MORGANTOWN — From fresh, handmade bagels, biscuits and pastries to handcrafted coffee flavors, Zeke’s Breakfast and Bakes has everything needed to start the day off on the right side of the bed.
“We wanted to break into the breakfast realm a little bit,” said Grace Hutchens, owner of Zeke’s. “We just saw a need for it.”
Located at 456 High St., Zeke’s isn’t Hutchens’ and her husband’s first experience in the downtown restaurant scene. The pair also owns Apothecary Ale House on Chestnut Street.
Along with their affinity for craft beer, Hutchens said she has always loved breakfast foods. After noticing limited options in the downtown area with a full breakfast menu, she decided to bring Zeke’s to life, and began the process in February 2020.
Shortly after, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic became an additional challenge; however, it didn’t stop her from bringing breakfast tacos, sandwiches, waffles and more to the downtown area.
In September 2020, the doors officially opened, starting with a take-out-only option. She has since been able to expand to limited indoor seating.
“It actually worked out in our favor,” Hutchens said. “It let us ease into it instead of just going full throttle right out of the gate.”
As a small business, Hutchens said bakers and baristas aren’t afraid to test out new and unique flavors. Many of the options offered are made from scratch, allowing cooks and bakers to put their own twist into the menu each day.
Bagel flavors, such as everything and plain, are available daily. Specialty bagels, including caramelized onion and parmesan, bacon, pepper jelly, brown sugar or strawberry, are just a few offered on rotation. For those with a sweet tooth, pastries from bear claws to cinnamon rolls and more are baked fresh daily as well.
Breakfast and bakes are not the only specialty offered. Manager Nick Morales has always been interested in creating new flavor combinations in coffee, and many of the syrups used at Zeke’s are made in-house. Some flavor ideas are suggested by customers and co-workers, such as gingerbread and eggnog, while others are some of Morales’ own creations.
To come up with the best flavor combinations, a few are bound to be misfires.
“We tried some cayenne drinks that didn’t work out,” Morales said. “It’s really a lot of trial and error.”
Although not every flavor works out, trying something new is often all it takes to find the perfect flavors. One of the restaurant’s signature drinks, the Cafe Citron, is made from lemon Yuzu syrup, a Mexican mineral water called Triple Chico and espresso. Other popular flavors include honey cardamom and rose cardamom.
“You’re never gonna know everything you can know about coffee,” Morales said. “I just spent a lot of time reading about it and trying to dial in my palate and trying to improve.”
Despite having a full menu of goods made fresh daily, Hutchens said there are no plans to slow down expanding on the menu. For now, the newest taste customers can keep an eye out for is ramp-flavored bagels.
“Eventually, I think we’ll start adding more things to the menu, some more dine-in-friendly things,” she said. “Whenever we can, obviously, we’ll have more seating and some bar space and just kind of get it more of a nice, cozy feel to it.”
Zeke’s is open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information and updates can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zekesbreakfast
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