Sep 8, 2026 | 8:59 am
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…