Ruby's Bagels, the bagel shop at Zócalo, plans to open brick-and-mortar store on North Avenue

Jessica Rodriguez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ruby's Bagels, the bagel shop at Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St., plans to open a brick-and-mortar store this summer.

The bagel shop will take over Whisky Haze at 5513 W. North Ave., which closed last June.

Daniela Varela, 34, opened Ruby's Bagels in July 2019 as one of the original vendors at Zócalo Food Truck Park.

The new shop has been long in the works for Varela. In March 2023, she was approved to buy a city-owned building at 1107 W. Oklahoma Ave. After careful consideration and months of back-and-forth conversations with contractors, though, Varela decided not to follow through with that purchase.

"It would have been a million-dollar project," she said. "We would have had to start from scratch if we wanted that to be a restaurant space. It just didn't make sense."

Daniela Ruby Varela owns Ruby's Bagels, which will stay open through the winter at the Zocalo Food Park in Walker's Point, 636 S. Sixth St.
Daniela Ruby Varela owns Ruby's Bagels, which will stay open through the winter at the Zocalo Food Park in Walker's Point, 636 S. Sixth St.

Ruby's Bagels food truck will stay at Zócalo but will supply the food truck with bagels made at the new North Avenue location. The operation currently works out of Cream City Coterie, a ghost kitchen in St. Francis.

Varela hopes to open in mid-June or early July. The timeline depends on how quickly contractors can renovate the space.

"We still need to do things to make it our own," she said.

The menu at the new location will stay the same but will include more options like gluten-free treats. Varela plans to have a coffee partnership, but isn't sure about the source. She hopes to also incorporate more Mexican-inspired items.

In July, Ruby's Bagels was featured in Bon Appétit magazine in an article about the best bagels in the U.S. outside of New York.

Ruby's Bagels starts with its own hand-rolled bagel and puts fresh dill and juicy tomato slices along with red onion and capers on its Full Lox sandwich.
Ruby's Bagels starts with its own hand-rolled bagel and puts fresh dill and juicy tomato slices along with red onion and capers on its Full Lox sandwich.

Varela was a microbiology student when she started making bagels in 2017. She always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and eventually left school to focus on her business full-time.

Although the decision was scary, she doesn't regret it.

"Now, I'm just trying to be the best boss ever and have a great team and a great environment," Varela said. "I do have to work 24-7, but it's so worth it."

She's had full support from her family and the community. While her first six months as a business owner were intimidating, the sacrifices have been worth it.

"Even when it's hard," she said, "I just know that I have a purpose now."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ruby's Bagel plans to open brick-and-mortar store in Milwaukee

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