Since opening her first takeaway bagel store in Bondi in 2019, Candy Berger has been on the hunt for an inner-west location.

Like the business’s name, which came about by accident, opening a new Lox in a Box in a Marrickville food trailer wasn’t really part of the original plan. But Berger ran a food truck pop-up in March for World Pride and loved the experience. Despite all efforts to quash her desire to expand, and cries from her wife and business partner Gaia Lovell “to slow down”, (they opened two new stores, in Coogee and Manly, last year), Berger couldn’t stop searching for a truck of her own.

Next minute, a vehicle – discovered on Facebook Marketplace at 2am – was donned with the bagel joint’s signature deep green paint, white stripes and hand lettering by Nathan Pickering , and stored undercover at the truck’s original owners’ parking space on Shepherd Street, Marrickville (also painted to theme). Thus began the inner-west chapter.

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“It’s been very overwhelming with how it’s been so nicely received by the community in Marrickville,” Berger tells Broadsheet. “We were totally not expecting the support that we have seen.” It’s not surprising that on the day we visit, the pavement is sprinkled with eager customers awaiting their goods. A few stools or a communal table at the front of the truck are available for those who are quick to snag a spot.

The menu coming out of the Shepherd Street trailer is more compact than at the other stores, but you’ll find rotating specials and some well-loved staples: the house-cured Ora King New Zealand lox with herb and cream cheese schmear, a classic Reuben, the chicken or haloumi schnitzel, and chicken or katsu tofu with slaw, all with optional sides of crisps and pickles.

While the ingredients and bagels are prepped at a central kitchen and delivered to the truck daily, everything is assembled to order. There’s fresh espresso, plus the team’s fragrant iced chai, and a portable drinks fridge with sodas. A new breakfast menu is now available at all stores, which includes a brekkie bagel stuffed with LP's brisket and crispy, salty latkes, potato cakes made from a recipe by Berger’s grandma Linny, traditionally served at Hanukkah.

Since launching Lox in a Box, Berger’s tactic has been to roll with it. “There’s no written down master plan of, ‘What are we going to do this year?’” she says, laughing.

Lox in a Box
51 Shepherd Street, Marrickville
No phone

Hours:
Mon to Fri 8am–2pm
Sat & Sun 8am–3pm

loxinabox.com.au
@loxinabox

This article was originally published on June 16, 2023 and was updated on September 1, 2023 to reflect the fact that Lox in a Box is now offering breakfast.