Happy September from Bageltopia!

As we head back into our scholastic year, we are reminded of all the things we are grateful for. Living in beautiful Berkeley, California, it is easy to forget how lucky we are. The sun is shining and the bees on the roof of Bageltopia are buzzing. We have experienced our busiest summer season ever- and are entering the final quarter of 2026 ready to crush out some delicious bagels and meet all of the new class of '30 Berkeley students!

Pizza Fest Wrap Up

We had a fantastic time at the San Francisco Pizza, Bagel Beer Festival! What an amazing event put on by some of the legends of contemporary Bay Area food. Tony Gemiani curates an incredible community of carbohydrates, and we planned ahead to ensure that we were flexing our bagel muscle against so many of our bagel peers. We could not even keep the bagels on the table! As soon as we were able to make them, groups of ravenous attendees pounced and consumed them immediately.

The Sushinova, our take on the flavor profile of Japanese inspired sushi, was incredibly popular. People were allegedly "swarming" the table at the Pizza fest interested in trying the flavors and complex toppings of the Sushinova. Some people even took two. For us, it just looked like hands grabbing out of the mist. The Sushinova is a delicious and reliable treat, a must have at Bageltopia, and is available every day for your purchase and enjoyment.

We were also proud to feature our August special bagel sandwich, the Tuscano, for everyone to try. The Tuscano sandwich was inspired by the incredible sandwiches you might find at the legendary Florentinian focaccia sandwich shop, Al' Antico Vinaio. For the sandwich we created a Pistachio Cream Cheese which formed the base of the sandwich. On top of that we added Duck Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Eggplant and Arugula. It was so delicious. Fest attendees were shocked to learn that we were offering both duck and salmon on our bagel sandwiches. Truth is we were happy to share! In addition to our meat sandos, for the vegetarians, we offered our Pistachio Cream Cheese and our old time favorite, the Caper Dill Cream Cheese.

We are looking forward to next year when we can run it back with Tony G. and all the other incredible establishments in the bay area!

Catering

We are revitalizing our Catering operation here at Bageltopia, utilizing some of the feedback we received from our customers to optimize the experience of buying Bageltopia for special events, weddings, office parties and when you might need a box of bagels to feed 12 of your friends. We are going to be spreading the love around Berkeley as well, distributing sample boxes of 6 bagels with sampler cream cheeses to our fellow businesses, organizations, offices and manufacturers of the East Bay! Keep an eye out for the Bagel Box!

More info is available on our revamped Catering Page (link here)

KALX

By the way, we love music, and we are big supporters of the KALX community. They are having their infosession this Wednesday September 9th, remember to support your local Freeform Community Radio!

September Specials

Special Bagel: Berbere Bagel

First Question
How do you even pronounce this?

We pronounce it "Ber-Beh-Rae" and we hope that you enjoy the tongue twister! The second "e" in the word is more of an "eh" than an "eeee" if that helps? Regardless, Berbere means "hot" or "pepper" in the Amharic language. But to be honest "hot" over simplifies this complex and enlightened spice blend

Our Berbere spice is inspired by the Etriean origins of the spice itself - mingling a centuries old spice tradition with our contemporary bagel offerings. It is truly a complex flavor, its spicy, its hot and warm and savory and the cayenne pepper gives it a heat that makes you feel flush in your cheeks. Paired with some of our spreads it is quite a unique bagel sandwich, try it toasted with butter to start so you can really experience the Berbere flavor on its own!

Second Question:

Why is this complex flavor so delicious, slightly spicy and perfectly paired with our other two specials of the month? Great question.

The answer lies within the blended Subtle flavors of chili peppers, garlic, cayenne, cardamom, a true testament to the brilliance in the complexity of the flavors. Not only do they linger on your tongue, they work their way into your nose and fill it with the nice and full experience of a spicy bite. We are really proud of the balance of this bagel and how unique it is.

Some wonderful suggestions for how to enjoy the bagels include:

• Try it with the Calabrian chili cream cheese for a double spiced experience! It will be a wild ride.
• Or better yet, have it toasted! add pesto butter, egg and tomato for a spicy and savory breakfast sandwich with a bit of juiciness from the fresh tomatoes. You will love it!

Special Cream Cheese: Spicy Mango Cream Cheese

Inspired by the flavors you might find in a delicious spicy pickled mango, Dan was absolutely stoked about this flavor combination on this amazing flavored cream cheese! Dan claimed he was inspired by the experience of eating Indian spiced and pickled mango. The reduction of this flavor exists namely this one extra tasty hot sauce that we will leave un-named. But Dan put a drop of it on my finger and said "Try this". Then he handed me some of the Spicy Mango Cream Cheese. Now I will admit, I was skeptical. However the moment I took a bite of that Cream Cheese I tasted the exact same flavor you might find on a table serving naan and roti. And truly, it did taste like that hot sauce on the tip of my finger. Well done, Chef.

To make it, Dan took the base of our (always) Philadelphia Cream Cheese and mixed in a combination of flavors that are nothing less than enigmatic. First we add some Cayenne, Cumin, sumac, citric acid and Fennugreek. What is Fennugreek? Well, take the fresh and dried leaves of the Fennugreek plant, (known as methi or kasuri methi in South Asia) and use them as a garnish, or blended in a dish. Fenugreek is very popular in Indian curries, flatbreads, and vegetable dishes. It brings a flavor combination that is quite unique. Mix all of these delicious ingredients together till you have the perfect balance of spice. Then, of course, we add mango as the final step to create this East Asian, Indian Inspired spread.

Mixing in that western Asian influence we combine cultures topping our Berbere bagels with Spicy Mango Cream Cheese to certainly raise the hairs on your chest (and head)!

Some othe

Special Sandwich: Sabich Sandwich

The Sabich is a messy delicious answer to the fusion breakfast sandwich we have all been searching for! In typical bageltopia fashion, we are offering the Sabich with all the traditional fixings:

• Hummus
• Tahini sauce
• Jellied Eggs
• Roasted Eggplant
• Falafel Patty
• Harissa
• Pickles made in house

The sandwich is served closed-faced, as opposed to some of the other open face Bageltopia offerings! The pickles alone should be jarred (personal opinion) and stand on their own as a PERFECT pickle. Do you like crispy pickles? With a little tang and a little sweetness? Perfect. These pickles are jarred with mustard seeds, dill, turmeric, black pepper and garlic. The Hummus is made in house and is creamy and smooth, not so chunky. It moistens the bagel to provide a tasty bite. The jellied egg is delicious and smooshed down. It melts in your mouth. Add that tahini to really take it over the top. Did we mention the tahini sauce is also house made? Yes, that's right. At bageltopia we make everything right here. Fresh ingredients, no fillers and no cutting corners.

Do you happen to be Vegan and still want to try the Sabich? Good News! There are two wonderful options for you. We can either make the sandwich sans jellied egg, or we can substitute tofu scramble instead. Both are delicious and translate well from their non-vegan sister specials.

We appreciate all of your support and excitement for our monthly specials, and look forward to sharing them with you every month!

Grab this sando while you can!

As always stay posted for more news on specials and everything Bageltopia!

See you around town Berkeley fam!