For years, Oh Baby O’s has made a name for itself selling specialty pretzels, pizza, hot dogs, and sweet treats.
Founded by Deb Borkius, Oh Baby O’s opened its doors to the public in the early 2000s.
Borkius’s love affair with pretzels began during her time at Pretzel Maker, located in the Watertown Mall. When the establishment closed down, Borkius was inspired to open a restaurant solely dedicated to soft pretzels and complementary dishes.
“Nothing here is pre-made—it’s all fresh.” -sara meyer
For years, Oh Baby O’s grew a recognizable reputation until COVID ultimately closed the eatery in 2020. But as life with the pandemic became easier, Oh Baby O’s found a new owner in Sara Meyer.
“I was a manager at a convenience store before a state inspector came to me and shared that she thought I would be a good fit for running the restaurant,” shared Meyer.
She continued, “At first I didn’t think it was for me, but I eventually went to talk to the previous owner and it all just fell into my lap.”
Meyer committed to the challenge, but admitted there was a learning curve.
“I had zero experience in the food industry outside of working at a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and a Pizza Ranch in my youth,” she laughed. “I had to get Servsafe Certified and start the business back up from almost scratch.”
Meyer revamped Oh Baby O’s and added her own touches, but not without paying respect to Borkius’s legacy she had created.
“Our current menu is pretty much the same from when Baby O’s first opened, but I’ve eliminated and changed some things up,” shared Meyer.
Of course, the signature soft pretzel is a staple, but that’s just the beginning.
The menu boasts a variety of pizzas, like Little Italy or Buffalo Chicken, hot dogs like the Cowboy and Chili Dog, and Knucklehead Rolls like the Ya Baby and Philly Cheesesteak.
“The Knucklehead is the dish that Oh Baby O’s is known for,” said Meyer.
Similar to calzones, Knucklehead Rolls are large bread rolls stuffed with various meats, cheeses, and vegetables, garnished with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
“KNOT” YOUR AVERAGE SNACK
Alana: Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Cailyn: Chili Dog Footlong with a Mini-Pretzel
Gabby: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
John: Ya Baby Knucklehead Roll
Whole or bite-sized pretzels can be garnished with sweet or savory flavors. Customers have the option to cover their pretzels in butter and salt, garlic, cinnamon and sugar, Italian seasoning, basil, parmesan, and pepper garlic.
Each pretzel is paired with a dipping sauce of the customer’s choice: Nacho, Cream Cheese, Icing, Marinara Sauce, Ranch, and more.
Among the savory bites are the Cheesy Bites, the Cheesy Bites with Bacon, the Pepperoni Bites, the Jalapeño Bites, and the Cream Cheese Pickle Bites.
Among the sweet bites are the Sugar Babies, S’mores Bites, Caramel Apple Bites, Cherry Bites, Blueberry Bites, and Strawberry Bites.
To drink, the pretzel shop offers Pepsi products, as well as various flavors of Jones Soda Co.
“In the summertime, we see a lot of travelers, & that’s fun to see because they could be coming from all over the place like New York or California.” -sara meyer
Meyer says Oh Baby O’s takes pride in using fresh and high-quality ingredients.
“The dough is made fresh every morning,” said Meyer. “It’s actually Deb’s grandmother’s recipe that we use.”
Every order is fresh and from scratch, and that’s why Meyer doesn’t consider Oh Baby O’s a fast food establishment
“You’re not going to find anything like this anywhere else,” said Meyer. “It’s nothing like Auntie Anne’s where all you get are Bavarian pretzels—it’s its own business.”
Since Meyer has taken the reins of Oh Baby O’s, the eatery has conjured up a strong, loyal following of returning and new customers.
“I have a lot of customers who’ve been through the good and the bad,” shared Meyer. “It’s amazing to see people who truly love the place and want it to succeed.”
