Popup Bagels
Bagel shop · Greenwich Village ·
Fresh-baked bagels served hot, meant for ripping and dipping
Fresh-baked bagels served hot, meant for ripping and dipping
"Started as a home project by founder Adam Goldberg during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and opening its first standalone location in 2021, the operation exploded after an April 2023 debut in Greenwich Village that quickly gained a cult following and “out-the-door” lines from open until close. It is best known for fresh-out-of-the-oven bagels served with a small tub of whipped cream cheese for dipping and for its rip-and-dip serving style and refusal to offer bagel sandwiches: customers are encouraged to pick up still-hot bagels in sets of three, six, or a dozen and dunk them into provided spreads (original cream cheese, butter, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese). A set of three, which comes with one spread, currently costs $13. Since the Greenwich Village debut the concept has expanded to multiple locations in New York, Connecticut, and Boston. For the West Coast expansion the brand has partnered with James Marzouk of Sweetzer Capital (who will lead the charge opening an estimated 25 locations across Los Angeles and Orange County) and with Paul Goodman and Griffin Thall of Bagel Boyz (who will open 10 locations in San Diego over the next few years)." - Rebecca Roland
"Founder Adam Goldberg started his bagel business in Connecticut while getting into at-home baking during the pandemic in 2020, expanding from pop-ups that drew long lines into a subscription model charging $38 a dozen and then into brick-and-mortar stores with investments from backers including celebrities like Paul Rudd. The shop is aggressively expanding in the city: a 750-square-foot Midtown spot at 139 East 57th Street (at Lexington Avenue) will open in late March; a bigger Midtown South location at 370 Seventh Avenue (between West 30th and 31st streets) follows in April; a Williamsburg spot at 661 Driggs Avenue (between Metropolitan Avenue and Fillmore Place) opens later in the month; and a Tribeca site at 315 Greenwich Street (near Reade Street) is planned for later in the summer. The signature service style grew out of customer behavior: “People would send us videos,” he said, prompting his wife to make their own “grip, rip, and dip” video on TikTok three years ago — the first of many, and the chain embraces the bro-tastic motto “grip, rip, and dip.” Shortly before opening the first NYC shop they introduced a $13 bagel three-pack with a tub to offer a more New Yorker–friendly option. The bagels themselves are smaller than many New York bagels, served hot with a thin, crusty exterior and soft interior — the result of boiling in a giant stockpot and then baking in a convection oven — and are not toasted; they’re intended to be ordered with containers of cream cheese and other schmears both traditional and inventive (see: hot honey butter). Goldberg has said he wants to open 200 stores nationwide, with locations planned for North Carolina and Florida." - Nadia Chaudhury
"This Connecticut-based joint hidden away on a Greenwich Village side street isn’t a pop-up (though it once was), but a physical store that seeks to redefine what a bagel spot can be. First off, all the bagels are handed over the counter hot, and several flavors of cream cheese (pulled very cold from the refrigerator) are all you can get to put on them (don’t expect them to do the schmear for you). There are no plastic knives, which means you have to rip and dip, and the bagels are smaller and browner than usual. Still, it’s worth visiting if only to expand bagel horizons. Subsequent locations have followed around town." - Robert Sietsema
"Popup has three locations in NYC, but they started in a backyard in Connecticut, which helps explain why they don’t adhere to any specific regional style. Made fresh throughout the day, the bagels are fluffy on the inside, with a thin, flavorful, blistered crust, designed to be ripped and dipped. Keep in mind Popup only sells their bagels in multiples of three, and every order comes with a container of schmear, which you can get in a few different flavors like scallion and cinnamon sugar." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"A pop-up no more, PopUp caused a sensation when it opened its first brick-and-mortar last year in the Village. The formula via owner Adam Goldberg wreaks changes on the usual bagel-shop mode of operation: The bagels are compact and dense, they are delivered warm or even scalding hot, there’s no place to sit, the toppings are minimal, and only six types are available: sesame, plain, poppy, everything, salt, and cinnamon raisin. It’s a mecca for bagel lovers." - Robert Sietsema
