By Jake Rallo
The holiday season evokes a familiar feeling of homecoming for many of us. A mass pilgrimage back to the places we call home to celebrate. When I was in college, coming home for the holidays meant indulging in my favorite Jersey delicacies that just aren’t the same in Upstate New York, even though it isn’t that far away. As the crow flies, Cornell University is only 252 miles from my hometown, but the pork roll, egg and cheese on an everything bagel with salt, pepper and ketchup was just not the same.
For me, and for many other New Jerseyans, a hot Jersey bagel means homecoming. Traveling away from New Jersey usually means leaving behind one of your first loves, and no, it’s not your first relationship, but the bagel shop you visited every week.
Growing up in a family centered around food, bagels were an integral part of my life. If you were lucky, my dad might have even dropped off a dozen hot bagels at your door – fresh from Bagel Oven in Red Bank – early in the morning before coming home to make us breakfast sandwiches before school. When I was little, I asked my dad why he did that and who on earth was going to eat that many bagels. His response was simple: a warm bagel can make anybody’s day.
Every year of my childhood, my parents hosted a massive Christmas Eve party, a tradition started by my grandfather, Big Vic. They would entertain guests well into the early hours of Christmas morning before placing Santa’s gifts under the tree. One family friend would always leave a bag of bagels beneath the tree as a thank-you for hosting. That fresh bagel was the best part of my Christmas morning. These simple mornings sparked a love I later realized many New Jerseyans share.
Asking someone where their favorite bagel in New Jersey comes from is a polarizing question, especially with so many options to choose from. In fact, New Jersey has the highest concentration of bagel shops per capita of any state in the United States. In Monmouth County alone, more than 240 bagel stores serve our community. If you’re from Little Silver, Grandma’s might be your go-to; in Rumson, maybe it’s Atlantic Bagel Company; in Shrewsbury, Bagel Masters – and the list goes on. Even if a shop isn’t your personal favorite, one thing remains true: every bagel is baked with undeniable, obligatory Jersey pride.
So, why are Jersey bagels so good?
If you’ve ever had a Jersey bagel, you can immediately recognize its quality by the chewy yet airy interior and the perfectly golden, crusted exterior. At their core, bagels are simple: flour, sugar, yeast, water and salt in specific quantities and compositions. So what sets a Jersey bagel apart? It all boils down to the water.
Like many other things in New Jersey, our water is special. New Jersey water has a low mineral concentration, which complements the high protein content of bread flour. It is great natural chemistry. Water with higher mineral content would produce a dough that’s denser and less fluffy – and it wouldn’t yield that iconic Jersey texture.
Just as important as the water are the old-school bagel makers who refuse to take shortcuts. In New Jersey, tradition still matters: dough is handled with care, and bagels are boiled before they’re baked to lock in that signature texture. Generations of passed-down know-how keep standards high, and when that’s not enough, Jersey’s fierce bagel culture steps in. Around here, if a shop isn’t excellent, it doesn’t stick around. The sheer number of great bagel spots creates real competition, and a community that demands authenticity.
One of my personal favorite bagel shops is Bagel Oven, nestled in the heart of Red Bank. Though the shop has changed hands and undergone a renovation in recent years, the bagels remain top-tier.
In 2023, Karl Herwig, a Red Bank native, acquired the beloved shop, marking a new chapter for the historic bakery. While the ownership may have changed, the tradition and quality remain unchanged.
Original owners Dean Ross and Frank Grob started Bagel Oven in 1978, making it only the fourth bagel shop in Monmouth County. In 2000, Dean stopped working at the shop, and Frank continued to run it, eventually being joined by his daughter, Brittany. After a 43-year run, Frank and his daughter decided to sell the shop and committed to helping the new owner pass on the techniques and recipes that had made Bagel Oven a staple for so many years.
When Karl acquired the shop in 2023, he made it his mission to preserve the original recipes and techniques that had made Bagel Oven famous. “Consistency is key,” Karl says, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the same high-quality product that repeat customers had come to expect over the years. In preserving the experience that Bagel Oven patrons had cherished for so many years, Karl was committed to keeping the original machinery intact, including the mixer, shaper, and oven.
Maintaining a quality product isn’t easy, and Karl oversees the entire operation to ensure that standards are upheld. Waking up between 3 and 4 a.m. daily, Karl is at the shop making, shaping, and baking the bagels, ensuring customers get the same high-quality product day in and day out. According to Karl, it’s not just the water that makes Jersey bagels so good. “I don’t necessarily believe it’s the water that makes Jersey bagels so good. It’s the ingredients, the tradition, and the care that goes into making them,” Karl explains. “Smaller shops like ours can really focus on the details and build relationships with our customers, and that’s what makes all the difference.”
While Bagel Oven offers a variety of bagels, the most popular choices are still the classics: plain and everything. “Plain is my personal favorite,” Karl says. “It really lets the bagel shine through.”
“The classics are always a hit,” he adds. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Like most bakeries, Bagel Oven sees an uptick in sales during the holiday season, when families gather and the need for bagels increases. “Food brings people together,” Karl reflects. “We see a big correlation between the holidays and more people buying bagels. When there are more people at someone’s house, there are more bagels needed!”
Bagel Oven stays open on most major holidays, though for shorter hours, providing customers with that nostalgic, hometown experience.
Visit the Bagel Oven this holiday season and enjoy a warm bagel with cream cheese – I promise you won’t be disappointed.
So, maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the technique, or maybe it’s just the Jersey attitude, but whatever the magic is, it’s ours. And no matter how many bagels I try in other states, nothing comes close. That’s the real secret of a Jersey bagel: it isn’t just made here – it belongs here.
Jake Rallo, part of the Rallo family dining legacy, is managing partner of River Pointe Inn in Rumson.
The article originally appeared in the November 20 – 26, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
