In a city better known for coffee and code than corned beef and challah, Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery proves that tradition travels well.
Tucked into Seattle’s Pinehurst neighborhood, the Jewish deli opened in spring 2019 after a successful Kickstarter campaign backed by strong local support. What followed was not a trend, but a steady rise into North Seattle institution status.
Owner Josh Grunig built the business on a clear idea: bring New York-style bagels to the Pacific Northwest, but make them unmistakably Seattle.
A San Francisco native and graduate of the San Francisco Baking Institute, Josh moved to Seattle in 2012 and began laying the groundwork long before the deli opened its doors.
In 2014, he launched Pocket Bakery, a Central District pop-up that evolved into Standard Bakery.
Five years later, Zylberschtein’s was born. Today, it serves comfort food that tastes like memory, no matter where you grew up.
A Taste of Home in a Tech Town
Seattle may run on code, but it is also home to thousands of transplants who grew up on bagels, pastrami, and Sunday deli runs. With major employers like Amazon, Google, Apple, Meta, and Snap drawing talent from across the country, many residents arrive carrying those food memories with them.
Zylberschtein’s meets that moment.
“We try to offer comfort Jewish food. Something that feels familiar,” Hilary says.
Located about six miles from Amazon and positioned in a shopping center that draws steady drive-in traffic, Zylberschtein’s has built a strong catering presence alongside its daily dine-in business.
From Kickstarter to Community Anchor
The deli is known for towering pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. Everything is made from scratch: meats, breads, bagels, pastries.
“Our cakes are sky high. Our macaroons, babka, and almond horns are legendary.”
It is also one of the few places in the Puget Sound where you can buy chopped liver made from Josh’s Aunt Marcy’s recipe.
As spokesperson Hilary Maler explains, “We’re steeped in tradition, but we’re also rooted here. It’s New York-style bagels with a Northwestern flair.”
When Zylberschtein’s launched, Seattle had only a handful of dedicated bagel shops. Since then, the city has experienced what many call a bagel renaissance.
But for Zylberschtein’s, growth was never about chasing a wave. It was about community.
“Our commitment to local sourcing is a pillar of this business,” Hilary says. “When small businesses use their spending power to buy from other local producers, it creates a virtuous cycle that keeps our local economy humming.”
That philosophy shows up everywhere: Washington state sourdough starters, house-cured meats and pickles, regional partnerships layered onto Jewish deli tradition.
Top sellers keep it simple:
- Bagel with cream cheese
• Breakfast sandwiches
• Pastrami, egg, and cheese
• The Reuben
• Lox and bagels
There are nods to the East Coast as well, like whitefish salad from Acme Smoked Fish, black and white cookies, and donuts that have quietly become fan favorites.
The menu honors tradition while staying responsive to the city around it.
Catering Built for Modern Workplaces
The catering menu is designed for groups. It is deli abundance, scaled for today’s offices and events.
- Bagel and cream cheese platters
• Smoked fish platters
• Bagel sandwich platters
• Vegetarian and vegan options
• Sliced meat platters
• Fruit trays and crudités
And of course, an extra-large challah for milestone celebrations.
The No Phones Supper Club
The deli operates from 8 am to 2 pm, focusing on breakfast and lunch. But it is expanding its footprint in a way that aligns with its values.
On the last Saturday of every month, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Zylberschtein’s hosts The No Phones Supper Club, a phone-free evening centered on shared meals, live music from local musicians, and meaningful community connection. The goal is simple: gather intentionally, give back, and create space for conversation without distraction.
This is not a one-off pop-up. It is a recurring program that creates predictable monthly revenue, strengthens nonprofit partnerships, and activates an evening daypart without expanding daily operating hours.
For Josh, community is not a slogan. It is strategy.
Owning the Relationship
Like many independent operators, Zylberschtein’s is rethinking third-party delivery. The focus is shifting toward direct online ordering.
“We’re looking forward to saving on fees by working with Sauce,” Hilary explains. “Plus, we can offer better customer service and own our own data.”
For a deli built on relationships, owning the guest connection is not optional. It is strategic.
Scratch cooking and first-party data may seem worlds apart. They are not. Both require discipline. Both protect margins.
Heritage Meets High-Tech
Zylberschtein’s sits at a uniquely Seattle intersection, where old-world deli craft meets Pacific Northwest sourcing.
They are not trying to recreate New York. They are honoring it, then building something new on top of it.
From a community-backed Kickstarter to hand-rolled bagels feeding tech campuses, and Aunt Marcy’s chopped liver served alongside high-growth offices, Zylberschtein’s bridges heritage and high tech.
For restaurant owners, that is the real takeaway.
Heritage scales when it is operationally sound. And when it is done right, tradition does not just travel well, it takes root.
The Secret Sauce: Handcrafted, Local, Daily
Ask what makes them stand out, and the answer is refreshingly old school.
Everything is made by hand. Every day.
Bagels are fermented overnight, shaped by hand, and baked fresh each morning by a team that includes Felix, affectionately described as the mentor and fastest bagel maker on the West Coast.
The pastrami is seasoned in-house. The pickles are a family specialty. The matzo ball soup is made fresh daily using local ingredients.
They produce 11 varieties of bagels each day: ten standards and one rotating monthly feature. Chocolate one month. Olive rosemary the next.
It keeps regulars engaged without abandoning the classics.
Take Away
It is nostalgic without feeling frozen in time, and that balance is the business model.
For restaurant owners, the lesson is clear. When your identity is rooted in something real, you do not have to chase trends. You build from who you are.
In a byte-driven town, bagels are still bringing people back to the table.
