(Image: Rubinstein Bagels/Peter Hilgendorf)

As the neighborhood awaits the dreaded end of April closure of the commercial strip’s centerpiece QFC grocery, local business owners have spoken of a prophesied arrival — with echoes of 15th Ave E’s past — that will be part of the smaller efforts that help the street rise again.

Rubinstein Bagels is coming to 15th Ave E. The Seattle bagel maker teased the new shop over the weekend:

In our efforts to make our bagels more available throughout the city, we have found the home for our second location! Internally, we call it RB2…and guess what…the wait isn’t even that long to open. We think we’ll be up and running by early summer 2021! JUST A FEW MONTHS AWAY.

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The expansion of Andrew Rubinstein’s few years old bagelry has been an open secret and glimmer of hope on the street. Area business owners included the coming Rubinstein shop in their list of reasons to be hopeful for the future of 15th Ave E as QFC prepares to close its grocery there, axing dozens of jobs.

The new Rubinstein Bagels will take over the 15th Ave E space left empty by the COVID-19 crisis-exacerbated exit of Southern bakery favorite The Wandering Goose. The shop space nestles next to the Ethan Stowell Restaurants venue Rione XIII. The relationship between Rubinstein and Stowell goes back to the birth of the business. The bagel maker ramped up his commercial production using the kitchen at Stowell’s Cortina restaurant during morning hours.

For Capitol Hill old timers, a missing piece of 15th Ave E could be made whole by the arrival. It has been eight years since The Bagel Deli closed on the street. Some might say things haven’t been right there since.

The bagel scene across the Hill is much improved since 2013, however. Eltana marked 10 years on 12th Ave last year and Jewish deli powerhouse Dingfelder’s added its own bagels to the lineup in 2020. E Madison walk-up Westman’s Bagels expanded in 2019 and Loxsmith Bagels is now a semi-permanent daytime roommate to Broadway’s Nacho Borracho.

Meanwhile, while the New York Times is committing sacrilege with its praise of “West Coast bagels,” Capitol Hill will now get the taste of Seattle Amazon-ia bagels. Rubinstein opened his first shop in late 2020 after COVID-19 delays near the Amazon spheres on 6th Ave with bagels, sandwiches, and coffee.

He said over the weekend the plan is to continue baking at the 6th Ave location, “schlepping freshies up the hill at least twice daily.”

Rubinstein Bagels is planned to open at 403 15th Ave E. You can learn more at rubinsteinbagels.com.

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