PopUp Bagels, the viral bagel shop that originated in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic and just opened up a new storefront at 338 Columbus Avenue by 76th Street on the Upper West Side, will now officially be serving kosher bagels, according to Instagram account @kosherjunkie.
In the post announcing the news, the account makes clear that only the actual bagels are certified kosher and not the various spreads on offer.
“Packaged kosher cream cheese and lox will be available on the side, as assured by PopUp Bagels founder, Adam Goldberg,” reads the announcement.
This is the company’s second NYC location, following one in the West Village at 177 Thompson Street. The brand has also partnered with culinary figures like Dominique Ansel and local businesses to offer limited-edition products—none of them ever catering to the observant Jewish crowd.
However, despite the significant positive publicity, PopUp Bagels has had to deal with a very New York-like set of criticisms as well, perhaps because of its non-New York origins but also because of the actual look and feel of the bagels it sells. In fact, the treats on site are smaller and crisper than what New Yorkers are used to. Think of them more as round little baguettes that—blasphemy!—are actually sold unsliced. The staff encourages customers to “rip and dip” them in whatever schmear they choose.
Suddenly, those criticisms don’t sound so unfounded, right? We’re about to make it worse: there is a three-bagel order minimum rule in effect here… so you might want to bring some friends along when trying out PopUp Bagels.
Keep in mind that the brand is about to expand yet again, soon opening another brick-and-mortar, this time on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Clearly, the “bagels” have a number of fans out there.
