Katz Bagel Bakery: Home of the Original Pizza Bagel Since 1938 |
Three generations of the Katz family continue serving hand-rolled bagels at their original Chelsea location |
At 139 Park Street in Chelsea, Katz Bagel Bakery has been a neighborhood institution for over 85 years. Founded in 1938 by Harry Katz, a skilled baker trained by his uncle, this family-owned shop remains at its original location, now run by Harry's son Richard Katz with help from the third generation, Jimmy and Jeremy. The bakery's claim to fame is the invention of the pizza bagel in the early 1970s. Harry Katz flattened a bagel, closed the hole, added tomato sauce and mozzarella, then baked it to create what would become their signature item. Today, pizza bagels account for roughly half of all sales, with frozen versions available for home baking. The menu features traditional hand-rolled bagels in varieties including plain, egg with poppy seeds, sesame, everything, raisin and cinnamon, blueberry, pumpernickel, and marble. For those seeking something different, the bagel dog wraps an all-beef Vienna Beef hot dog in bagel dough. Spreads range from regular cream cheese to lox and chive, veggie, and scallion options. Beyond bagels, the bakery offers challah bread, babka, chocolate chip cookies, turnovers in apple, raspberry, and blueberry flavors, half moon cookies, and whoopie pies. Special orders like the soft teething bagel for babies are also available. What keeps customers returning is the quality that comes from decades of craftsmanship. Reviewers consistently praise the chew, crust, and flavor that set Katz bagels apart. The bakery has earned recognition from Boston Magazine, WBZ NewsRadio, and the Boston Herald for preserving traditional methods in an age of mass production. Katz Bagel Bakery represents more than a place to grab breakfast. It is a living piece of Chelsea history, where three generations of the Katz family continue serving the community with the same dedication that Harry Katz brought to Park Street over eight decades ago. |
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