Occasionally, I find myself waking up with a hankering for Katz Bagels. There are a few locations around SF, but I’m most familiar with their Lower Haight location.
Left: Back Patio seating, Right: Store front
The interior is a no frill, charming, almost Mediterranean style coffee shop, with heavy wooden doors, bright orange walls, and rustic floor tiles. What makes this such a sweet weekend spot is their back garden patio. Although I’ve never actually explored around outside, the ambiance and view are just the things to ease you into the day. Just be careful of what time you plan to go– their lines can run out the door during the morning rush.
Katz has some pretty basic fare such as coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and other morning sides. They are by no means the best bagel shop ever (I don’t think they’re trying to be), but they do have one heck of a Jalapeno bagel that I often crave.
Top: Jalapeno bagel w/ jalapeno cream cheese, Bottom: Breakfast sandwich on a jalapeno bagel w/ house poatoes
Ode to a jalapeno bagel:
Oh jalapeno bagel, how your red pepper flake-crusted shell, bubbled and crisp from the oven, makes my morning shine. With a spread of fresh jalapeno cream cheese, the soothe and burn of that first bite is pure delight. Chewy, dense, and spicy, I devour with reckless disregard of your calories, fat, and carbs. I don’t mind that you’re equivalent to 5 slices of bread, you are the only local bagel that satisfies my spice-loving palate!
Excuse my dramatic description, but that bagel is truly something else. Alex prefers something a little heartier than a regular bagel with schmear, so he frequently opts for the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (on a jalapeno bagel, of course). We also recently discovered their house potatoes which are roasted to perfection and heavily seasoned with rosemary.
A cozy weekend spot with a quaint patio plus a champion bagel– I think that fits the bill for frequent visits.
