Don Guerra's Barrio Bagel & Slice — Restaurant in Gilbert

To Don Guerra, James Beard award winning baker, I bestow upon you St. Honorius, Patron St. Of baking.... legend tells that when word of his appointment as bishop reached his family home, his old nursemaid, who was baking bread at the time, announced that Honorius was not more going to be a bishop than the baker's peel she was leaning on would become a tree. The wooden peel promptly grew roots and branches becoming a blackberry tree that pilgrims still could see 900 years later....

Don, it was great meeting you and your team today! This is your baby and it shows! We stayed at the In-town Suits ( best price on a place to stay $469 weekly, upgraded room daily $69) we noticed that Barrio Bagel & Slice was being worked on, alas we moved before they finished... today I had the time to take a look and disappoint Was never in the cards! Clean, friendly, spacious, lots of parking, homemade food with love! I asked for the everything bagel, but just after devouring the bagel, I thought, humm, I ordered the everything bagel with cream cheese and got the plain bagel with cream cheese. Non the less I am in no way disturbed by that! I don't know if you have had a real homemade bagel before, but when done right you get this amazing crispy, light and clean taste. Just throw dirt on me I'm done! With whipped cream cheese! About 1.5 oz of added deliciousness, I'm a fan of alot of cream cheese!

On to Chilepin Chedder Fougasse (I will call it the pretzel cheesy bread) look at the pictures then you tell me..lol. I chose that one specifically because of its shape, that may add to consistent baking of the bread, not sure. They have the regular unholy ones too. Not spicy BUT flavorful, little bite in the end. I'm turning part of this into a sandwich with turkey and all the other goodies! Knowledge is power! Chilepin Chedder Fougasse bread: A decorative flat bread leavened with a combination of wild yeast (levain) and baker's yeast. Sharp cheddar and spicy chiltepin peppers create a bold flavor.

Chiltepin peppers: The bright red Tepin Chile (Chile Tepin) is only wild chile native to the United States. One of the smallest chiles, about ¼-inch in diameter, it has a smoky taste with intense, but short-lasting, heat. The Tepin chile has a rich history in the cultures of the indigenous peoples in the area encompassing the Southwest US and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. Today, the dried chiles are most often crushed and used to add heat to salsas, soups, stews, chili, beans, dried rubs and Tex-Mex dishes, or used simply as a zesty seasoning at the table.

Fougasse, the French cousin of Italian focaccia, offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures. It's known for its chewy, crusty exterior and light, airy interior, often with a slightly salty, savory taste reminiscent of herbs, olives, and sometimes even a...

Pulled in with only four cars in from of us and a dozen or so people in the walk up line, I proceeded to wait in the drive thru line for over an hour for food that seems like it had been made and bagged up for a while soggy bags, hardened bread, congealed cheese, and just lukewarm. I was excited to try this spot. They did a great job restoring an old drive thru concept into a good looking place. I just wish that the same money and time was spent on hiring, training, and preparing for what it takes to run an efficient drive thru. As someone who has managed and opened high end QSRs, it seemed that there was little to no sense of urgency. After the long wait in line, we waited at the window for another 15 minutes. I was asked my name multiple times and watched the self described manager on duty place day stickers on milk while the kitchen was “really backed up.” We at least expected an apology once we finally arrived at the window, but instead we were greeted with “it will be $38.99.” After letting the employee kindly know our frustration we got a dismissive “I’m sorry.” We proceeded to let the manager know we were frustrated and got another condescending apology. Clearly Don Guerra know how to make some great baked goods, but I suggest working a few shifts in a real QSR to learn how to be efficient and coach the management team on how to give better guest service when things go south, otherwise put some gravel down in that DT and board...

Don Guerra is a magician when it comes to bread (look him up). I've been buying bread from him for years in Tucson, all the way back to when he only made weekly trips to a small farmers market. Giving that up when I moved here was rough, so I was ecstatic when I learned Bagel and Slice was opening here, and so close to my home. The wait was worth it.

Everything I've tried has been amazing. The bagels seem a bit lighter and more flavorful than your typical bagel, and they're really great, however I typically come in here for lunch. I've tried all of the slices and several sandwiches. My staple order has become the potato and onion, which is unlike anything I've tried before, but is a perfect blend of savory, sweet, and something extra with the rosemary and herbs in the focaccia bread. Delicious. Typically pair this with half of a grilled, and save the other half to reheat sometime later in the week (reheats perfectly in the oven, thanks to the hardy bread).

I would recommend using their app (which works really well) and ordering ahead because the wait can be a little long in the drive through if it's too hot wait outside. But that's easy enough to do. Come here for lunch every week, order ~20-30 minutes ahead of time, don't wait more than 5-10 minutes.

The cookies are great. The chocolate cherry rolls are awesome. Really everything is just fantastic, and we are so thrilled to have our luxury bread provider back, and with such an...