Sheff’s favourite bagel slingers, Best Boy Bagels, are set to open a new shop on Abbeydale Road. Located in the former premises of La Baracca, an Italian eatery that recently moved down the road, the transformation will allow Best Boy to keep punters happy with an extended kitchen/bakery space and the ability to host community events.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and we’re already well on with the refurb,” owner Dec Stafford shared with Exposed. “We’re looking forward to having a space where we can serve food and drinks and also host events – pop-ups with local artisans, bistro nights and social events.”
As anyone who’s witnessed the regular queues snaking outside their Chesterfield Road shop would attest, the demand for their hand-rolled, freshly baked bagels is consistently high. Selling out before closing time has been a recurring problem, but a significantly larger kitchen and prep space means that concern should become a thing of the past.
“At the moment, we’re restricted on space and can only make 160 bagels per day,” explains Dec. “With the new shop, that won’t be a problem (touch wood) as there will be a downstairs bakery and our head baker, Joe, can bake during service. We will actually be able to expand the menu, serve coffee, offer catering packages and have sit-in space so people can spend more time here.”
For the team, Abbeydale Road and its bustling community of independents is a familiar locale. Both Dec and Joe have previously been based at Barrow Boy, where the former operated his previous food business, Deckards, and the latter worked as General Manager on the bar. The third member of the Best Boy Team, Ailish, also worked just down the road at longstanding café Bragazzis. “We know the area well, the community is great, and we’ve told our customers that it’s only a five-minute walk across the road.”
People are very much at the heart of the Best Boy ethos, and in just over a year they have established themselves as one of the city’s most-loved independent brands. Accolades have arrived, including being listed by National Geographic as the best bagel shop in the country and winning the ‘Best Takeaway’ category at this year’s Exposed Awards. However, Dec emphasises that, fundamentally, their work is driven by a commitment to the community.
“It’s been said before, but it’s true: Sheffield is like a big village. Independents and people make it what it is, and we’re really happy to be able to contribute to that. The support for the crowdfunder going towards the makeover has been incredible; we’ve even had regulars get in touch asking if they can offer their services to help with the refit. We’re really looking forward to taking things up a level with the new shop.”
Best Boy Bagels hopes to be fully operational in their new Abbeydale Road premises by late-September/early-October. For more information and updates, check out their socials @bestboybagels.
