I Tried Martha Stewart’s Favorite Bagels—and They’re Worth the Hype

The celebs are on to something here.

Everyone says that New York City has the best bagels (and, as it turns out, it does have something to do with the water). But, if you ask any New Yorker where to find the best bagel, you’ll almost always hear a different response. However, there’s one bagel shop that’s become so popular on social media that you’ve likely heard of it—even if you don’t live in New York. What’s the shop on everyone's lips? The “not famous but known” bagel joint, PopUp Bagels.

What Is PopUp Bagels?

This bagel bakery was a pandemic endeavor that began in a home kitchen in Connecticut. Now, PopUp Bagels has six locations across the Northeast, including one in Manhattan that consistently has customers lining up down the block.

The bagel shop is known for its steaming hot bagels that are served fresh out of the oven whole—there are no bagel sandwiches sold here. Customers are encouraged to buy a small tub of "schmear" (cream cheese) or butter, then rip and dip their piping hot, crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside bagel into it.

While the five bagel flavors—which include Everything, Sesame, Salt, Plain, and Poppy Seed—stay the same, the schmear and butter flavors are ever-changing. You’ll always find your traditional plain cream cheese and scallion cream cheese (PopUp’s number one seller), but each week PopUp introduces new flavors and brand collaborations into the mix. So, sometimes you can try spreads like Tropicana Orange-Spice Cream Cheese, Fruity Pebbles Witches Brew Butter, and Spinach & Artichoke Cream Cheese.

The no-frills bagels have captured the attention of many—including some of our favorite celebrities. When I visited the shop, I was greeted by dozens of photos on the wall featuring the likes of Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Rock, and Maya Rudolph enjoying a PopUp bagel (or three).

And, because PopUp has locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, of course our favorite coastal grandma Martha Stewart has tried them too.

“I just boiled and seeded and baked two dozen poppy seed and sesame seed bagels that were better than most any bagel you have ever had!!! We ate fourteen this morning,” Stewart posted to her Instagram.

I Tried the Viral PopUp Bagels and Here’s My Review

For something to be deemed the “best bagel” by 82-year-old Martha Stewart—who has traveled the world and cooks for a living—I knew it had to be pretty darn delicious. I was right.

I somehow timed my visit perfectly where the line wasn’t too long, and the bagels were consistently flowing from oven to basket to customer. At the PopUp Bagels location in New York City, you can’t just order one bagel; you have to order three, six, or 12—but that’s okay because one is never enough, right?

The bagels are served extremely fresh—I’m talking burn your hand on the hot steam escaping-fresh. But eating them hot is so worth it. They’re perfectly crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, and with a tub of schmear by your side, you can rip and dip as much or as little as you like.

How to Order PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels are definitely worth the hype—but don’t be bummed if you can’t get to one of the five locations. You can order PopUp Bagels for overnight delivery anywhere in the contiguous United States on PopUp’s website. Admittedly, it seems pretty tricky to score a delivery order, as the boxes only go out on Thursdays and are very limited, but it’s certainly worth a shot.

The bagel company also recently received $8 million in investments to work on expansion—so, that could mean more shop locations or more room for shipping availability in the near future. Here’s hoping you can all experience the joy (and pain) of ripping into a fresh PopUp Bagel and dunking it into your favorite schmear someday soon.

Read the original article on All Recipes.