Don Guerra's Barrio Bagel & Slice opens in Gilbert. Take a look inside

A new quick-service restaurant and bakery from a James Beard award-winning breadmaker has made its Gilbert debut. Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice opened on Thursday.

Guerra teamed up with restaurant veteran Oren Molovinsky on the concept which serves an all-day menu with Guerra’s naturally leavened, heritage grain breads at the center.

The duo shared their plans to convert a former Sonic Drive-In, located on Arizona Avenue just south of Guadalupe Road, in February and Valley diners have been awaiting its arrival ever since.

“This concept is really special to us because it’s a reflection of where we’ve come from,” Guerra shared during a media preview this week. “We’re bringing it all together and it’s been a ton of fun.”
While the intercoms and carhop service of the former Sonic are gone, the Barrio Bagel & Slice owners are aiming to keep things fresh, fast and accessible for diners, who can order ahead through an app, at the drive-thru or from two counters inside.

In the morning, customers can get one of Guerra’s Sonoran-style Barrio Bagels, which are made with Sonoran wheat, natural leavening and no added oils or sugars. They can be topped with butter, cream cheese or made into a sandwich with a fried egg, meat and cheese. There’s also an avocado bagel toast or a sweeter chocolate cherry roll among the breakfast options.

The coffee is roasted by Flagstaff’s Matador Coffee Roasting Co., which created a signature medium roast of organic Mexican beans for the restaurant. Specialty coffee drinks are made with cold brew. Among them is the Berry White, which features white chocolate, raspberry and vanilla cold foam.

Lunch and dinner selections include salads, sandwiches and slices. Sandwiches can be made on Guerra’s bagels, focaccia or torta rolls. Selections include a Chicken BLT and an Italian piled high with ham, pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato, basil, pesto and pepperoncini. The pizzas are massive rectangular focaccia pies. There’s traditional Margherita and pepperoni, a vegan pesto option and a pie topped with thin slices of potato, red onion, rosemary, parmesan, mozzarella and a drizzle of honey.

In addition to churning out an all-day menu, the kitchen team will also bake bread on-site, using Guerra’s original oven from his early days baking out of his Tucson garage.

Here’s a look at what to expect at Barrio Bagel & Slice.

Don Guerra's Barrio Bagel & Slice

Opens Thursday
689 N. Arizona Ave, Gilbert