The countdown is on for bagels in Gig Harbor. This new shop is almost ready to open
Brittany Erwin, 33, struggled to find a place to enjoy bagels after she moved to Tacoma. Now she’s opening her own shop.
B’s Bagels and Butters will open at 3308 Uddenberg Lane in Gig Harbor, just up from the waterfront, where Better Eats cafe used to be. After seven months of construction delays, they expect to open within the next few weeks.
B’s Bagels and Butters will serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
After their city and health inspections the first week of January, they’ll announce the date of their soft opening.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Erwin told the Gateway Thursday, Dec. 29. “The nervousness has worn off and it’s now all excitement.”
Erwin chose Gig Harbor to grow her business for many reasons.
“My husband and I love the community and friendships we’ve made here,” Erwin said.
Her husband has worked in the area for four years and they plan to eventually move there from Tacoma, Erwin said
“It’s actively growing but still has a warm small town atmosphere,” Erwin said. “And of course it’s also beautiful.”
The menu will offer a variety of bagels, bagel sandwiches, shmears and butters — all made in-house from scratch.
“We’re doing a lot of staples, but also a lot of fun different flavors,” Erwin said.
There are over 10 flavors of “original bagels,” such as plain, everything, sesame, cinnamon raisin and onion salt.
“Specialty bagels” will include jalapeno cheddar, pizza, french toast, pumpernickel and a bagel of the month.
Customers can build a bagel sandwich or choose one off the menu.
The “bagel and lox” will be made with scallion cream cheese, locally sourced salmon, onion, cucumber and romaine.
The shop will serve East Coast-style bagels, similar to the traditional New York-style.
“Our East Coast-style bagels will be New York style, just without the New York water,” Erwin said. “Still chewy, crunchy and salty.”
There will also be a full coffee bar with coffee from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters.
“Although all orders will be made to-go, we want people to be able to come in and hang out,” Erwin said.
Inside there will be table seating for nine and a couch on the back wall.
“We want to be a welcoming space for people to come in, bring their laptops and get some work done while enjoying a bagel,” Erwin said.
Staff will be in the shop at least three hours before opening each morning to prepare fresh bagels daily, Erwin said.
“It’s just like any homemade artisan bread,” Erwin said. “You don’t want to eat it two or three days later, you want the freshest of fresh.”
Any leftovers from the day will be turned into bagel chips or bread pudding for purchase, Erwin said.
Compound butter
Visitors will be able to get their favorite butter on a bagel or order butter to take home.
“A compound butter is a flavored butter generally used as a topping, spread, sauce,” Erwin said. “They can be savory or sweet.”
B’s Bagels and Butters will have garlic herb, truffle Parmesan, candied pecan, raspberry citrus and honey butter.
Erwin suggests using the butters at home on desserts, breads, vegetables and steaks.
Not her first time working with bagels
Erwin has been cooking and baking since she was 15 and considered it a hobby, she told the Gateway.
Erwin grew up in New England and attended college in Rhode Island.
In college she worked at a bagel shop, where she learned the art of different flavor combinations.
She spent almost 16 years cooking in restaurants.
She moved to Tacoma seven years ago and was the Cooks Tavern chef from 2015-2020.
Almost six months after leaving, she launched B’s Bagels and Butters on Instagram, where she’s shared her love of bagels with others.
“I kept finding myself wanting to eat a bagel and I couldn’t find a place in the area where I could get one,” Erwin said. “I knew I wanted them, but so does everyone else in the area. The demand is definitely there.”
The past two years, Erwin has baked bagels in the kitchen of the nonprofit Pilgrim Firs Camp & Conference Center in Port Orchard. They allowed her to use it for free, while she was working there part-time.
Customers could pre-order bagels from Erwin on Instagram to pick up.
Toward the end of 2021, she announced she’d be opening her own bagel shop.
“I loved the cooking and fine dining which I’ve done most of my life,” Erwin said. “But when it came down to finally opening my own place, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Ultimately, bagels are what I am passionate about.”
While her shop has been under construction, Erwin has been developing the recipes for B’s Bagels and Butters.
Customers might have noticed the Instagram account says they’re bringing bagels to Gig Harbor and Tacoma. After B’s Bagels and Butters physical shop is up and running she plans to have weekly pop ups at Bluebeard Coffee Roasters in Tacoma for those across the bridge who want to enjoy Erwin’s creations.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated which type of bagel the shop will serve. They will offer East Coast-style bagels, similar to the traditional New York-style.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
