You’ll phone home about Call Your Mother Deli

Daniela Moreira (pictured) and her husband Andrew Dana founded Call Your Mother in 2018

Deep into their deli’s planning stages, its founders were struggling to give it a name. So, they polled their friends: What are some phrases your Jewish mom or grandmother would say? “Put some meat on your bones!” and “Eat something!” came the responses. Then, a friend’s sister exclaimed, “Call your mother!”  

A local branch of Call Your Mother Deli, the famed Washington, D.C.-based bagel shop, will open this spring in Wicker Park, bringing its unique twist on the classic deli fare to the Chicago area. 

Founded in 2018 by husband-wife duo Andrew Dana and chef Daniela Moreira, Call Your Mother Deli has quickly grown to be a nationwide go-to. They have already opened in the Washington, D.C.-area, and in Maryland, Virginia, and Colorado. 

In 2016, Dana and Moreira opened a pizza restaurant called Timber Pizza in Washington, D.C., “that went better than we could have ever hoped for,” Dana said. “We were looking for the next challenge, and I had always had something around the bagel in my mind. When I was growing up, my dad used to always say to me that he wished he had opened a Jewish deli.”  

When he asked his wife, an Argentina native, if she wanted to open a bagel shop, Moreira replied, “Um, I’ve never even had a bagel.” 

“I grew up going to more classic sort of Jewish delis and bagel shops,” Dana realized, “and my wife was coming at it from a blank slate.” 

Their research journey began. “We traveled around sampling a bunch of different bagels, and every time we had a bagel, we would ask, ‘What do we like about this one?’” Dana recalled. “And then we started combining things” that didn’t usually go together. The fact that Moreira had never had a bagel worked in their favor. “She wasn’t bogged down by tradition or saying, ‘it has to be exactly like this,’” he explained. 

 
Their bagels are a hybrid—boiled before being baked in a wood-fired oven, they combine the sweetness of Montreal-style bagels with the fluffier texture of a New York bagel.  

Moreira said that they’re always looking for creative twists on their bagels, such as one of their favorite summertime bagel sandwiches. “It includes peach cream cheese, fresh peaches, jalapenos, and potato chips,” she said. “That was born out of being at a farmer’s market and trying fresh peaches and saying, ‘Wow, what if we could come up with something like this?’ We are always trying to come up with cool, funky, fresh flavor combinations.” 

Between their unique taste and imaginative menu items, the deli has gained a loyal following.  

The menu reimagines Jewish deli staples with inventive and unexpected twists, like the Hidden Cove bagel: smoked salmon, mashed avocado, Korean-style cucumbers, seaweed flakes, and shredded carrots. While the menu is not kosher, there are many vegetarian options to choose from.  

Dana also attributes a great part of their success to their staff-focused business model. Many of their employees have been with them from the start. 

Call Your Mother Deli has become known for its bright pink, “Boca meets Brooklyn” aesthetic. Each store has exposed brick façade with teal accents. “It’s always spring break around these parts,” Dana said. The Chicago shop will also showcase local artwork and a site-specific mural, giving the new location its own distinctive flavor. Its playful look is enhanced by its curated musical playlist. 

The owners have good friends in Chicago and love visiting the city. “Part of our growth plan is to keep opening in places we like, so we have an excuse to set up shop and visit a lot,” they said. 

Rochelle Newman Rubinoff is a freelance writer living in the northern suburbs of Chicago.