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Palo Alto takes its bagels seriously for a California town. A kosher bakery on California Avenue has made Brooklyn-style bagels for years. A Berkeley bagel company that set out to recreate a lost New York bagel opened at Town & Country Village in late 2022. A San Francisco Jewish deli sells at the Saturday market. For sandwiches, an old-style deli on El Camino Real and a handful of grocery deli counters cover lunch, hikes and picnics.
This guide covers bagel shops, delis and deli counters. Our burgers and sandwiches guide covers sit-down sandwich spots and our bakeries guide covers bread and pastry. Every place below was confirmed through its own website, the market's vendor list or a verified page in our business directory in October 2026.
Bagel shops
Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels, California Avenue
Izzy's is a kosher bagel bakery at 477 South California Avenue, supervised by the Vaad Hakashrus of Northern California. It bakes more than 30 kinds of bagels, plus other shapes such as the flat bagel, the onion bialy and the bagel stick. The menu leans toward Jewish deli comfort food, with lox sandwiches, bourekas and knishes. Izzy's opens early every day and closes in mid-afternoon, with shorter hours on holidays. It also runs a catering business that serves the wider Bay Area.
Boichik Bagels, Town & Country Village
Boichik Bagels began in Berkeley in 2019. Its founder grew up on bagels from H&H Bagels on Manhattan's Upper West Side and spent about five years recreating them at home after H&H closed in 2011. The Palo Alto shop opened in November 2022 and is now one of about a dozen Boichik locations. It sells loose bagels, cream cheese spreads, smoked fish and bagel sandwiches, mostly to go. Same-day and advance orders can be placed online.
Wise Sons at the Saturday market
Wise Sons, a San Francisco Jewish delicatessen founded in 2011, is on the vendor list of the downtown Palo Alto farmers market. The market runs Saturday mornings on Gilman Street year-round. Arrive early if you want bagels, since popular items can sell out. Our farmers markets guide covers parking.
Palo Alto Cafe, Middlefield Road
Palo Alto Cafe is a family-owned Midtown cafe that has roasted its own coffee since 1996. It is not a bagel bakery, but its breakfast menu includes a lox bagel and a veggie bagel alongside omelets and smoothies. It is a handy stop in Midtown before a bike ride or a day at Mitchell Park.
New York, Brooklyn or Montreal?
Bagel arguments are mostly about texture. A few terms help.
- New York style. Boiled, then baked. A shiny, chewy crust and a dense crumb. Boichik's whole model is built on this.
- Brooklyn style. A loose label for a big, chewy New York bagel. Izzy's uses it in its name.
- Montreal style. Smaller and sweeter, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood oven. Neither Palo Alto shop makes it.
- Bialy. A flat roll with a dimple of onion instead of a hole. It is baked, not boiled. Izzy's sells an onion bialy.
- Lox and nova. Lox is salt-cured salmon. Nova is cold-smoked. Most shops use the words loosely, so ask if it matters to you.
Sandwich delis
Driftwood Deli and Market, El Camino Real
Driftwood calls itself "an old style deli" for Palo Alto, Stanford, Mountain View and Menlo Park. It pairs made-to-order sandwiches with a small grocery, an espresso bar and ice cream. House favorites listed on its site include a California Club with turkey, bacon and avocado, a turkey and pesto sandwich and a Vegetarian Delight with avocado, artichoke, sprouts and cucumber. Dutch Crunch, the crackly-topped Bay Area roll, is one of the bread choices. Driftwood handles large sandwich orders for events. Its posted hours cover Monday through Saturday.
El Merkat, Town & Country Village
El Merkat is the small Spanish market run by Telefèric Barcelona next door. It sells imported olive oils, Manchego and other cheeses, ibérico ham, conservas and paella kits. It is the place in town for Spanish deli items. Our Spanish food guide covers the restaurant itself.
Grocery deli counters
Several Palo Alto grocers run full delis. They are often the easiest way to feed a group or build a picnic.
- Piazza's Fine Foods, Charleston Shopping Center. A family grocery founded by John Piazza in 1979. The butchers make sausages by hand and the deli makes sandwiches to order.
- The Market at Edgewood, Edgewood Plaza. A family-owned market with a butcher, a cheese counter, a bakery and a deli that caters everything from sandwich trays to hot entrees.
- Real Produce International Market, 501 Oxford Ave. Its in-store Real Mediterranean Kitchen makes falafel, shawarma, wraps and sandwiches. The deli case holds hummus, baba ghanoush, olives and cheeses.
- Mollie Stone's, California Avenue. A full-service supermarket with deli, butcher and bakery counters a few minutes from the Cal Ave shops.
- Whole Foods Market, 774 Emerson St. A large prepared-food department with a sandwich counter and sushi.
The downtown Saturday market adds Fabrique Delices, a French charcuterie maker founded in 1985, to the list. Its charcuterie and cheeses go well with a market baguette.
A note on Village Cheese House
Longtime residents still talk about the Village Cheese House at Town & Country Village, which made sandwiches from 1959 until 2019. Boichik Bagels and El Merkat are the deli-style counters in the center today.
Building a deli picnic
- Start with bread or bagels. Boichik or Izzy's for bagels. A deli roll from Driftwood or Piazza's for sandwiches.
- Add something cured. Ibérico ham from El Merkat or charcuterie from the Saturday market.
- Pick a cheese. Piazza's, The Market at Edgewood and Mollie Stone's all have cheese counters.
- Grab sides. Hummus and olives from Real Produce or salads from a grocery deli case.
- Head to a park. Our picnic spots guide lists shaded lawns and tables.
Bagels and delis by area
Where you are staying or working usually decides the shop.
- Near Stanford. Boichik and El Merkat at Town & Country Village are across El Camino Real from campus and Palo Alto High School.
- California Avenue. Izzy's and Mollie Stone's are a short walk from the California Avenue Caltrain station. Real Produce is a few blocks away on Oxford Avenue.
- Downtown. Whole Foods on Emerson Street on weekdays and Wise Sons at the Saturday market.
- Midtown and south Palo Alto. Palo Alto Cafe, Piazza's and Driftwood on El Camino Real.
- North of downtown. The Market at Edgewood, near the Embarcadero Road exit from Highway 101.
Tips
- Go early on weekends. Bagel shops are busiest on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Popular flavors run out.
- Freeze extras. Slice bagels before freezing so you can toast them straight from the freezer.
- Order ahead for offices. Izzy's and Boichik both handle catering platters. Driftwood takes large sandwich orders.
- Check kosher needs. Izzy's is the certified kosher option. Other shops are not under supervision.
- Mind the afternoon. Bagel shops close by mid-afternoon. Plan bagels for breakfast or lunch.
Good to know
- Izzy's has shorter hours on holidays.
- Driftwood lists no Sunday hours.
- Town & Country Village has its own parking lots, which makes Boichik and El Merkat easy stops by car.
- For breakfast spots with table service, see our breakfast guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy bagels in Palo Alto?
Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels at 477 South California Avenue bakes more than 30 kinds of kosher bagels. Boichik Bagels at Town & Country Village makes New York style bagels modeled on the old H&H Bagels. Wise Sons sells bagels at the downtown Saturday farmers market.
Is there a kosher bagel shop in Palo Alto?
Yes. Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels is supervised by the Vaad Hakashrus of Northern California. It sells bagels, lox sandwiches, bourekas and knishes and caters events.
Is there a Jewish deli in Palo Alto?
Wise Sons, the San Francisco Jewish delicatessen founded in 2011, is on the vendor list of the downtown Palo Alto farmers market on Saturday mornings. Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels also serves several deli-style dishes alongside its bagels.
Where can I get a deli sandwich in Palo Alto?
Driftwood Deli and Market on El Camino Real calls itself an old style deli and makes sandwiches to order. Piazza's Fine Foods in the Charleston Shopping Center and The Market at Edgewood both have full deli counters that make sandwiches.
Can I order bagel platters for a meeting in Palo Alto?
Yes. Izzy's caters events across the Bay Area and Boichik takes same-day and advance online orders, including catering platters. Driftwood takes sandwich orders for large groups.