Rosca
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🥯Home of The Chicago Bagel 🥯
More than 50 years ago, my dad called this place home.
He grew up here with my grandma and his siblings, sharing a packed two-bedroom apartment in Pilsen.
Now, all these years later, I get to build something of my own at that same address, with my family by my side.
Funny how life brings you back to places you never imagined you’d return to.
I’m not just building a bakery here. I’m adding another chapter to a story that started long before me.
1502 W 18th Street.
Where my dad’s story started, and where mine gets to continue.
Pilsen, we’re coming home.
ROSCA / WEEK 06
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
There’s a weird part of a buildout where you’re working all day…
and somehow it still looks like you did absolutely nothing. 😂
No shiny new equipment.
No pretty walls.
No big reveal.
Just dust, piles of random stuff, and trying to figure out where everything is supposed to go.
But I know this part matters.
Every little thing we take out, clean up, save, or move gets us a little closer.
And honestly, that’s probably my favorite part right now.
I’ve had this place in my head for a long time.
Seeing it slowly start to match what I’ve been imagining…
that part is pretty damn cool.
ROSCA / WEEK 05
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
09/30/2026
I finally got the test results back!
And honestly, I just sat there for a second like…
Wait. We did that? 🤨🧐
I knew how much work went into these bagels, but seeing everything on paper made me step back and realize how far this thing has come.
And now there’s a real product, with real numbers, coming out of an idea I couldn’t let go of.
Mexico meets Chicago…
This is Rosca.
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
This week was all about clearing the way. 🧹
New door closer.
Oven spot found.
Family came through.
Dumpsters finally arrived.
After waiting over a month for those dumpsters…
it was finally time to clean house.
Out went the old ice machine.
Then the boxes.
Then the BIBs.
And somehow… there were STILL more BIBs. 🙄😪
The counter is coming apart.
The glass is coming off.
And the space is finally starting to look different.
After everything it took to get here,
seeing ROSCA start to show through feels pretty special.
We’re still building it…
but I’m finally starting to see the place I’ve had in my head.
ROSCA / WEEK 04
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
We’re not renovating.
We’re undoing.
Tile? Gone.
Diamond plate? Gone.
Countertops? Drilled into the walls and glued to the floor.
Naturally.
So we ripped it all out 😌
The floor is still giving us character, but Pops came through, we patched the walls, and now we’re finally getting to the fun part.
Making this place look less like somebody else’s restaurant…
and more like ROSCA.
ROSCA / WEEK 03
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
Just a normal week of opening a bakery.
The floor needs foundation work.
I’m making bagels at midnight.
I’m walking through Pilsen for a spoon.
My dog is apparently a footwear designer.
And now the bagels are going to the lab because we’d like to know what exactly is happening inside these things.
No notes.
WEEK 02
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
Well… we got the keys.
Which means there’s officially no turning back now. 😂
The space is ours, the work has started, and we’ve got approximately 847 things to figure out.
One week down.
A whole lot more to go.
ROSCA / WEEK 01
Let’s build this thing.
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
08/22/2026
We finally got the keys.
And somehow, I still don’t know how to say that.
Because I keep looking at our last post.
That little kid had no idea.
No idea what this place was.
No idea what his life would become.
No idea that 30+ years later, he’d be standing in the same place again…
only this time, holding the keys.
We’re not disclosing exact location just yet but, some of you probably already figured it out.
Pilsen has a way of knowing things before you announce them. 😂
You’ve probably seen us moving things around.
You’ve probably noticed a suspicious amount of activity.
And soon enough, there will be a very, very large oven making its way down 18th street.
So…
we figured we might as well tell you.
Rosca has a home.
And this is where things get really interesting.
Because getting the keys is only the beginning.
There’s still a mountain of work ahead of us.
Walls to build.
Things to break.
Things to fix.
Equipment to move.
Dough to make.
Mistakes to make.
A million little decisions.
Long nights.
Early mornings.
A whole lot of figuring it out.
And eventually…
one morning,
we’re going to unlock these doors.
And you’re going to walk in.
We want to show you all of it.
Not just the pretty parts.
Not just the finished room.
All of it.
So from here on out, we’re bringing you along.
The build.
The chaos.
The behind-the-scenes.
The little wins.
The big problems.
The people who make it happen.
The oven.
The first bake.
The first bagel.
And finally…
the first morning we open the doors.
Because Rosca didn’t just appear one day.
You watched it become what it is.
And now you get to watch us build where it’s going next.
30+ years ago, I was standing here with no idea what was coming.
This time, I know.
Something is coming.
And we can’t wait for you to see it.
Welcome to the next chapter of Rosca.
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
08/12/2026
CINNAMON RAISIN CHURRO
Origin:
Not every piece needs a complicated story.
I loved churros growing up.
Still do. 🙃
This bagel isn’t trying to replace one. It’s simply another way to hold onto the cinnamon, sugar, warmth, and comfort that made me fall in love with them in the first place.
Material;
Cinnamon. Raisins. Sugar.
Memory:
Growing up doesn’t mean leaving your favorite flavors behind.
Pull. Chew. Crumb.
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
08/05/2026
MANGO + PEPITA
Origin:
This piece begins with a Vero Mango.
Sweet mango coated in chile. Sticky fingers. A little heat after every bite. It was one of those candies that never lasted long but somehow never left my memory.
The toasted pepitas aren’t there to copy the candy. They’re there to give that same feeling another texture.
Material:
Mango. Toasted pepitas. Tajin.
Memory:
Some memories don’t fade. They just find new forms.
Pull. Chew. Crumb.
🥯🫶🏼🇲🇽
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Contact the business
Website
Address
Chicago, IL
60608
Opening Hours
| Wednesday | 7am - 12:30pm |
| Thursday | 7am - 12:30pm |
| Friday | 7am - 12:30pm |
| Saturday | 7am - 12:30pm |
| Sunday | 7am - 12:30pm |
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