Born and bred in New York, Peter Shelsky grew up on Kossar’s bialys and Zabar’s hand-sliced Nova, developing a deep appreciation for the flavors and traditions of Jewish cuisine from an early age. His passion for food led him into the kitchens of some of the city's most celebrated restaurants, including Eleven Madison Park, Café Sabarsky, and Wallse.
With a sharp culinary mind, a love for his Eastern European and Jewish roots, and an unwavering commitment to quality, Peter set out to create something uniquely his own. That vision became Shelsky’s of Brooklyn and Shelsky’s Brooklyn Bagels—a modern take on the classic appetizing and delicatessen experience, where tradition is honored, but innovation thrives.
Through his expertise, dedication, and deep respect for the craft, Peter has built a destination for smoked fish, bagels, and Jewish comfort food that stands out as a true New York institution.
PASSOVER 2025
Download Menu PDF
Catering
Peter Shelsky
Executive Chef & Proprietor
Our History
What our customers have to say about us
Well, the good things at least!
Featured In
A Jewish Bakery Adopts the Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese
Pete Wells extols a breakfast treat on a bialy at Shelsky’s Brooklyn Bagels. It is a safe guess that the Eastern European Jews who brought the bialy from Bialystok to New York City, piecing back together the recipe for this plain but beguiling dimpled roll in their new world after fleeing their old one, did not do it so that one day it could be sliced open and stuffed with a New Jersey pork sausage that comes in a cloth sack…
This Bagel is the Only Thing That Got Me Through Marathon-Training
Better than a hot shower, better than an icy-cold Gatorade, better than any other carbohydrate in all of New York…
This Is How You Make a Perfect New York Bagel
Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has accomplished many great things. The pyramids. The moon landing. The discovery of the Higgs boson. The very existence of Beyoncé. And yet for all that we’ve learned, there remains the cruel reality that no one outside of a 50-mile radius of Manhattan can make a good bagel.…
Shelsky’s Park Slope Bagel Shop Bucks Its Jewish Deli Tradition
Shelsky’s new bagel and sandwich shop isn’t your typical Jewish deli. There’s a Sichuan pepper bialy on the menu, for starters, and chopped cheese makes an appearance. But something else on the menu signals an even bigger departure: pork, and Taylor Ham at that…
Breaking the Fast
Tablet Mag – Many years ago, The Jewish Home Beautiful, one of my all-time favorite Jewish publications, offered American Jews of the interwar period a series of cheerful prescriptions on how to live a meaningful Jewish life…