11 January 30 - February 5, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ DELRAY BEACH NYC BAGEL SHOP TO OPEN FIRST FLORIDA LOCATION PopUp Bagels, the Connecticut-based bagel shop that draws hours-long lines in New York City for its fresh New York bagels, has an- nounced plans to open its first permanent Florida location in Delray Beach this summer. News of the South Florida location comes after the bagel shop popped up in Palm Beach at the Colony Hotel in 2024, which went completely viral online. The pop-up was such a hit that it sold out every single day. This is why South Florida is about to be treated to not just one but four PopUp Bagels locations this year. The Delray Beach shop is the first of four South Florida locations PopUp Bagels plans to open in 2025. The brand also plans to ex- pand into central and north Florida, as well. “We’ve always wanted to come to Florida. We love our friends at the Colony Hotel and that’s been great for us, but we really just needed our infrastructure to be bulkier and in place so that we could successfully operate multiple stores in Florida,” founder Adam Goldberg tells New Times. The company cur- rently has four locations in New York, four in Connecticut, and one in Boston. The SoFlo announcement dropped on Ins- tagram on January 15 (National Bagel Day), sparking a flood of social media excitement from South Florida bagel fans. “I totally don’t mind picking them up at the pop-up at the Colony Hotel, but having a store will be awe- some. Welcome to SoFlo!” wrote a fan in the comments. “Ahh, I am screaming! Can we do Orlando too!” wrote another. But how did this Connecticut pop-up be- come one of New York’s most prized bagel shops? It all started in its founder’s backyard. For the uninitiated, PopUp Bagels started in Goldberg’s Westport backyard in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, slinging smaller, airier takes on New York-style bagels with a crisp exterior. The concept took off, backed by an $8 million investment round and celebrity investors, including Paul Rudd, Michael Phelps, Michael Strahan, and JJ Watt. The brand keeps it simple with just five bagel varieties: plain, sesame, poppy, salt, and everything. The bagels are “baked fresh and served hot, whole, and straight from the oven — no slicing, no sandwiches,” according to a press release. But the rotating cream cheese menu drives the hype, featuring weekly col- laborations like “Cup of Noodles” schmear and a garlicky escargot spread created with pastry chef Dominique Ansel. Orders come in three-bagel bags paired with a ten-ounce tub of schmear. The downtown Delray Beach location sits on the same block as the popular Ray Hotel. Construction starts in the next few weeks with a planned late spring opening, with de- tails on the additional South Florida locations coming soon in the upcoming weeks. PopUp Bagels Delray Beach. Location TBA. Opening summer 2025. OLEE FOWLER ▼ KENDALL APOCALYPSE BBQ TO RELOCATE One of the most-talked-about barbecue spots in the 305 is moving its digs for the first time since opening to a much larger space in Kendall. Apocalypse BBQ will move from its current SW 104th Street location to a bigger space in Kendall Village this March, owner Jeff Budnechky announced via Instagram Live on January 20. “We’re taking a big step in a new direction,” Budnechky said during the announcement. “We’ll have an insane amount of space and way more seats to cater to many more people.” The barbecue spot will take over the space at 8695 SW 124th Ave., though Budnechky in- terestingly enough sidestepped its most re- cent tenant, referring to it only as “the old diner space” and “formerly known as the Starlite Diner” during his announcement. The space most recently housed Latin House Grill until its November 2024 closure. What started as Budnechky’s pandemic project on a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker grew into a full-service restaurant — one that famously doesn’t take reservations or phone calls. Since opening in 2022, Apoca- lypse BBQ has drawn hours-long lines for its Brazilian-Argentinian and Cuban-influenced barbecue, with buzzed-about dishes like cafe- cito-rubbed ribs, wild boar burgers topped with smoked brisket bacon, and skull- shaped corn- bread. The spot keeps crowds happy during the wait with free beer, though regulars know to show up early — the brisket waits for no one. That’s why news of this larger spot can change the game for cus- tomers deterred by the wait. When asked about the fate of the current location, Budnechky played coy. “We’ll talk about that later,” he said with a chuckle when viewers asked if they planned to keep both spots running. He noted Apocalypse will stay open at its current location until the move but stopped short of confirming its status afterward. The pitmaster even teased menu expan- sions towards the end of the Instagram Live, including breakfast. “We got a whole break- fast menu we got to talk about. Coming soon to a diner near you,” he said. The new location most recently housed Latin House Grill, which closed in November 2024 after 12 years. Latin House started as a food truck during Miami’s early 2010s food truck mania before settling into brick-and- mortar digs known for Chimi Burritos, Flat- ton tacos, and Muffin Top burgers. “We’re never going to leave this neighbor- hood,” Budnechky promised during the an- nouncement. “We’re all about the people, and we’re going to stay here with the people for as long as we possibly can.” Apocalypse BBQ. 8695 SW 124th Ave., Mi- ami. Opens March 1. OLEE FOWLER | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café WHAT STARTED AS BUDNECHKY’S PANDEMIC PROJECT ON A WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN SMOKER GREW INTO A FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT.
