Back in 1995, before Jacob and Alexandra Cohen were the powerhouse couple they are today, they were childhood crushes.
As adults, neither had much business experience, but they’ve always been passionate about supporting local businesses, and decided to start something of their own.
April of 2020 afforded them that ability, given the extra time caused by the pandemic lockdown. You can call that kismet – meaning destiny or fate. And so, Kismet Bagels was born.
“We became obsessed with creating, baking and building a business and haven’t looked back since,” Alexandra said.
They kicked off the bagel venture at their home in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia by making products for health-care workers during the pandemic.
Fishtown was Kismet Bagel’s first location; it opened two years later, in April 2022.
“After doing pop-ups, wholesale and farmer’s markets for two years that started in the neighborhood and evolved into events around the city and beyond,” Alexandra recalled, “we felt it was time to finally open up our own brick and mortar.
“Our staff is so friendly and greets you with the biggest smiles and goes above and beyond to make our customers feel welcome and have the best experience,” says Kismet Bagels owner, Alexandra Cohen.
“We knew Fishtown was the place to do it, as it was where we started and received so much amazing support from the community since day one.”
Although the Fishtown space is smaller – with counter service and a few tables outside – it’s still near and dear to the Cohens.
“We wanted people to feel warm and comfortable when walking into our space, with a bit of nostalgia,” Alexandra explained.
Kismet Bagel’s flavors range from plain, sesame, cinnamon raisin and egg to sea salt rosemary, pumpkin and jalapeño cheese. Their bestseller is the BEC – scrambled egg, Cooper sharp cheese, bacon and butter – while most patrons ask for that classic breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel.
The lox sandwich has a special Kismet twist, with pastrami-seasoned lox and pickles from Fishtown Pickle Project. Kids love the PB&J, peanut butter and jelly. There are also gluten-free bagels from Flakely on the menu, a vegan schmear from Stockeld Dreamery in Sweden and a vegan egg-and-cheese sandwich.
But more than their popular menu choices, the Cohens pride themselves on their hospitality.
“We’re not your average bagel shop,” Alexandra noted, “where you come in and order your breakfast and get out with little positive human interaction. Our staff is so friendly and greets you with the biggest smiles and goes above and beyond to make our customers feel welcome and have the best experience.
“We get messages time and time again about how someone was having a bad day, and our staff turned it around by their kind demeanor,” she adds. “That means everything to us.”
Good vibes continue as the Cohens contribute to fundraisers and donate gift cards to local charity auctions. They also donate bagels daily through Sharing Excess, which distributes extra food at the end of the day to hungry city residents.
Kismet also offers a platform for other small businesses by offering pop-ups inside its six locations. Besides that first business in Fishtown (113 E. Girard Ave.), there are shops in Rittenhouse, Manayunk, Collingswood and Ventnor, and a luncheonette in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania.
Kismet also offers catering options. For more information, visit kismetbagels.com.
