Tuesday, June 18, 2019

The Bagel Restaurant and Deli of Chicago & Skokie, Illinois.

After surviving the Holocaust, Elsa and Herman Golenzer, who had owned a restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, along with their children Michael and Ruth, brought their family recipes and authentic Old World cooking to Chicago's North Side.
A favorite menu item is Lox, chive cream cheese, onion and tomato on a bagel.
The original 34-seat location at 4806 North Kedzie Avenue was formerly occupied by a baker called "The Bagel Bakery." The family was unable to afford a new sign so they decided to go with the name "The Bagel Restaurant" and kept the sign in place.

 Ruth's sons Danny and the late Michael took over in 1969.
4806 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, location.
4806 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, location.
In 1977, demand for The Bagel's offerings outstripped the capabilities of its original location's seating capacity so the deli moved to its second location at 3000 West Devon Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of the West Ridge community, where it remained for 15 years.
3000 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, location.
Two weeks after closing the Devon location, The Bagel opened up in Lakeview at 3107 North Broadway Avenue in December 1992.
3107 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinois, location.
The Old Orchard Shopping Center location in Skokie first opened in 1987.
Old Orchard Shopping Center location in Skokie, Illinois.
Deli Counter at the Old Orchard Shopping Center location in Skokie, Illinois.
Since the closure of the Lord & Taylor store next door, the owners of Old Orchard have been planning to reconfigure the area. The Bagel's Skokie locations lease had already expired and had been operating month to month. They tried to stay open as long as they could because their customers were like family. 

 The Bagel Deli and Restaurant closed the Skokie location on November 29, 2018.

 In hundreds of replies from disappointed customers, longtime patrons bemoaned the loss of favorite menu items like kreplach and matzah ball soup and questioned the reasons for the restaurant's closure. Some suggested Old Orchard had decided not to renew the lease. Others suggested Skokie's tax rates were a contributing factor.

 The Bagel's 3107 North Broadway location in Chicago is still open as of the date at the top of the article. 

 Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D. 
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownWednesday, June 19, 2019 at 7:42:00 AM CDT

    The old orchard shopping center was sold to a Chinese investment group. The lease renewal was set too high for the bagel so they bailed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. bunsterjSaturday, June 22, 2019 at 11:22:00 PM CDT

    I wish I had something like this near me. (LaSalle County, AKA Mayberry)

    ReplyDelete
  3. EilselSunday, June 23, 2019 at 11:43:00 AM CDT

    So sad that old orchard location was closed always got soup to chase away colds and the blues

    ReplyDelete
  4. GayeSunday, June 23, 2019 at 3:45:00 PM CDT

    I grew up on the 4800 block of Troy, and I tell ya, we could smell them when they were baking, (along with so many other fabulous foods in that area) like getting a waft of heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  5. archer834Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 11:37:00 PM CDT

    Sadly, I only made it to the Old Orchard location once. It was FANTASTIC! My son and I ordered a variety of dishes and feasted heartily. I bought some tasty items to bring home also.
    I sure wish they'd open another location in "the burbs" again. (Ben Martin on Neil's Facebook group)

    ReplyDelete

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