SEATTLE — Can’t choose between a bagel or breakfast burrito?
At Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, you don’t have to.
"I think we're pretty unique," said owner Paul Osher. "I think we have the burrito and bagel market cornered.”
He and his wife opened the to-go spot during the pandemic, while their brunch restaurant Porkchop & Co. was closed.
"When the lockdown happened, we started doing the bagels here in house just to kind of keep ourselves busy and get the ball rolling — get the bagel rolling,” Osher said. "Our refrigerators were full of food, so Luis — one of our cooks — suggested making breakfast burritos. After a little while we realized we really liked this weird, unique business model and decided to stick with it."
The concept has a loyal following — some regular customers stop by daily, and bagels often sell out.
"I probably come here a couple times a month,” said Everett Fitzhugh, the voice of the Seattle Kraken. “A Jersey girl knows bagels, and if my wife — who was born and bred in New Jersey — is coming here for bagels, I'd say they're doing something pretty good."
Everything they serve is made from scratch and Osher said excellent local flour plays a major role in the popularity of their signature item.
"I just love how much vibrancy there is around bagels right now,” he said. “Everybody's excited about it, myself included. And I'm happy to see that the bagels time has come."
The restaurant also smokes, cures, pickles, and ferments ingredients in-house.
As if the food wasn't reason enough to stop in, Rachel’s is also a good spot for dog-watching.
"It's a neighborhood restaurant, so people coming in on their dog walk to pick up their breakfast, it's really rewarding to see,” Osher said.
The restaurant even runs a side Instagram account, showcasing photos of visiting dogs.
"We're ready for the apocalypse," Osher said. "We've got all the food groups and all the puppies.”
He and his wife met as graduate students studying political philosophy, and he said their underlying goal at Rachel’s is to do right by their employees, customers and community. A “manifesto” details the ways they try to make a difference, in both light-hearted and serious ways.
Most recently, the restaurant spearheaded a fundraiser with dozens of other participating eateries and raised $55,000 for earthquake victims in Turkey.
"We really want to run a restaurant that we all enjoy being in,” he said.
Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos is located at 5451 Leary Avenue N.W. and their new location is at 12537 Lake City Way N.E.
They are open Wednesday through Monday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
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