As Bethesda develops, every variety of stores opens, from food and drink to clothing, tech, makeup, and many more. One current wave of stores opening is a crowd favorite: bagel shops. From Pop Up Bagels to Call Your Mother to Andy’s Pizza, bagels are a craze in Bethesda.
Opening on Old Georgetown Road in early 2026, social media-viral Pop Up Bagels has drawn in customers of all ages with its unique spreads. Currently, it has locations in many U.S. states, such as California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and others, but it originated in New York. Keeping a rotation of plain, everything, salt, sesame, and poppyseed bagels, the store rotates never-before-seen flavors of cream cheese and butter weekly, constantly coming up with interesting flavors such as caramelized onion cream cheese and cacio e pepe butter, compelling their fans to return week after week. In addition to their weekly spreads, they regularly offer plain and scallion cream cheese, as well as plain butter. Also, the freshly-baked bagels that aren’t cut or toasted make them stand out from others. The bagels are sold in multiples of three, with three bagels and one spread of choice selling for $12.
Also coming soon to Bethesda is Call Your Mother Deli, known for its over-the-top bagel sandwiches and bright colors. The shop specializes in putting twists on classic bagels with za’atar, cheesy bread, and maple salt-and-pepper flavors, as well as creative cream cheeses and spreads. Call Your Mother also offers toppings such as Korean marinated cucumbers, crispy chickpeas, and potato chips. “I love Call Your Mother,” said B-CC senior Claire Sherwin. “It’s my go-to when I want a good bagel sandwich.” Call Your Mother already has locations in Pike and Rose, Georgetown, and in D.C., down Connecticut Avenue, but is opening its next one in downtown Bethesda. A bagel starts at $2.70, progressively getting more expensive as schmear, toppings, and protein are added.
Though not a new store, Andy’s Pizza, an immensely popular spot among B-CC students, has added bagels to its menu. Known for their New York-style pizza sold by the slice, Andy’s expanded into another New York classic: the bagel. Andy’s Pizza now offers bagels, pizza bagels, and breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese, sausage, and bacon options. The pizza bagels come in cheese, pepperoni flavors, and unique cream cheese flavors with garnishes rather than mix-ins. The bagels go for $2.50 each.
While these much-anticipated launches are exciting to all, it will be difficult to topple the crowd-favorite Bethesda Bagels, which is known for its large menu of fresh bagels, as well as cookies and desserts sold at an affordable price point. “My all-time favorite bagel is from Bethesda Bagels,” said Sherwin. Other bagel shops in Bethesda, such as Einstein Bagels and Panera, will also have competition with the new store openings, especially since some are in close proximity to B-CC. Most of these stores will likely get lots of business during lunchtime due to Barons.
The excitement shows how big a role food plays in Bethesda culture. Students and parents alike are already talking about which lines they’ll stand in and where they can’t wait to go on a weekend morning for their new favorite bagel.
