A hard shell breaking through to a chewy inside, complete with a thick layer of cream cheese is the ideal example for what a bagel should be. Those who have enjoyed the pleasure of a classic New York style bagel will argue that the experience is not replicable anywhere else. While New York City maybe be synonymous with the classic bagel and schmear, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a tasty bagel in the Bay Area. Here are five tasty bagel shops in the South Bay Area that are worth visiting. If we missed your favorite please be sure to share it in the comments.
Regal Bagel
This family-owned bagel shop in South San Jose has a loyal following of local customers who come to enjoy the shop’s chewy New York style bagels and gourmet spreads. Regal Bagel offers a standard selection of bagels as well as the popular marinara bagel and pesto bagel. The sun-dried tomato spread is thick and chock-full of sweet bites of sun-dried tomatoes. For fans of lox bagels, the peppered lox sandwich with red onions, capers, tomato and pepperoncinis is a must.
Regal Bagel
125 Bernal Rd. [map]
San Jose, CA 95119
Ph: (408) 360-8809
Hours: Mon-Thu 6am-4pm; Sat 6am-3pm; Sun 6am-2pm
Facebook: Regal Bagel
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels serves bagels and Jewish specialties in a strictly kosher environment. Two stores in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto serve throngs of customers from the peninsula who line up for the dense, New York Style bagels. The lox bagel is served with a liberal schmear of cream cheese, red onions, crisp cucumbers and tomatoes. Enjoying the lox on the marbled rye and pumpernickel is highly recommended. Izzy’s also has an extensive offering of catering and party trays if you’re trying to enjoy bagels with a crowd.
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels
477 California Ave. [map]
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Ph: (650) 329-0700
Hours: Mon-Thu 6am-5pm; Fri 6am-4pm; Sat-Sun 7am-3pm
Facebook: Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels
Twitter: @izzysbagels
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)
Posh Bagel
The Posh Bagel is a small chain of bagel stores originating in Los Altos. The Mountain View location is independently owned and is a popular location for breakfast as well as lunch meetings over a bagel. The bagel sandwiches such as the cashew chicken salad crunch with large chunks of smoked chicken breast, dried cranberries and crunchy cashews are a crowd favorite. For the more traditional bagel fans, the nutty everything bagel is delicious with the sweet sun-dried tomato schmear.
Posh Bagel
444 Castro St. #120 [map]
Mountain View, CA 94041
Ph: (650) 968-5308
Hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-5pm; Sat 7:30am-5pm; Sun 8am-3pm
Facebook: The Posh Bagel
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)
Saratoga Bagels
This small neighborhood bagel store is popular for freshly prepared bagel sandwiches and the collection of gourmet spreads. The bagels have the ideal balance of a hard outer shell and chewy, moist interior. For breakfast, the Baja omelet with eggs, cheese, mushrooms and jalapeno is a crowd favorite. If you’re just looking for a toasted bagel with cream cheese, the tri-seed bagel with sunflower seeds, sesame and poppy seeds is a perfect match for the luxuriously creamy garden vegetable spread.
Saratoga Bagels
12840 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd. [map]
Saratoga, CA 95070
Ph: (408) 867-6834
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-5pm; Sat 6am-4pm; Sun 7am-3pm
Facebook: Saratoga Bagels
Twitter: @freshbagels
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)
Bagel Guys Bakery
A relatively new option in the South Bay, Bagel Guys Bakery has already caught the attention of customers with their selection of bagels, breakfast sandwiches and fresh pastries. The small store serves a menu of standard bagel offerings as well as gluten-free bagels. Bagel Guys also serves a creation they call the cragel which is a bagel made from croissant dough for a buttery, flaky outer layer while maintaining the familiar chewy texture of a traditional bagel. The bagel guy breakfast sandwiches are customizable and are freshly prepared with cage-free eggs.
Bagel Guys Bakery
1702 Meridian Ave. [map]
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 784-7946
Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30am-3pm; Sat-Sun 6am-2pm
Facebook: Bagel Guys Bakery
Twitter: @BagelGuysBakery
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)