Not Your Usual Pretzel, Couple Offers Fresh-Baked Knots With A Twist

TAMPA, FL — The newly opened Pretzel Haus Carrollwood offers a new twist on the beloved soft, fresh-baked dough tied in a knot.

Owners Suzy and Nick Agostino were already experts in the pretzel business before opening Pretzel Haus Carrollwood.

They've operated Penguin Pretzels, 4238 St. Lawrence Drive in New Port Richey, for 12 years, where they focus on wholesale orders.

Now, at the urging of longtime customer and pretzel fan Greg Mitchell, who was so excited about the concept, he invested in the Pretzel Haus, the Agostinos are taking their flavorful baked pretzels directly to the public at their first restaurant at 14361 N Dale Mabry Highway.

"We pride ourselves on making the best-quality pretzels always using whole foods, baked not fried, with over 12 years of baking the most amazing pretzels and further expanding on this in our restaurant with giant stuffed pretzel sandwiches, jumbo pretzels, pretzel nuggets, all-beef pretzel dogs and decadent desserts," Nick Agostino said.

"We will never compromise on quality in our restaurant, using fresh-made ingredients in each sandwich with homemade dip sauces, slaw and a one-of-a-kind mustard bar," he said.

The Pretzel Haus has a rustic industrial-themed environment, creating a trendy casual dining experience.

For the traditional pretzel lover, the menu features the large hand-rolled classic pretzel, baked fresh to order, salted and served with a choice of two dipping sauces.

But for pretzel lovers seeking something different, Pretzel Haus unique versions like:

• The classic Cuban is a stuffed pretzel with heaps of marinated pork and ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and mustard served with mojo ($14).
• The bacon cheddar nugget platter features fresh-baked pretzel nuggets topped with bacon and cheddar, and served with a choice of two dipping sauces ($11).
• The mozzarella and marinara nugget platter with fresh-baked pretzel nuggets smothered with mozzarella, homemade marinara sauces and Parmesan cheese with a choice of two dipping sauces ($11).
• The jalapeños and cheese nugget platter with fresh-baked pretzel nuggets topped with jalapenos and cheese, with a choice of two dipping sauces ($11).
• The bacon cheeseburger stuffed pretzel with lean beef, crispy bacon and cheese ($14).

For those with a sweet tooth Pretzel Haus offers:

• The dark chocolate pretzel consisting of a fresh-baked pretzel stuffed with dark chocolate and finished with a light coating of powdered sugar and chocolate drizzle ($8).
• The apple pie pretzel, a fresh-baked pretzel stuffed with Grandma's secret apple pie recipe and finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar and caramel drizzle. The Agostinos recommend adding a scoop of ice cream.
• And the Nutella pretzel, a fresh-baked pretzel stuffed with Nutella and finished with a light coating of powdered sugar and chocolate drizzle ($8).

Pretzel Haus is now serving beer to wash your pretzel concoctions down, and plans to serve wine in the future.

"We are very excited to share this concept with our guests and are thankful for the overwhelming support," Suzy Agostino said.

In fact, the Agostinos and Mitchell are so pleased with the response they've received, they plan to open a second restaurant at 2655 East Lake Road S in Palm Harbor soon, and follow it up with other Tampa Bay locations.

Hours at the Pretzel Haus Carrollwood are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Pretzel lovers can also order online for pickup.