Wholly Bagels & Pizza traces its roots to 1998, when a baker from Washington moved to Wellington and opened the first Wholly Bagels store. The business makes New York-style bagels fresh daily, with no additives or preservatives, alongside Sal's New York-style pizzas crafted using traditional methods and ingredients sourced almost entirely from New Zealand.
The bagel menu spans naked bagels in a range of flavours (plain, everything, rock salt, jalapeno cheddar, sesame, onion, tomato basil, poppy, nine grain, wholemeal, blueberry, chocolate chip and cinnamon raisin), classic bagels topped with a single protein and salad, and 'gourmet' specialty bagels like the Burger Boss and the Reuben. Cream cheese spreads range from plain through to honey walnut raisin and vegan hummus or guacamole, and there's a dedicated breakfast bagel menu plus a Mini Meals section for kids.
Pizzas are offered only in Large (14") and Jumbo (20") sizes, kept thin and crispy so toppings aren't overloaded, with a gluten-free base available. Wholly Bagels & Pizza also caters for events of all sizes — from bagel platters and antipasto boards to jumbo pizzas, baked goodies and fruit platters — and operates three stores across the Wellington region: Thorndon, Lower Hutt, and The Terrace.
Wholly Bagels & Pizza's story starts with an origin tale the business itself loves to tell: bagel-making, they say, dates back to a Jewish baker in Poland in 1683, who crafted a stirrup-shaped hard roll — the 'burgel' — for a Polish king who loved horses. That bagel-baking method, the story goes, spread through Europe, travelled to America with immigrants, and eventually landed in Wellington in 1998, when a baker from Washington opened the first Wholly Bagels.
At the core of the business are bagels made fresh every day, New York style, with no additives or preservatives. Customers can eat them 'naked' in a wide range of flavours — plain, everything, rock salt, jalapeno cheddar, sesame, onion, tomato basil, poppy, nine grain, wholemeal, blueberry, chocolate chip, and cinnamon raisin — or build them up with fillings. The Classic Bagel range keeps things simple with a single protein (bacon, ham, free-range egg, roast beef, a vegan veggie option, chicken, pastrami, or smoked chicken) served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, mustard and mayonnaise.
For something more elaborate, the Gourmet Bagel menu includes the Burger Boss (a premium beef patty with pickles, cheese and burger sauce), the Reuben (pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles, cheese and Russian dressing), the Big Schnitz (chicken schnitzel with salsa relish), a smoked salmon bagel with capers and cream cheese, and vegan options like the Peacemaker, built on falafel, beetroot relish and hummus. Cream cheese spreads range from plain and garlic & herb through to honey walnut raisin, strawberry & choc, and vegan hummus or guacamole.
Breakfast bagels cover options like the Wholly Guacamole (streaky bacon, egg, cheese, tomato and guacamole), the Barnyard, San Jose, and California Sunrise, each built around a base of egg and hollandaise or mayonnaise. There's also a soup of the day served with a bagel, and a dedicated Mini Meals section for kids, including a salmon bagel, bacon & cheese, ham & cheese, and plain cream cheese options.
Alongside the bagels, Wholly Bagels & Pizza makes Sal's pizzas, crafted with the same traditional methods and passion as the bagels, using ingredients sourced almost entirely from New Zealand. Pizzas come in just two sizes — Large (14") and Jumbo (20") — kept deliberately thin and crispy so toppings aren't overloaded, and a gluten-free base is available for those who need it. The business jokes that carrying home a 20" pizza might mean watching out for doorframes — better, they suggest, to let their delivery team handle it.
Wholly Bagels & Pizza also runs a catering menu built for offices, parties, and events. Options include Bagel Platters from $69 (with breakfast, specialty filling, mixed, vegetarian, or naked bagel variations, feeding around 10 people), Jumbo Pizzas from $22 to $39, a $99 Antipasto Platter of bagels, bagel chips, meats, spreads and salad, $49 worth of Baked Goodies (brownie, crumble, slices and squares), and a $59 Fruit Platter featuring seasonal fruit like pineapple, blueberries, kiwifruit and strawberries. Catering enquiries can be made by phone.
Wholly Bagels & Pizza operates three stores: Thorndon at 39 Murphy Street, Lower Hutt at 34 Knights Road in Hutt Central, and The Terrace at 37 The Terrace in Wellington Central. Each keeps slightly different hours — Thorndon and Lower Hutt open seven days with extended Friday hours, while The Terrace operates weekdays only and is closed on weekends. Orders can be placed online through each store's dedicated ordering page, or by calling the relevant location directly.