Spielman Bagels & Coffee
A Portland, Oregon chain known for sourdough bagels, coffee, breakfast foods, and wholesale distribution.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Spielman Bagels & Coffee is a Portland, Oregon-based bagel and coffee business founded in 2011 by father-and-son partners Rick Spielman and Raf Spielman. The company began as Spielman Coffee Roasters before developing into a neighborhood-focused chain centered on hand-produced bagels, coffee, breakfast sandwiches, spreads, and related bakery products. Its original Southeast Portland shop was opened on Division Street, and the business subsequently expanded to additional Portland neighborhoods. As of 2022, the chain operated four locations and supplied approximately 50 wholesale vendors in Portland and Salem. The brand’s product identity is built around sourdough-based bagels. Its dough uses a sourdough starter, giving the finished bagel a tangy flavor and a crisp exterior with a softer interior. The menu includes both conventional and distinctive flavors, including jalapeño cheddar, multigrain, pumpernickel, salt and herb, sweet golden raisin and fennel, and the Seedy bagel, which incorporates flax, pumpkin, and watermelon seeds. Customers can add traditional or nontraditional toppings such as cream cheese spreads, avocado, bacon, sprouts, whitefish, Mama Lil’s Peppers, Tofutti, and vegan egg. Beyond bagels, Spielman sells babka, lox, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and bagel chips. Breakfast sandwiches have included combinations of ham, egg, cheese, arugula, bacon, cream cheese, and jam. The business has produced bagel chips in herb-and-salt, plain, and spicy-barbecue varieties. Its coffee activity has included wholesale relationships, with Stumptown Coffee Roasters among the vendors supplied by the company. Spielman’s expansion has remained closely tied to Portland rather than becoming a national chain. The company has operated neighborhood storefronts in Southeast, Northeast, and Northwest Portland, as well as a former downtown food cart. Its Division Street location includes a garden, patio, porch seating, and capacity for approximately 44 people. The brand has also participated in Too Good To Go, allowing surplus food to be sold rather than discarded. Local media have generally treated Spielman as an important participant in Portland’s bagel and breakfast scene. Portland Monthly described it as an indispensable breakfast destination, while Sunset characterized its sourdough products as a distinctively Portland interpretation rather than a direct copy of either New York- or Montreal-style bagels. Spielman won Willamette Week’s Best Bagel readers’ poll in 2017, 2018, and 2020, and placed second in 2015 and 2022. The business has also appeared in Eater Portland guides to recommended restaurants and notable local bagel shops. Co-founder Rick Spielman died in 2022. Publicly available reference material identifies the business as continuing under the Spielman name, but does not provide detailed current ownership, executive, financial, or location-by-location information.
History
Spielman Bagels & Coffee was established in Portland, Oregon, in 2011 by Rick Spielman and his son Raf Spielman. The original business operated under the name Spielman Coffee Roasters and opened on Division Street in Southeast Portland, in a space later occupied by Scottie's Pizza Parlor. Although coffee was part of the founding identity, the company became especially associated with its bagels and breakfast menu. By 2013, Spielman was operating a 1,700-square-foot production facility and making approximately 2,500 bagels per day. This production capability supported both the retail shops and the business's wholesale activity. The company later supplied products to roughly 50 vendors in Portland and Salem, with Stumptown Coffee Roasters identified among its wholesale customers or vendors. The wholesale operation helped extend the brand beyond its own storefronts while retaining a regional focus. The company's growth accelerated during the middle of the 2010s. In 2015, Spielman announced plans for a second shop near Broadway and Northeast 22nd Avenue in the Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood. It also confirmed plans to move the Southeast Portland operation into a larger space across Division Street. In December of that year, the company announced a third shop on Lovejoy Street near Northwest 23rd Avenue, with an expected opening in early 2016. The business also closed a food cart that had operated at Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street in downtown Portland. The larger Southeast Portland shop opened in mid-2016, and the company ultimately developed a four-location Portland operation by 2022. Spielman's culinary identity rests on sourdough bagels. The use of a sourdough starter gives the bagels a noticeable tang and a contrast between a crisp outer surface and a lighter, softer interior. The range has included familiar styles such as multigrain and pumpernickel alongside flavors associated particularly with the brand, including jalapeño cheddar, salt and herb, sweet golden raisin and fennel, and the Seedy bagel, made with flax, pumpkin, and watermelon seeds. Toppings and fillings have included cream cheese, avocado, bacon, sprouts, whitefish, Mama Lil's Peppers, Tofutti, and vegan egg. The menu broadened beyond bagels to include coffee, babka, lox, and breakfast sandwiches. The company has also sold bagel chips in plain, herb-and-salt, and spicy-barbecue varieties. Its Division Street shop has featured a garden and approximately 44 seats, including patio and porch seating, reinforcing the brand's neighborhood café character. Spielman has participated in Too Good To Go, a surplus-food platform connecting restaurants with customers seeking unsold food. The business received sustained local editorial attention. Portland Monthly included Spielman among Portland's notable bagel destinations and called it an important breakfast establishment. Thrillist highlighted its bagel chips in a 2015 survey of significant Portland snacks. Sunset described the company's crackly sourdough bagels as a distinctly Portland style, rather than a straightforward example of New York or Montreal bagel traditions. Willamette Week readers selected Spielman as Best Bagel in 2017, 2018, and 2020; it ranked second in 2015 and 2022. Eater Portland later included the business in guides covering recommended restaurants and leading local bagel shops. Rick Spielman died in 2022. The available reference material does not identify a successor executive, detailed ownership structure, revenue figures, or a current official website. It does indicate that the brand remained an operating Portland business and that its wholesale network reached approximately 50 vendors as of 2022.
- 2022
Wholesale network and four-location operation documented
[1]The business was reported to operate four locations and wholesale to approximately 50 vendors in Portland and Salem.
- 2022
Co-founder Rick Spielman dies
[2]Rick Spielman, co-founder of the business, died in 2022.
- 2017
First documented Willamette Week Best Bagel win
[1]Spielman won the Best Bagel category in Willamette Week's readers' poll.
- 2016
Southeast Portland shop moves to larger premises
[1]The relocated Southeast Portland shop opened in mid-2016 amid plans for broader neighborhood expansion.
- 2015
Expansion plans announced
[1]Spielman announced plans for a Northeast Portland shop and relocation of its Southeast Portland shop to a larger space.
- 2013
Production facility reaches approximately 2,500 bagels per day
[1]The company operated a 1,700-square-foot facility producing approximately 2,500 bagels daily.
- 2011
First shop opens in Southeast Portland
[1]Rick and Raf Spielman opened the first location on Division Street under the original name Spielman Coffee Roasters.
Products and positioning
A Portland neighborhood bagel-and-coffee brand positioned around sourdough bagels, locally recognizable flavors, breakfast foods, and a distinctive Pacific Northwest interpretation of established bagel traditions.
Bagels · 2011
Sourdough bagels
The core product line is made with sourdough starter, producing a tangy flavor, crisp exterior, and soft interior. Varieties have included jalapeño cheddar, multigrain, pumpernickel, salt and herb, sweet golden raisin and fennel, and the Seedy bagel with flax, pumpkin, and watermelon seeds.
Bagel accompaniments · 2011
Bagel toppings and spreads
Spielman's bagels can be served with cream cheese spreads and toppings including avocado, bacon, sprouts, whitefish, Mama Lil's Peppers, Tofutti, and vegan egg. The range supports both conventional deli-style combinations and plant-based choices.
Breakfast food · 2011
Breakfast sandwiches
The breakfast menu has included sandwiches built around ham, egg, and cheese, as well as combinations featuring arugula, bacon, cream cheese, and jam. These offerings extend the brand from bakery retail into café-style morning meals.
Beverage · 2011
Coffee
Coffee was part of the company's original identity as Spielman Coffee Roasters and remains a central pairing for its bagel and breakfast business. The company has also supplied wholesale customers in the regional coffee and foodservice market.
Bakery and deli foods
Babka and lox
Babka and lox broaden the menu beyond the core bagel range, providing sweet bakery and traditional deli-style options alongside the breakfast menu.
Packaged snack · 2015
Bagel chips
The company has sold bagel chips in herb-and-salt, plain, and spicy-barbecue varieties. The product received attention in local food coverage as one of Portland's notable snacks.
Brand decisions
2022
Continued regional wholesale distributionOtherBackground
Spielman had developed beyond its own cafés and supplied products to regional vendors.
Action taken
The company wholesaled to approximately 50 vendors in Portland and Salem.
Aftermath
Wholesale distribution remained part of the brand's regional operating model as of 2022.
2015
Neighborhood expansion and Southeast Portland relocationStrategyBackground
After establishing its original Division Street operation, Spielman planned additional Portland locations and sought a larger Southeast Portland facility.
Action taken
The company announced a second shop near Broadway and Northeast 22nd Avenue, a third shop on Lovejoy Street, and relocation of the Southeast Portland shop across the street. It also closed its downtown food cart.
Aftermath
The relocated Southeast Portland shop opened in mid-2016, and the business was later reported to operate four locations.
Sources2 sources
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