The smell of freshly baked bagels drifts through Georgetown as PopUp Bagels attracts crowds of curious customers.
PopUp bagels initially originated in Westport, Connecticut, in 2020. There are 32 locations across seven states including New York, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Massachusetts. Collaborators Adam Goldberg and Jeff Lewis focused on bringing their business of warm, soft, readily served bagels to D.C., and, in a city filled with coffee shops and brunch spots, PopUp Bagels has become Georgetown’s newest obsession.
PopUp Bagels is known for their “grip, rip and dip” style, with their signature whipped cream cheese coming in a tub and being enjoyed with every dip and bite. Junior Adriana Colomo said, “PopUp Bagels was a really quick and enjoyable experiment. Being able to rip and dip my bagel into the cream cheese was a fun and easy way to eat my bagel.”
Diving deeper into their cream cheese containers, they provide countless flavors that go with their bagels, including scallion, spicy scallion, truffle butter, and plain. In addition to these flavors, they also have limited-edition collaboration flavors including lemon pepper schmear, garlic, French onion, crabby cream cheese, vanilla berry butter and caramelized onion. PopUp Bagels focuses on serving their customers efficiently while also having a good time. Junior Manu Poggio said, “Even though it was very busy when I went, the bagels came out very fast and I was able to get my food in under 10 minutes. Their workers were also very kind and humorous.”
When ordering the bagels, you can purchase a pack of three, six or 12. Each pack comes with a “schmear,” which is their phrase for cream cheese. A three-pack is $15, a six-pack is $24, and a 12-pack is $48.00, not including tax. Colomo said, “Although the bagels are on the pricer side, I really like that the tub of cream cheese with my choice of flavor is included in the cost.”
As I walked into the store, I was initially greeted with the loud music. The vibes were high and the music was a quick way to lighten my mood after my long drive to Georgetown. As I was looking around, there were neon signs and pictures on the walls that attracted customers, including myself, into the store. The inside also has a beachy atmosphere that makes the shop feel closer to home. The store itself was small yet had a fun and entertaining environment.
In addition to the disco area downstairs, there was an upstairs area where I was able to sit and savor my bagels. This area had a small balcony and a comfier vibe than the lower area below. I got two plain bagels and a salt bagel, along with the scallion cream cheese and truffle butter. The bagel was steaming and ripped effortlessly, and the cream cheese was the perfect consistency for dipping. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at PopUp bagels. However, junior Blake Williams had a different experience when he visited the shop. “The bagels were very good but they were a little small for the price I was paying so overall I rate it a six out of 10,” Williams said.
