Just a few months after announcing a major expansion into Southern California, New York City favorite PopUp Bagels has just popped up in Brentwood, marking the growing chain’s first Los Angeles area location focusing on just making bagels.
“This is all we do,” said Tory Bartlett, CEO of PopUp Bagels. “We don’t make sandwiches, we don’t slice them. Most bagel shops are going to be like a deli. We just make great bagels,”
The new location opened Dec. 19 at 11710 San Vicente Blvd. It follows the previous opening of a spot in La Jolla earlier this year at 637 Pearl St., and there are more to come.
New York City favorite PopUp Bagels has just popped up in Brentwood, marking the growing chain’s first Los Angeles area location. (Photo by Alexander Stein)
This summer PopUp Bagels, a popular bagel shop with spots in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, announced that it would make its Golden State debut with 35 planned locations in California opening within the next few years. The company expects to open 25 of the new bagel shops in Los Angeles and Orange counties and 10 in San Diego County.
The exact locations for other shops have not been announced yet.
“We’re beyond excited,” said James Marzouk, who is opening the Los Angeles and Orange County locations alongside his other franchise partners.
“Brentwood I think is the best flagship to really set the stage for the brand across the broader rollout,” he said.
PopUp Bagels, started as a backyard pickup window during the pandemic in 2020 and is known for focusing solely on bagels made in-house. The bagels earned the company back-to-back Best Overall, Expert’s Choice and Best Overall, People’s Choice awards at BagelFest in 2021-22.
Bagels are served whole in varieties such as plain, poppy, salt and “everything” bagels. With a motto of “Grip, Rip and Dip,” they can be paired with house-made schmears (spreads) that come in unique flavors like Scallion Cream Cheese, Salted Butter and Sabatino Truffle.
“They’re crusty, fluffy, tasty and delicious,” Marzouk said of the bagels. “You just grip, rip and dip,” he said.
People can also expect a bit of a show since the shops will include Bagel Bouncers, who take people’s orders in line and entertain the crowd.
“The one thing that’s hard to describe is the energy and spirit you get when you come into a shop,” Bartlett said.
For more information go to popupbagels.com