Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels

About Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels

Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels is a kosher bagel bakery at 477 South California Avenue, in the California Avenue business district. It bakes bagels and runs a catering business that serves the wider Bay Area. The name points to the New York bagel tradition the shop draws on.

The bakery is supervised by the Vaad Hakashrus of Northern California, a kosher certifying agency. That makes Izzy's useful for kosher households and for anyone organizing an event that needs certified food. The website has a light touch on its own history. Its website quotes a 1960 New York Times line describing a bagel as an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis, which gives you a sense of the shop's sense of humor.

Bagels and the menu

Izzy's says it bakes more than 30 kinds of bagels. The website names many of them:

• Classics: plain, sesame, poppy seed, salt, onion and garlic.
• Whole grain: whole wheat, 100 percent whole wheat, whole wheat sesame, multiseed and rye pumpernickel.
• Flavored: sundried tomato, jalapeño, blueberry and chocolate chip.
• Other shapes: a combo bagel, the flat bagel, the onion bialy and the bagel stick.

The website keeps a separate page of spreads to go with them. Beyond bagels, the featured menu includes several dishes with a Jewish deli flavor. The Lox Gourmet Sandwich comes assembled or deconstructed, so you can build it yourself. There are assorted bourekas and assorted knishes. The shop also lists the Pac-Man Bagel Sandwich and Izzy's Egglette. Menus change, so check the website for the full current list.

Spreads and kosher details

Izzy's mixes all of its cream cheeses itself and says they contain no preservatives. The spreads page lists 16 choices, among them classic cream cheese, lox, cucumber and scallion, veggie, roasted red pepper, walnut raisin, jalapeño, green olive and garlic, black olive, strawberry and blueberry. Low fat versions are available too.

The kosher details are spelled out on the FAQ page. The bagels are kosher, parve and boiled before baking. They contain no preservatives. The cream cheeses are kosher dairy. The shop calls itself a kosher dairy establishment and serves a Cholov Yisroel pizza. Coffee comes with homemade rugelach, also Cholov Yisroel. When we checked, the site noted that Cholov Yisroel cream cheese was not available at the moment, so ask if you need it.

Ordering and catering

You can order at the counter or online through the order link on the website. The spreads can be ordered online as well. For a group, the bakery offers catering and invites inquiries through its events page. Because the bakery is kosher supervised, it can serve guests who need certified food without a separate order. Contact the shop ahead of time for large orders.

Who it suits

Izzy's suits an early breakfast before work, a weekend bagel run or a quick lunch near California Avenue. Kosher diners have a reliable option here. The whole wheat and multiseed bagels give health-minded eaters a choice. It is a daytime shop that closes at 3 p.m., so it does not work for dinner plans.

Vegans have real options here. Izzy's says its bagels are vegan except for the egg bagel. It also stocks Tofutti plain and sour cream style spreads as dairy-free alternatives. The homemade food includes vegan and vegetarian options. Bagels are made from wheat and the website lists no gluten-free items, so this is not a place for people avoiding gluten.

Tips for visiting

• Come in the morning for the widest choice. The shop opens at 7 a.m. every day.
• Holiday hours end at 1 p.m., so plan holiday orders for the morning.
• Buy a dozen to freeze. Bagels keep well when sliced and frozen, then toasted.
• On Sundays, combine a bagel run with the year-round California Avenue farmers market.
• Our California Avenue guide covers the rest of the street. For dinner nearby, Terún is a short walk down the block.

Location and getting there

Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels is at 477 South California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, in the California Avenue area of Palo Alto. Our California Avenue guide covers what else is around.

The nearest train stop is the California Avenue Caltrain station, about 0.3 miles away. That is roughly a 7 minute walk.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 29, 2026.

What is nearby

• Palo Alto Eyeworks, practice, under 0.1 mi
• Christian Science Reading Room, shop, under 0.1 mi
• Citibank El Camino Real, service business, under 0.1 mi
• Lee Aldinger Insurance, firm, under 0.1 mi
• Kali Greek Kitchen, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• College Terrace Library, 0.2 mi
• Bowden Park, 0.4 mi
• Peers Park, 0.4 mi

Other restaurants nearby: La Bodeguita Del Medio (under 0.1 mi); Namaste (under 0.1 mi); Jin Sho (under 0.1 mi); Ramen Kowa (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full restaurants list.

Before you go

• Popular dinner spots in Palo Alto fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so book ahead where the restaurant takes reservations.
• Many kitchens close earlier than in big cities. Plan to order by about 9 p.m. on weeknights unless the posted hours say otherwise.
• If you have allergies or dietary needs, call ahead or check the current menu on the restaurant's website.

About this listing

Checked October 29, 2026 against Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels website; Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels home and info page; Izzy's FAQs; Izzy's spreads. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions