Forget your cat cafe, TOASTED. Bagel Shop offers a different way to get your Instagrammable coffee shop fix.
An oasis in a somewhat bagel-less city, Toasted. is the new Instagrammable, X-able, Pintrestable, write-home-to-your-momable bagel shop and cafe in the U-District.
The founders are two recent UW graduates from the Paccar Business School, Jaafar Altameemi and Murat Akyüz. After graduating in 2023, the owners got to work on their entrepreneurial dreams. They found property at 4756 15th Ave. NE, on a buzzing corner in the U-District, and set out to make it their very own bagel shop.
“We believed in the fact that it would happen,” said Jaafar.
After nearly a year and a half of setbacks in construction due to maintenance and building permits, TOASTED. opened on July 27, 2025.
Since then, it’s been a blazing success—and we don’t mean their competition, Blazin Bagels —Murat says they sold out on the first day and usually sell out by 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. every day.
So what’s so special about TOASTED.?
Why are folks flocking to get that round delight?
First, it might be simply the lack of bagel shops in Seattle. While we’re known for our coffee, we’re not entirely well known for those round, doughy delights that go with it.
The ratio of coffee to bagels is most likely far higher than 1:1. Seattle ranks second for having the most coffee shops per capita, with 56 coffee shops per 100,000 residents, while in bagels, the city trails behind with a whopping estimate of less than 50 stores citywide.
TOASTED is changing that. By offering a menu with both bagels and coffee, they are helping on the journey of bringing a little East Coast breakfast yum to the city.
It might as well be the first Thursday of the month (when museums are free in Seattle) because of a visit to TOASTED. is like a visit to an art gallery.
Unlike other bagel shops in the city, TOASTED. is an open book—all their bagels are dressed to impress. Blending art and food, they’re attempting to master the art of bagel-making.
“It takes an artist to put these together,” says Muractan.
“Seattle just has lousy open-faced bagels,” said co-owner Murat.
There’s another element to the owner’s game plan—to be the oasis in a bland bagel desert.
Not the average bagel, Altameemi, and Akyüz add a Mediterranean spin to what they serve. The café menu is extensive, featuring flavors like Date, Labneh, and Honey, while also staying true to the classics like the BEC and NYC lox. They also offer options to build your bagel, with any of their fresh ingredients and meats.
Flights of Fancy
TOASTED. offers ‘flights’ of bagels, says a café barista. You can choose four out of six bagels, and dabble in either the Mediterranean or classical flavors.
TOASTED. also offers a traditional coffee menu as well as funky flavors like Spanish, and Lavender Honey lattes. They even maintain coffee traditions—if you order a Turkish coffee, you’ll be delighted to sip it from a traditional espresso porcelain set.
Check out the full menu here.
Unlike traditional bagel shops, TOASTED. doesn’t sell in bulk. They’re also sourced from the backyard. TOASTED. is straight from the Earth. “Our pears are from Eastern Washington, and our olive oil is from Jerusalem. We take pride in using the highest quality ingredients in every bagel and dish we serve. That’s our promise to you every time you visit TOASTED.” showcases the website.
A Family Matter: TOASTED. isn’t just your average mom-and-pop shop
While it may be New York-inspired in terms of cuisine, it’s a heightened level of your typical bodega. Jaafar says this is a family affair.
The design for the interior of the store was all from their own families’ imagination, and many of the plants that don the café are donated by family and friends. Apparently, they had a designer in mind, but the idea fell through.
“We hired a design team, but it didn’t work out. It ended up just being me, Jaafar, and his girlfriend,” says Murat.
Turning the Concrete Jungle Green
While TOASTED. holds the place of a previously empty concrete location, in the spirit of our emerald city, the new owners have made it into a green oasis.
“40 to 45 plants. It takes work to keep it up, a good couple of hours of the week,” said Jaafar.
TOASTED.’s new design is also heavily influenced by Mediterranean culture. A labor of love, the owners put in the time to make sure that everything was as ‘round’ as can be, even getting the constructors to build arches reminiscent of a mosque to the main dining area.
Jaafar says you can spot evil eye-inspired designs all over the café, as well as the blue reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea. The evil eye is an important part of their culture, symbolizing good luck and good health, in a tradition going back generations.
So pop in, sit a while and enjoy your bagel under the paintings of local artist Madelyn Chan.
TOASTED. also takes the hospitality aspect of Mediterranean culture seriously. Everything, from the customer service to the shop’s lighting, is meant to instill a sense of home and safety in their customers. When I came in to interview, I was even offered a bagel within the first five seconds of our encounter.
Halal Offerings
TOASTED.’s owners said a main mission of the store was to provide halal food for their community.
“As Muslims, we serve halal food. What makes it halal and not halal is how it’s killed. Sacrificed in the kindest way possible. They have to be sacrificed by a Muslim. All the blood must be drained, so the animal doesn’t have enough time to react.” says Jaafar.
Who’s Popping In
Jaafar says he’s seen people travel from north to south for TOASTED. And while TOASTED. is providing that halal cuisine, Jafar says it’s not only Islamic customers that they’re bringing in.
“We see mostly students and families,” says Jafar.
A visit on a Saturday morning will get you quite literally everyone. From your tech-pro to your student, TOASTED. has got it.
Jaafar says they already have locals, including one named Ahmed. Since opening, he’s come back nearly every day and in what has become typical TOASTED. hospitality, the owners recently celebrated his birthday, purchasing him a cake and lighting him candles in the café.
Social media Influencers like sabreena.eats and Seattle locals have already featured TOASTED.
A Full-Circle Moment
The plan is to keep the *bagel* rolling with the success of the University District location.
“As many as we can in six months. We’re building off of momentum. We hope to be in SLU before the end of January.” says Jafar.
“We would love to go to Capitol Hill. Elevate what that area looks like,” Jafar continues.
The co-owners say they hope to continue to open a new location every two months. As they expand, they’ll build based on neighborhood vibes.
“Evaluate the customer, every customer is different,” Jafar adds.
So keep looking forward with round-eyed wonder for TOSTED.’s next bagel oasis!
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