118816 Sun Nov 27 18:48:03 -0800 2005 12 7 Chicago Area 0 648377 Looking for the best bagels around. My personal vote will be Bagels and Bialys on Touhy off the Edens. I also like Einsteins and The Corner bakery, but looking for anything else that is not a chain. Image: http://www.meer520.com/bagel/kossars_bialys_everything.jpg Sun Nov 27 18:48:03 -0800 2005 0 Zippy 1 648379 Being a displaced New Yorker living in Chicago for nearly 11 years, I have always been on a personal quest fo find the perfect NY bagel. Bagels are NOT supposed to have the consistency of a soft roll and light as air (hello Einsteins). They should be firm, and chewy on the inside. The top 3 I have found: New York Bagel & Bialy in Lincolnwood NYC Bagel Deli in Chicago (North Ave) Once Upon A Bagel in Highland Park. Runners up: Kaufman's, Max & Benny's. You will never go wrong with any of those, but props go out to NYC Bagel: they are guys from my hometown on Long Island....and they do the bagel justice there! Sun Nov 27 20:46:01 -0800 2005 648377 0 GreenLeon 2 648380 Good picks. I heard Once Upon A Bagel is opening in Lincoln Park...FINALLY. I think their bagels are just so-so, but they make a good bialy and great salads (tuna and egg salad especially). I know they don't make them there, but the Bagel on Broadway gets really good bagels. Still, nothing compares quite to New York. I thought there were places that got H&H in Chicago? Anyone know? Sun Nov 27 20:52:27 -0800 2005 648379 0 Greg 3 648383 Thanks for the nice posts...I was also just thinking how good Arnie's used to be. Must be hard to sell Bagels. Mon Nov 28 06:46:55 -0800 2005 648380 0 Zippy 4 648384 Try Upper Crust on Waukegan Road in Deerfield - just North of Deerfield Bakery. Mon Nov 28 08:48:55 -0800 2005 648383 0 Bob 2 648397 Just moved here from Long Island. Curious as to where exactly they are from??? Mon Nov 28 13:53:51 -0800 2005 648379 0 Ketel Guy 3 648401 You are free to ask them yourself. It is a public forum. E.M. Mon Nov 28 15:44:02 -0800 2005 648397 0 Erik M. 4 648403 My bad. I replied in the wrong string. Regards, E.M. Mon Nov 28 17:22:48 -0800 2005 648401 0 Erik M. 2 649101 Another displaced New Yorker here, giving props to NYC Bagel. I had Yom Kippur catered by them, expecting not much and wow, did they come through. I was so excited to find them. Delicious bagels, whitefish salad, nova... Sat Dec 31 19:51:31 -0800 2005 648379 0 NYCHI 1 648387 A few local food enthusiasts recently conducted a Chicagoland "Bagel-Off." The list of contenders included BB's Bagels, Bagels By The Book, Bagel Country, Kaufmann's, NY Bagel & Bialy, Once Upon A Bagel, and Upper Crust Bagels. You can read about it at the link below. E.M. Link: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5326&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=bagels Mon Nov 28 10:46:46 -0800 2005 648377 0 Erik M. 1 648411 I would agree with Bagel Country in the shopping center on the corner of gross point and skokie blvd in skokie - the bagels are big and have a good consistency New york bagel and bialy on dempster is also very good - Tue Nov 29 06:55:01 -0800 2005 648377 0 David 1 648430 With all proper respect to the NY style of bagel.... does any baker in Chicagoland do the Montreal style of bagel? Not all of the Eastern European Jews moved to NYC. In Montreal, the bagels are boiled, not quite as chewy, cooked in coal-fired ovens and a bit sweet. Well? Tue Nov 29 23:41:33 -0800 2005 648377 0 videogrrl 1 648786 My husband is from NYC, so we are pretty strict about bagels. Kaufmans, NY Bagel & Bialy, and Jacob's Bros on Jackson in the Loop (in the Monadanock Bldg) meet our standards. Fri Dec 16 12:01:14 -0800 2005 648377 0 Anne H