Our Story
From generation to generation — from New York to Chicago to Scottsdale.
A Scottsdale Original Since 1987
New York Bagels ’N Bialys opened its doors in North Scottsdale in 1987, founded by Pauline and Martin Rabin. In 2005, Shelley Curtis and Ruth Leatherman bought the restaurant from the Rabins and carried the tradition forward — keeping the original recipes, the old-fashioned methods, and the neighborhood-deli soul intact. In 2009 the flagship moved to its longtime home at Scottsdale and Shea, and today four Valley locations serve the same authentic bagels that started it all.
Every day, our bakers turn out more than 7,000 bagels in our bakery — for our restaurant guests and for wholesale customers across the Valley, from grocery stores to resorts. It’s the same recipe, the same boil-and-bake, and the same dense, chewy bagel, just like the best shops back East.
From Scratch
We mix our bagel dough daily from fresh ingredients — flour, malt, and a touch of cinnamon. Our bakers shape hundreds of dozens of raw bagels with a bagel former, a machine that turns carefully weighed dough into perfect rings. Stop by during the day and you might catch the process in action — ask us for a tour and watch the from-scratch magic happen right before your eyes.
Boiled and Baked
After shaping, our bagels rest for 12 to 24 hours so the yeast can work its magic. Then, before they ever see the oven, each bagel takes a quick swim in the kettle. That boil is what creates the crisp outer shell and chewy inside — if a shop doesn’t have a kettle, it’s not making real bagels. After the boil they’re baked to a perfect golden finish. Worth every step.
A Brief Bagel History
Legend says the bagel was born in 1683, when a Viennese baker shaped dough into a stirrup to honor the King of Poland. Cream cheese arrived in 1872 — the perfect pairing. In the 1880s, Eastern European Jewish immigrants carried bagels to New York and Chicago; by 1907, bagel bakers had formed a union to protect their craft. Machines brought bagels to the masses in the 1960s, and by the 1980s they were a mainstream American staple. We’re proud to keep the old way alive: boiled, then baked, every single day.
Bagel Tips & Tricks
Storing
Keep bagels fresh in tightly sealed plastic bags. Let them cool completely before bagging so they don’t sweat.
Reviving
For day-old bagels: toast, broil, microwave for 15 seconds, or moisten with water and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Freezing
Freeze cooled, sliced bagels in a sealed bag with the halves facing the same way for easy separation. Toast frozen slices directly.
Refrigerating
Don’t! The fridge makes bagels go stale faster. Room temperature or the freezer — that’s it.