Roni’s Bakery in Belsize Park gets beautiful makeover

Alon Kubi has spruced up his bagel bakery in Belsize Park with a new kitchen, fresh paintwork, improved seating, flooring and layout.

The most challenging part was finding an artist to restore the peeling sign of the former Belsize Village Delicatessen.

Before and after shots of the sign for the former Belsize Village Delicatessen. (Image: Alon Kubi) To the painting of bread, cakes and olive oil, he has added a stack of bagels – in homage to the string of bagel cafes he owns.

“We have been here for 15 years,” he explained. “We did a minor uplift in 2017 when we took over the deli next door but I saw we had to do a major renovation inside and outside.

“We’ve changed the colour outside and got new signs – we needed to bring a special artist to re-do the sign for the delicatessen because everybody loved that sign and I never changed it.

“It’s still there but now it looks beautiful.”

Alon runs a string of bagel cafes named after his father-in-law Roni Avital, but the Belsize Park site is special because he’s a local. (Image: Linda Grove) He adds: “I didn’t want to close the shop completely, I knew the community would be very upset not to have their coffees and bagels in the morning so I did everything I could to minimise disruption and now the atmosphere is really great.

“We’re still selling everything as before but it’s more elegant and there’s more space.”

Alon is something of North London bagel royalty – his father-in-law Roni Avital is the founder of the original Roni’s Bagel Bakery in West Hampstead in 1989.

In 2010, Alon opened an offshoot in Belsize Lane serving coffee and cakes as well as bagels baked on site.

“It was so successful we opened in Hampstead, Muswell Hill, and Primrose Hill,” he says.

Alon is also the co-founder of Be Bagel which has outlets in Camden Town, Swain’s Lane, Brent Cross and central London.

“Londoners definitely love a bagel,” he laughs, adding that his most popular filling is of course smoked salmon and cream cheese.

“Lately everybody is trying to find a proper bagel. There are lots in supermarkets but they are not as a bagel should be – boiled and baked in a wood oven.

“It should be chewy and crusty on the outside with all the good flavours.”

He might own a string of cafes, but it’s the Belsize Village site that’s closest to his heart.

“I live in Belsize Park, my kids go to the cafe all the time and make biscuits. It’s special to me because it was my first and because I feel part of the community.

“I like to spend my time there instead of in the office – I am probably a bit of a character in the area.”

Roni’s Bakery Belsize Village is at 37-39 Belsize Lane, NW3.