A brand new bagel concept called Don Guerra’s Bagel and Slice is getting ready to debut in Gilbert at 689 N. Arizona Ave.
The new eatery is set to replace Sonic Drive-in on Arizona Avenue, south of Guadalupe Road, according to AZ Central. This is the latest from James Beard Award-winning Tucson baker Don Guerra, who is partnering with Oren Molovinsky for the project. Guerra started baking bread one day a week at Hayden Flour Mills in 2023 before collaborating with Chompie’s to make Sonoran bagels the following year. Molovinsky, on the other hand, has experience with quick-service and drive-thru restaurants, including Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Farmboy Market, Meats, and Sandwiches restaurant.
“It’s a dream come true,” Guerra tells AZ Central regarding Don Guerra’s Bagel and Slice. “We’ve known each other for seven years and are different with our skill sets. That’s why we are good partners.”
Now, the two are preparing to open Don Guerra’s Bagel and Slice by the end of March 2025, open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, bread, tea, and coffee. In the morning, customers can expect heritage Sonoran bagels, house-whipped cream cheeses, and egg sandwiches, while during lunch, the menu will feature sandwiches on a choice of bagel, torta roll, or focaccia. For dinner, the eatery will have salads and Sicilian-style pizzas on focaccia, including margarita, pepperoni, potato and onion, verde, and vegan.
Guerra is a James Beard Award-winning baker and founder of Barrio Bread. First an anthropologist, then an educator, then a baker, Guerra started his community-supported bakery in his garage in Tucson in 2009 and sold his naturally fermented artisan loaves from the back of his car at a local elementary school and farmer’s market and via word of mouth. As the popularity of his breads outgrew his home bakery, he opened his first store. Guerra demonstrates a model that other bakers can carry forward by sharing his community-supported approach. Now, he is venturing off with his own brick-and-mortar with Don Guerra’s Bagel and Slice.
