The Review
Call Your Mother is a self-described 'Jew-ish' deli in Park View that has become one of DC's most-discussed breakfast and lunch spots since Andrew Dana opened it in 2018. The conceit is nostalgia filtered through a California-Jewish sensibility — bagels that are boiled properly, smoked fish sourced carefully, cream cheese in interesting preparations.
The signature move is the Everything Bagel sandwich: a genuine New York-style bagel (kettle-boiled, seeded, chewy with bite) loaded with house-smoked salmon, whipped scallion cream cheese, capers, thin cucumber slices, and everything bagel seasoning on top. It is a precise riff on a classic rather than a reinvention, and it is very good.
The space is small and the line is long on weekends — which is the truest possible endorsement for a breakfast sandwich shop in a city full of them.
What to Order
Everything bagel with house smoked salmon and scallion cream cheese. The tahini babka if you want to understand what they're really doing.
Tips
Lines form 30–45 minutes before opening on weekends. Weekday mornings are manageable. Online ordering available but pickup can take 20+ minutes during peak hours.
Our Rating
★★★★☆
Price Range
$$