Very good bagel sandwich. Loved the lemon cream cheese and dill on my nova sandwich. Doesn't seem that they do much order customization. Not a lot of bagel or bialy varieties. Nice that the barrister bar is physically separated from the food/cash area. Very clean and pleasant appearance. Staff was very nice. I asked for a toasted bagel, but as they were making my order, they said" the bagel is still warm, right out of the oven. Do you still want it toasted?" They're thoughful and care about their product. read more

Charming new addition to Evanston. The bagels have a nice firm exterior, and the interior has just the right give. I had the everything bagel with jalapeño cream cheese (spicy!) and my companion had the plain bagel with scallion cream cheese. Both were excellent. The interior is the right mix of cozy and chic, and everyone from the folks serving up the coffee to the bakers at the wood-fired oven were welcoming and cheerful. We'll be back! read more

Lefty’s Righteous Bagels - Bagels! - Bagels Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

To be honest, for an independent bagel shop, especially in E-Town, they have a pretty corporate vibe. Just feels like a chain, and/or a business with PE backing that hopes to be a chain someday. The world needs more mom and pop feeling places, and this neighborhood loves 'em. But it's not a chain (for now, at least) and the bagels are delicious, so I'm glad they exist... read more

I'm a Lefty's fanatic. The bagels are excellent- crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. My personal favorites are the Rosemary Pink Salt and the Kerrygold Cheddar - truly unbeatable. The service is also beyond phenomenal. The staff is always incredibly sweet to my toddler - the bagel makers give him a piece of dough to play with whenever we visit, and our favorite coffeemaker, Dante, shows him all their cool coffee equipment whenever we visit. Lefty's hasn't been open long but it already feels like such an integral part of the neighborhood. The prices are a bit higher, however, you are never prompted to tip. Additionally, having seen job postings and the salaries offered, I have zero issues paying a couple bucks more so that the staff can earn a livable wage. The staff goes above and beyond and more than earns it. read more

Lefty’s Righteous Bagels - Bagels Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

It is a different type of bagel flavor is good but they are on the chewy side. The price per bagel is a bit expensive and there are so many bagel makers in and around Evanston it will be interesting how they are doing a year from now. That being said you should definitely try them and the cream cheese variety is good. Attentive service , clean and open only until 3pm so get there early to enjoy. read more

I'm slowly becoming a regular at Lefty's Righteous Bagels. I love how fresh they are and their just the right amount of balance of firm crust on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. DE-liciois! They make their cream cheese spreads (aka, " schmears ") in house. I've tried 2 flavors thus far, Lox and Honey Vanilla. Both get my thumbs up! Lefty himself rung me up at the counter. What a nice guy. I shook his hand and told him, " Well done! " He smiled and humbly said, " Thank you. " And when I left several minutes later after getting my bagels from a different staff person, even though he was ringing up another customer, Lefty remembered my name and shouted goodbye. Staff and overall space are friendly and welcoming. Makes me feel really good to say this is my neighborhood bagel shop. read more

I am not a bagel eater but I like these: the staff a very friendly too. The coffee is gradually getting better but not quite as good as other local places read more

The bagels here are amazing and homemade. These are probably my favorite bagels in all of Evanston/North Shore and I've tried a lot of places. However, surprisingly, I come here the most for their coffee. I've gotten their pumpkin spice latte at least 10 times this season, it's the best I've ever had. The only downside is the price, they are very expensive but so yummy. The staff is always so welcoming and sweet so I love coming here. read more

Chewier texture from Lefty's than other bagel places around, which is a plus for me.

The everything and garlic and onion bagels are excellent! They have a slightly crispy outside and softer inside. I LOVE that the entire bagel is covered in a good amount of ingredients! I'm from the east coast and these bagels are comparable! read more

The bagel was a little undercooked and the cream cheese came on the side. The bagel was still doughy in the middle it could have used a few more minutes in the oven. Bringing it to go in my car it would have been easier to have the cream cheese on it instead of having to do it myself. Service was quick and friendly. He did make a little too big of a deal that I was treating myself to a bagel this morning. Our interaction was brief but he told me three times he was glad I decided to treat myself to a bagel. read more

This place is ADORABLE and the bagels are absolutely delicious! I came on day 3 of their soft open, and the team is telling us about all the great menu items to come - but the bagels and coffee alone are amazing! I had a vanilla oat milk latte that was the best I've had in this neighborhood, and I have tried them at every local coffee shop. Between me and my family, we tried several kinds of bagels and cream cheese and there weren't any we wouldn't be excited to eat again. Great opening - so excited for them to be in my neighborhood! read more

Been coming here for the last few months. Great bagels and great service. Love seeing the bagels being made. Favorite bagels are sesame, cheddar, and giardiniera. The scallion cream cheese is bomb. Only downside is my daughter eats her entire bagel so none leftover for the dad tax! read more

It's a cozy small-ish bagel shop. The staff were amazing, friendly and were happy to answer and questions. As for the bagels, they were fine. Even good. However, there's some critiques I have, and while I can say that they're personal preference, I'd like to at least describe them so people can compare as to set their expectations. The bagels themselves are a little small, though that also has them having a small hole which I find better for sandwiches and for schmear. The thing I find is that the bagels are a bit on the softer side. I got mine toasted, but the cut face was still squishy and pale. Not sure if they only toast the outside surfaces, but not exactly what I expected from toasted. The texture is in line with what I consider finger punched bagels to be. More NYC style bagels are rolled and then have their ends put together to stretch the gluten more and are at ~15% protein flour. This feels closer to bread flour (13%ish). That being said, I've been to Montreal and had their bagels and it's a bit interesting as I've found them to be thinner and much wider as to dip them in cream cheese instead of spread it on. So overall, a slightly different experience than I came in expecting. That being said, their scallion cream cheese is very good, and the amount of topping on my poppy seed bagel was great (seems like there's even added seeds on the bottom too)! I think it'll take them a bit longer to get more consistent and find exactly their bagel niche, but overall I'd say it's good. Not great, but not forgettable either, so I will likely be back to try them in a week or two. read more

I personally wouldn't go back. The bagel felt a bit overpriced and it was just average taste wise. I was hoping to really like it. However, bathroom and establishment were really clean. I've just had better bagels! read more

Lovely chewy bagels- they don't look like the typical bagels I'm used to (smaller, less "plump" looking), but they were quite delicious. I was also pleasantly surprised that they had salt bagels! Additionally the jalapeno cream cheese had fresh jalapeños in it and the honey vanilla cream cheese tasted like frosting. We'll be back read more

After a horrendous experience at the Walgreens down the street I went to Dollop only to be confronted with about 20 people in line. So I walked up Chicago Avenue and Lefty's was the first place open with food and they were not crazy busy. I really appreciated that the staff were kind, friendly and professional. I ordered the breakfast sandwich and subbed Sausage for the Bacon. My sandwich was ready in about five minutes and it was huge, delicious and well worth the price. Now I have two places to come for lunch when I have appointments at St Francis. read more

Great customer service! Abby P. did a great job guiding me through the menu. She eventually sliced my bagels to-go for me-- went the extra mile which I really appreciated. Very friendly staff-- even helped me find where the WiFi name/password was on their board! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good bagel spot where you can sit and enjoy yourself as well! read more

These are not crispy, light and airy Montréal-style bagels in the St-Viateur or Fairmount tradition. Even the shape is wrong. I think I would know. Anyone familiar with Montréal-style bagels will say the same. If you bring back these kinds of bagels from Québec or Kettleman's in Ottawa, you'll need to keep importing them. I told Kettleman's president at the store on Bank Street the other day and he and his wife started pitching me on a franchise. Not my stich, but... read more

The bagels were great and so was the service. BUT, the prices are over the top! Talk about price gouging!! read more

Bagels were good and tasted great, but are a little pricey at $3.25 a bagel. We just purchased bagels and didn't try anything else. The place was cute. read more

Like no other bagel in town!! Perfect crust. Chewy, and tasty! Great vibe in the place--so open and alive! Real neighborhood place read more

After standing in line 20 minutes ( arrived at 8 am) ordered bagels to go at more than $3.00 each. They were all uncooked in the middle. We salvaged them to some degree by putting them in the air fryer for five minutes. We also saw staff handling bagels without gloves. We wanted to like this place. I only hope they can retool quickly--otherwise they will fail. read more

Great local business! Everyone is so friendly and the bagels are great! The bagels have a nice chewy crusty and the cream cheese packs a punch no matter what kind you get. Most recently the pumpernickel bagel and cranberry spread was perfect!!! I bought a bag of day old bagels to freeze and use for pizza bagels in the colder weather! read more

Absolutely delicious but rather expensive. Will be more of a treat rather than a staple due to the price. Service was very friendly and space was clean and welcoming. read more

Was painfully slow especially when you considered the 12+ people working. Had to ask for my order which was just sitting there and for 5.50 could not bother to put the cream cheese on the bagel You get a package on the side. Bagel was just ok read more

Thought I would try a place that sells Montreal style bagels. Very pleasant place. Nice atmosphere. But in a store that's about bagels I got the last poppy bagel during the lunch hour. Ridiculous. Also, couldn't get a Diet Coke. Bizarre. Yes, the bagel was good, but I can't make the ride again with odds so low of getting my kind of bagel. read more

LOVE this place. As a long time resident of New York City, I was a little skeptical about how I would like the bagels. But I finally decided to go and find out. I was blown away with how delicious they are. A big surprise and plus were the bialys. They were literally the best I've ever eaten including on New York's Lower East Side. The view out the large window front of the shop is a very pleasant mix of "green" and "city," too. One complaint is that they don't have more eye-catching signage out front, but then maybe most customers are navigating themselves there via their smart phones. I am also not the biggest fan of electronic menus that change every 30 seconds to show the featured specials of the day -- just when you've finally focused your eyes on the selection you want to chose, but that's just how things are these days. But maybe my biggest complaint is that the shop closes at 2 o'clock -- just when I am getting hungry for a bagel or bialy! The staff is very friendly and because of that, and the really pleasant light and view, it is a great place to sit and eat if you aren't taking your bagel and bialy treasures home with you. read more

I love the expansion of their menu as well as the cozy atmosphere. The bagels are so unique and it's hard to pick just one. I had the rosemary bagel this time and it was amazing! Friendly staff, too! Highly recommend checking out this spot. read more

I really don't like to leave negative reviews (and have never done so) but we've had enough poor service here that I think the owner needs some honest feedback. The food here is tasty. However, the service and customer experience needs major work. We've visited a few times, and each time we have experienced long wait times that were disproportionate to the amount of people waiting for food/ drinks. When we finally got our food/drinks there's always some issue with the order. They've been out of to go cup lids multiple times - I would've wanted to know that up front as no one wants to walk or drive with the risk of spilling hot coffee. During our most recent experience today, we ordered two eggy vedder sandwiches. Because they were out of bacon, they offered to substitute veggie sausage, which they then uncharged us for! If you're out of the item used to make the sandwich, the replacement should not be given at an up charge - especially on a sandwich that's already expensive for what it is. Then, as they were making the sandwiches, they informed us they were out of the bagels we requested. Fine, we made a substitution (and weren't upcharged). Then they inform us they are out of the sauce used on the sandwich and need to use a different one. It still tasted good, but by the time they made all those changes, I would have ordered something else, but they didn't tell us about the issues until it was too late. Overall the food is good, but expensive for what it is and as compared to a competitor down the street (who has service nailed down). I am sympathetic that this is a new small business and understand that it can be hard to get a smooth operation, but each visit here has just been a headache. I was so excited for lefty's to open but I think I will wait a few months for them to work out the kinks. read more

I had Lefty's Righteous bagels today for the first time since my colleague recommended it for me. I'm not a bagel person at all. I had a cinnamon sugar bagel with the honey vanilla cream cheese. It was the best bagel I've ever tasted and they will have me as a future customer moving forward. read more

Was excited for a new bagel place in my neighborhood. Went with my brother to do a tasting of a few bagels. We purchased 3 bagels and was going to pay with a 10 dollar bill but the cashier said that will be $10.75. Three small bagels for over $10. I paid and said hope there good. The cinnamon was tasty but very hard as were the sesame and garlic. Favor was just Ok If this is a Montreal bagel they are not for me. Very nice people inside and a nice floor show to see how the bagel are made. read more

LRB has exceeded my expectations! Considering this is the owner's first shot at a business, he's taking extremely serious measures to ensure he's putting out quality products! He's also so friendly, as I saw him speaking with multiple customers and really making connections. I love that they did a soft opening to get a feel for the neighborhood and also to work out any kinks. Something to keep in mind when visiting that they're just getting this business off the ground, but they were accepting of all feedback. I've seen some of the other reviews that were expecting perfection on day 1 and I think that's just unrealistic. When I went it was still their soft opening week, but I was overly impressed with how well the staff kept up with the high demand and managed to stay positive and friendly the whole time. I was planning on going back the following week when I learned that they took a hiatus in order to apply what they learned during the soft opening and create an even better experience. I'm looking forward to returning very soon. As for the food, I managed to get a bagel just before they sold out for the day and I was delighted with the freshness despite it being almost 3 hours after opening. It's so nice to have fresh baked bagels, especially in this style as it gives them such a unique texture. I got an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and the combination was lovely. The cream cheese was delicious and you can tell that it's made fresh as well. Personally, I think it's exactly what the neighborhood needed. Oh! I also had a traditional americano and even the coffee was delicious, especially for a place that's mainly focused on bagels. Overall a great experience and I hope that people give it a real chance! read more

I visited Lefty's Righteous Bagels this morning around 10:30 for the first time. These bagels and the scallion smear--with fresh scallions!-- are quite remarkably delicious! I grew up all my life in Chicago with bagels and cream cheese. At first, I was put off by the $5.00 price for a bagel snd cream cheese--BUT trust me, it's worth it for a special experience! Try 'em--you'll love 'em! read more

Totally worth the wait! The bagels are delicious, and the special cream cheeses (scallion, honey vanilla) add just the right touch.

The bagels were fantastic, and the amount of cream cheese was more than generous. The bagels themselves are delicious, wood fired, and with just the right amount of chewiness to them. Highly recommend toasting your bagels. The Everything seasoned bagels are wonderfully flavorful, and the caraway seeds add just enough to enhance the experience without overpowering the other flavors. The staff were all wonderful and helpful and very communicative in spite of the crowd. The interior is bright and welcoming with fun decor and plenty of space to move around. There is a comfortable amount of seating for those looking to stay while enjoying their bagels and coffee. Looking forward to the full open! read more

At the soft opening, I got the plain bagel with jalapeño cream cheese and a coffee. I was impressed with everything, including the staff and overall space. I will be getting my bagels here regularly. It is a welcome addition to south Evanston. read more

Way way way overpriced. I got one bagel to go and it came with enough cream cheese for a quarter of my bagel. It was over five dollars. I will never step in there again and the bagel wasn't even very good. read more