The 10 best bagel shops in Chicago and the suburbs
This guide is for anyone hunting the best bagels in Chicago, whether the errand is a weekday egg sandwich or a Sunday bag for the house. It covers ten shops: eight in Chicago neighborhoods from Ravenswood to Pilsen, plus one each in Evanston and Lincolnwood, two suburbs on the city’s northern border.
All ten shops boil and bake their own bagels, and each entry names the outlet or shop page that says so. Styles range from New York to Montreal, and several shops build the dough on a sourdough starter. A single bagel costs about $3.25 to $5, a bagel with cream cheese about $4.50 to $5.50, and breakfast and lox sandwiches about $9 to $16. Most counters close by early afternoon.
How we chose
A place on this list needed proof that a shop makes the bagels sold there, at the counter or in the company’s own kitchen, from a readable local outlet or the shop’s own site. Picks also needed steady coverage across independent sources such as The Infatuation, Time Out Chicago, WTTW, NBC Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times, plus a 2025 or 2026 sign of being open. National chains, pop-ups without a fixed counter and shops that reheat bagels baked elsewhere were left out, and each brand appears once. The list is unranked, grouped by area and alphabetical within each group, ignoring “The.”
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
North Side
Bagel Miller
The Lincoln Avenue bakery formerly called Baker Miller tested bagels during the COVID lockdown and then switched over for good, Time Out Chicago reported. Bagel Miller dates the new name to 2022, and the shop advertises hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels made fresh every day. The Infatuation finds them thick and bready, a sturdy base for the Grand Lox ($16) or the Southsider with pastrami ($15). Gochujang and giardiniera schmears are the unusual picks. On a warm morning, take the order out to the picnic tables on the shaded patio.
Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sat-Sun 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 4655 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Why they made the list
- Baker Miller, the bakery before the bagel shop, opened in 2014, according to Tasting Table.
- The NYC is the least expensive breakfast sandwich on the menu at $10, and a bacon, egg and cheese costs $13.50.
- Donuts join the bagels on weekends, according to the shop.
The Bagelers Coffeehouse
Kettle-boiled bagels have been the draw at The Bagelers Coffeehouse in the Sheffield and DePaul pocket of Lincoln Park since 2014, per Time Out Chicago. The Infatuation confirms that they make their own bagels, from plain and everything to pretzel and chocolate chip. The cream cheeses are made in-house too, including garlic chive and giardiniera. For lunch, The Butcher piles salami, mortadella, hot coppa and muenster onto a bagel, and the vegan Gardener uses hummus. Online orders for pickup are an option on the shop’s site.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 2461 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Why they made the list
- The Bageler, the house namesake, layers a fried egg, muenster and applewood bacon with chipotle mayo, according to Tasting Table.
- Time Out Chicago suggests a brown sugar cinnamon latte with a bagel to go.
- Blueberry and jalapeño cheddar bagels are part of the regular lineup.
R&A Sourdough
Every bagel at Ravenswood’s R&A Sourdough is hand-rolled, kettle-boiled and baked on site, according to The Infatuation, whose October 2026 bagel guide called them the best in the city. The dough is sourdough, and flavors run from plain to rosemary and pink salt, za’atar, and oats and honey. The Youngster is the sandwich to order: cream cheese, cheddar, egg, hot honey bacon and hot sauce. Plan a morning trip, since the Lawrence Avenue shop closes at 2 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends.
Hours: Tue-Fri 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sat-Sun 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Address: 1938 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Why they made the list
- The owners began baking at home in 2020, early in the pandemic, after a friend gave them a sourdough starter, according to the bakery’s site.
- The Infatuation recommends the maple cinnamon schmear for anyone after a sweet bagel.
- Nova lox, pastrami and tuna salad sandwiches are on the menu too, per Time Out Chicago.
See the full directory listing
Wicker Park and Logan Square
BroBagel
Owner Bill Jacobs ran a bagel chain with his brothers before selling the company, Time Out Chicago reported, and he now runs BroBagel on North Avenue next to the brewpub he also owns. WTTW’s Check, Please! describes the bagels as housemade, and the Chicago Sun-Times noted in June 2026 that they are kettle-boiled. The Infatuation credits that boil for an especially crackly crust around a springy center. Order the garlic bagel with sriracha spread, the double Nova lox sandwich or the vegan sandwich with spiced scrambled tofu and mushrooms. Ordering ahead for pickup or delivery skips the counter.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 1931 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Why they made the list
- Time Out Chicago reviewed the shop in October 2014, so the counter has been boiling bagels for more than a decade.
- Spreads include chive, veggie and sriracha cream cheeses plus a whipped-tofu vegan option, per Tasting Table.
- The Damen stop on the Blue Line is the closest L station.
Mindy’s Bakery
Pastry chef Mindy Segal opened Mindy’s Bakery on Milwaukee Avenue in the summer of 2022, and bagels and bialys share the case with Danishes and quiches. The bagels come out of the bakery’s own ovens with the first bake of the morning, The Infatuation notes, and they move fast. Expect about five daily staples, such as garlic challah and everything with fennel, plus rotating flavors like za’atar. Spreads include a giardiniera cream cheese, whipped in-house. Arrive soon after the doors open, because the gluten-free bagels sell out first, according to Time Out Chicago.
Hours: Wed-Fri 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sat-Sun 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Mon-Tue
Address: 1623 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Why they made the list
- Segal won the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2012, according to Chicago Gourmet.
- A bialy sandwich layers mortadella, salami, giardiniera mustard, jalapeño cheese and Parmesan.
- Seating is limited, so most orders leave as carryout.
See the full directory listing
Reno
Bagels share a wood-fired oven with pizza at Reno, a Logan Square restaurant on Milwaukee Avenue since 2012. Time Out Chicago describes them as Montreal-style: smaller and a little sweeter than New York bagels, and mostly vegan. The restaurant says nearly everything on the menu is made from scratch in-house. Toppings include poppy seeds and Old Bay. Order one with the sweet potato or whipped feta schmear, or with mixed berry jam. The Logan Square Blue Line station is a short walk away.
Hours: Mon-Thu noon to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; brunch Fri-Sun 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 2607 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Why they made the list
- A bagel with cream cheese costs $4.50 on the breakfast menu.
- The house Reno pizza costs $19, and chilaquiles cost $13.
- Brunch drinks include a $12 Bloody Mary and a $40 pitcher of mimosas.
South Loop and Pilsen
Rosca
Pilsen native Felix Zepeda sold his bagels at farmers markets and a neighborhood panadería before opening a carryout counter for Rosca on West 16th Street in November 2025. The bagels are made from scratch with sourdough, and Zepeda mills his own flour from wheat berries, WTTW reported. Each batch takes three days. Flavors draw on Mexican pantry staples: sesame with red mole, a churro bagel, sea salt and thyme, and a Mexican everything blend. Hibiscus-cured lox is the topping to add. Orders can be placed online ahead of pickup, since there is no dining room.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 1857 W 16th St, Chicago, IL 60608
Why they made the list
- A single bagel costs $5, and the Rosca Half, six bagels with labneh or cream cheese, costs $25.
- The cream cheese is vegan, Axios Chicago reported in November 2025.
- Rosca started as a pop-up about six years ago, What Now Chicago reported in October 2026.
See the full directory listing
Tilly Bagel Shop
Hannah Tillett and Mike Banaszak opened the first Tilly Bagel Shop on Balbo Drive in the South Loop in 2023, and the brand now has three Chicago shops. The bagels are leavened with sourdough starter, risen overnight, then boiled and baked in small batches, Tasting Table reported, and The Infatuation says they come out fresh all morning from a partly open kitchen. Try the Chicago-style bagel, which Axios Chicago describes as coated in poppy seeds, mustard seed, celery salt and giardiniera seasoning. A new bagel of the week rotates in. The Harrison Red Line station is a block away.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 34 E Balbo Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
Why they made the list
- A single sourdough bagel costs $3.49, and a bagel with spread costs $5.49.
- The lox sandwich costs $15.99, and a bacon, egg and cheese costs $11.99.
- Cream cheese flavors have included caramelized onion and honey vanilla, per Axios Chicago.
North suburbs
Lefty’s Righteous Bagels
A trip to Montreal led owner Brad Nadborne to open Lefty’s Righteous Bagels on Chicago Avenue in Evanston in 2024. The bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-fired oven at the shop, NBC Chicago reported. The dough proofs overnight, so the rings come out larger than a Montreal original and hold up to a sandwich. The Moira Rose ($14.75) stacks folded eggs, gouda, shaved ham and roasted garlic and chive cream cheese. To sample spreads, order a plain bagel with a few 2-ounce schmears, such as lemon dill or honey vanilla.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 827 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Why they made the list
- The Daily Northwestern named the shop the best new business in Evanston in the paper’s Best of Evanston issue in February 2025.
- A plain bagel costs $3.25, and the LRB Whole bag holds 13 bagels for $29.75.
- Bagel flavors include cheddar, giardiniera and rosemary pink salt.
See the full directory listing
New York Bagel & Bialy
Lincolnwood’s New York Bagel & Bialy has been baking since 1965, and the Touhy Avenue shop is both bakery and deli. CBS Chicago reported that the bagels are boiled and baked fresh daily, while the bialys skip the boil and bake with a dent filled with onion, garlic or seeds. A Lincoln Square coffee shop and an Evanston deli both serve bagels from here, according to The Infatuation and Time Out Chicago. Order a Nova lox bagel sandwich, or take home a bag of mish mosh, egg or pumpernickel-rye bagels. The shop has no tables, so plan on carryout.
Hours: Sun-Thu 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fri-Sat 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Address: 4714 W Touhy Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712
Why they made the list
- The shop sits in a strip mall just off I-94, the Edens Expressway, per Time Out Chicago.
- Mini bagels come in four flavors, and pizza bagels share the menu with deli sandwiches, according to Tasting Table.
- Cream cheese flavors include cinnamon raisin, jalapeño, strawberry and sun-dried tomato.
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