My neighbor and I have a Saturday morning routine of going to the West Ridge Y for a workout and then drive into Evanston for bagels & coffee. These bagels remind me of the type of bagel I grew up with. I enjoy their choice of schmears - plain, cinnamon, salmon. There is one sandwich on the menu with salami and warmed up. It is outrageously good. The coffee is deep and dark - just the way I like it.
My only suggestion is that this place needs to work on the flow of taking orders, fulfilling orders and paying. There is a lack of efficiency and confusion entails. Prices are on the steep side too but I like that there are organic/local choices and is a local establishment.
I, like many of previous reviewers, have to agree that the bagel's are always pretty tasty yet the service leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Â This place is within walking distance of my apartment so I find myself walking in once or twice a month to grab a coffee and a bagel.
I absolutely love the everything bagels with fresh cream cheese. Â Add a medium Intelligentsia and life is good on a Sunday morning. Â Well it should be all good, right? Â Not really! Â
The service is always inconsistent. Â One day you will get someone with a smile who will actually smile and talk to you, while other days you will stand there wondering what in the world is happening in this place. Â The owner never says good morning or hello. Â Clearly the one major issue is management and I suggest they work on improving attitude ASAP. Â There are times when most of the bagel baskets are empty(shouldn't be happening). Â When lines form on the weekends it's a complete s*** show with employees running all over the place. Â Once you finally get to the register you realize you are dropping $15 for 2 bagel sandwiches and a medium coffee!!
Bagels and coffee are good but the place needs better management and organization!!
Honestly, this place is pretty decent. The bagels are solid, the choices are solid, and there's a wide variety of organic stuff to make a sandwich out of. As a guy that loves bagel sandwiches, particularly with eggs, this is something of a joy.
On the down side, it's a very simple deli no different than what was probably in your HS cafeteria, only with the ability to toast bagels and with a nicer quality. Still, the pricing is outrageous. An egg and turkey sandwich on a bagel cost me $7.10. Jaw dropping. A bagel itself is $.99, with cream cheese oddly $3.00, and with flavored cream cheese $3.50. Not sure how the cream cheese is worth twice what the bagel is.
I am perfectly alright paying for good food, and would wager the bulk of my salary goes to eating out. But a $7 bagel sandwich just feels wrong, particularly when it's a giant square of baked egg rather than a freshly cooked egg.
Bagels are good, but not worth the frustration
I've been going to Bagel Art for going on 5 years, so clearly i think the product is good. I also like supporting the local business, but this place kills a weekend morning mood in a heartbeat. The service is awful!
I've worked in many a cafe, and this place needs some organization STAT! They randomly take the next person waiting and that employee waits on you from start to finish, which makes the whole process extremely slow and totally disorganized. There is hardly any room behind the counter to go back and forth, so they are constantly bumping into each other, and they try to ask you questions while your playing musical chairs with the other people in line. It's maddening!
Haven't they ever been to another place where one person takes your order, and the next helps to make it, then the next rings you up? (ah la Pot Belly, Starbucks, Subway or Einstein?) Or maybe you have some sort of ticket system where someone takes your order and rings you up, then they pass your written down order to the person making your bagel. The first ringer can also get your coffee or whatever! (ah la, Panera, Cosi, etc.)
Also, while the Bagels are good, the final product is totally inconsistent. Sandwiches are ever-changing on how much and what they give you. The eggs are often still cold in the middle, then the last time i got a cinnamon bagel with their special Pumpkin Cream cheese, there was hardly any cc at all! That's the whole reason I got the bagel was to try the cc!!
I really want to like this place, but I am in a foul mood EVERY time i go. Might be time for a change. No matter how good the Bagels are, the frustration isn't worth it.
I have to admit the bagel's are delicious, a little too small for the price but good non the less. The service on the other hand is horrible! I have never been to a place where I feel like I'm bothering the staff by placing my order, not to mention they take their sweet time. All I wanted was a coffee the other day and waited in line for 5min before I had to rush out with nothing to catch my approaching train - there was 1 person in front of me. The owner is the worst out of all of them, very unfriendly and appears to care less about the customers unless you are in the "inner circle." I won't be giving them any more of my business.
Review Source:I've been to Bagel Art several times, and I've always enjoyed the food and vibe of the place. Â The service, however, is always sketchy I always leave there feeling as though I was bothering the staff. Â
After my last visit, I won't be returning. Â
There was a dead fly floating in my thai iced coffee!  These things happen, right?  Sure.  I get that.  And had the owner come from behind the counter, talked to me, maybe offered me  a couple bagels, schmoozed me a bit, I would have been grossed out, certainly, but pleased by her efforts to extend a sincere apology.  Didn't happen.  The owner did apologize, but it could not have been less sincere. Â
And to add insult to injury, after warning the woman at the counter (a friend of the owner) to not drink the FLY iced coffee she just ordered, she looked at me with TOTAL disdain, giggled and said, "oh. Â should i be afraid of a fly".
So to that lady, flies EAT POOP AND GARBAGE AND CARRION!
I went here for the second time this past weekend and I was really disappointed with the service. I ordered my food and paid right away. The guy making my sandwich put my bagel in the oven to toast and then forgot about it. He was too concerned with going on his lunch break and making his own food. As this guy is eating his lunch I had to go up to the counter and ask someone else to finish getting me my food.
What I had was good, but I think it's ridiculous that someone would no complete an order before going on break.
I also think the bagel sandwich size is a bit small for the price.
I love the food at this place. The bagels are great and cream cheese fresh. I was a little shocked one morning though when I saw the FROZEN "fresh" bagels being DELIVERED. Either way frozen are not they are good and pretty reasonably priced. The sandwiches are also always fresh and the greens are used from the local school which I love.
On the flip side....I HATE coming here! It really makes me cringe and upset that my favorite breakfast place is owned by a very NASTY women. She is rude to her employees and so it is no wonder when they are sometimes short or seem rushed. She just "floats" around and bosses people around. He customer service does not exist unless she finds it to be so fitting. I have had her make me wait while she takes cares of "some things." I really feel bad for the employes and feel they deserve better.
The sad part is that I will probably continue to come here....but on many mornings I have walked right back out, because seeing the owner behind the counter is enough to know I don't need to start my morning off around someone like that.
I came here with the girls I care for because apparently the love the bagels here. Why? I'm not too sure.
Even though the girls were pretty well behaved, they also can get a little wired when going out to eat. The staff was very nice about the girls and even gave them little Valentine's candies. It's good to know that I can come back here with the girls without getting a death stare.
The split a poppyseed bagel with regular cream cheese and ate it all. I got the poppyseed with chive cream cheese and slice of tomato. Ow! It actually kind of hurt the roof of my mouth when chewing, it was so hard! They apparently toasted it, but it wasn't warm and to top it all off, I didn't taste any chive in my cream cheese at all. I was very disappointed and mostly because bagels are one of my favorite things to eat. The place looks really cool and has a laid back vibe, it's bright and doesn't smell bad. I was really hoping for a bangin' bagel.
There's just not enough awesomeness here to make me want to come back, but unfortunately I'm sure I'll be taking the girls back here for their favorite snack every so often.
I ordered the Rococo bagel sandwich. Â I enjoyed it, however it really makes a difference which employee makes it. I watched one staff make one for a customer before me and he took the time to evenly spread out the ingredients, turkey and all, which made it look like a better balanced and more manageable sandwich. Â The staff member who made mine just kind of threw everything on and when I got it everything was falling out of the sandwich and all the meat was in a 3/4 inch thick chunk on one side of the sandwich and falling out of it.
Tasted good though. Â
Good ambiance. Â I'd go back.
If i had written this review 6 months ago, I would have given a 2 star review, entirely based on the service. Â The workers they've brought on in recent months are MUCH friendlier and do a better job keeping bagels stocked.
The bagels here are delicious, and I walk here every Saturday and Sunday. Â They used to run out of plain bagels, and when you'd ask, they'd say "eh, maybe twenty minutes. Â I haven't made them yet." Â Really? Â Out of Plain bagels?
Recently, much better! Â Friendly service, still delicious bagels, and neat atmosphere.
This is my breakfast stop almost every morning!
I love how fresh the bagels are. They make their own whipped cream cheese and it's organic! They even use Organic half and half for the coffee! I am so glad there is a place like this who cares about the quality of their ingredients!
well done!
Bagel Art is one of my favorite placed in Evanston. Their bagels are amazing, and sandwiches are delicious. Even the die hard New Yorkers I know like this place and give it props. The Roccoco is to die for. The staff is really friendly and give the place a cool local vibe. The new location on Dempster is perfect for grabbing something before jumping on the El.
Review Source:Amazing! A friend tipped me off to check this place out. The only drawback is that parking is dificult in the neighborhood. We ordered two wraps. For many delis, wraps are an afterthought. Not here! The meats, cheeses and veggies were all diced so that the wrap could be assembled and eaten more readily. I was amazed at the amount of care that went in to the preparation of this wrap. I'm a whole grain kinda guy, so I tried the whole wheat bagel, sesame wheat and oat bran. The oat bran item is really awesome, though not at all like a bagel. It's shaped more like a bialy, but has a wonderful slightly sweet whole grain flavor and is very crunchy on the outside. The whole wheat bagels had a taste and texture that reminded me of old-fashioned handmade pretzels. I will return to check out other things that looked good.
Review Source:Hey--guess who now has BREAKFAST BAGEL SANDWICHES?? Â This discovery really put some spank in my fanny. Â They usually have two at a time listed on a whiteboard. Â I've had two so far--the Hangover Cure (salami, cheese, and hot sauce) and the Grace (ham, cheese, and choice of two vegetables)--but these things are so customizable that it's practically build-your-own.
I'm not sure what is the deal with the eggs. Â They are baked in a big flat pan and then cut into squares. Â It's a questionable method (and I'm not sure what else might be in the "batter" besides eggs) because what ends up in your sandwich is somewhat dry and a little rubbery. Â I'd rather have real eggs cooked to order but beggars can't be choosers. Â Some mornings I get such a powerful craving for a BREAKFAST BAGEL SANDWICH that I will take whatever I can get, and I would rather support an independent local business than one of those godless chains.
Word of warning--don't choose drippy tomatoes for your bagel sandwich if you are planning to eat it while driving up Ridge Avenue and Green Bay Road.
I go to Bagel Art all the time (probably about once a week) because it's right around the corner and a nice place to stop for lunch or a snack. Â I love the new space -- it's a huge improvement in terms of places to sit, and I think the bagels taste much better too (in the old store they were often burned).
The downsides are that the service is almost always slow, and some of the servers have a really bad attitude (baseball cap, I'm talking to you). Â They're also always running out of about half their bagels, so it's rare that I get my first choice. Â But, I will keep going back because even on a third choice bagel, their sandwiches are really tasty.
I really, really wanted to give these guys a favorable review. I like supporting local businesses, and prefer the convenience of being local. Prior to this review, I came here 2 X at their new location. Following my 1st time coming here on a Sunday afternoon to pick up a dozen bagels, I dismissed the fact that my bagels were not quite stale, but certainly not fresh to that fact that I came in the afternoon - following the demand and rush. A month or so later, up and out at 7:30 AM on a Sunday morning, I was looking forward to some fresh hot doughy bagels. What I got was cool, dry, old?, bagels,... and poor service on top of that. Being in line behind the customer they were currently servicing, I of course expected to be sered next, maybe because I'm only 5'9" they didn't see me and skipped over th the next customer. I told the chick behind the counter... excuse me I'm next, she rolled her eyes. You are supposed to get a bakers dozen bagels, when I said I wanted 8 everything and 5 garlic, I was told that they only had 7 everything and proceeded to give those (stale) ones to me with the 5 garlics. I didn't catch this until I got home. Being a bit flustered I had over paid by putting an extra dollar in with my payment, rather than giving me my change back, this chick put it in her tip jar, I guess believing it was for her exemplary service.
Want great bagels, do yourself a favor,
My local recommendations (from a native NY'er) locally are New York Bagel & Bialy
4714 W Touhy Ave, skokie/Lincolnwood
and followed by;
New York Bagels & Bialys
3556 Dempster St, Skokie
A mediocre and overpriced bagel sandwich. The good thing is, that the bagel itself is terrific and they have a wide variety of flavors. I just wish they would use them to create a more balanced sandwich. Nothing too great about lox overpowered by too many salty capers or roast beef with onions that results in dragon breath that could clear a room.
Still, come here if you're in the mood for a good bagel. Maybe just stick with the cream cheese.
This place is pretty bad ass. Think of it like a trip back to the jimi hendrix era, sans drugs but with bagels. They play some good classic rock while you're chowing to a bagel. I would compare this to a girl dressed in punk rock, eating a bagel with a Paris Hilton-esque dog in her purse.
It's a funny mix, but they do pull it off. Oh, and they make their bagels fast. Real fast. For us, they also didn't slather on 8 pounds of cream cheese. Some people like that, but I'm absolutely disgusted when people do that. I just want a small layer of cream cheese on my bagel, not half bagel half cream cheese.
The bagel options are pretty varied, the vegetarian bagel and vegan soup options are an additional nice touch.
I'm a cereal eater, so I can't comment on bagel-as-breakfast, but I will tell you they've got a great veggie bagel sandwich that I haven't been able to find the likes of since Bruegger's back home. Â It's piled high with spread, tomatoes, peppers, sprouts, cucumbers, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, etc, and worth every penny. Â The Tuscany with fresh mozzarella, pesto & fresh basil is also good stuff. Â
You want to talk overpriced? Â Let's start with Jimmy John's...
Bagel Art is a quaint neighborhood bagel-sandwich shop that is sort of like an independently owned Einstein's. I have really enjoyed all the bagel sandwiches I have bought there. Some comments below complain about the price, but $6-8 for a bagel sandwich is comparable to other bagel sandwich places or even other breakfast places. For example, the Lox Key bagel sandwich is about $7-8. On the sandwich you can get a ton of lox, cream cheese, capers and onions. That same plate, deconstructed, is easily $10+ at any diner in the area. And in my experience, the quality of their cream cheese and ingredients are far superior to chain bagel/breakfast places in the area.
My only complaints with Bagel Art is that I wish there was more seating and hours were longer. Otherwise, its certainly one of the better breakfast/bagel shops in Evanston.
Sort of surprised at the number of negative reviews. Â Yes, it is expensive. Â But I haven't ever experienced problems with the staff or their unfriendliness. Â
The sandwiches aren't huge, but if you cared about that, you'd go to Subway. Â The cream cheeses are great - especially the cinnamon/honey, and the bagels are pretty good too. Â Sprecher products, an independent place, and some tasty bagels/sandwiches.
First of all I want to make it very clear that 3 stars does not adequately convey my love of this place. Â The bagels are delicious and they have some very clever bagel sandwich options. Â Not to mention the fact that the beverage options here are STELLAR. Â The drink cooler is full of delicious options like San Pelligrino Limonada and other hard to find drink delicacies.
Unfortunately there are a few things holding this place back.
1. Â Expensive. Â $7-$9 dollars for sandwiches. Â Really!?
2. Â Service can be painfully sloooooooow...
3. Â Sometimes it smells kinda' funny in there.
4. Â Parking can be a pain! Â There is no lot, only street parking on Chicago Ave.
These setbacks do not stop me from going to Bagel Art at least twice a week. Â I love the "Lox and Key" sandwich despite the bad reviews I've read. Â I say, check it out! Â Give it a chance! You may not be "wowwed!" but I don't think you will be that disappointed...
$7 for a bagel? Give me a break. I do like that fact that no cell phones allowed in the store, now if the old banged up hippie working behind the counter could respect the sign in her store and get off the phone long enough to give some real customer service it might be a decent place. Also check the expiration dates on the drinks in the cooler, 1 year old sour, moldy orange juice mash taste as bad as it sounds. Food us sub par, about a click above a lenders frozen bagel. The place is not cute, nothing cute or artistic about it.
Review Source:Oh, what a surprise! Â An "indie" owned and operated "cute" little establishment that's overpriced, and workers with a personality less enchanting than mayonnaise!
I went to Bagel Art the other morning for the last time. Â I've been there three times before and like always, the bagels are small and burnt and overpriced, even with an NU discount. You walk in and all though you're the only one there ordering food, the airhead blonde behind the counter, with her vacant, "too cool to give a shit" expression seems to be annoyed that you're in there at all. Â "um....buy.....a....ba-gel....um yeah, like OMG!" Â Moments later and $8 bucks spent you wonder what the hell you even paid for. Â Oh, I see...the cream cheese is ORGANIC! Â So the retail value goes from .80 cents to $3.00 bucks on something that they buy in bulk and just mash some frozen veggies into. Â Let's not forget those overpriced, smaller than s**t, burnt bagels themselves. Â "Duh....I don't know how to turn the heat down on the oven. Â Do you....hav'ta...OMG! Â heeee heee heee like, press a button or some junk..."
Hey, Dumbfucks! Â Go do what you're best at, smoking weed in your parent's basement!
Bagel Art is a regular stop for us on the weekends (and sometimes during the week when school is out). Â We are particularly fond of the blueberry and onion bagels (two different kinds, not a combo). Â I also love the green mountain wrap. Â Our only complaint is that they seem to run out of their "sweet" bagels too early on the weekend. Â But, Bagel Art is a definite favorite in our house - breakfast requests are regularly bagels or dim sum.... Â (And, I should mention, we lived in NYC for 10 years and know what a good bagel tastes like!)
Review Source:This place has mediocre food and awful service which is not a good combination at all.
I always drive by this place and have wanted to try it forever, but it is really only open during hours that I am working so finally on my day off I got to try it out. From the moment I walked in, it seemed like the person behind the counter could not wait to get me out of there. I thought this was a little odd as there really was no one else in the place. The baskets of bagels behind the counter were pretty empty so I asked which bagels they had, since sometimes at places like Panera they have some in the back. The response I got was just this incredulous look, like I had asked for a basket of shrimp or something. I guess my question was not even worth them using actual words. Finally I just decided to order.
I ordered two bagels with different spreads. Generally I get asked if I want the bagel toasted, but I guess they don't have toasters or they just wanted me to leave as the second I ordered they did not give me the option and just started throwing the spread on there. Not to worry though, they did manage to charge me $7 for my order.
I really like trying out these little shops as I have had good experiences with them in the past, but times like this make me wish I just stuck to the Paneras and Einstein's of the world. You can keep your snooty service and overpriced food, I'll stick with the heavyweights of the bagel industry.
Overpriced and nothing notable (except the no cell phone policy). Â I ordered the "medieval" cream cheese, roast beef and a tomato -- this one small bagel cost almost $9 w/o a drink. Â Who are they kidding? Â Another time I order something like a caprese bagel and again the bang for my buck disappointing.
The menu is limited and seating is very limited
Bagel Art is no Einstein, nor does it try to be. It's small, quaint bagel shop located a block away from the Dempster station. Seating is sparse; there is one bistro table and a few counter stools. Their menu consists of several vegetarian bagel sandwiches and there's an option to create your own. (The Lox & Key is the sandwich that costs more than $7.) If a bagel sandwich isn't filling enough, Bagel Art also has homemade (always) vegetarian soup. Their bagels aren't anything to rave about, but the place is great for those looking for a quick breakfast or lunch.
Review Source:Just wanted to update again about how great this place is - Â I always come here if I have to bring breakfast treats into the office. Â They have these amazing fresh bagels that just taste great. Â They have a great selection of organic cream cheese, as well. Â Some of my favorite bagels include their whole wheat, sesame, Oregano Parmesan, Pumpernickel, Poppyseed...and more!
Also, a tip - if you have a Wildcard - use it. Â You get 10% off your total purchase here!
LOVE THIS PLACE.
Their spinach artichoke cream cheese is so so SO delicious. And you can add fresh veggies to your bagel, so you don't feel as guilty eating all those carbs...
My usual is a whole wheat bagel with spinach artichoke cream cheese, with a slice of tomato and cucumber. I always forget to have them toast it though. But who cares, it delicious un-toasted too!
Quick, CHEAP breakfast. Yummmmy.
4 stars because there isn't a whole lot of room to eat your bagel. Just a small little counter area, or a few tables outside in warm weather.
Been looking for a house-baked bagel place since my move to Chicago and finally found it. I got a veggie sandwich on plain, and despite it's seemingly generic ingredients--it was great!
Vegans might want to ask them to wipe the knife before getting a sandwich to avoid any mystery cream cheese.
The bagels here are awesome and if you're trying to cut calories, they won't look at you funny if you ask them to scooped out some of the dough before toasting it. Â (They actually call it a scooped out bagel.) Â The thing that bothers me about this place though, is the attitude. Â It seems to come from the top as I've had several encounters with the woman who owns the place. Â I'm not sure what it is, she's just not very friendly and borders on being bitchy. Â As a result, the people who work there seem to be a little off as well. Â It's a drag because I'd stop there more often but some days I just can't deal with the attitude. Â It's like the whole damn place needs a freakin' pill.
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