A glutton for gluten

The other weekend, I had the opportunity to cross not one but two places I’ve been meaning to try off my list. What’s more is that both places were bagel shops I’ve been dying to go to for ages: our local legend, Mother Dough Bagels, and the viral PopUp Bagels down in Los Angeles.

Mother Dough Bagels has attracted long, winding lines every weekend since its opening in January 2025. Drawing countless students alongside Santa Barbara residents, this quaint little townhome of a bakery specializes in hand-rolled sourdough bagels with fresh, simple toppings. These naturally fermented bagels are boiled and baked in small batches daily and are adorned with different schmears, greens and herbs. 

They’re best known for their Asian-inspired twists on New York-style bagels and the picturesque Lox Box: a myriad of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, microgreens, pickled onions, capers and house-cured yuzu gravlax. Although her love for bagels was born from her years growing up in New York, owner Jennifer Gonzalez-Neely highlights her Filipino heritage through Asian flavor profiles within menu items, like their furikake bagel and best-selling gochujang cream cheese.

Since I was dining with just one other, I saved the large Lox Box for another visit and opted for The Avocado ($13), one of their specialty open-faced bagels with classic schmear, sliced avocado, pickled onions and microgreens on a sesame bagel. The bread itself was incredibly soft and fluffy, with a slightly crisp shell courtesy of that pre-bake blanch. I have to say, with all the chewy, tougher bagels that have taken over the market as of late, this soft, pillowy bite was a welcome surprise. I definitely need to return for a more in-depth review to try their furikake bagel and gravlax — among other enticing menu items — but safe to say, the quality and freshness of their ingredients are evident and well worth their popularity.

Not only do they do bagels well, I have also heard buzz surrounding their coffee roasted by Coastal Coffee Collective and their matcha lattes whisked from the premium brand, Nekohama. These drinks are also offered with house-made syrups, with flavors like miso caramel and black sesame that I can’t wait to try. Since my visit, they’ve added a trio of seasonal fall syrups, including pumpkin spice caramel, salted maple and apple crumble, which I know will tickle the fancy of many of you readers.

After my Thursday morning spent at Mother Dough, I headed down to LA to visit some friends for the rest of the weekend. Right before I left the city, I decided it would be a waste to skip town without trying any of LA’s many viral food spots I’ve seen online. Although I was not able to hit as many as I would’ve liked, I did get the chance to swing by the PopUp Bagels in Brentwood for a simple three-pack of bagels and schmear. I am disappointed to say I didn’t try one of their seasonal schmears — as this month’s Tabasco spicy mac’n’cheese flavor was not what my stomach was craving at 9 a.m. — but instead, my friends and I shared a classic scallion cream cheese with a trio of everything, poppy seed and sesame bagels.

Immediately, I understood the publicity this spot received as I bit into the crunchy, crisp exterior of the everything bagel, still piping hot from the oven. The freshness is what really sold me on this place. Their business model of exclusively rip-and-dip bagels and schmear means you’re in and out in just a few minutes with a bag of fresh bagels and a tub of chilled schmear. 

However, the excitement the first bagel stoked in me gradually diminished after trying the other two bagels, which were not nearly as fresh as the first and therefore felt lackluster in its wake. Although they were still solid bagels, the absence of the steamy, doughy center I expected was seriously disappointing. PopUp excels because of their nuanced schmears, fresh bagels and quick service, but you have to encounter them on their A-game to really understand the praise. That being said, it was still a delicious breakfast, and I hope to give them a chance to blow me away with their ever-changing schmears and butters in the near future.

Lucky for all of us, we will be getting many more opportunities to try all PopUp has to offer in the coming year. This summer, the franchise announced plans to open a Santa Barbara location at 3925 State Street, at the former Blaze Pizza. While details on their future openings are scarce, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press, their marketing director stated they were hoping for a mid-fall opening.

I’m glad that I will be able to have both bagel titans available to me for a weekend brunch moving forward and am looking forward to giving both the opportunity to wow me once more.

A version of this article appeared on p. 12 of the October 28th, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.