Katz Bagels

When I worked in the Financial District I loved going to Katz's bagels. They had a really good bar shaped bagel that had fruit and nuts in it that I loved. Their bagels are what Noah's could be if they had better quality control. Try Katz if you're nearby! more

Katz bagels is some good stuff. Their recipe yields bagel that are not too bread-y, not too chewy, cooked just right. They have several varieties of cream cheese in both regular low-fat flavors (like the homemade sundried tomato -- tasty stuff) and they have a great selection of bagels, including what I refer to as the holy grail of breakfast breads - the Whole Wheat Everything Bagel. For those who are still caught in all that crazy Atkins thing, they also have low-carb bagels in five flavors (also no WW Everything) that are suprisingly quite good. more

Deep breath. Count to ten. I want to tell you about this place I know in Boston… (Insert East coast vs. West coast diatribe here) ...deep breath… We’re in SF and it’s just not meant to be. The bagel gods clashed with the Titans of Mexican food. They carved up territory. We have all this other good food and when you step on that jet plane for SF fun and sun, you check bagel love at the door. Put it in storage. You miss bagels so bad? Stuff a burrito in that whiny mouth of yours buddy, I don’t want to hear it. What I’m trying to get at is, I REALLY REALLY REALLY miss bagels. Sooooo bad. Especially on Sunday mornings. So cheap. So fresh. So perfect. When this hankering in more than I can take, I go to Katz’s. The bagel spaceship almost makes up for the fact that the best bagels in SF are still only OK. I’d say go with the everything bagel. When my allergies are kicking up and my taste buds compromised, it’s almost the same as my beloved round boys from home. Especially with a lot of cream cheese on top. more

As a transplanted East Coaster, I'm very particular about my bagels because, let's face it - most of the people west of Mamaroneck don't know how to make a decent one. Case in point, the donut-like sponges from Noah's Bagels, which locals praise for their texture and range of "schmears". A good bagel doesn't need strawberry pesto schmear. It needs cream cheese or chive cheese and possibly a slice or two of nova lox. Katz Bagels is probably the closest thing to a good New York style bagel shop in the FiDi/SOMA area. They have the classics: egg, plain, onion, garlic, rye, poppy and sesame to name a few - and a couple of "berry" ones that have become popular recently. The bagles themselves are pretty darned good - a little bit of elasticity in the crust and a soft yet dense dough inside. For me, a garlic bagel with chive cheese, a slice of red onion and a slice of tomato with a little bit of lox on top is a perfect way to start the day. Noah's? Feh. Try Katz! more