Hank Vaughn
Audio By Carbonatix
New Yorkers have a very fixed idea of what a bagel should be. (As do Dallasites.) Like what they should cost, what the proper amount of chew should be, and most specifically, where they’re made.
Pop-Up Bagels started in Connecticut, which disqualified them by default. However, they opened their backyard pick-up window in 2020 with one mission: to make superior bagels and to serve them fresh.
Now, claims are one thing, but this bagel shop has since won Brooklyn’s Bagel Fest two years in a row (2021 and 2022). The same competition that our own Starship Bagel has won twice now (2023, 2025).
It’s also the No. 1 bagel spot in NYC on Yelp, which is its own kind of ranking system, but a win is a win. They’re not famous, but known, as per the brand’s slogan.
They have 24 locations on the East Coast, and soon, they’re opening their first location outside of the region here in Dallas.
The bagel shop announced the news in an Instagram post that they shared with Inwood Village. “Heard Texas needed some hot bagels…”, reads the caption.
It seems the shop has retained its quality despite expansion by keeping the menu short and simple. They only have five bagel flavors on rotation at all times: poppy, salt, plain, sesame and everything.
Bagels aside, it’s the schmears that pique the interest of diners. Three flavors: plain, scallion and salted butter, are always available, while two signature flavors are on weekly rotation that updates every Thursday.
At the time of writing, they were offering honey chipotle cream cheese and dessert bowl butter, a collaboration with food influencer @brettsbites.
The recipe for the dessert butter is kept secret, but we do know that it has Oreo cookies, chocolate-covered pretzels, M&Ms and cookies that give it a sweet, but salty profile.
The next rotation on Thursday, Jan. 29, will continue to feature the dessert butter, but will rotate in lemon pepper cream cheese.
We don’t have an exact address or opening date as of now, but we do know Pop-Up Bagels will open in Dallas sometime soon in Inwood Village, near rise soufflé, Doughbird and Mesero.
