Roastery-and-cafe company Stitch Coffee is taking all the TLC one puts into a cup of specialty coffee and kneading it into everyone’s favourite bread roll—figuratively and literally (peep the Espresso bagel)—at its iconic Ultimo and Queen Victoria Building locations.

When the founder Nawar Adra put forward the idea of creating a bagel smorgasbord that could live up to the hype of Stitch Coffee’s signature drinks and pour-overs, Head Chef John Kenneth Ronabio (‘Chef Kenny’) saw the potential at play and thought challenge accepted.

The delicious outcome of that challenge is a ten-strong magnum opus of sweet and savoury bagels/bagel sandos that Sydneysiders can chow down on from Monday, January 6, 2025, at Stitch Coffee Broadway and Stitch Coffee QVB.

Chef Kenny said, “We wanted to find a way to make something our own that we can be proud of. Bagels are always a good match with coffee so it was a quick yes on making that the motif for the menu.”

“Initially, the plan was to find a couple of places to wholesale good bagels from because we didn't have the means to make it happen. But eventually, we could push it to be made in-house instead.”

 

 

From 4:30 am, Chef Kenny and Stitch Coffee’s resident ‘Bagel Man’ Chef Shane Lee make the bagels fresh daily at the QVB kitchen, ready for distribution to Stitch Coffee Broadway and service in both cafes from 7 am.

The lock-and-loaded bagel sandos pique the taste buds of the savoury inclined, with a smoky Folded Egg and Beef Brisket combo and a classic Smoked Salmon bagel sando leading the charge.

On the sweet side of the equation, bagel lovers are well-rewarded with the Higgs Field and White Rabbit options named after the blend and signature drink that inspired them.

“[Higgs Field bagel] is made with a ristretto shot of our Higgs Field house blend, which we also used to form our signature espresso cream cheese,” said Chef Kenny.

“Same as our nitro brew creation, we infused the White Rabbit Bagel’s cream cheese with nutmeg, lemon zest, and hazelnut to achieve the same feel as the coffee—maybe even better!”

Even the OG Cream Cheese Bagel isn’t doing anything by halves, with four spreads and four bagel base options to choose from. This variety spans across the menu, speaking to Stitch Coffee’s ambition to have an outstanding food service to match its coffee offerings.

As stated by Nawar, “We pride ourselves on being innovative in all areas of the business, not just coffee.”

“Even though the bagel-making process is labour-intensive, with that labour comes a lot of passion that you can practically taste in the final product,” he said.

“The flexibility that comes with producing in-house also gives our kitchen team full creative control over the recipe, flavour, texture, everything. When there are no barriers to the imagination, the menu becomes memorable, creating unmatched experiences for our customers in the process.”