Florida's 5 Hands-Down Best Bagel Shops In Tampa, According To Locals

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.

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. 

"From breakfast bagel sandwiches to a simple bagel and cream cheese, you can't go wrong!" said one Instagram user. "The bagel was fresh and warm, a lovely crunch upon first bite and very chewy," said a local visitor — who ordered smoked salmon on a jalapeño asiago bagel with scallion cream cheese — on Google Reviews. "The flavor was just exceptional. Believe me, you can tell just how seriously they work to make good bagels." Tampa locals seem to agree — if you like Jersey-style bagels, you'll love Homesick. "We're serving more than good bagels," as the website says. "We're serving the feeling of home." 

Many bagel enthusiasts around the U.S. are already familiar with PopUp Bagels, a Connecticut-based brand that started as a pandemic project in 2020. Famous for what the New York Times calls "baguette-like bagels," which are sold by the bag and accompanied by schmears designed for dipping — the company's slogan is "Grip, Rip and Dip" — PopUp has a cult following around the country. 

Founder Adam Goldberg opened several shops in his home state and one in New York City's foodie paradise, Greenwich Village, before expanding to other places, including two locations in Tampa: one in the Westshore neighborhood and the other in Carrollwood. Both have been well-received, though some Tampa locals are still getting used to the idea that you can't walk up and order a single bagel, and that the shop doesn't slice their bagels, per the usual convention. 

According to many comments on Google Reviews, the quality of the bagels speaks for itself. "Probably one of the best salt bagels I've ever had," said one local reviewer. "The bagels were warm, soft, and so delicious," said another. "I love the rip, dip method, such a fun way to eat bagels." And PopUp's local popularity seems to be just getting started. "With its Tampa expansion underway, PopUp Bagels continues to grow its community of loyal fans," reported It's So Tampa in late 2025.

A longtime local favorite near the University of South Florida campus, Bagels Plus, was forced to close after the space was devastated by a kitchen fire in late 2024. But after a five-month period of rebuilding and renovating, the breakfast mainstay reopened in spring 2025, to the relief of college students and local residents alike. In an Instagram post in early 2025, That's So Tampa called the friendly neighborhood spot a "true local gem."

Tampa's bagel fans concur. "Amazing bagel shop," said one local on Google Reviews, noting that the house bagels are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. "I've tried all the other bagels in Tampa, and no other place beats their bagels." Others chimed in online, appreciating the shop's generous opening hours (it opens daily at 6 a.m., except on Sundays, when opening hours start at 7 a.m.), kind staff, and, of course, outstanding bagels and bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. As one person put it, "Tampa needs Bagels Plus like our manatees and dolphins need healthy water."

Another relatively new bagel shop in Tampa Bay is Baygulls Bakery, specializing in New York-style bagels with chewy interiors and crisp exteriors. Located in the Town 'n' Country neighborhood, the bakery serves fresh bagels that are hand-rolled, boiled in small batches, and baked on the premises every day. The method was a reaction to the owners' sentiment that "there were no good bagels in the Bay," per It's So Tampa. 

That may have been true at the time — Baygulls opened in the summer of 2025 — and while the scene has been improving rapidly since then, the Big Apple-inspired bagel shop has certainly been part of that momentum. "Unreal," said one recent customer of the jalapeño cheddar bagel she ordered with veggie schmear. "The texture alone stopped me in my tracks, made from organic bread flour, salt, water, yeast, and barley malt syrup, it hits that rare balance of airy yet doughy with a perfectly crisp exterior!" An Instagram user added, "the most delicious legit NY-style bagels I've ever had in Tampa Bay."

Apart from limited edition bagel flavors and creative cream cheese spreads, there's an added perk for espresso lovers. Unlike many other bagel shops, Baygulls has an emphasis on coffee, so visitors can get a great latte or cortado to go with their food.

Jeff's Bagel Run gets its name from the fact that the co-owner, Jeff Perera, used to deliver his homemade bagels door-to-door before opening his first storefront in Ocoee, Florida. That bagel shop earned acclaim as one of America's Best Bagels at NYC Bagelfest (preceding the Dallas-based Starship Bagel winning the same award in 2025 with its one-of-a-kind techniques), setting the stage for opening another location in South Tampa and several more across the U.S.

Like Popup Bagels, Jeff's Bagel Run departs from convention in some ways. The owners' motto is "always boiled, never toasted" — even if customers request it, the shop won't toast its New York-style bagels — and innovative flavors, offered on a rotating basis, range from cacio e pepe and loaded baked potato to garlic bread and banana bread bagel. 

Locals say it's a great addition to Tampa's evolving bagel scene. "Genuinely the best bagels and coffee I've ever had in this city," said one local who first visited with jet lag and a huge appetite after an international flight. "The bagels were the perfect amounts fluffy, chewy, and covered in ample toppings." Another recommended the shop's creative combos, mentioning he chose the bagel of the day, a churro flavor. "Throw some cookies and cream spread on that bad boy and you got some breakfast going," he posted on Instagram.

Given Tampa's rapidly growing number of bagel shops, it wasn't easy to choose just five. To put together this list, we scoured the internet for locals' opinions on Instagram and Google Reviews, then considered reports from local publication It's So Tampa, in an attempt to narrow down the options. Though there's always some discord online — some locals prefer classic sesame seed bagels to innovative varieties, some want their bagels sliced and toasted in the old-school style, while others are open to trying the "rip and dip" method — these five spots delivered the highest levels of customer satisfaction across the board. Want to plan a bagel picnic while in town? Take your to-go order to the Tampa Riverwalk, the dazzling waterfront promenade that connects the city's green spaces and top attractions.