Beyond MoCo: Bethesda Bagels to Close Dupont Circle Location

Bethesda Bagels announced on Monday that they would be closing its Dupont Circle location in Washington DC this Sunday, April 24, after failing to come to a lease agreement with the landlord of the property.

After nearly 12 years and millions and millions of bagels, our Dupont Circle location will be closing. Our last day will be Sunday, April 24th. Unfortunately, we have not been able to come to an agreement with our landlord to extend our lease. Our family is EXTREMELY THANKFUL for your support over the last decade plus. We will be relocating most of our employees to our other locations.

We will still be relatively close by in Navy Yard and Rosslyn, so don’t be a stranger. All catering will continue uninterrupted and will be served by our area locations. We will miss you! Come say goodbye! #bethesdabagels #dupontcircle #eatmorebagels

Bethesda Bagels opened its newest location at 14929-D Shady Grove Rd in Rockville, the former site of GameStop, back in January.

The family-owned business started in 1982 and is known for its New York style bagels.

Bethesda Bagels has two additional MoCo locations, 4819 Bethesda Ave. and 10241 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, as well as locations in DC and Virginia.

History of Bethesda Bagels, per its website:

I was working these crazy hours in real estate back in the early ’80s. I would be in my car traveling for 7 hours a day, going building to building. When I got to thse buildings, something was always wrong or someone wasn’t happy. Neither was I. Moving along, my wife was working a conference at the Washington Hilton, so I decided I would visit her for the weekend. I really liked the DC Metro Area. We also had a friend who was going to Georgetown dental school at the time. I decided to pay Eddie a visit at school. I told him that I really liked the area down here and asked what would be a good business to open. Eddie told me the bagels in the area were really awful and a light bulb went off over my head. The rest is history.

I went back to NYC and talked legendary baker Manny Strugatch into letting us apprentice in his bagel ship before and after our full-time jobs. So on a small, shoe-string budget, we opened our Bethesda location in 1982. It was a really sleepy area at the time, but people were starved for new and good products. Word got out and our reputation began to grow. We made a lot of mistakes along the way, but eventually we got it to where it is today. The concrete plant is no longer down the street, the railroad tracks are long gone, as well as the old screen door. Four sons later, we’re happy to say that we are still here — the oldest orginal tenant that started on Bethesda Row.

Our family and business has grown alongside this community. We are still as in love with the area now as we were the first time we visited. We continue to stay involved. When you come into our stores, there is a good chance that you will see me, Fran, or one of our sons. Bethesda Bagels is and always will be family owned and operated.

-The Fleishmans