Happy New Year, and happy new eats! First post of 2019 is here – highlighting the most popular, instagrammed restaurant of (late) 2018, Call Your Mother Deli. I visited two weekends in a row to get a row this January, just to make sure I did my research thoroughly – and see if this place lives up to the hype!

Call Your Mother Deli opened up in Petworth in late 2018, by two chefs from Timber Pizza Co. in D.C. Andrew Dana grew up in a half Jewish family, so him and the cofounder, Daniela Moriera did extensive bagel research to perfect the recipie for their wood-fired bagels.

The aesthetics of the restaurant were incredibly well planned, with a pink and blue theme and picture of Drake and his mom in the interior. There is a beautiful bagel mural on the outer wall painted by D.C. artist Marcella Kriebel and the menu board is old-school letter style. No wonder its so instagrammable!

Their menu features bagel sandwiches with funky names, “The Rihanna-Flex,” normal bagels, sandwiches with homemade bread, and extras like latkes and cookies – along with coffees and sodas.

Our first visit, Jolyn got a pizza bagel and I ordered the Amar’e with a side of latkes. The pizza bagel was open faced, topped with marinara, mozzarella cheese, and basil. As soon as Jolyn took one bite, she got up and ordered another bagel – with egg and cheese – it was that good!

I got the Amar’e – with candied salmon cream cheese, pea shoots, crispy shallots, cucumber, and micro radish on a za’atar bagel. While the bagel was beautifully layered bagel- there was far too much salmon cream cheese, it was falling out and wasn’t as well proportioned as it could have been. Overall, the flavor combinations were good, with the addition of the greens and the cucumbers, but the proportions were a little off.

However – this was the first time a tried latkes, and I loved them! I’m no expert, so I cant say how they were compared to others, but they were served hot and crispy, the potatoes were spiced well, and I am *both* team sour cream and applesauce. A superior potato food indeed.

When we visited the following week, I decided to try the Craig D, with apple cream cheese, apple, bacon, jalapeño slices and chips. Sounds like a weird combo – but this was way better than the Amar’e! The apple cream cheese was amazing, just the right amount of sweet, mixed with the crunchy chips, and the salty bacon was fantastic.

We got the latkes again, and they were just as great as the first time. My friends got the Rihanna Flex and enjoyed that as well. Their home roast house coffee (with free refills!) were a great touch.

This place is so popular, there’s usually a line down the block and a very crowded mess of shuffling and jostling for seating on the inside. I would suggest sitting on the outside if its still nice, and being patient with the waiting process. The bagels here are good – maybe not the most authentic NYC bagels, but tasty food nonetheless. A great spot for a post-night-out breakfast!

The Bottom Line

Good spot for a fun neighborhood bagel + latkes, dont forget the latkes 🙂

Cone Rating: 4 Cones

Price: $$ (Bagel and coffee could be anywhere from $8-15)

Location: Petworth, Washington, D.C.

On the Internet: Call Your Mother Website, Instagram, Yelp Page