What's better than breakfast food and a socially acceptable way to day drink?
Breakfast food, a socially acceptable way to day drink, and great service.
Downtown Spokane recently welcomed Rosie's Restaurant, a new brunch spot adjacent to Hotel Ruby on West First Avenue. The newest addition to the Ruby Hospitality group is named after owner Jerry Dicker's mother. The space was previously home to Incrediburger & Eggs, and more recently, the Spanish tapas restaurant de España. But now it's a convenient spot to grab a breakfast burrito or Caruso's sandwich (another Ruby eatery), plus it offers a 15% discount to guests staying in the next-door hotel.
A fast-casual model means guests order at the front counter, find themselves a seat, and then enjoy food delivered to their table. Diners can get food to-go or can stay at the restaurant for as long they like. Convenience without commitment.
Rosie's offers classic brunch comfort foods.
The French toast is $12, a great price considering I couldn't finish the portion and took leftovers home (which I enjoyed later that night.) Rosie's also serves dishes such as omelets ($16), breakfast burritos ($14) and melts ($12), fruit-smothered cinnamon rolls ($9), and various salads and sandwiches.
General manager Tim Raridan says what makes Rosie's special is its use of quality ingredients.
"I swear we tried 30 different kinds of bacon just to get the one that tasted just right," Raridan says. "We just try this and that and this and that. There's a lot of effort put into it."
Rosie's menu has American morning meal classics while simultaneously offering slight variations, like the spiced candy bacon ($5-$8) or strawberry-cheesecake pancakes ($13). Whether you are of the sweet or savory breakfast persuasion is irrelevant, as there are enough options to satisfy anyone's taste buds.
The alcoholic drink menu is equally robust. Boozy shakes ($12), hot chocolates ($11), coffees, lemonades, as well as beer and wine. Unfortunately, as someone underage I was not able to try any of the boozy drinks, and though I did my best to goad my mom into ordering a chai White Russian ($10; an homage to The Dude!), she would not. Journalism suffers once again because a 20-year-old can't order an Elderflower mimosa.
If alcohol isn't your thing or you're unable to order alcohol like me, Rosie's serves a variety of coffee drinks using locally roasted Thomas Hammer coffee, as well as regular hot chocolates and virgin mocktails.
Rosie's open and inviting space is conveniently located, and just a few blocks from Riverfront Park — the perfect place for walking off a heavy breakfast while exploring downtown. Floor-to-ceiling street-facing windows provide a pleasant chance to people-watch while waiting for food.
Though one might assume its fast-casual dining style means patrons are left to fend for themselves, Rosie's servers regularly checked in with us to make sure everything was up to par.
"Everything is really simple. Great food, great service, a spotless environment, and a great team," Raridan says. "One of the important things is I don't hire resumes, I hire people."
Though many restaurants continue to struggle to return to pre-COVID numbers, Raridan hopes Rosie's business model encourages guests to eat in person.
"Here's the thing, you can go anywhere and get eggs and hashbrowns," he says. "But can you go anywhere and get eggs and hashbrowns and great service on top of it? Or just someone who cares? I'm one of those people — if a guest has a problem, I'm gonna take care of it. I find out what it takes to make someone happy. I get them what they came in the door for."
Rosie's Restaurant • 909 W. First Ave. • Open daily 7 am-2 pm • rosiesspokane.com • 509-323-2578
