Barrio Bagel & Slice

[Chocolat a la Mode]

Overcoming first review post shyness to shill for Don Guerra's Barrio Bagel & Slice in Gilbert*, because it doesn't seem to be getting much foot traffic and I find that to be a heinous oversight.

I grabbed two everything bagels with chiltepin cream cheese and Sonoran cookies to match; they had samples of their sourdough and chocolate rolls and I only just resisted the urge to start horfing them down like an animal while they worked on my order (far from shocking if you know of Don Guerra's other exploits). They also have a fridge with tubs of their cream cheese, and free sourdough starter if you'd to try your hand at making your own.

The bagel itself is really damn good- fluffy and properly bedecked with everything an everything bagel demands. However, the highlight for me has to be the chiltepin cream cheese. My single photo unfortunately doesn't convey just how stacked this bagel was, but I will vouch for their generosity with the spread. And the chiltepin itself was pleasantly present in every bite, delivering an even heat that didn't over-impose. I will absolutely be returning to grab a tub.

The Sonoran cookie isn't something I'm going to sing praises for quite as much, but it's a good cookie! If you've got the craving, it's worth grabbing, on the softer side and not too sweet. That said, my move for next visit is going to be to try out their chocolate rolls, which based on the sample seems to play more into their strengths. I'm also hoping to try their focaccia pizza and wheatberry salad next visit, so if anyone's had either then please report in.

*It's actually on the Gilbert side of a block that's sliced in half between Gilbert and Mesa, and across the street from Chandler. It's proven both annoying and funny when providing directions. TL;DR it's on Country Club and Guadalupe.

[Skillet Doux]

"Overcoming first review post shyness to shill for..."

Two things:

1) Hooray for overcoming first post shyness! Thank you for an excellent post! (I, myself, am remiss in having not gotten here yet.)

2) I know you meant it colloquially, but it's only "shilling" if you're connected to the restaurant or being compensated to post. That'll get you nuked into orbit on this forum. But posting about a place you love is the very best thing you can do

[Chocolat a la Mode]

My bad on that! I've gotten so used to seeing the redundant "paid shill" phrasing that the exact meaning faded into the background for me. Promise I'm not being paid to post- it's all for the love of the game (and bagels).

Linguistic snag aside, thank you for the welcome! I definitely want to post about more places I love, but I'm keeping myself from doing a full barrage so I don't look like a lunatic, or overly complimentary. I do hope you get to visit this one!

As a small asterisk I have seen some talk about the wait times here, so maybe order ahead if you want a quicker visit, but I wasn't terribly bothered. Then again, the samples probably could have gotten me through anything...