After more than two weeks of voting, Alexandria residents have spoken: The Chewish Deli reigns supreme as the city’s best bagel shop, according to ALXnow’s latest Readers’ Choice poll.
The Chewish Deli captured 46.53% of the vote with 2,502 ballots cast in their favor during the polling period that ran from June 15 through July 1, 2025. But the victory wasn’t a landslide—Bagel Uprising mounted a strong challenge, finishing a close second with 41.57% of votes and 2,235 supporters.
The competition between these two establishments was fierce, with less than five percentage points separating them in the final tally. Together, they commanded nearly 90% of all votes cast.
Call Your Mother managed third place with 8.22% of votes—442 people choosing the spot. The remaining field consisted of Other (1.12%, 60 votes), Panera Bread (0.73%, 39 votes), St. Elmo’s (0.65%, 35 votes), Uptowner Cafe (0.46%, 25 votes), Cortado Cafe (0.26%, 14 votes), Alexandria Pastry Shop (0.24%, 13 votes), and Café du Soleil (0.22%, 12 votes).
The poll drew significant community engagement, with 5,377 total votes cast. ALXnow implemented security measures to ensure voting integrity, limiting participation to one vote per IP address.
“Congratulations to The Chewish Deli on this well-deserved victory,” said Ryan Belmore, Publisher of ALXnow. “We want to thank all 5,377 Alexandria residents who took the time to vote and make their voices heard. This incredible turnout shows how passionate our community is about supporting local businesses.”
The bagel shop contest represents the latest chapter in ALXnow’s broader Readers’ Choice Awards series, which has already generated spirited competition across multiple categories. Recent polls have crowned winners for best ice cream shop, best Mexican restaurant, best pizza in Alexandria, and best bicycle shop.
