6 Best Bagels in Houston You Have to Try!

You have to admit, everyone you can think loves a bagel. And when it comes to finding the best bagels in Houston, you can be blown away with these 6 great options.

So in this guide, we hope to narrow down your search and find you the perfect bagel.

Best Bagel Establishments in Houston

We have been on the road, sampling bagels from all varieties of restaurants, diners, and bakeries, to see which ones are the freshest, the history behind the bagel makers, and the ingredients used to make the different styles.

We’ve looked at toppings, flavors, dietary requirements like gluten-free and lighter options for those bagel lovers watching their waistlines.

And with that, let us dive into our guide on the six best bagels in Houston, TX.

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels

Einstein Bros. Bagels serves up gourmet bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and much more. Their bagels are baked fresh in-house every day. They bake all day long, so rest assured it will be fresh from the oven no matter the time of your visit.

The Jalapeno Bagel, our top pick, was beautiful, spicy, packed with whole flavored cheeses and savory bacon bits. It was great. But if you’re not into the spicy, not to worry, there are plenty more options.

At present, they have 26 variants of bagel on the menu. But this is changing a lot, as they often introduce specials and new ingredients.

Unfortunately, they don’t have anything for those on a gluten-free diet regarding dietary preference. There are plenty of vegetarian options, though.

They have a Breakfast and Lunch menu, including fresh bagel sandwiches. They have a Shmear menu with six varieties, sweet and savory, to spread on your bagel.

The bagels and sandwiches here are reasonably priced, and the food tastes high quality. They make lovely fresh coffee as well.

They also offer outside catering.

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2. The Hot Bagel Shop

The Hot Bagel Shop is a Deli that has been serving delicious bagels and homemade cream cheese since 1984. Their bagels are made fresh, from scratch on a daily basis.

The Kolaches were probably the standout dishes on this menu. There are ten to choose from, and as well as our recommended “Cheese and Beef Dog,” there is also jalapeno sausage, smoked sausage, and a choice of breakfast ones too.

Their homemade cream cheese comes in 12 varieties: savory, sweet, low fat, and vegetarian.

They have a vegetarian menu that mainly consists of egg and cream cheese options.

They have a verified hot and cold drinks menu.

3. Bagel Bobs

Bagel Bobs has blown the minds of Houstiners with their amazing top-quality bagels and variety, with tens and tens of bagels to choose from with a great choice of fillings and toppings too.

They are so popular because of the way you can mix and match your bagel to your personal preference and because of the freshness and flavor of the bagels themselves. Their bagels are boiled and then baked on hot stones, the original way to bake them, giving them that gorgeous texture that we all know and love. And, they make them fresh every morning.

Bagel Bobs is a classic New York-style bagel diner, so there are a few tables and chairs to sit down inside, but as you will see, most people are happy to take their bagel to go or just eat it standing around the shop.

Amongst the large variety of bagel options, in case you fancy something else, they also have hot dogs, pizzas, and breakfast boxes, as well as a sweet bakes menu.

There is no children’s menu, but most of the menu items are very child friendly, and most kids would find something to enjoy, especially the pizza bagel, at only $2.50 for the small one; you can’t go wrong when it comes to the little ones.

Regarding the rest of the prices, everything is very reasonable. The large bagels are around $6.00 with toppings, and you can pay for added extras should you desire.

There are minimal options for vegetarians, but a few items are available. Vegans, unfortunately, don’t have a lot of choices at all. They have a small selection of hot and cold drinks to go with your meal as well.

Also Read: 7 Best Diners and Drive-ins – Texas, Our Top Pickup

4. Kingwood Bagel Shop

A local store, well-known with the locals, Kingwood Bagel Shop is a small and welcoming diner-come deli. They are serving a great selection of freshly prepared bagels in twenty different flavors.

You can buy the bagels in singles or bundles of six or twelve.

They offer a superb breakfast menu. We had the lox sandwich bagel and the Huntchers wrap. Everything was fresh, the portion sizes were large, and we all left feeling happily full.

The staff are very friendly and welcoming and will go above and beyond to make sure you’re catered for.

There are a few choices for vegetarians, mainly including the cheese and egg options. Some items are suited to vegans, including the “Veggie Delight,” which consists of sprouts, red and green peppers, onion, cucumber, banana peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, lettuce, veggie cream cheese. It was vibrant and super tasty.

The prices are pretty low, and you’re able to get most things on the menu for under $7.00.

The dessert menu is small but plentiful, and the N.Y crumble cake was terrific if you’re in the mood for something sweet.

5. Kenny & Ziggy’s

Kenny & Ziggy’s is a thriving Jewish deli. During a time where Jewish restaurants are closing down at a worrying rate, for Kenny and Ziggys, business is booming while continuing their family tradition. They are now known as one of the best delis in the nation. So much so there was a documentary about the men behind the Jewish delicatessen.

With a menu consisting of over two hundred items, yes, you read that right; there is no doubt that you will be leaving with a full stomach at the end of your meal. The menu is cool, humorous and keeps you entertained before you even order.

Regarding the bagels on the menu here, they are not your typical style bagel. There are four options of “Smoked Bagels,” these include “The Mexicatessen,” with scallion cream cheese, nova, jalapeno, tomato, cucumber, and avocado or the “Yum Kippered” which comes with nova, kippered salmon, tomato, cucumber, and crispy onion strings.”

The hot dog, burger, and sandwich menu are so large that you will be spoilt for choice; there is literally nothing this restaurant doesn’t do! From salads to ribs, hot pots to meatballs, shawarma to bagels, and the list goes on! All of the sandwiches are also available to be served on a fresh bagel too, just ask!

The dessert menu follows suit when it comes to size, with twenty-four options to take your pick from.

The prices are pretty high-end, so don’t be expecting a cheap night of dining when eating here, the main courses range between $15 and $45, although, what we can say is that you will not be leaving here hungry, and you will most definitely be back for more.

6. Panera Bread

Panera Bread is a chain company, which owns restaurants and bakery-cafes in a whopping Two Thousand locations, all within the United States and Canada area.

Despite the size of this company, that does not take away from the food quality and service. Panera Bread prides itself on using the best quality ingredients on the market. Unlike other bagel stores, they concentrate on healthy food and creating great clean meals while not impacting flavor.

The bagels themselves, including the rest of the menu items, are all calorie counted, and this can be seen when you’re ordering, which we thought was great, especially for those watching their waistlines.

The bagels that we had were delicious, and the quality was fantastic. All their baked goods are baked freshly every day, with 6000 employees working early hours of each morning to produce 250 Million bagels per year! Wow right?

The prices are very reasonable, averaging around $6-$10 per meal. You can definitely dine on a budget here.

They also offer a unique catering service, where they will cater for virtual events, with personalized food parcels delivered to your door at a time convenient for you. There are discounts also available for these kinds of events.

They have a varied children’s menu, so it’s a great place to come if you have a child who’s a more adventurous eater or likes a lot of choices. There are small bowls like a caesar salad, apple and chicken salad, a range of sandwiches, and many soup choices. We were pretty impressed by the variety of the children’s dishes.

Bonus Read: 8 Best Places Serving Charcuterie Boards in Houston

Summary

And there we have it, out of all the places to choose from to get good bagels in Houston, whether you’re looking for a bagel and a coffee with a friend or a meal out with the whole family, we hope that we have covered all areas and helped you narrow down your choice.

If you liked our guide, why not also check out The 5 Best Pizza Restaurants in Houston and The Best Tacos in Houston You Must Try!