Shortly after fashion photographer Dan Martensen moved to North West London, he found himself locked down and desperately missing the taste of home.

It was New York City's go-to snack of freshly baked bagels with toppings and 'schmears' that he hankered after most. After trying the famous Brick Lane beigels and his local bagel bakey in West Hampstead, he decided to recreate the recipe he loved from back home.

He teamed up with Caravan head baker Jack Ponting, and after much experimentation they landed on the right "crusty, malty exterior with a moist and extremely chewy interior".Ham & High: Dan Martensen during the refit of the former Primrose Hill butchers into his first bricks and mortar Bagel shopDan Martensen during the refit of the former Primrose Hill butchers into his first bricks and mortar Bagel shop (Image: It's Bagels)

It's Bagels took off as a delivery service based at Caravan in Islington. Now the Queen's Park photographer, who has snapped everyone from Ed Sheeran to Winona Ryder and Naomi Campbell, has found himself "accidentally" opening the bricks and mortar It's Bagels in Primrose Hill.

At Friday's grand opening I opted for 'The Works', an upgraded classic salmon and cream cheese. You choose from a sesame, garlic, onion, plain or poppy seed bagel, and a range of 'schmears' where the cheese is mixed with anything from horseradish to pickles and spring onion.

"I was locked down, and like everyone else, I was stuck in and couldn't fly home," he said. "I missed bagels with the works, done in the right way, so here I am owning a bagel shop. I didn't choose it, it kind of chose me."

The Regent's Park Road diner has a retro New York deli vibe, with 1970s style font, stainless steel counter, and posters of Spike Lee movies or the city's subway map on the walls.Ham & High: Customers can choose from sesame, poppy seed, onion garlic of plain bagels with a range of cream cheese 'schmears'Customers can choose from sesame, poppy seed, onion garlic of plain bagels with a range of cream cheese 'schmears' (Image: Bridget Galton)

My poppy seed bagel laden with a generous helping of horseradish cheese and 'lox,' or somked salmon, pickled red onion, capers and lemon took the humble sandwich to the next level - from the freshness of the well-risen bagel, cooked on site, to the sour, salty, mustardy filling, it's a welcome slice of New York in Primrose Hill.

Dan says the New York bagel relies on a tasty bun, but "it's really about the fillings," including the distinctly un-Jewish bacon, egg and cheese.

"People say 'oh, are you Jewish?' I happen to be, but in New York, it's not so much of a Jewish thing, it's an everybody thing. You will see everyone from a Jamaican builder to an Indian banker, black, white, all shapes and sizes, standing in line for a bagel. That's the beauty of the bagel shop. It's a culture, in New York they are so ubiquitous that people get bagels twice a week. I worked in a bagel shop as a kid and it's not atypical for someone to show up at 6am to get the fresh ones, and ask 'what's your favourite filling?' or 'what's hot today?'"Ham & High: It's Bagels includes poppy and sesame seed, plain, garlic or onion.It's Bagels includes poppy and sesame seed, plain, garlic or onion. (Image: Courtesy of It's Bagels)

Fillings at It's Bagels also include a whitefish, chicken, or tunafish salad and a cooked-to-order fried egg and cheese, bacon egg and cheese or BLT. Prices start at £4.50 rising to £13 for The Works, and American style filter coffee is served along with other coffees and juices.

It's Bagels is at 65 Regent's Park Road, NW1.