Nestled in a corner of Palo Alto’s California Avenue lies a shop with bold white words spelling out “Izzy’s
Brooklyn Bagels.” This gem brings East Coast Jewish deli to the Bay Area and has been a favorite among locals, offering traditional Jewish-American foods that melt in your mouth.

As the name suggests, bagels are the heart of Izzy’s, baked fresh at the beginning of each day. They are dense, flavorful and come in a variety of flavors, ranging from a regular bagel all the way to garlic and chocolate chip. Not only do they have a variety of bagels, but they also offer a schmear to go along with each, priced at $1.95. Each combination is delicious, but especially the lox and cream cheese bagel piled high with silky Nova lox, red onions, capers and whipped cream cheese. It’s a fun Build- A-Bear, but with food!

If you’re ever craving something warm, their egg and cheese bagel for $6.95 will be your perfect comfort food, with the egg melted deliciously on your choice of meat — or veggie sausage — creating a tasty combination.

Obviously, Izzy’s can’t bring “East Coast Jewish” without classic Jewish foods. Their babka is braided with a generous chocolate layer — each bite makes you want another. They have other baked goods such as a crescent-shaped rugelach, all little nods to Jewish deli dessert staples.

For those wanting to explore the options at Izzy’s, they offer traditional hot pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, both stacked on rye or your choice of bagel. Each dish comes with potatoes or knishes — potato-filled pastries — and even traditional Jewish foods such as matzo ball soup and latkes — potato pancakes.

Izzy’s is truly a hidden gem. Affordable, welcoming and with a deeply-rooted ode to traditional Jewish food, this bakery blends flavor and familiarity.

As ethnically diverse as it is, Palo Alto shares history with Pakistani and Indian flavors, but few places embody those cultures like Zareen’s. Under a multicultural mural and framed pieces of Pakistani truck art, silver trays bear silken curries, chicken tikka rolls wrapped in buttery paratha and samosas lashed with cumin.

Before you touch your plate, it’s irresistible not to feast your eyes — whether on the complementary chai or your neighbor’s tray of papri chaat crowned with yogurt and tamarind. At Zareen’s, even the vegetarian dishes, often an afterthought elsewhere, are another realm that is equally enjoyable, like the Palak Paneer Thali that features spinach and Indian cheese.

The elements reflect the vision of Zareen Khan, the owner and a South Asian immigrant. Crafting her heritage and cuisine into a culinary empire for the past 10 years, Khan opened a third location in Redwood City in 2020. Still, the Palo Alto location draws high
attraction for families, co-workers and hoodie-clad students as the only location open until midnight daily.

With an abundant blend of sizzling spices and the vibrancy of female-illustrated artwork, Zareen’s is living proof of a myriad of themes, including ethnic cuisine and women’s empowerment.

The Bay Area is home to one of the country’s largest South Asian populations, a community that Zareen’s
serves and represents. By bringing Pakistani and Indian food to the forefront, the eatery has also helped establish these flavors. Every bite at Zareen’s is as authentic as what you would find in the very places that shaped Khan’s family’s journey and continue to inspire her recipes at Zareen’s.