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"Everything I eat here is so freakin' good. I have been here many times w my boo and friends and they all love it. Love the authenticity of…" read more »
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I used to hit up the old Katz bagels location in the 90s before heading to work, and its location played a critical role in my job selection. While it's been years, involving a few past trips to the city, I never found its new location.
Until now. Heck, I'm still smiling after rediscovering the bagel that nearly kept me in SF. It was as crustychewy as I remember, with the perfect amount (nottoomuch/nottoolittle) of schmear.
I will be back. And this time I'll be taking a few dozen home with me.
I am not a bagel person but this bagel was the BEST I've had and it beat ones I have tasted in NYC.
I had a egg/sausage on toasted whole wheat. TASTY and perfectly toasted. I was impressed.
Katz bagels are probably the best in the city. Or should I say Katz Bagels's cream cheese spreads are the best in the city. I "was" a big fan of this place until Katz started to act like a bunch of irritable brats.
I ordered $40 worth of bagels and spreads to bring into breakfast for work. I get back to the office and I am missing my favorite one (the lox spread)..also happens to be the most expensive one. I walk all the way back and tell them they forgot it, and those fools thought I was lying. Come on guys! I am not that bored on a Friday morning that I am going to walk back 20 minutes to try to screw you out of a $5 thing of cream cheese. Finally after noticing what I guess was my red face and rage in my eyes, they begrudgingly handed me the cheese. To which I mutter Jesus Christ, sighed and got the hell out of dodge.
Went back again a few days later (I'm a glutton for punishment). I accidentally grabbed the wrong one when they were calling out the numbers, and the same A-hole (the head bagel guy there) gave me grief and told me to listen better.
I might settle for Noah these days. He is less of an d-bag than Kat.
Good bagel place! Great selection of spreads and I favor smaller bagels like Katz serves v. big ones at Noah's.
I've heard rumors of good pizza here and just confirmed it as a fact today. This isn't artisinal pizza - it's just a damn good slice of pie. It's like reliable street pizza - $4 for a huge individual pie all ot yourself. I ordered pepperoni and ate the whole thing. Which is likely why I'm about to curl up and fall asleep soon. Nice to find tasty food for under $5 in the SOMA area. Well done Katz!
Perfectly toasted with a kiss of butter= best breakfast.
Quick service; delicious bagels. Can't ask for more when you are in a rush before work! Wish it weren't cash only, but that's a personal thang.
Best bagels I have had in San Francisco, so far. I'm a New "Yawker" and have found these to be the best texture and flavour, not quite New York standards, (H&H Bagels are the very best), but very good for being here in the sticks!
Katz bagels are... ok.
They in NO WAY should be compared to NY-style bagels because they are tons smaller and don't have the same chewy denseness as the real deal. (However, I'm sure that they taste amazing to those of you who have never experienced a real NY bagel and therefore don't know what you're missing.) That said, there are few other bagel options here in SF, and Katz ranks among the best of the selection. They've got lots of bagel and schmear flavors, and unlike some places, if you go later on in the day after the breakfast and lunch rushes, they still have a decent selection left.
One weird thing-- When you order your food, you get a ticket with your order number on it. The employees are realllllly strict about you handing over your ticket when you pick up the food. Today when I went there, I dropped my ticket in my bag after I paid, and when my number was called, the woman refused to hand me my food. So I dug around and fished out the ticket and kind of waved it at her, but no, that's not enough! You have to actually hand it over and only then can you get your precious food. I guess it's so people can't turn around and lie, claiming they never got their food?
Anyway, a pretty solid choice for the area. If Katz is trying for authenticity, they're on the right track, but still not quite there. A real NY bagel could give these poor little Katz bagels a good ass whooping :)
BEWARE - if you eat your bagel here. The coffee is steaming hot! Tables are available, but they're not designed for people with legs. Watch it if you try to sit, or you'll bump the table and that hot coffee will be all over your leg. You'd think I would have learned, it happened last time I was here.
Well, I'm a bagel person and Katz Bagels makes a good one. I have been working in San Francisco now for two weeks and have been hunting for a good bagel. I tried a lot of places...I know it's not NY people but quit being so stingy with the cream cheese! Katz Bagels doesn't skimp, has good coffee, cool posters, and lively music that helps to wake me up after my 40 minute bus ride. The only reason they get 4 instead of 5 stars is because any bagel outside of NY just doesn't deserve it. Regardless, I'll be back to Katz!
Come for the bagels, stay for the pizza.
I am a pizzaholic, and also work in the SOMA. While I usually come here for a quick hummus bagel on mornings where I miss my alarm, the true greatness of Katz is in their pizza. I feel funny saying it, but this is actually my favorite pizza in SF. Great thin crust is a rarity on the West Coast, but this is it. Good cheese, awesome crust, and extremely flavorable sauce. I think it is the sauce that does it actually.
They have a good variety of slices on hand (several good vege options), at pretty decent prices. A cheese slice runs about $2.50 with tax, while the fancier crap is closer to $3 (or more). I frequent here about once a week now, hot damn. Employees are pretty cool guys as well. I would come here to eat even if I didn't have to be in the area for work, which is saying something. Pizza is one thing SF does not trump other cities with
I love going to Katz in the morning before work -- great bagels, perfect amount of schmear... and a pretty darn good latte to boot!
Katz breakfast bagels FTW. Get the #3 on a egg or plain bagel and you'll be happy all morning long.
The pizza at lunch time is actually pretty decent as well, definitely is influenced by NY pizza as its pre-cooked out on display and then re-heated when you order.
Super delicious hard-on-the-outside-dense-on-the-inside NY style bagels. Michael, the owner, is sometimes on the register. Very nice guy. Service is unbelievably fast/accurate and nice. The store is small but there are a few tables. Mostly I get to-go and bring it up to my office. I buy coffee here almost every weekday and it's as delicious as Peets. They have low carb bagles and every imaginable spread. I usually get a salt bagel with tofutti! nom nom nom. Their health dept. score card is 100 so you know the place is super clean. Love Katz!
the best bagels in sf i always get the everything bagels with either pesto cream cheese or i get the everything bagels with the dills and cucumber cream cheese with a smoke salmon tomato's and capers.
I'm from the Midwest. I am not picky like a New Yorker would be with bagels. But I'm picky enough to have been frustrated with finding a decent bagel in this city. Katz is a little far from my office near Union Square, but it's definitely worth the hike. I know it's just a bagel, but everywhere else I've tried nearby has Wonder Bread shaped into a circle that they call a bagel, but feels and tastes nothing like a bagel. Is it really that hard to make a good, dense bagel -- the way it should be? Katz gets it right.
I almost always go for the 'everything' bagel with dill cucumber cream cheese because it's a great combination, and I'll occasionally get the egg & cheese on a sesame bagel, also very good. There are weeks when I will come here every morning. There can be a bit of a line, but they're totally efficient and it's a short wait.
I've come here for lunch as well, to get a bagel sandwich or a slice of NY-style pizza, which can be a little greasy but might actually be the best pizza I've had in this city (although, that's not saying much). And they serve it up on a paper plate just like they do in NY.
5 Stars for their Whole Wheat Everything Bagel! That's all I get there. It's delicious!
I'm not Jewish, but I married a chosen person and I'm from the East Coast so I know from bagels. Finally tried a fresh whole wheat one from the Katz on Mission. Yum. SO much better than Noah's. Smaller, but who cares, when it's actually dense and good? And I was in and out in a fraction of the time that Noah's would have taken on a Tuesday morning.
I do somewhat begrudge paying an extra 30 cents just to get some butter, but I'll know better next time - just get the bagel, and toast and butter up at the office.
Still the best tasting bagels I've found in the city, but the guy behind the counter needs to stop smoking crack. Let's look at a transcript of this morning's order:
Me: I'd like two raisin bagels and one everything bagel
Guy: We're out of everything bagels. Would you like something else?
Me: No, the other two are fine. (proceeds to cashier)
Next Woman in Line: I'd like an everything bagel with lox.
Guy: You got it! (and HE PULLS OUT AN EVERYTHING BAGEL FOR HER!)
There are no truly good bagels in San Francisco. Let's just establish that right up front. I grew… Read more »
Walking around the city of SF I couldn't find a cool breakfast place I could have if I was alone but my bff's roomie tagged a long with me and says she doesn't eat breakfast damn you live here and no nothing!? So I saw a bagel shop around the corner and headed there I am sure they have something good.
I am a big fan of lox bagel, I ordered that and water totaled to $7.50 it was pretty yummy and messy at the same time!
Good place for breakfast!
Thanks, F**kers.
Thank you for running out of everything bagels, giving me the Chive Spread (I hate chives) instead of the Lox Spread (which I discovered back at my desk), making me wait and pay $3.25 for the privledge.
I'm going to have a real Katz from NYC come and kick your wannabe deli bagel-selling asses.
***Disclaimer: Review written after a doctor's appt. and in the midst of a cold and bronchitis.****
Even though there have been some changes in the last year making this place more pizza-centric, I still love their bagels.
I'm a big fan of the cheese sandwich, their #3 breakfast sandwich and their everything bagels (the tastiest I've had around here). I also like their lox sandwich, but I get it with cucumbers added on.
The people that work there are nice, it's always warm and cozy and you can get lunch or breakfast for under $5 in a span of five minutes. The only drawback is that it's cash only.
Had my first experience with Katz this morning on my walk into the office. I was craving a bagel and decided to try the bagel with egg, cheese and sausage. It was just as I expected and the price was reasonable at a little over $4. I think I will make Katz a weekly stop or until I find some place that is better and closer to Yelp HQ.
Get one of their whole wheat bagels topped with lots of turkey and other fun fill-ins along with pesto cream-cheese.
Though don't breathe on anyone afterwards for at least a day.
The staff are always on top of things. Always. Even on a busy morning, such as today. And they… Read more »
Dear Katz Bagels,
I want you to know how much your bagels and smears mean to me. I woke up this morning groggy and still feeling sick, which I am so over being!
I knew that I had to go to work for a few reasons, my time sheet so I can get paid but mainly because I knew that your bagels would be awaiting me in my office. I came in and you were the first thing I went for, along with dill, tomatoes and cucumbers.... you really made my morning better.
Then my C*$T room mate bugged me again and I was so over it I began to cry. My cube mate JT, as I refer to her, gave me a hug and again all I could think about was your bagels, so I had the other half. I have hardly been able to eat this week but your bagel went down wonderfully and I am now able to take my medicine with out feeling ill after.
Thanks Katz Bagels,
You made my morning, my sickness and my life all seem OK.
THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If your bagels had not been in my office, I would not have come in.
Best bagels in SF - at least that I've found.
13 bagels, 1 large tub plain, 1 small tub flavored = $13.55
I was sorely tempted to open a new business listing for "Julia Pizza" after seeing the prominent new logo on the Katz Bagel sign. However, since it's the same storefront, counter, cashier, and staff, I thought that might be stooping a little low just for a FTR.
Nonetheless, this new/expanded option is a welcome addition to the area, as the only other pizza nearby I've found is EFNY. The Julia Pizza / Katz Bagel pizza was quite good--large, thin-crust slices you could certainly fold over. I normally prefer thicker crust, but this was darn good. Prices are excellent given the size and load of toppings used. They range from $2.25 for just cheese to $3.25 for the Greek (tomato, onion, pesto, and kalamata olive). I tried the Greek and also a slice of Mission (pepperoni, sausage, onion, and kalamata olives). The Mission was only slightly greasy, but the pepperoni they use is mild to the point of nearly being bland. Fortunately, the sauce has enough kick to make up for it. Slices were warmed up in a large oven before being served, which gave me time to enjoy watching a cook hand-toss the dough for the next pie.
As noted, they're cash-only. Given the limited seating, take-out is usually your best option.
TRIVIA: The New York (or Neapolitan) style thin-crust pizza is the closest American style to the traditional Italian origin of pizza. In Italy, there are VERY specific rules about what qualifies as "pizza napoletana" and these rules are established and monitored by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. Apparently they borrowed a lesson from the French of the Champagne-region.
My initial excitement at finding a bagel that actually tasted something like a bagel may have led me to be overly generous with Katz. Now that it's become a regular breakfast stop, I can't in good conscience leave it at 4 stars. Last week I deviated from my usual egg & cheese to try the veggie cream cheese -- since when does "veggie cream cheese" mean "cream cheese with some flakes of carrot in it"? Please.
I'd still recommend Katz as one of the best bagel places in the Bay Area, but it's just not a 4-star joint. The New Yorker in me won't let me pretend this is what a great bagel shop ought to be.
P.S. Kudos to them on getting me in and out in 5 minutes even when there's a line out the door. They'd be a 3.5 for that alone if I could make that happen.
I don't mean to sound like a condescending New Yorker -- okay hold on, yes I do. Anyone who thinks… Read more »
Oooookay....... so, I'm a breakfast bagel freak - not a big cheesy sausagey type... but the loaded with veggies type. I'd been watching a coworker walk in every morning with a delicious looking bagel ensemble everyday for months before asking her where she goes - Katz, she says. So I go...
I walked in just in time to avoid a line - it was out the door by the time I left - but the service was extremely fast, which is much appreciated when it's 855am and you're on your way to work! I ordered my standard everything bagel w/ CC, tomato, cucumber and sprouts....
OOOooooh the anticipation while I walk to work!!!
I get here, open it up, and it was well prepared... but the bagels are quite small, are they not? And a lot of it was soggy... I mean...I really wanted to like it - but I don't know.... I just had a hard time enjoying it. The sprouts were soggy and it was hard to eat.
*Insert longggggggg dramatic sigh*
Oh Katz, I just wish you were better at making my breakfast bagel. I may be back, but only for a simple bagel w/ cc.
I love katz bagels, I was a regular there for about a year until my studies no longer brought me to the FIDI!
There is nothing that i can say about their wonderful bagels that hasn't already been expressed in the 8 reviews before mine.
The people behind the counter are awesome, and know what the hell they are doing, no messing around here.
All their bagels are just so yummy, and they even carry salt bagels, which are my favorite, yes I know I will die young, but they are so damn good, then top it off with a little butter and some sprouts and I am one happy girl....
If you like a NY style bagel with fresh toppings and fast service there is not better place in the Financial District than Katz.
Pssssssssssssssssst....
So check it out. Say you work in the FiDi, you are starving, you might even be a tad hungover (Not that I would ever be because I am a nice girl who never parties during the week. Yep, that's me pure as the yellow driven snow), and in need for some grub that will refuel ya and bring ya back to a functioning point again. Where do you go? Well, you could hit up Working Girls, you could go to Harvest & Row, you could even hit up the San Francisco Soup Company, but eff all that noise, you need to get your butt to KATZ!!
Did you know that they have pizza now? And I'm not just talkin pizza, like oh look, some bread with some cheese and sauce on it, I mean deelish, New York floppy crust, fallin all over the plate pizza that is fantastic! We ordered a slice and it was the kind of place that immediately made me drift off into pizza la la land and imagine a place where I could eat an entire pie of theirs and not gain and ounce. Yes, this place doesn't exist, but i would take one for the bigger booty team and chow down here anytime!
Highly recommended! Just be sure to get one that is just hot out of the oven, that's the key ;)
Rolled in at 9:15am, ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese. Friendly service, the people there were nice and smiley. Coffee was good of course, like all the other spots around town. The pizza oven smelled pretty good. The everything bagel had salt on it, which kind of ruins it sometimes, makes me feel like I'm eating while swimming in the ocean. Otherwise a decent place.
Went to order some pizza's for a company meeting, the people were very nice and made our 5 large pizzas within half an hour, maybe faster, but allowed us to pick up at 12pm when we ordered at 11am. The pizza is good, the sauce is fantastic on it, and there wasn't too much cheese. Good stuff =) No swimming in the ocean while eating pizza there.
Typical, inexpensive bagel shop with fast service. They have a large variety of different kinds, and an excellent selection of spreads. I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes for my order.
Their Yogurt/Granola mix is good too, but annoyingly difficult to mix together.
Bagels are okay, but the cream cheese smears....Yummmy! Prices are pretty reasonable too! Their lox spread actually has chunks of smoked salmon and green onions mixed into their spread unlike "NOHAS" which pretty much says it all. Noah's bagels no has anything for twice the price I paid at Katz's. I'm sticking with Katz's smears.
Best pizza in Financial District (during lunch, at least).
Good luck getting one, they sell out in a nanosecond (officially, a picosecond).
Delicious bagels- the best in SF.
Bagels are much better in NYC, but it really adds to the commute time to make it 3000 miles and back every morning before work.
This place is awesome. They have a huge selection of bagels to choose from, I just had salt the other day and if you're a salt lover , then you'll love this; if not a big salt fan, stick to something else.
The key thing about Katz is the spreads. I'm on a mission to try them all; here is the start of my list:
Garlic Pesto: My favorite by far. How can you not love garlic and pesto at any time of the day? The morning time is the right way to get your breath on the wrong foot with this lovely combo. I'm sure mine stinks from all the coffee I consume all day. When I taste it, it's like somebody made a cream cheese spread with the dipping sauce from the Stinking Rose.
Cucumber Dill: This one is good. It reminds me of the Persian yogurt with dill and cucumber, gormeh sabzie (I can't spell in English, how you think I would spell a Farsi word in English?) It's good but not the best. It's a cool and refreshing spread that won't leave your breath to the dogs.
Sundried Tomato: Quite Standard Really. Nothing too special, tastes like other spreads with the similar name.
Honey Date: Now I know what you're thinking, because I thought it too, "I used to love honey when I was a kid and the only one I know who's liked dates is my grandpa". So why would I, as a guy in his mid-20's (embracing that term as long as I can) want something that a kid or an old fart would like. BECAUSE IT'S EFFING GREAT! This tastes like the cream cheese you put on a cinnamon roll, but a little less sweet and a touch of honey. It's creamy, it's delicious, and it was made for the Cinnamon Rasin Bagel (which I happened to get). It's giving the Pesto Garlic a run for it's money.
Chives: With all the other flavors, this chive seems bland. But it's good if you're looking for chives on your bagel.
What a kooky storefront. It has an elaborate hamburger UFO flying off of the sign. Inside isn't as zany as the front, instead it's a clean and composed restaurant. They served bagels, pizza, and a bunch of other stuff I didn't have to time to look over.
I ordered a slice of their ham and pineapple pizza ($3.25). Man was it good. I wasn't expecting much, but the crust and sauce were really tasty. The crust isn't really thin like New York style, but it's not as thick as a Sabarro's pizza. The bread is soft on the face side and crispy on the outside. The crust is very good as well. Almost pretzel like, but not? I just wish there was more pineapple and ham, but that just may be preference.
A nice surprise. Next time I'll try out their bagels.
IMHO, Katz bagels are better than Noah's. Sure, Katz's are smaller than theirs, but sometimes size doesn't matter. Besides if I ever want something bigger, I can always order the "twist" which would fill me up all the way until past lunch time...
Every morning this place always smells like everything bagel! Which is pretty much a combo of garlic and onion. Not that I'm complaining, but this means that (if you're like me and) if you're craving for a sweet breakfast, you're gonna need someone else to fetch that bagel with honey date cream cheese for you. Because if you don't you're bound to fall for the everything bagel with onion chive once again.
Bagels with cream cheese are $2.50 a pop. Breakfast bagels are about $3.50 - $3.95. That's probably pretty reasonable, ya? But if you're like me, it's kind of a treat because I really don't want to spend $3 each day for breakfast.
Oh they also sell the bagels by the dozen and the cream cheese by the small tubfuls. Probably a lot cheaper that way.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bagels
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Bagels
Neighborhood: SOMA
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