It's very kosher

Beloved Houston bagel shop rolls out second location in Bellaire

Houston’s newest bagel shop opens this week. The Bagel Shop Bakery, a sister location to the 45-year old Meyerland original, will begin service on Wednesday, December 30.

Located in a former pawn shop/drug store at 5422 Bellaire Blvd., the new Bagel Shop Bakery is one of three concepts that manager Michael Saghian is opening in the space. Houston Catering Concepts has already begun operating on premises, while a second location of the bakery’s companion New York Deli and Coffee Shop — both of which are co-owned by Saghian — will debut in late spring/early summer 2021.

While Saghian goes to great lengths to emphasize that nothing about the original location of the bagel shop is changing, the new outpost will offer a substantially different experience. For the first time, diners will have the option to purchase bagel sandwiches and other prepared items that can be taken to-go or consumed on a 40-seat patio.

“The biggest thing for us is the bagel shop has been around for 45 years,” Saghian tells CultureMap. “We want to take the warmth and the memories and the meaning behind who we are and open this location with all of that, but offering elevated sandwiches, giving a part of our community the opportunity to eat our bagels, bringing in the old and the new, and continue building on the multi-generational families that come in.”

To help realize that vision, the bagel shop turned to consulting chefs Matt Marcus and Roshni Gurnani, a Chopped champion who will also serve as the executive chef of the deli when it opens later this year. Taking inspiration from both Marcus’ lifetime of eating at the original location and modern Jewish concepts such as New York restaurants Russ & Daughters and Sadelle’s, the duo have crafted a fully kosher of both dairy and pareve (neither milk nor meat) dishes that meet the ultra-stringent standards of the Mehadrin Kashrus of Texas (better known as MKT).

Adhering to this standard, which is compliant with the dietary practices observed by ultra-Orthodox Jews, comes with a whole set of procedures that must be followed and products that must be used. For example, all ingredients must be checked in over video chat with one of the supervising rabbis. Additionally, the cream cheese used on prepared sandwiches comes from a MKT-approved producer and is different than the cream cheese the bagel shop makes and sells for retail-style to-go.

For those who either don’t keep kosher, the most practical manifestation of following those rules will be that the bagel shop will not serve any meat products. That means Marcus and Gurnani had to get creative to develop non-meat containing takes on classic sandwiches and starters such as matzo ball soup.

“We’re taking the traditional Jewish recipes and being able to offer them in a vegan environment. It’s elevating that menu, offering a lox and bagel and making it a wow factor,” Gurnani says.

In addition to bagels and lox, the menu includes a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg, cheddar cheese, and vegetables. Avocado toast is present and accounted for, along with a pizza bagel that can be topped with cheese or vegetables. Some of the more creative options include a housemade falafel burger, a pastrami salmon Reuben sandwich, and latkes topped with smoked salmon. Both dairy and pareve desserts will be available, which means observant Jews can enjoy a cake pop after a meaty meal. A full lineup of coffee and espresso beverages will provide customers with their daily caffeine fix.

“We’re hoping to do modern takes on Jewish food,” Marcus says. “It’s going to be something really cool and really special for the city.”

Those efforts at updating classics will continue in the new coffee shop and deli, which will seat 300 people in a massive, 5,000-square foot space. Saghian offers a few hints, including deli meats that are smoked onsite, tableside sliced nova and lox, and a full liquor license with cocktails. Construction on the space is currently underway, with the goal of opening around May. Unlike the bagel shop, it will not be kosher, so diners will be able to order a bacon cheeseburger. It aims to continue to raise the game for deli-style eating in Houston.

“We’re bringing new recipes to the deli, bringing new ways to present these things,” Gurnani says. “That’s where we’re going from here. Everything will be scratch-made. That’s my forte.”

The new location occupies a converted drug store.

Bagel Shop Bakery Bellaire location exterior

Courtesy of The Bagel Shop Bakery

The new location occupies a converted drug store.

news-you-can-eat openings

New Year's greetings

Chris Shepherd gives thanks for underrated wine and talented Houston doctors

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Chris has been enjoying wines from California's Lodi region.

I know my articles have been a bit scarce these past few months, and I owe you an apology. Life shifted in a big way. In September, my wife Lindsey was diagnosed with breast cancer, and our world narrowed, in the best possible way — to home, health, and the fight in front of us.

The first and most important thing I’m thankful for is early detection and the city we live in. Having MD Anderson here in Houston is a gift I’ll never take lightly. Lindsey is doing great with treatment. She’s an absolute warrior, and this experience has a way of reframing everything. It forces you to look back, take inventory, and find purpose in both the good and the hard. Today, we’re focusing on the good.

I love documenting delicious bottles, great bites, and the people we share them with. Every year, I scroll back through my photos to see if my drinking patterns have changed. The answer? A little, but not dramatically. That’s part of what makes wine so fascinating — it’s alive, always evolving, and so are we.

Chablis and Sangiovese were heavy hitters in 2024 and carried right into 2025. But on the white side, I found myself diving deeper into Aligoté, Burgundy’s other white grape. While Chardonnay is the big dog, Aligoté deserves your attention. Think green apple, citrus, herbal, and floral notes, with bright energy and lift. The real bonus? You can drink Aligoté from top Burgundy producers at a much friendlier price point. It punches well above its weight and belongs on your table.

I’ve also been blown away by Chardonnay from northern Oregon. Early mistakes with clones led to wines that never quite found balance, but producers committed to getting it right with different clones that did much better in cooler sites, with less oak and shorter barrel time. Barrels should be nurturing vessels, not seasoning agents. Producers like North Valley, Soter, and Alexana are making some of the best Chardonnay I’ve had in years, and I am here for it.

This past year also brought new adventures, including a month-long stay in Healdsburg, California in July. With a Southern Smoke event and another trip already planned, we packed up the cats, rented a house, and lived somewhere else for a while. It was magical and something I hope we do again.

While out there, my friend Tegan Passalacqua (Turley Vineyards, Sandlands) invited me to Lodi to taste what’s happening in that region. Lodi has long been known for bulk wine, but the story runs much deeper. Sitting just outside the Sierra Foothills, the region was shaped by massive geological shifts millions of years ago that helped it draw settlers searching for gold in the 1800s. They brought vines with them: Zinfandel, Syrah, and countless lesser-known varieties that are finally getting their moment.

Zinfandel, genetically linked to Tribidrag (Croatia) and Primitivo (Italy), has been thriving there since the 1850s. After its boom in the early 2000s and an era of ultra-ripe, high-alcohol styles it lost some favor. But tastes change. What’s coming from Lodi’s old vines today is refined, balanced, and beautiful.

“Think head-trained, dry-farmed, own-rooted vines — some 100 to 150 years old — producing wines that speak clearly of place,” Passalacqua tells me. His Zins sit around 14.5-percent alcohol, elegant and structured, a far cry from the 16-17-percent monsters of decades past.

One of my newest obsessions is Old Vine Cinsault from the Bechthold Vineyard, planted in 1885. Traditionally a blending grape in southern France, here it shines on its own with bright red fruit and soft tannins — an incredibly crushable wine. If you love lighter Pinot Noir or Gamay, this will make you smile. Look for bottles from Sandlands, Turley, Lorenza, Birichino, and others.

So here’s the takeaway, like always: break down the walls you’ve been drinking behind. Try something new. Aligoté and Lodi aren’t new but they don’t need to be. They just need people willing to make them cool again. Trust me, they’re delicious and deserving.

And in the words of the late, great Jerry Garcia:

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Chris has been enjoying wines from California's Lodi region.

Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own

Happy New Year, team. Never forget to be kind and show love.

chris shepherd wine