I bought a bag of "everything bagels" at Riverside, Illinois' Farmer Market last week. They are…read moredelicious, flavorful and contain a short list of wholesome ingredients....not a long list of sinister ingedients. They are soft, have a nice consistency and are wonderfully seasoned on top also. I intend to go back and buy a different flavor as the owner has a variety. I have had so many bland bagels in the past and these are WONDERFUL! 4 1/2 Stars!! Susan B.

As a former New Yorker who relocated to Chicago over 20 years ago I was disappointed to leave NY…read morestyle bagels behind. I am thrilled to find them now at the Riverside Farmers' Market. These are the real deal and delicious. What I have been searching for for years.

If I lived a little closer to this place, I'd probably be obese. Not too much of a critic on…read moreservice, the Cashier was pretty chill when I always go. but holy shit these bagels are good. It's a tiny little place, but I don't mind.

I stopped here on the way home from a workout for a quick bite. That stop went from a one-off into…read morea routine visit every Saturday. The bagels and cream cheese are very good. The space itself is very small, not ideal if you plan on dining in. Overall this is probably the best bagel you'll get in Oak Park.

In light of Rosh Hashanah, we were looking for Jewish places to eat and came across Schmaltz Deli…read more We never knew there was a Jewish deli in the area and boy were we missing out. As soon as we walked in, we knew it was going to be a great experience. They have plenty of indoor and outdoor tables available as well as a traditional deli counter. They also have a drive thru! You can choose to order at the counter or be seated with a more traditional restaurant-like service. Our waiter was young but very professional and provided great recommendations. To start, they bring a complimentary bowl of bagel chips (a unique twist and a great way to repurpose old bagels). For my meal, I had a half American sandwich with a bowl of matzo ball soup. It was simple but delicious. On our way out, we stopped at the deli and ordered a few rugelach. They tasted so fresh! My favorite was the apricot flavor. Definitely hope to be back real soon to support such a great spot! Shana Tova!

3.5 stars, but rounded up because I didn't feel they deserved any deduction…read more I was REALLY looking forward to their #20 Old New Yorker, which I got in their Navel Cut pastrami. It was a solid 7, which is why I place it at 3.5 stars. I may be being picky here but it just wasn't to the level of "melt-in-your-mouth" pastrami standards for me. Not to say it wasn't good, because it was perfectly fine. In fact, it's better than most of the pastrami sandwiches I tried in Chicagoland. Maybe it's the fact that I had to bring it back to the office to eat it, and half hour had gone by and pastrami weren't as warm and the Jewish rye had become soggy by the time I took the first bite. I mean, it goes without saying that the sandwich would have been 3 times better had I sat down immediately and had it. Again, all things considered, it was a perfectly good sandwich. One interesting thing was that I had never been to an establishment that included a half sour pickle instead of a normal one and gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. Pickles can be a hit or a miss for me. I like my pickles to be crunch, but some places offer overripened ones that become borderline mushy. Schmaltz's half sour pickle was not overly salty or sour, making it very attractive for me. The more I'm thinking about it, I'm convinced that I'll have to go back and try their #14 Sloppy Paul, which is the corned beef with sauerkraut, which is another favorite of mine. And this time, I'll be sure to dine in and give another review of it to see how much I like them better.

This place is hopping! It was a Saturday morning around…read more10:30am that I arrived. There had to be 15 customers that picked up or ordered in the eight minutes I was there. I ordered the Fox with a Twist for $10.49. I got a garlic bagel, I would try something different, probably everything or salt. I also kept the plain cream cheese and I would sub that next time. I really liked the turkey, there was a lot of it on the bagel. $10.50 is a lot for a bagel sized sandwich, but there was a lot of turkey. I enjoyed the bacon and pickled jalapeños. I could not taste the tomato but was glad it was there, but I was disappointed with the caramelized onions. There were not many, and they had almost no flavor. The sandwich also needed salt, something to draw out the flavor. I also got a French toast bagel for my son. It was served warm. That was $2.49. I heard about this deli because it was used for a catering event I went to. The bagels are delicious!!! The best around. The bagel hole idea is also clever, great snack for a catering tray. I would grab a bagel if I was in the area, but not sure I'll repeat the sandwich at that price point without a bit more punch of flavor.

Finally visited Elle's Deli & Bagels when passing through the area! This spot is a little out of…read morethe way for me but the high reviews got my attention. The inside is small but cute with an ordering counter, to-go items, merch, etc. There isn't anywhere inside to sit and enjoy but bagels are nicely wrapped to carry out. While waiting for my order to be ready, the staff were hustling to keep up with taking orders, preparing food, and were constantly bringing out fresh bagels to refill flavors. I ordered The Basic B with crispy bacon, egg, and cheese on a Garlic Bagel. The bagel was extremely fresh and I could taste the garlic flavor infused into the bagel itself as well as the topping. The eggs were fluffy and the cheese added the perfect, melty flavor. My husband got the Everything bagel with Lox cream cheese. He said he could taste the fresh salmon flavor in the cream cheese and their everything bagel house seasoning had a good mix of flavor. Overall, I am so happy I finally got to try Elle's Bagels! This is clearly a neighborhood favorite as it was consistently busy when I visited. The pricing was very fair, everything was fresh, and staff were very kind/patient. Highly recommend coming out to give them a try!

This place is always so spotless. Food is so consistent and delicious. I've noticed that it's the…read moresame staff for years and all our extremely polite!! I would give this place a 10 after years of coming here and seeing his operation it's impeccable!!! I don't have places like this are always fully stocked, clean and consistent!! When it's this good you take the time to send a review. It's not by accident at this place is so nice.!!

Excellent food that is clearly fresh. Very quick service, I can't wait to try more options! I had…read morethe turkey panini and it was a perfect portion for the price.

Very nice no-frills deli, the pastrami was exquisite, light and not salty. Bagels were very fresh…read more It's best suited for to-go. We also got the potato salad. Wasn't a great fan of it, but it was fine. It was a little loose and sweet. I like a tight, less sweet salad. Definitely be back for the rest of the sandwiches. Staff is very courteous and speedy. Parking is very convenient. They have catering.

Found this place because my husband wanted Italian Beef and I'm not a fan. So while he ate…read moreelsewhere, I found this deli I got the lox sandwich - and it came with a side of slaw and a pickle. I added a drink and black and white cookie to complete the meal. The service was great. My only issue was that they don't have seating or a table. So I had to bring it back to my car to eat. But that's not their fault. Pricing was fair for today's economy - lunch with the drink and cookie came to $19.

Long line but it's definitely worth the wait. Bacon egg and cheese is a classic and a must try!read more

Amazing bagels & selection…read more The seasonal fruit & prosciutto was amazing, also tried the veggie with lox added. Our waitress was also really helpful in suggesting bagel & cream cheese pairings.

Best bagel shop outside of New York. Love the indulgent amount of cream cheese they put and how…read moreairy it is. Their egg bagels are top tier, light and nice to eat one, two or a half dozen.

We love this place! You are treated like family and everyone is so gracious. The bagels are always…read moreperfect! Love the whole menu. They work hard and always have a smile. Thank you Big Apple for being such a wonderful place. Love Bain Family

I got avocado on a cheddar and jalepeno bagel and it was delicious! They have great egg sandwiches…read moreand a variety of flavored cream cheese. The service is always great and it has a relaxing atmosphere to meet up with a friend or work at. Parking around can be tricky but there is a nearby free covered parking lot.

Food Review I came…read morearound 11 AM, and it was a little busy. There isn't much room inside to sit, but we were able to order right away. I got the egg and cheese on a cheddar oregano bagel, and we also got an egg, cheese, and turkey on a Parmesan cheese bagel. Everything came out to about $18 for the two bagels. I thought that was a little pricey for what we got, especially compared to somewhere like Einstein. The bagels were definitely made differently and were very filling, but I felt like they could have used a little more seasoning or flavor because they were a bit bland. I'll definitely be back, though, to try some of their different cream cheese flavors!

Wonderful bagels! I can't believe that I haven't written a review. I thought that I did…read more This place is like a NY deli but next to the FOX RIVER and super nice staff. They close by 1pm so you have to get out there early. I'm sad that I live so far away. My son who lives in Batavia is the one who told me about Jake's bagels. Delicious bagels with lots of varieties of cream cheese. I love the everything bagel and the salsa cream cheese, the onion cream cheese. There is seating inside as well. If you sit outside you can sit and look at the Fox River. Such a cute place.

I always try and hit a local bagel place when I am in a new town.... Jake's did not disappoint.!!…read more Perfect service. Cool vibe. Fireplace and river views..... Oh, and the bagels were awesome! See photos. Good skin, good density, great taste. I always get my bagels double toasted with butter. Complete bonus: homemade rice crispy treats!! The prices were extremely reasonable...... like I wish they would raise their prices.... Will stop again when I am visiting the area....