Just Desserts

The line is onto the sidewalk at Schlok's on
Fell St. in San Francisco (Chron photo)

A lifetime of poor eating habits caught up with me last August when I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. That means I'm going to have to engage very sparingly in a high-carb trend in Bay Area restaurants.

Overwhelming demand for Bay Area bagels is driving a new wave of expansion

The bagel demand is unceasing — and not just at this particular shop [Schlok's] but all over the Bay Area.

All of the hype is fueling serious growth: Nearly all of the Bay Area’s bagel pop-ups, many born during the pandemic, have opened or announced plans for their first permanent shops, including Schlok’s, Poppy Bagels in Oakland, Paulie’s Bagels in Napa and Ethel’s Bagels in Petaluma. Berkeley’s nationally renowned Boichik Bagels, meanwhile, is building a massive bagel factory and adding a second location on the Peninsula. Even Michelin-starred chefs are getting in on the bagel game.

I had my first toasted bagel after the first legal beer (the drinking age was then 18). A Jewish roommate introduced me to the wondrous toppings of lox, capers, and cream cheese, and that became the personal template for bagel bliss.

Today the growth in demand and the competition among suppliers have resulted in a burst of bagel innovation. I'll only be able to sample a small part of that revolution and have only myself to blame.

(Image from Schlok's website)