An iconic New York City bagel shop has set the opening date for its first Houston location. H&H Bagels will open this Thursday, September 10, at 2850 Westheimer, the bakery announced on social media.

The bagel shop traces its roots back to 1972, when Helmer Toro and his brother-in-law Hector Hernandez bought Midtown Bagels and rebranded it with the first letter of their names. Since then, H&H has cemented its place in pop culture, earning shout outs in Seinfeld — Kramer was famously on strike from his job there in the same episode that introduced Festivus to the world — Sex and the City, You’ve Got Mail, and others.

CEO Jay Rushin acquired the company in 2014 and set it on a growth path by building a 20,000-square-foot production facility in Queens. Every H&H bagel is boiled, quick frozen, and shipped from the bakery to a growing network of stores around the country, where they’re baked fresh throughout the day. In 2025, H&H announced plans to open 70 stores across the country, including in California, Raleigh, NC, Chicago, and parts of Florida. Houston is the company’s first Texas location.

Look for H&H Bagels in the same shopping center as Relish Restaurant & Bar.H&H Bagels/Facebook

“We’re staying relevant by going national. We don’t think we need to stay in New York to be relevant. We’ve got five operating locations in New York, which is plenty,” Rushin told the On Hand newsletter in October 2025. “But pretty much 100 percent of our focus is growing nationally. We opened our first location outside of New York in Boca Raton last September. We’ve got a whole host of openings over the next six months. So we’ve got a lot going on right now.”

Customers will find a range of bagels options, including classic flavors such as poppy, everything, blueberry, and onion, as well as more modern tastes such as jalapeno cheddar, asiago, and whole wheat everything. Of course, bagels are available for individual purchase, as well as by the dozen. And yes, the shop will slice and toast a customer's bagel.

H&H also sells a number of sandwiches, including the “Classic Bacon, Egg & Cheese,” the company’s top seller, as well as a nova sandwich with cream cheese, tomato, onion, and capers. Other sandwich options include avocado, egg, and cheese; sausage, egg, and cheese; and the Novacoda — lox spread with avocado and onion. Cream cheese options include plain, scallion, spicy scallion, and strawberry.

Beverage choices include coffee, iced coffee, iced tea, orange juice, sodas, and more. The shop evens offers desserts in the form of babka, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.

H&H is only the latest national bagel chain to set its sights on Houston. Earlier this year, PopUp Bagels, a venture capital-backed bakery with East Coast roots and celebrity investors, opened its first Houston location in Town & Country Village. Florida-based shop Jeff’s Bagel Run has already grown to three Houston-area stores, including a Tanglewood location (6401 Woodway Dr.) that opened in July.

As for H&H, it will celebrate its grand opening beginning at 6 am on Thursday morning. The first 250 customers who make a purchase will receive a tote bag with a gift card worth up to $100.