There’s a lot going on in Washington over inauguration weekend, but here’s something refreshingly apolitical: Bagel Uprising and No. 1 Sons will launch a six-week week pop-up in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood. The small local businesses—one specializing in bagels, the other in ferments like pickles and kimchi—met at the Four Mile Run farmers market. Their pop-up, dubbed Salt │ Bagel, will take over the Dairy Godmother space while the custard shop is closed for winter break.
Menu details are still in the works, though the plan is to offer a variety of foods to-go (bagels, cream cheeses, pickles, kimchi, kombucha etc.), as well as specialty bagel sandwiches. Chad Breckinridge, owner of Bagel Uprising, says the pop-up is partly a test to see if his side-business can be scaled up for brick-and-mortar operation; on weekdays he works at the Federal Communications Commission, and rises at 4 am on weekends to boil bagels for crowds at the farmers market. Customers at the pop-up will find the same classic flavors: poppy, sesame, everything, plain, and of course, salt. Though contrary to how “Salt │ Bagel” sounds, the “salt” is meant to refer to No 1. Son’s brined and pickled products.
“I actually don’t like salt bagels,” admits Breckinridge, who only started making them by popular demand.
The pop-up officially launches on Friday, January 20, at 2310 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. Doors open at 8 am daily, and will remain open until bagels sell out.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
