Any good neighborhood needs a good delicatessen- and Helfeld's is happy to oblige. This was my first time in, but I'll certainly be coming back to try other sandwiches and/or the bagels they offer as well. Service was timely, friendly, and succinct. I stepped up to order a Reuben, and while the 18 dollar price point made me hesitate for just a moment, it was all for naught, as the absolute mountain of meat they brought out just 5 minutes later was everything I'd been hoping for. Hearty, flavorful, and filling as can be, the corned beef will be visiting me in my dreams in the near future. The fresh tangy sauerkraut was like the beam of a lighthouse cutting through a stormy night, guiding me to wherever I needed to be. My only possible complaint was that as I ordered it to-go, the pickle was pre-wrapped, and therefore not actively dripping vinegar. Still a very solid pickle with a satisfying crunch though, so I'll let bygones be bygones. All in all- fantastic. Would recommend. Finished only half of the colossal sandwich so far and will be taking down the other half in an hour or two after a brief respite. read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - Front of restaurant - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Highly recommend! Great bagel and lox, friendly guy behind the counter. Neighborhood gem.

The lox bagel here is delicious. I ordered mine on an egg bagel not toasted with chive cream cheese. It's yummy..

I had HIGH hopes. I was back home for the weekend and wanted to start off a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and a savory breakfast sandwich. Place was empty and that should have been a clue. The lady behind the counter came off a bit strong and seemed to be getting impatient with me asking questions about the menu. I shrugged it off, no big deal, this better be a damn good sandwich. She warmed up and ended up being nice as our interaction progressed. Placed an order then walked next door to get some coffee. They were terrible and I feel terrible for saying that. I just got the egg bagel breakfast sandwich (cheese, sausage and egg) and wow...I took three bites and tossed it after that. It just tasted completely opposite of what a local sandwich shop could offer. The egg bagel tasted so strange, I also got the lox sandwich and the salmon appeared to be cooked, not like the classic fillet of brined salmon, which can sometimes may be smoked. Not sure if the spot just opened, hopefully it'll improve with time. read more

See all

First time visit. It was the best Reuben I have ever had. Corned beef melts in your mouth. Very kind service!!! I can't revive them enough stars!! read more

Solid little Jewish deli. Great for pick up as there are no actually seats. Their egg salad is wonderful and great to bring home for a midweek lunch. Their sandwiches also look amazing but have yet to try them. read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - Outside - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

SOLID Reuben, really great neighborhood deli, not to be missed. Note that if you want bialys or bagels, consider ordering a day in advance over the phone. VERY nice lady working the counter, as a former NJ resident, I didn't see that one coming! read more

Helfelds Food is top quality! The Owners are super friendly too. Just waiting for them to add YooHoo to the mini fridge

Finally Chicago has a shop that DOES JUSTICE TO BAGELS!!! I stick to Helfeld's Breakfast Sandos and I have to say they are worth every penny! They are Juicy, cheesy, and super filling and it's hard to explain cause they really are loaded!!! Served with your choice of bagel, they are as thick as a Big Mac! So you're gonna be stuffed!! DO's: * Order online (otherwise expect 15 min wait) * Breakfast Sandos (all are great!) - my fav is the Bacon one! * Try their lunch specials (ranges between $11-13) DON'Ts: * Skip on the bagels - they are awesome and sourced from New York Bagel & Bialy in Skokie * Go to BroBagel, cause Helfeld's does it better in every way! That said, note that this place has walk-up counter service, so don't expect to find seating or waitstaff. There's only one bench here if you were to wait, so order online and skip the wait: https://bit.ly/helfeldyelp read more

Went on a Saturday morning for a bagel breakfast sandwich. Got the sausage, egg and cheese on an everything bagel and added chive cream cheese to it. You definitely get your moneys worth! Lots of egg and sausage. I thought it was delicious, the staff was super friendly and I would definitely go back again! read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - Sausage, Egg & Cheese on an Everything bagel - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It took me a long enough, but I finally made it to Hield just down the street from my house. Really delicious authentic deli, with fantastic bagels and sandwiches of all different types. I've now been back three times, and I'm truly hooked. Personally, my favorite is the Reuben, but you really can't go wrong with any of the hot sandwiches. They lox bagels is one of the best I've ever had in theMidwest also! Finally, the employees are very hard-working, kind, and a delight to chat with. Very authentic, clean, and pleasant experience! Such an excellent addition to the neighborhood!!! read more

Service is quick, sandwiches are fire and portions are generous. They seem to truly care about the quality of the ingredients they use. Do yourself a favor and get the kifer baum read more

Solid sausage, egg, and cheese. Very messy and a massive egg. Ordered ahead on the phone and they had everything ready to go. I'd love to go back and try their sandwiches because they seem expensive, but don't want to judge until I try it. read more

Nice dude and decent whitefish. But are they baking bagels on the premises every day or throughout the day? I don't think so.

Ahh! This used to be Diplomatic remember that? Had the Spicy Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice. It was very good; had a little kick to it. *PS. Soft Opening til early Aug. and full menu after that. read more

See all

Got The Rachel. Overall a very good sandwich. The thousand island dressing and the sauerkraut come together for a nice tang. The service felt very welcoming. Will be coming back to try more items, especially the NY Bagel and Bialy bagels they have in stock! read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - The Rachel Reuben - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Corn beef sandwich was excellent. I told (the owner?) I didn't have to go to Skokie anymore for corn beef. He asked me where in Skokie. I said Kaufmann's. He said he use to manage it. read more

Highly recommend this deli! Ordered The turkey sandwich and 1/2 dozen bagels and schemer. The turkey is delicious and moist and piled high on fresh multigrain bread. The bagels were so fresh and chewy. Owners were welcoming and friendly. You must give them a try! read more

I ordered a catered lunch for my birthday group and could not be happier. The sandwiches, fruit, Greek salad, and dessert were phenomenal. My guest and I couldn't stop eating or complementing the great taste and quality of the food. Mark and I did the majority of our communication by email. He was attentive and patient with my questions. read more

Finally got a chance to try this deli a couple months ago. Service was good, we had a re

Delicious bagels and sandwiches! Highly recommend a visit to Helfeld's in Wicker Park!

We've been here twice now, once for lunch and once for breakfast and have been impressed both times! Loved the lox and bagel - great quality bagel and amazing lox! We did the monster sandwich for lunch and we split the sandwich, it was that big. We also did the green bean side with the horseradish dressing (very unique and delicious!). We love this neighborhood spot and can't wait to work our way through the menu! read more

Really great service! Ordering online is so easy and it's always ready on time. I love their turkey panini under the "lunch specials" section! So good read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - Turkey panini - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very unassuming deli with excellent food! We got the lox bagel, the pastrami sandwich and the monster combo (pictured). All fantastic. Comes with a whole pickle which was also excellent. There are so many other things I want to try, we will definitely be back! read more

Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering - Monster Combo - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The best Jewish deli in chicago! I go there weekly to get my usual ...bagel, cream cheese and tomato. I'm from Miami and this place reminds me so much of the real deal Jewish delis down there. Love them. read more

Great addition to the neighborhood! Tasty traditional offerings and friendly service!

So, I've lived in this neighborhood for some time but have never made it out to this deli but I was in the mood for soup and a bagel, so I stopped in. BOY, WHAT A MISTAKE!!!!! I came in at 12:25 on Tuesday, Oct. 8th, to no one behind the counter. A woman rushed in and asked me for my order while she was headed to the kitchen? I was confused as she did not address me directly or look at me so I patiently waited even longer. She then asked me for my order again, I asked for a matzo ball soup. She yelled at me again, "WHAT?!" and I repeated my order. She then continued to yell at me "SMALL OR LARGE." It took me a second to think as I was deciding if I wanted to get a small or large because I also wanted a bagel. She yelled, again, "SMALL OR LARGE." In this moment I realized she was not my mother and I was attempting to patron her work place and that she was going to continue yelling at me, I decided to leave. SHE CONTINUED TO YELL "SMALL OR LARGE" AT ME WHILE I LEFT!!! I will never, ever, ever come back. I just wanted some soup and a bagel, dude. read more

Immediately giving 5 stars, if you're in wicker park and looking for a breakfast sandwich and thinking bro bagel, quickly reconsider. Helfeld's has hands down some of the best breakfast bagel sandwiches I have ever had. It's the perfect way to start your day, it's consistent with quality and flavor, bagels are the closest thing if not 1:1 to a genuine NYC bagel I have ever had, family owned and operated and it really gives off that welcoming atmosphere. I will always be getting my bagels and breakfast sandwiches here from Now on. On top of delicious breakfast options they offer a deli as well with everything you could want, while also catering to kosher options as well. 5/5 starts if there were more stars I would give them. read more

I Was told by the employee that it was better than Manny not true unless you like uncooked cold Rubin bread not toasted cheese not melted gave this employee plenty of time to cook my sandwich will say the meat and other ingredients were good but very cold again bragging to my husband who loves Rubin was so disappointed when I got home had to cook it and melt cheese at home was not worth the almost 20 bucks I paid for it not even close to Manny also he cut down Manny pototoe pancakes which I always loved maybe this guy makes good sandwiches which are cold but I say he does not know how to cook a Rubin maybe the owner should give him a lesson on how to cook a Rubin so sorry really wanted this to be a good place since I have lived in wicker park 35 years read more

The father and his daughter are so sweet! And awesome bagel! Can't get better than that :-)

Don't pass this place by!! First, the folks who work here are lovely. Friendly, clearly care about their customers, and conversational. Love a family-run business! And perhaps more importantly, the FOOD. I've lived in Chicago over 14 years and have always wished we had more / better NY Jewish delis. This place answered my prayers. I love their corned beef Reuben especially because it's piled high, deeply flavorful, and makes for at least two meals for me. Their breakfast bagel sandwiches (especially the lox) are also fabulous. I'm so happy this spot exists! read more

Got a few breakfast bagels and i would def recommend going here! Super satisfying and full of flavor!

really love this place. the folks who work here are always friendly, fast, and have good music playing! and delicious sandwiches of course!

The Kifer "Baum" was the most delicious sandwich I've had at a deli in Chicago. Loads of meat, outstanding rye bread, you can't go wrong! It's a must try. read more