A bag of warm bagels is a respectable contribution to almost any gathering. So is a chocolate babka, although that requires resisting it on the way over. These Jewish eateries in Boston and nearby towns cover bakeries, delis and bagel shops, with options for a sit-down meal or a very well-stocked kitchen.
The list includes Jewish-style food and contemporary bagel makers as well as kosher bakeries. Those categories are not interchangeable. If you keep kosher, check the establishment’s current certification before ordering. For everyone choosing by appetite, start with the bread, the smoked fish or the sandwich you would cross town to eat.
Inna’s Kitchen
Inna’s Kitchen now operates its Culinaria at 547 Commonwealth Avenue in Newton. Think soups and entrées for your freezer, deli salads and baked goods to bring home. It is a prepared-food stop rather than a place to settle in for restaurant service.
The kitchen is dedicated gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free, and is kosher pareve under Lighthouse Kosher. Check the retail ordering schedule before going; fresh selections and frozen-food pickup do not follow the same timetable.
Kupel’s Bakery
Kupel’s in Brookline covers both the breakfast bag and the entire breakfast meeting. Bagels, cream cheese and pastries are the starting point, with whitefish salad, lox and toppings available for a bigger spread. The bakery’s catering options also include rugelach, sugar kichels, macaroons and assorted Danish. For a gathering, order the bagels sliced and let people assemble their own plates.
Katz Bagel Bakery
Katz Bagel Bakery on Park Street in Chelsea has been family-run since 1938. Its pizza bagel puts tomato sauce and mozzarella on the bakery’s own dough, while the bagel dog wraps an all-beef frank inside it. Neither requires much explanation once you see it.
The menu also includes pumpernickel, sesame and everything bagels, plus lox-and-chive cream cheese. Choose a few different kinds if you are bringing a bag home.
Rosenfeld’s Bagels
Rosenfeld’s has been baking in Newton since 1973. At its Centre Street shop, boiled New York-style bagels share the counter with handmade challah, chocolate babka and hand-mixed spreads. Smoked fish and catering are available, too. It is a useful stop when you want breakfast now and bread for later; check the bakery’s opening days before making the trip, since it closes on Mondays.
Bagelsaurus
Bagelsaurus in Cambridge gives its sourdough bagels a long fermentation before boiling and baking them. The result is the crackly crust the shop is known for. The menu goes beyond plain cream cheese: try honey-rosemary spread, or choose a hot-smoked salmon sandwich with pickled red cabbage and dill. Weekend preorders are worth checking if you need a larger quantity rather than whichever flavors remain when you arrive.
Bagel Guild
Bagel Guild at Boston Public Market makes sourdough bagels with freshly milled grain from Holyoke. Scallion-chive cream cheese, smoked beet hummus and smoked salmon give you several directions to take breakfast. Some bagel flavors have their own schedules, including rosemary rye on Fridays. The shop stops making sandwiches at 3 p.m., before its closing time, so do not leave your lunch order until the market visit is almost over.
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Bakey – Boston Common
151 Tremont Street, Downtown
Bakey’s Boston Common shop is a place to buy babka by the slice or commit to the whole loaf. The chocolate version includes hazelnut praline; cinnamon is another choice. Challah and feta-filled cheese bourekas put something savory in the bag, too. At 151 Tremont Street, it is an easy bakery stop before a walk across the Common, with coffee available if you are making breakfast of it.
Blacker’s Bakeshop
Blacker’s in Newton is a kosher pareve, nut-free bakery with chocolate, apple and apricot babka, several kinds of challah and vegan rugelach. The daily menu also lists half moons and whoopie pies. Holiday baking has its own schedule, so check ahead for round challah, hamantaschen or sufganiyot. A box of mixed pastries lets everyone choose; a loaf of babka is considerably harder to divide fairly.
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Mamaleh’s Delicatessen
15 Hampshire Street, Cambridge
Mamaleh’s in Cambridge serves pastrami and corned beef on marble rye with mustard, along with knishes, chopped liver and pickles. The 50/50 sandwich solves the problem of choosing between those two meats. There is also a Brookline location, but the hours differ, so select the right shop when planning a meal or placing an order. This is the deli choice for a sandwich and several small things to share.
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Zaftigs Delicatessen
335 Harvard Street, Brookline
Zaftigs in Brookline serves breakfast all day, which makes the decision about when to eat matzo brei pleasantly simple. The menu pairs it with cinnamon sugar; other choices include challah French toast, smoked fish plates and brisket Benedict on potato pancakes. For lunch, there are Reubens, knishes and chicken matzo ball soup. Bring a payment card or cash: the restaurant says it does not accept Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Michael’s Deli
Reader Ed recommended Michael’s Deli in Brookline, and the sandwich menu gives you plenty to consider. Its corned beef Reuben comes on pumpernickel with Swiss, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. Romanian pastrami, brisket, tongue and chopped liver are other choices, with house-made knishes and noodle kugel on the side. There is a half-sandwich-and-soup section if that sounds closer to the lunch you had in mind.
Choosing among these Jewish eateries in Boston
For a full meal at a table, start with Mamaleh’s or Zaftigs. For bread and pastries to bring home, look at the bakeries and order ahead for holidays. Inna’s is especially useful for prepared food you can heat at home. If you need more breakfast choices, our Boston brunch guide includes diners, dim sum and weekend restaurant menus.