Houston’s increasingly crowded bagel scene is about to get a taste of New York.
H&H Bagels, the longtime Manhattan bagel shop whose pop-culture résumé includes appearances on Seinfeld, The Office, and Sex and the City, will open its first Texas location on Thursday, September 10, at 2850 Westheimer Road in River Oaks.
The Houston debut marks another step in H&H’s expansion beyond New York, where the company currently operates seven locations. The brand has also recently ventured into markets including Florida, California, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and North Carolina. For Houston, though, the connection to New York runs deeper than the bagels.
Local franchise owner Noman Khan was born and raised in New York and has ties to Houston, where he and his family have lived for more than a decade. A longtime H&H customer whose family previously lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Khan is bringing a familiar taste from home to his adopted city.
Founded on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1972, H&H has built its reputation around its New York-style water bagels. The company has continued to use its original recipe and preparation method for more than 50 years, proofing and kettle-boiling its bagels in New York City water before baking them fresh throughout the day at its shops. That attention extends beyond the bagels themselves: H&H uses unbromated and unbleached flour, non-GMO ingredients, and no artificial preservatives. Eggs are cracked fresh, avocados are sliced to order, Nova salmon is cold-smoked over hardwood without preservatives, and the thick-cut bacon is nitrate-free.
Houston will get the same menu found at H&H’s other locations, which means a menu of classic bagels in varieties like everything, sesame, cinnamon raisin, pumpernickel, egg, jalapeño cheddar, and whole wheat, along with cream cheese spreads ranging from scallion and veggie to spicy scallion and strawberry. The shop will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving early risers plenty of time to grab the quintessential bacon, egg, and cheese, as well as Nova salmon with “The Works,” dressed with the traditional lineup of tomato, onion, capers, and lemon.
Lunch leans into specialty sandwiches, including the Southwest Turkey with bacon, avocado, pepper jack, and Southwest sauce. The meat-free Gardener layers veggie cream cheese with avocado, tomato, and cucumber.
H&H is bringing its catering program to Houston, too, including display-ready boxes packed with bagels and spreads, Nova salmon and its accompaniments, breakfast sandwiches, or specialty sandwiches for larger groups.
The company has been led since 2014 by CEO Jay Rushin, who has overseen H&H’s growth in New York and its push into franchising nationally. His connection to the company predates his tenure: Rushin’s father-in-law joined H&H in the late 1980s.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring H&H Bagels to Texas,” Rushin said in a statement. “The responses to our recent openings around the country have been amazing, and we can’t wait to share an authentic taste of New York with the Houston community.”
There is an incentive to get there early on opening day. The first 250 customers to arrive this Thursday will receive an H&H tote bag containing a gift card valued between $5 and $100.
After that, Houstonians can decide for themselves how a New York institution stacks up in a city that has developed some serious bagel opinions of its own.
H&H Bagels, 2850 Westheimer Rd., Houston, hhbagels.com
