PopUp Bagels will open its first Maryland location Friday, Aug. 14, at 7607 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda, bringing a Bethesda-exclusive schmear and the brand's signature "rip and dip" bagels to the ground floor of the Solaire apartment building.

The grand opening runs from 7 to 11 a.m. and will feature Chesapeake Spiced Cream Cheese, a shellfish-free schmear exclusive to the Bethesda shop, according to Robert Dyer's Bethesda blog. Sweet treats from Cookies by Drew and drinks from Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Co. and La Colombe Coffee round out the event.

The opening caps a bumpy timeline. PopUp Bagels originally planned to open July 24, then pushed to Aug. 7, before landing on Aug. 14. Both delays were tied to construction issues, Bethesda Magazine reported.

Brian Harrington, founder of Seeded Capital Partners and the regional franchisee operating six PopUp Bagels locations including Bethesda and Georgetown, described the shop's process to Bethesda Magazine in July: "The dough is proofed, it's boiled, it is seeded and baked and served hot right at the location."

The roughly 1,200-square-foot shop serves five bagel varieties: plain, everything, poppy seed, salt and sesame. Bagels are hand-rolled, kettle-boiled and made on-site. The concept is simple: bagels come hot and whole, never sliced, and customers tear off pieces to dip into tubs of schmear. Three bagels with one schmear cost $15.

The Bethesda location is PopUp Bagels' second in the D.C. region, following the Georgetown store at 1078 Wisconsin Ave. NW that opened April 10. The Connecticut-based chain, founded by Adam Goldberg during the pandemic, has grown to about 30 locations nationwide with 300 planned, according to Axios. The brand counts venture capital and actor Paul Rudd among its backers.

PopUp Bagels arrives in a neighborhood already stocked with bagel options. Call Your Mother Deli opened its Bethesda location on St. Elmo Avenue on Aug. 4, roughly a 10-minute walk from the new shop.

Doors open at 7 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14.