aesthetics-wise, the cafe has remained largely unchanged since our last visit, still decked out in vibrant orange, the brand’s signature colour. It retains the same retro diner vibe, complete with neon signs and vintage-style posters. We’re not fluffing when saying every corner makes for a great shot, especially the small retail section. Also dubbed the Instagram corner, it’s where you can pick up bagel tees, caps, and keychains. There’s even a small chair you can still use to strike your best pose.

We’re also glad that the cafe has extended their opening hours on weekends until 8pm, so you can now drop by for a bagel dinner.

B For Bagel is a four-minute walk from Orchard Boulevard MRT Station.

The verdict

The savoury bagels remain delicious, and we appreciate that prices have largely stayed the same even four years on. If there’s one small gripe, it’s the removal of the Peach Cloud Bagel, which was the most memorable dessert from my last visit. The only sweet alternative now is the Fresh Milk Cloud, which didn’t impress quite as much. That said, we believe that this remains one of the best cafes for savoury bagels in Singapore, and that its 8/10 rating still stands.

For more good desserts, read our guide to the best dessert spots in Singapore. If you’re looking for more food in the area, read our Tanglin Mall food guide.

Address: 163 Tanglin Road, #B1-125,126, Singapore 247933
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am to 5pm, Sat-Sun 8:30am to 8pm
Website
B For Bagel is not halal-certified.

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Photos taken by Casandra Nicholas.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg