The long-awaited first Austin location of Shug’s Bagels fully opened this week at 1206 Parkway in Clarksville, near North Lamar Boulevard.
The Dallas-born bagel shop held a limited soft opening earlier in August, but is now serving its full menu from 6:30 am to 3 pm daily. Shug’s occupies the original home of Austin Java, the funky, homegrown neighborhood restaurant and coffeehouse that held down the corner of Lamar and Parkway for 22 years.
Shug’s specializes in kettle-boiled bagels, meaning the shaped dough is plunged into boiling water for 15 seconds before heading into the oven. The brief boil helps produce the crisp exterior and soft, chewy interior associated with traditional New York bagels. Customers can watch the process through the restaurant’s open kitchen, where employees lift steaming batches from a large kettle.
Employees lift steaming batches of bagels from boiling water before putting them in the oven.Photo by Kimberly Reeves
Shug's menu boards list a variety of bagels, from plain to French toast, accompanied by flavored cream cheeses and other spreads. Customers can build breakfast sandwiches or order Shug’s signature combinations, including bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches; bagels with lox; deli sandwiches; pizza bagels; and chicken cutlet sandwiches.
Founder Justin Shugrue, who was born in Westchester County, New York, and graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, opened the first Shug’s near the SMU campus in 2020. Although the menu draws heavily on Northeastern bagel shop traditions, Shugrue has resisted labeling his product a New York bagel. He previously told D Magazine that Shug’s makes a “Texas bagel.”
The Austin restaurant’s interior resembles an old-school New York deli, with green-and-white tile, dark green booths, bentwood chairs, globe lights, and walls crowded with vintage magazine covers and playful memorabilia. A Comedy Cellar sign hangs above the dining room, and an outdoor patio behind the building provides additional seating.
The most prominent piece on the memorabilia wall belongs to Austin. A large orange Austin Java sign pays tribute to the building’s former occupant, which opened there in 1995 and closed in 2017. The space remained unleased through the pandemic. Rather than erase that history, Shug’s has incorporated it into the restaurant’s new identity.
Shug's Bagels pays tribute to Austin Java, which launched its local chain from this location.Photo by Kimberly Reeves
Shug’s Bagels is open daily from 6:30 am to 3 pm at 1206 Parkway. Its full menu is available for dine-in or online ordering.
