Happy Wednesday Winstigators!

This past Saturday afternoon, my family and I were hanging in our friend’s backyard. Blow up pool, kids running around while the adults had a few beverages, the whole summer Saturday situation.

Topics of conversation varied, but one of the things that popped up was places to eat around Winchester and places we’ve all been. When the name of a bagel shop with a funny name was mentioned, my friend immediately went, “That place is AWESOME.”

But I hadn’t heard of it. “Ska-what?” I asked.

And my wife said, “Sclafani’s. You haven’t been there? You’d love it. You know right where it is, it’s down off 11 next to the Alamo movie theater.” Trusting her judgment, I knew I needed to go.

The next morning was Father’s Day and I took full advantage of it, heading down to Sclafani’s to figure out if the hype was real. It’s right where I figured it was, one of those places you go, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that place before,” but never bothered to investigate. I pulled into the parking lot a couple minutes before it opened and there was already a line of people outside waiting to order breakfast. Always a good sign.

To be clear, Sclafani’s has more than just bagels, but the bagels are why you show up in the first place. They have plenty of the standard favorites, like plain and everything, along with a few more creative options. A French toast bagel? I was all-in. There are also different sandwich setups and plenty of spreads available, from lox to the flavor of the month which happened to be Oreo cream cheese.

My go-to is an everything bagel with sausage, egg and cheese and this absolutely delivered. The bagel had the right amount of crunchy crust with chew on the inside. It wasn’t soft bread pretending to be a bagel or a grocery store bagel that exists only because someone cut a hole in the middle. It was a real bagel…and true to their word, something you’d get in NYC; sturdy, flavorful and built to handle a breakfast sandwich without turning into a mess. And since this was my first time there, I also had to try the French toast bagel with the Oreo cream cheese.

Delicious.

Is it something I should eat every morning? Probably not. Is it something I would happily order again while pretending I’m “just trying it for the newsletter?” Absolutely.

Sclafani’s is a real bagel shop doing real bagel shop things. You can grab a dozen for the house, pick up a breakfast sandwich before work or roll in on a weekend morning when you want something better than whatever fast food option you were about to settle for. It’s also one of those local places that you’ve probably driven past quite a few times and should really stop to try.

So yes, the backyard hype was justified. Sclafani’s is good. Really good…and I’ll definitely be back.

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester - MSV at Night: Michelle Lockey, June 26, 5pm - 8pm

Historic Middletown VA, Middletown - Middletown Evening Market, June 26, 5pm - 9pm

Amphitheatre at Bowman Library, Stephens City - Moonlit Movie Series: Mufasa, June 26, 8:30pm - 10pm

Friends of Old Town, Winchester - Old Town Mural Unveiling, June 26, 1pm - 2pm

Hollywood Casino, Charles Town - Christopher Cross at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races,

Lime Kiln Theater, Lexington - The Steeldrivers, 7 PM

Tidal Wave Athletics, Winchester - Open Gym, June 26, 7:30pm - 9pm

Warren Heritage Society Inc., Front Royal - Haunted Front Royal Ghost Tours, June 19 - June 26

Salamander Resort, Middleburg - Floating Sound Bath at the Champions Pool, June 26, 8pm - 9pm

Stadium Drive, Front Royal - Movie Night at Claude A. Stokes, Jr. Community Swimming Pool, June 26, 8pm - 11pm

The Amp at Sam Michaels Park, Shenandoah Junction - Jefferson County Fireworks presented by Skinner Accident and Injury Lawyers, June 26, 6pm - 10pm

The Half Note, Winchester - Andrew Renner Live at the Half Note Lounge, June 26, 8pm - 10pm

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Leesburg - Launch Your First AI Powered Assistant 🤖, June 26, 9am - 10:30am

Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg - 90s Rockfest at Tally Ho,

Great Meadow, The Plains - Music in the Meadow, June 26 - October 9

Washington County Agricultural Education Center, Boonsboro - 4-H Summer Day Camp - From the Field and Beyond STEAM, June 22 - June 26

The Farm Brewery at Broad Run, Broad Run - Friday Night Networking Mixer at The Farm Brewery at Broad Run, June 26 - December 25

Potomac River Interiors, Brunswick - Brunswick LIVE - Last Friday - Shops Open Late, June 26, 4pm

The Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill Orchard, Winchester - Fairytale on the Farm, June 27, 10am - 3pm

West Oaks Farm Market, Winchester - Little Farmers Festival, June 27, 11am - 5pm

Richards Fruit Market, Middletown - Ice Cream Social at Richards Fruit Market, June 27, 11am - 3pm

Willow Moon Farm, Gore - Open Fire Farm Feast at Willow Moon Farm, June 27, 5pm - 9pm

Sportsplex, Winchester - Live Combat Sports Event, June 27, 6pm

Lime Kiln Theater, Lexington - The Steeldrivers, 7 PM

Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport, Martinsburg - Independence Day Celebration, June 27, 5pm

Blue Ridge Middle, Purcellville - Purcellville Independence Day Parade, June 27, 11am

Breaux Vineyards, Purcellville - Live Music with Shane Gamble, June 27, 2pm - 5pm

Washington County Agricultural Education Center, Fairplay - Washington County Tractor Pullers - Boonsboro, MD, June 27, 6pm - 9pm

Twilight Polo, Middleburg - Wild West 🤠 at Twilight Polo® Middleburg, VA, June 27, 5:15pm

Great Country Farms, Bluemont - Pickle Fest, June 27, 10am - 4pm

Wapacoma Campground, Romney - 17th Annual South Branch Valley Bluegrass Festival & Fireworks Show, June 27, 11am - 10pm

Backseat Events, Winchester - Tribute Show, June 27, 10pm

Downtown Saloon, Leesburg - The Last Waltz, June 27 - June 28

Reitano Vineyards, Front Royal - Ryan Jewel's 4th Album Release Party, June 27, 5pm - 10pm

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, Leesburg - Summer Family Day at Vanish Brewery, June 27, 12pm - 3pm

Clarke County Fair Grounds, Berryville - Northern Virginia Reptile Expo Berryville, June 27, 9am - 3pm

The Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill Orchard, Winchester - Fairytale on the Farm, June 27, 10am - 3pm

The Farm Brewery at Broad Run, Haymarket - Messenger On The BIG Stage, June 27, 6pm

Hillbilly Heaven Bar and Grill, Berkeley Springs - Hillbilly Heaven Bar and Grill Welcomes Odie and The Country Band, June 27, 7pm - 10pm

Battle Grounds Bakery & Coffee, Harpers Ferry - Film Photography Series: Street Photography, June 27, 8am - 10:30am

Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg - Better Off Dead - Grateful Dead Tribute, June 27, 7pm

Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg - Kanin Wren's Taylor Swift Experience, June 28, 7pm

Disciple Tour Bus Experience, Winchester - Winchester, VA, June 28, 5:30pm - 6pm

Heavens Pit, Winchester - Heaven's Pit Presents Disciple, June 28, 7pm

Bridgeforth Field, Winchester - Winchester Royals vs Woodstock River Bandits, June 28, 5pm - 8pm

Bishops Events, Winchester - 2026 Heatwave Hustle 5k/10k, June 28, 8:30am

Breaux Vineyards, Purcellville - Sushi Making Class + Glass of Wine at Breaux Vineyards, June 28, 2pm - 4pm

The Last Sunday Market , Winchester - The Last Sunday Market Opening Day, June 28, 10am - 2pm

Chilly Hollow Brewing Company, Berryville - June Book Club - Book: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, June 28, 3pm

On Cue Sports Bar & Grill, Front Royal - Blind Draw Scotch Doubles 9ball Chip Tournament, June 28, 1pm - 4pm

Loaf and Lantern Bakery, Shepherdstown - Shepherds Town Farmers Market, June 28, 9am - 1pm

West Oaks Farm Market, Winchester - Lyndsie Nicholson Live, June 28, 1pm - 4pm

Bishops Events, The Plains - 2026 Miles at the Meadow #1, June 28, 8am

Beverly Equestrian, The Plains - Sunday Polo, June 28, 4pm

Riding Far LLC, Charles Town - French Classical Riding With Pippa Callanan, June 26 - June 28

Romney, West Virginia, Romney - (BE)FOURTH FEST, June 26 - June 28

Shepherdstown Opera House, Shepherdstown - John PayCheck at The Shepherdstown Opera House in Shepherdstown WV, June 28, 7pm

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