PopUp Bagels ‘pop up’ in Harvard Square
As the stars of the show, these bagels have to make a good impression
Grace Zhang–The Tech
Grace Zhang–The Tech
★★★★☆
PopUp Bagels
Bagels, $$
1440 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Open daily 7:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Already a fixture in Somerville and Seaport, the social-media famous — or as they would say, “known” — franchise PopUp Bagels has opened a new location in the heart of Harvard Square, just a minute’s walk away from the Harvard T Station.
Originally made in a “backyard pickup window” store founded by Adam Goldberg and Jeff Lewis during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bagels quickly became a neighborhood favorite. Their success in New York City in 2022 and 2023 led to a Seaport debut in February 2025, followed by a second shop in Somerville in July 2025.
PopUp Bagels serves freshly toasted bagels in batches of three, six, or twelve, along with a rotating set of schmears; this week, they partnered with Kraft Mac & Cheese to create “Mac & Cream Cheese.” Available bagel varieties include plain, salt, sesame, poppy, and everything, while regular schmears include cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and butter.
The Tech was invited to participate in a VIP bagel drop. Here’s what we thought.
Bagels
As the stars of the show, these bagels have to make a good impression — and they did! While we found them to be on the saltier side (especially the everything bagel), they weren’t to the point of being unpleasant. Even though they were delivered, the bagels were still warm and fresh, which was a major plus.
There was a large contrast between the fluffiness of the inside and the hardness of the outside. At times, the bagels were difficult to cut because of their tough exterior. On the bright side, the firmness of the crust paired nicely with the light interior, the latter of which set these bagels apart from their competition.
Out of the different types of bagels we were offered (plain, salt, sesame, everything), we loved plain and sesame the most. The plain bagel is always a classic, and it was the best out of all the bagels in terms of saltiness. The sesame bagel offered a really satisfying crunch to match the chewy, fluffy interior; the lightly toasted sesame seeds also added a light aroma that made this bagel particularly appealing.
The everything bagel was salty as aforementioned, and it had so many poppy seeds that we almost confused it for a poppy bagel. However, the taste and texture were still appealing. Finally, the salt bagel was about just as salty as the everything bagel, but given that it’s named a salt bagel, this bagel ranks a little higher for us.
Schmears
Of the three schmears we received (plain cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and butter), our favorite was by far the scallion cream cheese. Both cream cheeses were smooth, creamy, and easy to spread, but the scallions added a sharpness that paired incredibly well with the bagels. As for the butter, we found that it had a strong milky flavor that clashed with the bagels themselves. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try any of their specialty schmears, but we suggest stopping by to sample them yourself!
Overall
Compared to the existing Seaport location, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in the quality of bagels; they seem just as good. Since we got our bagels delivered, we can’t comment on the ambience or in-store experience at the Harvard Square spot, so you’ll have to check it out on your own. If the service is anything like their bagels, though, it’s bound to be satisfying! And although we can’t make any guarantees, if the setup is similar to the Seaport store, you’ll be able to get some aesthetic photos too.