Once Upon a Bagel

Clean good service chicken wild rice soup and split pea soup fantastic Bagel great been shopping there since they opened up in Highland Park

The smoked fish is very good (I’ve never tried any of the more conventional fare, much less the Mexican food), and the staff couldn’t be nicer, but the bagels? Oy vey! They’re better than what you’d get at a super market but, if you’re going for the bagels, keep going till you get to New York Bagel & Bialy in Lincolnwood.

Good bagels and breakfast food. Service is usually decent. Bad experience this am with male employee working take out counter. Bagels and eggs to go took 30 minutes. I followed up at counter and got attitude from the male employee. He reluctantly checked on my order and told me eggs were dropped and they had to remake. I would have appreciated the half-​hearted lie if I hadn’t been standing in front of the open kitchen the entire time, or if his attitude was improved. Mistakes happen. Be nice and people let it slide. Act like this person did and people look for alternative restaurants.

First time here. I’m on a liquid diet and a friend recommended their chicken broth. I can’t believe I’m posting a review solely on their chicken broth but it’s that good! It’s incredible. I’ll never buy a store brand again. Take out service fast and counter staff super friendly! Looking forward to trying more of their menu next time.

Tasty bagels and good cream cheeses, always friendly service. You’ll see pick ups for stores and restaurants hauling out dozens of bagels — always a promising sign.

It is a diner/​deli all in one.
Stopped in for breakfast the other day, (2 Eggs up, bacon, hash browns, and toast) pretty good. Bacon was a little more crispy than I like but that is the only complaint.
Fast service and a clean spot. I understand why it was hopping on Sunday AM.

Used to love it but went in yesterday to get a coffee cake and a bagel later in the day. The bagel was stale-​like a hockey puck and the coffee cake was not fresh. You need to get there earlier in the day apparently.

I went today with my son for lunch and they now have a changing table in the bathroom! I was very happy to see that. Thank you!

The blizzard outside may make you sad today, but Once Upon is offering up a blizzard of love in the guise of my delicious Swiss, corned beef, spinach omelette! Woo-​hoo. The coffee’s hot, the retro tunes are cranked up, the lox are dancing in my mouth, and the grill here is sizzling hot! Gotta get your butt in here. Yes, it’s Hubbard Woods, but Once Upon is the real deli deal.

I love Once Upon a Bagel. The HP location is too crowded for me. Winnetka is just right. Bagels, bialys, delicious meats and cheese, soups, sandwiches, hot dogs, tacos, omelettes, cookies. They have anything you could want to eat.
One smart thing OUAB has done is shirk the cup of soup in favor of the options of ‘bowl’ or ‘superbowl’. I mean, who can just eat a cup when soup is this delicious? A bagel with butter or margarine is included with your soup order. That’s plenty of food for a filling lunch.
I love the tacos too. I’m not sure if they’re still running that Monday taco special, but it’s perfect for a snack or a whole meal. They also have fries included with sandwiches. I feel like that’s notable and unusual. Most places like this would probably offer chips instead, so that can be a positive thing.

The food is good. Service fast and friendly. Diner, café style. Good breakfasts. Small quibble, can’t get only one scrambled egg, must take two… always. Also, no Turkey sausage or bacon. Otherwise, great bagel and sandwich shop.

Once upon a disaster. Dying to go to this place since opened. To my surprise it’s not a bagels and coffee joint. It’s more like a hamburger joint with bagels in the front. Huge lunch menu.
Ordered lunch for the family. Good thing winnetka is a hockey town… They cook their burgers until they’re black hockey pucks. Not exaggerating. Hot dog under-​cooked. Ordered to go, got it in red baskets. Had to repack ourselves. Help was nice but deer in the headlights. Turkey on a bagel was good. Fries good.

Once Upon remains highly popular in the area for a reason. The food is terrific and I think it’s actually pretty reasonable considering the quality and portions. There’s really nothing like that classic deli sandwich that is piled high with turkey and topped off with lettuce, tomato and onion. It’s simple, straightforward and absolutely delicious. It’s just that really satisfying hit to the soul.
Panera a block away is fine, but it’s got nothing on a Once Upon sandwhich — whether turkey, brisket or something else, the sandwiches are ultimately very satisfying and really are that perfect hit right to the soul. You also feel like you’re getting a value here — so many places now offer sandwiches with less and less actual meat. Here, you could actually split a sandwich with someone. and probably be and satisfied as you would be with a full sandwich at someplace like Panera. I mean that theoretically, as there’s no way I’m sharing a Once Upon sandwich.
Again, the food is very good — sandwiches are terrific, the soups are wonderful and there’s a lot of other positives (great lox. and bagels.) If anything, Once Upon could stand to trim the menu a LITTLE bit — it’s a very large menu and while I’ve never had anything I’ve disliked, I tend to wonder if it wouldn’t be better served concentrating a little more on its core offerings — maybe that might simplify ordering and possibly bring down waits during busy periods. Not a real issue, though.
The Hubbard Woods location is newer and very nice although lacks a little of the charm that the location in Highland Park — which is such a local institution — has. Still, Once Upon is Once Upon and really continues to offer the same great food in a new location.
The people in Glencoe would likely have been happier if it was in downtown Glencoe instead of Hubbard Woods, but Glencoe’s ridiculous planners likely would have rather added another bank (and they did, with a new Chase in a generic looking building that doesn’t fit with the look of the rest of downtown Glencoe) or laundry. Thankfully, Once Upon in Hubbard Woods certainly isn’t far. Nothing against Glencoe, which is certainly a very nice place, but other suburbs nearby are trying to diversify their downtowns and add more in the way of conveniences. Glencoe has taken a couple of small steps in the right direction, but scoring something like Once Upon would have been a major win.

Great food great staff. You’ve gotta try the tacos! The guys there are always friendly, and on Mondays they have a great deal on tacos

My family loves this place! Everytime we drive down GreenBay road, both of my kids (4 & 2) point and say that want to go get a bagel. This place is extremely kid friendly (multiple high chairs & ample menu selections). The food is always good… i typically get a bagel sandwich, but if you’re in the mood, the Chicken Matza ball soup is great! The staff is always friendly and extremely efficient at turning tables around when it is croweded. I probalby only go once every couple weeks… but i knwo my wife & kids go there at least once (maybe more) during the week! Definitely stop by if you’re in the area and haven’t checked it out.

I’ve never eaten here but I’ve had bagels and meats to go. Everything is good. I like that they offer skinny bagels and big deli pickles. I look forward to trying their ny style sandwiches and tacos.

Finally!
I’ve passed by this place a kajillion times and finally made it in due to a meeting on Friday. I’ve been going to the HP location for years, so I guess I just didn’t think about coming here. I have to admit I was super curious, and now I can officially give you the breakdown.
Highland Park:
It’s a classic diner. It’s older and more established, and when you come here you’ll see regulars and feel like you’re part of history. The clientele ranges in age… I mean really ranges. The bagels are light and crispy and soft in the middle. The menu has remained the same for as long as I can remember. Their corned beef sandwich will be my last meal on earth, and the chicken matzo soup is loaded with veggies and flavor. It can get REALLY crowded up front at times and you’ll expect to wait for service, but that’s okay because this place is everything you could want in a Jewish deli.
Winnetka:
It doesn’t have that classic old diner feel. Walk in and it’s super new and seems like you’re in an everyday Einstein or other chain restaurant, but the truth is it’s authentic Jew food, and the same great menu as HP. You can expect the same light and crispy bagels, and a staff that will make you feel like you’ve been a patron forever. The clientele appears to be younger, and Glencoe just got lucky because they can travel north to HP or south to Hubbard Woods for a true deli experience. The space is much smaller here, but I came on a Friday around 2pm and there were several tables available. On the way out I took a large container of chicken matzo soup home and it was AMAZING! The same recipe.
Parking can be a bit tricky if you want a spot right out front, and there is a 90 minute parking limit. Not sure that’s really reinforced. It’s right off the Metra if you need to make a quick stop.
I’d come here again, but HP is where my heart is.

Ordered an everything bagel, toasted, with cream cheese. How hard is that? Well, the bagel was orange and had only a few sesame seeds on it. I think they just passed it under a heat lamp. «Toasted» it was not. It was flavor-​free and dry.
I hate to say I prefer Einstein’s in downtown Glencoe because that place is filthy, they are often out of things, and the staff is not always pleasant or capable, but at least they can toast a bagel and it has flavor.
I can’t recommend this place for bagels.

Way better bagels here than any place in the area… Aka Einstein or Panera. Service is quick and friendly and the bagels are fresh, soft and chewy, and made the way I like em: Sesame, toasted, with shmear and tomato. Coffee is just ok so I head up to the new Dunkin up the road. There’s a seating area where they serve breakfast but there’s too many screaming kids each time I pop in so I’m outta there!

Well hello 1^st to review… I don’t get that honor too often anymore! I also haven’t gotten my share of good bagels since moving to Chicago, but I’ve been in carb heaven since moving to the burbs…
I“ve been a fan of the Once Upon a Bagel in HP for quite some time so when I heard the good news that they were opening another location in Hubbard Woods (less than a mile from my house) I jumped with glee. In the first few weeks of our move we didn’t get out much thanks to all the unpacking we had to do, but somehow I made it to this Once Upon a Bagel at least a dozen times.
It serves as tasty food as it’s big sis up in HP– I especially heard their everything wheat skinny bagels and egg white salad. Delish. And the people who work here are quite friendly & helpful.
If I dare say it think I may even like this location better than the original because it’s not nearly as crowded and I’ve yet to have to wait for a table. Since you place your order at the counter it’s also a fast option for brunch, which helps when you have little ones.