City Bites: Holy Bagel

A look behind the scenes at Israel’s top American-style bagel chain, which has quickly become a favorite American olim.

By ITRAVELJERUSALEM TEAM
Holy Bagel (photo credit: Courtesy of ITRAVELJERUSALEM TEAM)
Holy Bagel
(photo credit: Courtesy of ITRAVELJERUSALEM TEAM)
iTravelJerusalem’s latest CITYbites video takes you behind the scenes, to the bagel-making machines at Holy Bagel’s Talpiot headquarters. See the entire process, from start to finish: the making of the dough, boiling and baking the bagels, and finally sending them out to the restaurant. In between, catch glimpses of some mouth-watering desserts coming into being with the help of Holy Bagel’s skilled bakers.
Established in Jerusalem in 1999, Holy Bagel is Israel’s top American-style bagel chain, serving up a variety of bagels, salads, muffins, pastries and baked goods, and of course, great coffee. Holy Bagel also provides full-service catering for events all over the country, as well as a variety of take-away platters for smaller events. The options range in price from about NIS 90 for vegetable platters to NIS-240 fish or cheese platters.
With five restaurants in Jerusalem and branches in Modi’in, Ramat Beit Shemesh and Ra’anana, Holy Bagel has become a favorite of American olim, who long for a taste of the old country, and has introduced many Israelis to the joys of this quintessential New York food. Holy Bagel is largely responsible for bagels becoming a staple in Jerusalem, with many people stopping by to pick up a sandwich and a steaming hot latte (the beans are roasted in-house) on their way to work, or dipping out for a bite on their lunch break.
The superb lineup of bagels and spreads is augmented by lots of great hot food, including quiches, lasagnas, soup and fish. Sit-down breakfast options include omelets and pancakes, all of which can be ordered for events. There’s no better way to celebrate a brit or any other joyous occasion than with an American-style brunch, and no one can deliver an authentic East Coast-style spread like Holy Bagel.
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