PopUp Bagels, the Connecticut-based bagel shop that draws hours-long lines in New York City for its fresh New York bagels, has announced plans to open its first permanent Florida location in Delray Beach this summer.
News of the South Florida location comes after the bagel shop popped up in Palm Beach at the Colony Hotel in 2024, which went completely viral online. The pop-up was such a hit that it sold out every single day. This is why South Florida is about to be treated to not just one but four PopUp Bagels locations this year.
Get Ready: South Florida Is About to Get Four PopUp Bagels
The Delray Beach shop is the first of four South Florida locations PopUp Bagels plans to open in 2025. The brand also plans to expand into central and north Florida, as well."We've always wanted to come to Florida. We love our friends at the Colony Hotel and that's been great for us, but we really just needed our infrastructure to be bulkier and in place so that we could successfully operate multiple stores in Florida," founder Adam Goldberg tells New Times. The company currently has four locations in New York, four in Connecticut, and one in Boston.
The SoFlo announcement dropped on Instagram on Monday, January 15 (AKA National Bagel Day), sparking a flood of social media excitement from South Florida bagel fans. "I totally don't mind picking them up at the pop-up at the Colony Hotel, but having a store will be awesome. Welcome to SoFlo!" wrote a fan in the comments. Others wrote, "Ahh, I am screaming! Can we do Orlando too!" and "Omg this is amazing!"
But how did this Connecticut pop-up become one of New York's most prized bagel shops? It all started in its founder's backyard.
PopUp Bagels keeps it simple with just five bagel varieties: plain, sesame, poppy, salt, and everything.
PopUp Bagels photo
From Backyard Bagels to Overnight Success
For the uninitiated, PopUp Bagels started in Goldberg's Westport backyard in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, slinging smaller, airier takes on New York-style bagels with a crisp exterior. The concept took off, backed by an $8 million investment round and celebrity investors, including Paul Rudd, Michael Phelps, Michael Strahan, and JJ Watt.The brand keeps it simple with just five bagel varieties: plain, sesame, poppy, salt, and everything. The bagels are "baked fresh and served hot, whole, and straight from the oven — no slicing, no sandwiches," according to a press release. But the rotating cream cheese menu drives the hype, featuring weekly collaborations like "Cup of Noodles" schmear and a garlicky escargot spread created with pastry chef Dominique Ansel. Orders come in three-bagel bags paired with a ten-ounce tub of schmear. The formula worked well enough to win "Best Bagel" at Brooklyn Bagelfest two years running.
The downtown Delray Beach location sits on the same block as the popular Ray Hotel. Construction starts in the next few weeks with a planned late spring opening, with details on the additional South Florida locations coming soon in the upcoming weeks.
PopUp Bagels Delray Beach. Location coming soon. Opening summer 2025.
