Our Story:

On a crisp autumn morning in 1996, Izzy awoke at the crack of dawn to bring a new tradition to Palo Alto. That morning, he began fulfilling his dream of recreating a family recipe by starting his first batch of authentic bagels. He boiled the bagels, rolled them in seeds, and baked them to a golden-brown gloss. He whipped fresh cream cheese until it surrendered a rich creaminess. And then, with much taste testing, he assembled the perfect bagel sandwich. Today, using this very same recipe imported to America from Eastern Europe, we keep Izzy’s dream alive. At Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels, we bring you a taste of an old world tradition fresh every day.

How They’re Made?

“Unassimilated bagels.” These are bagels the way there were in the good old days and the way they must be if they are to be the best. First, without giving away our secrets, bagels are formed before the dough rises, are allowed to rise naturally NOT “force-proofed,” and, after certain proprietary steps, are then boiled and baked.
“Assimilated bagels”—those prepared for ultimate efficiency of production--are a much faster food, and while they can be quite good, they won’t taste the same as Izzy’s bagels, and, for a true lover of bagels, their taste and texture won’t be as good.

How did the bagel get its name?

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, bagel comes from beygel, in Yiddish, the language derived from High German dialects –judisch diutsch {“Jewish German”), written in Hebrew characters, and spoken chiefly in eastern European Jewish communities and where emigrants from these communities have settled throughout the world. The word ultimately derives from Middle High German bouc, or Old High German hous, which both mean "ring." But there’s also a legend that bagel derives from beugal [stirrup], which also has a circular shape.