Kismet Bagels, which began as an idea during COVID-19 and then became an online popup shop in 2020, opened its first brick and mortar location in Fishtown in April of this year. Now, husband-and-wife owners Jacob and Alexandra Cohen are expanding their footprint in Philadelphia. With their bialy stall already in the works at the Reading Terminal Market, eyeing a December opening, the entrepreneurs are also preparing to open their second brick & mortar – this one located at 1700 Sansom Street in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse neighborhood. The Cohens are eyeing an early December opening.
The 600-square foot space (which formerly housed Sip-N-Glo Juicery, and more recently, Greens and Grains) will function exactly like the Fishtown location, operating as a takeout-only shop. The shop will be open Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., or sellout.
The bagel shop will have drip coffee from Moonraker Coffee Roasters, grab-and-go items, various bagel sandwiches, loose bagels, schmears, spices, and more. All sandwiches will have the option to add a potato latke for $2. Excluding special collaborative pop-ups, bialys will be exclusively available at the Reading Terminal Market location.
“It’s been a crazy two years, especially the last several months since we opened in Fishtown,” says Jacob, “but we’re excited for this next step, and we are ready to open in Center City, where there is a ton of foot traffic. While we love being represented in different parts of the city with our wholesale operations, being able to now have a shop in both Fishtown and Rittenhouse means we achieve another huge milestone of ours.”
“Between the Reading Terminal Market bialy stand and this new location, we aim to serve as much of Philly as possible,” adds Alexandra. “We have more big goals on the horizon, but we’re grateful for this opportunity and the ability to reach more and more people in our city.”
Kismet Bagels wholesales bagel packs and schmears at businesses such as DiBruno Bros., Riverwards Produce, The Rounds, OCF Coffee, GoPuff, various farmers’ markets, and more. There is a large charitable aspect to Kismet Bagels, with proceeds from sales, pop-ups, and other events being donated to charities of Jacob and Alexandra’s choice. Kismet Bagels in Fishtown is located at 113 E. Girard Ave.
