WICKER PARK — Craving a dense and chewy New York-style bagel? If you live in Wicker Park, you are in luck.
In recent weeks, Brobagel, which opened last summer, added a large bagel sign to anchor its presence on North Avenue while the fast-expanding Stan's Donuts jumped into the bagel game, too.
With the inclusion of North Avenue's Dunkin Donuts, there are now three spots to grab a bagel in Wicker Park's main hub.
Both Stan's Donuts, 1560 N. Damen Ave. and Brobagel, 1931 W. North Ave., are selling their bagels for $1.49 each.
Stan's Donuts offers egg, plain, sesame, cinnamon and raison, onion and mish mosh or "everything" bagels, while Brobagel features 12 kinds of bagels including beer and salt.
Dan Labriola, a spokesman for Stan's Donuts, said that the bagels, sourced from Wheeling-based New York Bagel and Bialy and featured atop the donut cases, were first added to Stan's Streeterville location, and due to popularity, joined Stan's Wicker Park and East Lakeview menus in late October.
Labriola said reception to the bagels has been "great" and slowly building as customers discover the bagels are available.
Bill Jacobs, owner of Brobagel as well as neighboring Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, was unaware that Stan's was selling bagels until being informed by DNAinfo Chicago on Tuesday.
"We love Stan's and wish them luck with their bagels. Stan's selling bagels is a reflection of consumer demand. "We [Brobagel] will not be selling donuts," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said Brobagel boils and bakes its bagels onsite in a hearth oven, creating a crunchy and chewy texture that's difficult to get without baking onsite.
Last week, a bagel sign that was originally hanging from a bagel shop Jacobs and his brothers operated in Lakeview in the 1990s was given to him as a surprise gift from sign maker Charlie Rizzo, owner of Skyline Design and a yoga classmate of Jacobs'.
"I totally forgot about the bagel [sign] and a month ago Charlie shows up at Brobagel with it. He held on to it for 16 years! It's one of the greatest gifts," Jacobs said.
Brobagel added a new sign originally from a shop owner Bill Jacobs ran with his brothers 16 years ago. [DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser]
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