PopUp Bagels recently took the internet by storm. What started as a pandemic hobby in Westport, Connecticut, grew into a viral brand built around serving fresh bagels and signature schmears. As its popularity has spread, PopUp Bagels has expanded to cities across the country, including Nashville, Tennessee. As soon as the news of their Nashville location was announced, I knew I had to see if the bagels were everything the internet claimed. Located in the Gulch, the Nashville shop is just a 30-minute walk from Vanderbilt’s campus, making it an easy weekend outing for students curious to see if the viral bagels are worth the hype.
What sets PopUp Bagels apart from other bagel chains is their unique approach to schmear. The brand promotes a “rip and dip” technique, encouraging customers to tear their bagels apart and dip them into different spreads. The catch, however, is that you can’t order just one bagel. The smallest option is a three pack with one tub of schmear for $15, which may feel steep for college students looking for a quick breakfast. Additional tubs of schmear cost $8 each, and since PopUp Bagels rotates their spreads weekly, trying multiple flavors can quickly add up.
Upon entering the Gulch location, I immediately noticed their signature design elements. A black-and-white checkered floor, bright orange stools and a mirror printed with the phrase “not famous but known” gave the space a recognizable look similar to that of other locations. The staff was friendly and welcoming, explaining how several of them had come from other PopUp Bagel locations to help get the Nashville shop up and running.
In my pack of three bagels, I got an everything, a plain and a salt bagel. I also got the schmear of the week, which was a vodka sauce cream cheese.
All three bagels were hot and fresh, with a crisp outer edge and fluffy interior. The plain was simple, with a nice bready consistency but without much flavor. The salt bagel, one of their most popular flavors, was similar to the plain but with coarse sea salt on top, adding a subtle boost in flavor. My favorite was the everything bagel, which was generously coated in seasoning and the most flavorful of the bunch. While the “rip and dip” method was unique and fun, tearing the bagels apart made for a messier-than-usual bagel eating experience as each rip sent seasoning flying. The size of the bagels themselves was slightly smaller than average, meaning one alone didn’t feel quite filling enough to count as a full meal.
The vodka sauce cream cheese was solid, tasting only slightly cheesier than plain cream cheese, but it was still a nice pairing with the bagels overall. Additionally, since each tub of schmear is 8 ounces, there was plenty left even after all three bagels were gone.
The Gulch’s PopUp Bagels is a fun spot to try if you’re looking for a casual activity to do with friends. While prices may be a bit high for what they offer, their rotating schmear flavors make it worth trying at least once.
