Call Your Mother Lil' Deli – Riverdale

I recently visited this bagel place just off the NIH campus and had quite the memorable experience. Let’s start with the good stuff: the bagel sandwich was darn good. Now, for the not-so-great part. Picture this: I’m all set to enjoy my bagel at one of their charming picnic tables, blissfully unaware that the table had been recently baptized in bleach. Fast forward a few minutes, and my pants look like they’ve been through a tie-dye experiment gone horribly wrong. And this happened right before I had to give a scientific talk! Let’s just say my pants were the talk of the conference, but not in the way I had hoped. While I appreciate the cleanliness, a little heads-up about the bleach would’ve been nice. Despite this bleachy blunder, the food was good enough that I might just risk it again—though next time, I’ll bring a hazmat suit if I'm dining in.

I wish I’d been here sooner. The outdoor seating was perfect on a nice day. There was plenty of room for my kids to run around and plenty of tables that we could sit as long as we wanted! Very friendly employees, which is rare in this area! The bagels were delicious too. My only reason for 4 stars is that there was an extreme amount of cream cheese on them. Not a big deal, now I know for next time!

I got the royal palm, nitro cold brew and a cookie. The sandwich was pretty good, and there was a reasonable amount of salmon on it. The sides/drinks were good. My bagel honestly wasn't great which was surprising coming from a place that sells a lot of bagels. While I would probably go back and/or try some of the other sandwiches, I'm not sure what would bring me here over some of the other bagel places around Bethesda.

This location is a permanent food cart with nice outdoor seating. The prices are a bit high for bagels (anywhere from $7-13), but Call Your Mother is an iconic spot in the DMV. You’re also getting great toppings, it’s really delicious and fresh, and the servings are big!

The thunderbird is one of my favorites, but I've never been disappointed with any of their bagels before. Also never had bad customer service here. Great food truck!

Amazing food. Pastrami was top notch. Everything bagels are perfect, seeds on not sides, the way it should be. The people were wonderful. Great first impression to create repeat business and referrals !

Was staying at NIH about 1/2mi up the road. Came here day one and almost every day after! Great service and great food! Bagels are excellent. Tried three of their bagel sandwiches and all were exceptional. There is plenty of outdoor seating. Prices are very reasonable. Only coffee is drip, but it's nice and strong.

I cannot get enough of the Sun City Pastrami bagel -- it is so good that I find myself licking the wrapper after I have finished it. Definitely worth the $10 price tag. I keep going back for more, and they get better each time.