Stephanie Spear 
A popular Del Ray bagel shop is opening a second location in Arlington, VA. Bagel Uprising’s new home at 901 N. Glebe Road in Ballston will have a larger space, more seating, and significantly more bagel-making capacity. The new shop will be led by Bagel Uprising founder Chad Breckinridge and his business partner, Justin Silverman. The Fairfax Girl got an exclusive first look ahead of the shop’s July 28th opening. Read on for more about Bagel Uprising’s upcoming Ballston location.
About Bagel Uprising
Bagel Uprising began in 2015 when Chad Breckinridge started making bread at home as a way to unwind from work as an attorney. “My kids were little, and it was a fun challenge,” he said. “They would help roll the dough balls in the kitchen. It was something to do together.”
After trying the bagels, Chad’s cousin challenged him to sell them at a local farmers market. Bagel Uprising first appeared at a local market in 2015 and quickly became a favorite, with customers waiting in line to get their baked goods. Chad later hosted several pop-ups around Del Ray before opening Bagel Uprising’s first permanent shop at 2307A Mt Vernon Avenue in 2019.
Chad, left, and Justin, right.
Justin Silverman is a member of the United States Air Force and began baking as a hobby while stationed in Wichita, Kansas. “You can’t get a good bagel there,” he said. Justin took matters into his own hands, literally, and started baking bagels, babka, and other traditional Jewish baked goods.
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After returning to Northern Virginia, Justin began considering whether he could sell homemade babka at farmers’ markets. He remembered reading about Chad’s experience balancing a legal career with a growing bagel business and wanted to ask him how he managed both. A mutual friend connected them, and they were off to the races.
By the end of their conversation, Chad had invited Justin to use the Bagel Uprising kitchen and to sell his baked goods through the shop. Justin began making babka for Bagel Uprising and later helped develop additional recipes, including vegan cream cheese, seasonal cream cheese flavors, and seasonal sandwiches.
Move to Ballston
Chad said that he has been considering a local expansion for a while, and knew that it had to be the right location to make it work. “It had to be close enough that we, and our employees, could easily get back and forth, but not so close that it would draw from the same customer base,” he said. After about 18 months of looking, the space in Ballston became available.
Justin is taking the helm on the Ballston shop, but the Del Ray team will help get things rolling. The Ballston location has a three-level oven that is expected to triple the shop’s bagel-baking capacity. The new space has two separate preparation lines where employees can toast bagels, spread cream cheese, prepare salmon, and assemble sandwiches.
The shop has a traditional convection oven for larger baked goods. Bagel ovens operate at a very high temperature and have a baking chamber that is only a few inches tall, making them ideal for bagels but difficult to use for taller breads. The additional oven will give Justin more room to make items such as babka and challah.
The Ballston menu is similar to the menu at the Del Ray location: customers can expect Bagel Uprising’s signature bagels, cream cheeses, sandwiches, and baked goods. Justin will also continue developing seasonal sandwiches and specialty cream cheese flavors.
The shop currently carries gluten-free bagels made by an outside supplier, but Justin has been experimenting with a homemade gluten-free bagel recipe. Justin also plans to continue making plant-based babka and challah. The recipes were originally developed to be dairy-free and were later adapted without eggs after Justin learned that one of his wife’s coworkers had an egg allergy. Justin said the goal is to make baked goods that are accessible to more people without sacrificing flavor or texture.
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Even with a bigger kitchen and more production capacity, Chad said the most important part of the expansion is maintaining the welcoming atmosphere of the Del Ray shop. The focus will remain on serving affordable food, building relationships, and creating an authentic neighborhood shop.
“Good bagels, good people,” Chad said.
Bagel Uprising is located at 901 N. Glebe Road in Arlington and will open on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026. The hours will be 7AM to 3PM.
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