If you are searching for some of the best bagels in the Phoenix area, this Barrio Bagel review covers what to order, what makes the bread different, and whether Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice is worth the drive to Gilbert.
The casual bakery serves naturally fermented bagels made with locally sourced Arizona heritage grains, along with breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, pizza, and fresh loaves of sourdough bread. It is a good breakfast or lunch stop for anyone who cares more about exceptional baking than a traditional sit-down restaurant experience.
I found Barrio Bagel & Slice while searching for James Beard Award-winning restaurants around Phoenix. Once I learned the bagels were connected to Don Guerra, winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, I knew I had to try them.
If food is a major part of your trip, my Best Restaurants in Phoenix: Where to Eat for Every Craving includes more of my favorite meals throughout the area.
Barrio Bagel & Slice is a casual bakery and counter-service restaurant in Gilbert, Arizona. It comes from Don Guerra, the baker behind Tucson’s Barrio Bread.
The shop uses locally grown Arizona heritage grains and naturally fermented sourdough techniques to make its bagels and bread. Those details may sound like something only serious bread people would notice, but you can taste the difference.
The bagels have a rich flavor and an excellent chew without feeling overly heavy. You do not have to understand the entire baking process to notice that the texture and flavor are different from a standard bagel.
Honestly, I came for the bagels…but I would return for the sourdough.
Do not leave without buying a loaf of bread to take home. I expected the bagels to be the clear highlight, but the sourdough was one of the best things I tried during the visit.
Barrio Bagel & Slice is very casual, but that is exactly what makes it inviting.
Most people were using the drive-thru, picking up breakfast to go, or collecting orders from the counter. There are also outdoor tables for anyone who wants to eat there.
It feels more like a neighborhood bakery than a traditional sit-down restaurant. The focus is not fancy décor. It is exceptional bread.
Service was friendly and efficient during our visit, and orders moved quickly even with people coming through the drive-thru and picking up food to go. That makes it practical when you need breakfast before starting a full day around Phoenix or Gilbert.
This is not a restaurant where you should expect a long, leisurely table-service breakfast. Order at the counter, find an outdoor table if you are staying, and make time to look at the bread and pastries before leaving.
Travelers fitting this stop into an arrival or departure day may also find my Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know (PHX) helpful for planning terminals, timing, and transportation.
Everything we tried was excellent, but a few items stood out enough that I would order them again without changing anything.
The Breakfast Bagel Sandwich was easily my favorite.
I ordered it on an everything bagel with egg, bacon, and chiltepin cream cheese. The bagel had an incredible chew and plenty of flavor on its own, while the egg and bacon made it filling enough for breakfast.
I’d never tried chiltepin cream cheese before, but I’m glad I did. Chiltepin is a tiny wild pepper native to Arizona, and it gives the cream cheese a little smoky kick without making it overwhelmingly spicy. It was one of my favorite parts of the sandwich.
This would be my first recommendation from the Barrio Bagel menu.
The cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese was another winner and a good sweeter option.
The fruitiness of the cream cheese worked well with the cinnamon raisin bagel without making breakfast feel like dessert. I would order this alongside a savory breakfast sandwich and split both rather than trying to choose between them.
Get the Chocolate Roll if you have room.
It would be easy to focus entirely on the bagels, but the pastry case deserves some attention too. We did not have room to try nearly as many pastries as I wanted, but the Chocolate Roll was worth adding to the order.
It also gave me a perfectly reasonable excuse to plan another visit.
I ordered the Iced Salted Caramel Latte, and it paired perfectly with breakfast. It was sweet, a touch salty, creamy, and excellent!
We also tried the Drink of the Month, a Banana Cream Soda. It was a fun seasonal option and something different from the drinks you normally see on a coffee shop menu. It did taste just like a banana cream pie but lighter.
The changing specialty drink is worth checking when you visit, so I’d order the salted caramel latte again for breakfast and the specialty drink for a treat!
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I thought the prices were very reasonable considering the quality of the ingredients and the amount of craftsmanship behind the baking.
You are getting artisan bagels and sourdough made with locally sourced grains from a James Beard Award-winning baker. The quality reflects that, but the experience still feels like an approachable neighborhood bakery rather than an expensive specialty restaurant.
If you are staying near the airport and deciding how far you have time to drive for a meal, see my Best Restaurants Near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport for options organized around the amount of time you have.
Absolutely.
Barrio Bagel & Slice is best for bagel lovers, breakfast people, coffee drinkers, and travelers interested in artisan bakeries or James Beard Award-winning food. The casual counter-service setup also works well when you want a high-quality local breakfast without giving up most of your morning.
I would happily drive across town for it again. A rental car is also the easiest way to combine Gilbert with other Phoenix-area stops, and you can compare rates through Discover Cars.
I expected to find excellent bagels, but I ended up finding one of my favorite bakeries in the Phoenix area. The bagels lived up to the reputation, and the sourdough alone gave me a reason to return.
Barrio Bagel & Slice could also work as a breakfast stop before heading south. My Phoenix to Tucson Road Trip Itinerary: The Best Stops, Views & Eats Along the Way can help you plan the rest of that drive.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
Flying out of Frankfurt at the crack of dawn? Stay at the airport, not in the city!
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is connected to Terminal 1 and the long-distance train station, so the walk to your gate takes a few minutes and no taxi. The rooms are soundproofed so well you barely hear the planes, some have runway views, there’s a sauna, and the bread and butter at Rise are dangerously good. It costs more than hotels farther out. On a budget, the Hilton Garden Inn next door gets you the same walk for less.
Save this for your next Frankfurt layover ✈️
No landmarks, no crowds, no souvenir shops. Otterberg is the everyday side of Germany 🇩🇪
It’s a small town just outside Kaiserslautern. Lunch at Putai inside the historic Das Blaue Haus means crispy chicken in coconut curry and spring rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce, then a slow walk past the old church and quiet streets. The Palatinate Forest and Humberg Tower views are close by. If you want a packed itinerary this isn’t your town, but if you like good food and nowhere to be, you’ll love it.
Save this for your Germany road trip!
Every 6 minutes a new round unlocks, and you can eat your way around the world for two hours. 🌍🍽️
Masons in Kaiserslautern: Korean BBQ, Jamaican jerk chicken, raclette potatoes, crispy baked ricotta from Monaco, and the Belgian cookie cheesecake you’ll still be talking about the next day. €39-45 per person. Bring a group and pace yourself, because they charge for leftovers.
Save this for your next trip to Germany
Sedona got me again 🌵
This was my second trip, and somehow I liked it even more. Every visit adds another trail, viewpoint, or restaurant to the list, and the list keeps getting longer. This time I stayed near Airport Mesa, with sunsets right outside my door and none of the crowds.
My Substack has everything I’d tell a first-time visitor: the lodge I’ve now stayed at twice, the experiences I’d do first, and the restaurants I’d plan my days around.
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YES is always the answer... ✈️
I’m Wendy, and yes, I travel for a living (still pinching myself). After 15 years teaching middle school math, I traded the whiteboard for a passport and never looked back. Knoxville is home base, but Arizona sunsets are on another level, and if it’s been sitting on your list, this is your sign to finally say yes and book it. City guides, hotel reviews, and foodie spots are all on the blog. So glad you’re here 🌵☀️
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