By Kate Pickford
Join Kate Pickford as she steps out of her morning routine and into the city to try some of the best bagels in Chicago.
Breakfast is the most polarizing meal of the day. Whether you’re never hungry in the morning, or you believe that it is the most important meal of the day, morning habits are sacred, and often consistent. I tend to go to sleep excited to eat the next morning, but I almost never try new breakfast foods. Surrounded by such a vibrant culinary scene, it shocks me that I forget that there is so much to explore before lunch.
I wanted to challenge myself to taste a whole new side of the city. In the spirit of the controversial nature of breakfast, I decided to start with a food that seems to bring out strong opinions for many: bagels. It takes a lot to make a perfect bagel; texture, taste, and tradition (or lack thereof) all contribute to making something so deceptively simple.
… And so I set off to discover the best bagel in Chicago. My guidelines were simple: the bagels had to be within city limits, baked onsite, without cream cheese, and consumed fresh. This meant that I often set out before seven in the morning to ensure that I was getting the best bite possible. Over three weeks, I visited six bagel spots, tasted twelve bagels (finished nine), and discovered the one true winner.
- The Bagelers
A cute coffee shop on Lincoln Avenue, the dark wood interior of The Bagelers welcomes patrons with the smell of coffee and baked goods in the air. Even arriving shortly after opening at 7:00 in the morning,
there were already customers with laptops taking advantage of the nice environment to get some work done.
After looking at the menu of eleven bagel types, I decided to try an everything bagel and a jalapeno cheddar bagel. I was delighted to see that the jalapeno cheddar bagel had the traditional baked-on cheese on the outside as well as a cheddar-y flavor incorporated into the dough. That being said, I was slightly let down to discover that the bagels themselves lacked the chewy exterior and soft interior that I love. While I plan to go back to try some pastries and coffee, I knew that my hunt for the best bagel in the city was far from over.
- Steingold’s
Steingold’s is a Jewish deli with three locations throughout Chicago. I visited the one on Southport, located amidst vibrant food and shopping scenes. This location has a rather large connected seating area and would make for a great place to stop to grab breakfast or lunch. Even early in the morning, the extensive menu of sandwiches was tempting, but I knew I had to stick to a bagel for the sake of my mission.
I ordered an everything bagel and a four cheese bagel. The textures of the bagels were perfect: a tough and chewy exterior with a soft, fluffy-yet-dense interior. The everything flavoring blend was a standard mix and the four cheese lent itself to having more of a grilled-cheese quality that isn’t found with the more traditional asiago flavoring. While I wouldn’t describe the flavors as life-changing, Steingold’s has clearly mastered the technicalities of a New York style bagel and deserves to be known as one of the best bagels in Chicago.
- Gotham Bagel
Gotham Bagels’ Dearborn location is a bit of a hidden gem: tucked in the back of Eduardo’s Enoteca, it has no storefront of its own and very little signage. Even so, there is a steady stream of patrons that know this secret and you can often see people eating their bagels in the outdoor seating area before Eduardo’s opens.
There are fourteen bagels on the menu as well as an impressive offering of bagel sandwiches. I ordered an egg-based everything bagel and an asiago bagel. The egg of the everything bagel gave it a distinct yellow hue. While I found myself wishing for a little bit more of the amazing flavor of the everything seasoning, the bagel itself was soft and dense. The asiago bagel also had a pleasant texture and a high-quality cheese taste. The combination of good flavor and technique made the bagels a great start to the day; I know that I will be back for more.
- R&A Sourdough
When I arrived at R&A Sourdough’s Riverwest location, I was worried that I was at the wrong place. I had already had a failed bagel run that morning at a place that turned out to outsource their bagel-making, and I was getting very hungry. The exterior had no aggressive signage and if not for a family sitting outside eating breakfast sandwiches, I would have walked right past.
Inside and up a small set of stairs, I walked into a small room that could fit two people comfortably. There we could see into the kitchen where several staff members were shaping and mixing and baking. Everyone working there was exceptionally friendly, and even offered us a sample of a fresh-baked cookie as we waited.
Out of a relatively large selection of bagels, we chose to try the cheddar jalapeno and pink salt rosemary bagels. Unlike in a traditional New York style bagel, the options here had a sourdough base which shone through the added flavors. The differences in the dough extended beyond the taste, leading to a texture that was slightly less chewy on the outside. The cheddar jalapeno bagel was knockout with a great cheddar taste and spicy sliced jalapenos baked on top. The pink salt and rosemary bagel was a little subtler, which allowed us to really appreciate the sourdough. The friendly atmosphere, no-frills storefront, and unique approach to bagel-making makes R&A Sourdough a must-visit place for any bagel-lover in the city!
- BroBagel
BroBagel made my list of places to try after being tipped off by a family friend who swears by them. Just a few minutes after they opened, I stepped inside their North Avenue shop and was greeted by the strong scent of yeasted dough. Doordashers came and went, picking up still-steaming bagels. BroBagel has been committed to making authentic New York style bagels since the 1980s, a fact that has made it incredibly popular with locals.
The menu is limited: there are no trendy flavors or silly names. Instead, BroBagel sticks to mastering the basics. I tasted asiago, cinnamon-raisin, and everything. The asiago bagel was delicious with the toasted saltiness of the cheese bringing the bagel to a new level. The cinnamon-raisin bagel was described as “the best cinnamon-raisin bagel” that my friend had ever tried. My favorite, however, was the everything bagel. At first glance, it looked like a middle-of-the-road everything bagel, but after tasting it, I was impressed by the addition of caraway into the seasoning blend. The textures of the bagels were exceptional: chewy on the outside with a soft and dense interior. I’ve never had a true New York style bagel–as I have never tried a bagel in New York–but this is the closest I have ever come. I strongly recommend BroBagel to anyone who is looking for the best traditional bagel in Chicago.
- Tilly Bagel
And now the best bagel in the city: Tilly Bagel. Coming into this article, I did a lot of research into which bagels to try, and nearly every recommendation and list included Tilly Bagel. I was a bit skeptical that it could live up to my expectations, but I knew that I had to give it a try. Visiting their Fulton Market location on a Saturday morning, the shop was busy and a long, but quick-moving, line had formed. While in line, you could watch the bagels being shaped and prepped.
Tilly Bagel isn’t trying to be anything else: they make it clear that they are something new. Their website explains that rather than replicate the New York style bagel, they are making an authentic, sourdough-based, Chicago-style bagel. The bagel menu was full of fun flavors as well as a “flavor of the week” which promises a constant supply of new options. After several minutes of indecisiveness, I settled on the cacio e pepe bagel and the tomato grilled cheese bagel.
The bagels themselves were huge, with a dense, yet fluffy, texture. I loved the seasoning of the tomato grilled cheese flavor, but the true star of the show was the cacio e pepe bagel. By far my favorite bagel of the series, I have already returned to get it again (twice). Peppercorn is incorporated into the dough, which gives the bagel a bit of spice. The saltiness of the generous amount of parmesan baked onto the bagel balances out the bite of the pepper. This balance of flavors paired with the unique texture made it both interesting and enjoyable. To anyone living in Chicago, or even visiting for a few days, Tilly Bagel is a must-try spot.
As I searched for the best bagel in the city, I realized that no matter how long you have lived in Chicago, there is always more to explore. Whether or not you’re a breakfast person, or even a bagel person, it can be easy to become stuck in routines, but there is so much to try once you make the decision to step out your door.