Frankly Bagels rolls into Norwood Green

Christie Wilkinson and Jack Crichton spent years working in cafes and helping to open venues for others before deciding to strike out on their own. And when the time was right to launch their own business, they knew they wanted to bring something new to the table.

“We’d both travelled in Europe and seen how well bagels were doing there. And there were a few places in Melbourne that were doing bagels really well, so we wondered why no one was doing it in Adelaide,” says Christie. “A few people had tried it over the years, but it hadn't translated to the people we were trying to reach.”

Unsurprisingly, Frankly Bagels was an immediate success when it launched in Prospect four years ago, but the original location had one major drawback. “It’s very small,” explains Christie ­­– “about 20 square metres.” That put serious limitations on how much the couple could do inhouse, and the plan was always to look for a second location eventually.

When they saw Norwood Green, they knew it was perfect straight away. “We wanted a location that was in a really vibrant community, along a major road and close to where people live and work,” says Christie. “So this property hit a lot of things we were looking for.”

Most importantly, the new location at 88 Magill Road had space to add a bakery next door to the café. Now instead of buying in bagels, they make them onsite every morning and a glass wall means that early risers can see the bakers rolling each bagel out by hand before placing the trays in a specialty oven that also steams them to achieve that uniquely chewy bagel texture.

As well as producing two thousand bagels a week for the two stores, the baking team is already experimenting with different flavours. “At the moment we make four varieties: plain, poppy seed, sesame seed and everything,” says Christie, “but from here we can go anywhere we want.” She cites fruit, onion and jalapeno and cheese as some of the flavours that might pop up as specials, while the bakers are also developing a range of recipes for cookies and other sweets.

Of course, those bagels are just a canvas for the kitchen staff to work on, and the menu includes classics like the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and a Reuben packed with pastrami, Swiss cheese and pickles alongside more contemporary options like the zesty chimichurri chicken that’s proved a hit with customers.

In addition to the onsite bakery and larger kitchen, the new Magill Road store provides plenty of room for customers to dine in and both Christie and Jack worked very hard to create an inviting space filled with curves, soft tones and beautifully textured microcement finishes. Being onsite for most of the build also gave the couple a chance to get to know their neighbours.

“Everyone here is so lovely,” says Christie. “East End Cellars were here all during our build so it was nice to have them in when we opened. And Love Athletica Pilates is such a good fit with us; lots of people will get a coffee here before or after their class. Soon Rustic Gourmet will open next door as well… all our neighbours are really great and it feels so lovely to be in this little community.”

Photo by Jack Denby via Say Cheese Social.