Kismet Bagels Begins Dabbling in Sandwich-Making

After a year of delivering their popular bagels unadorned to pop-ups around the city, Kismet Bagels owners Jacob and Alexandra Cohen are dipping their toes into the next frontier: a weekend bagel sandwich shop at Fishtown Social, where Kismet fans can finally get their bagels open-faced and loaded with toppings.

Of course it’s not unusual for bagels to be made to order, with all the toppings ones heart desires, but in the case of Kismet, the Cohens have largely resisted getting into making bagel sandwiches, instead trusting their customers to take bags of bagels and schmears home and do the work themselves. Now, every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting on July 25, Kismet devotees can order three types of bagel sandwiches: a whitefish salad style on a black-and-white-sesame bagel; a veggie-topped everything bagel with veggie schmear; and a jalapeno everything bagel topped with spicy everything cream cheese, pickled jalapenos, and Parmesan crisps. There will also be loose bagels, schmears, and toppings for sale, and Kismet’s pastry chef Erica Pais will offer additional baked goods on most Sundays. Further bagels varieties are likely forthcoming.

Jacob Cohen was reticent to say whether this sandwich shop expansion indicates that the bagel business will soon be opening its very own storefront — joining the lauded likes of Korshak Bagels and Philly Style Bagels, both pop-ups that opened permanent locations in the past few years — but it’s possible to read between the lines. Keep an eye on this space for updates.

Mike Prince

In other news...

• Speaking of baked goods and pop-ups, Machine Shop Boulangerie, the French-style patisserie that’s been operating with limited weekend hours on the ground floor of the Bok Building since last year, will open a permanent retail location in the space adjacent to Two Persons Coffee in the Bok Building this fall. “My vision is to have very classic French pastries executed really, really nicely,” Emily Riddell, co-founder, pastry chef, and owner of the business, told the Inquirer. (According to the Inquirer, former co-owner Katie Lynch separated from Machine Shop in March.) “Not anything crazy or extra-fancy, just very solid classics.” The weekend pop-ups are over until the permanent shop gets up and running, which Riddell hopes will be by the end of September.
• Speaking of baked goods again, a snafu at a bakery in Bryn Mawr made the local news this week when an overworked baker accidentally printed an image that read, “Coffee, Corruption, Donuts” on a cake for a customer celebrating her friend’s 25th anniversary in the Philly police force. The shop’s owner told 6ABC that it was an honest mistake that was not done on purpose.
• The Dolphin — South Philly’s best dive bar meets night club — is fully open again, and this time it’s better than ever. The dive bar now has a full kitchen, with dollar tacos on the menu all summer long, and to further sweeten the deal, the dance club inherited the PA system from beloved-but-closed Broad Street venue Boot & Saddle. After a year of no shows, Philly’s thriving DIY music scene could be reborn again soon.

• Philly’s Essential Bagel Shops [EP]
• 18 Bakeries for the Most Delicious Pastries, Cakes, and Baked Goods in Philly [EP]