FAQ's

We like to say the Midwest Twist is love or local water or even in the way our bagels are shaped, and those are all true. We also like to use local ingredients and ideas whenever possible. We like to bring together flavors and people, tradition and innovation.

Whether our Twist is literal, like in our hand-shaped Bavarian Pretzels; figurative, like our use of local water and ingredients; or esoteric, like the dances than sometimes happen in the kitchen; your experiences with us will truly reflect why the Midwest is referred to as America's Heartland.

Come visit us at our retail shop at 130 Chicago Ave in Oak Park!

We like to think that a few things set Daly Bagels apart from the rest: our signature dough that has hint of sweetness and all the glorious chew of a proper bagel, the local water that gives our Bagels a twist all their own, and the amazing community of people (we call them bagel friends) who come to visit us week after week (in the heat and the cold and the rain and the snow) and have supported us on our journey from "idea" to "reality."

It has long been believed (by some) that "true" Bagels cannot be made without New York water. This tired myth is the excuse many use for why they can't find good Bagels anywhere else. But Chicago has great water -- after all, we have some of the best pizza and beer in the United States... why shouldn't we have some of the best Bagels too?

The truth is, good Bagels are time and labor intensive to make -- demanding high quality ingredients, attention to detail, and care in how they are crafted. Many places skip the careful steps required to make great Bagels and instead use short-cuts that result in the "round bread" that floods grocery stores, coffee shops and cafes across the country.

At The Daly Bagel, we make, boil, and bake our Bagels using local water. We think you'll agree, the result is something special.

All our Bagels and Baked Goods are made onsite in our very own kitchen at 130 Chicago Ave. Except for our fish spreads, everything is made in-house. Come down the hallway in our retail shop and you can look through the window into the kitchen where all the magic happens.

See our menu for the upcoming weekly specials and follow us on social media for other specialty items (sandwiches, baked goods, drinks) or come on into the shop to see what's new!

Our Bagels are baked fresh everyday. We strive to maintain that freshness as long as possible. Slicing the bagels allows air to access the interior which causes them to go stale faster. And because the Bagels are so fresh, they don't even need toasting on the day they're made.

If your Bagels make it into the freezer, they will keep for 3 months (provided you don't eat them before that!). The best way to store uneaten Bagels is to cut them first, place in a heavy-duty freezer bag, then freeze. When are you ready to enjoy them, take them out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature just a little (2-3 minutes on the counter should do the trick), gently wedge them apart and reheat them in the toaster. SKIP the microwave! (It's what makes the Bagels "gummy" when they come out of the freezer)

We make Rainbow Bagels for select holidays only. Each color is a separate batch of dough and they have to be hand cut and rolled which makes them extremely labor intensive. For that reason, they do cost a little bit more and we, unfortunately, cannot accommodate special orders. But follow us on Social Media to learn when we will have them next.

Simply put, a bialy is bagel dough that isn't boiled. Our daily selection of bialies come in three flavors: sweet onion, cheddar-chive, and berry basil. We occasionally have seasonal or specialty flavors available as well so keep an eye on social media for those.

The date on the cream cheese is the Sell By date. Cream cheese is usually good for two weeks after that date as long as it is kept refrigerated.

Chicago Cream Cheese is an idea we had back in our days in the shared commercial kitchen. Chicago has so many foods we are known for and we wanted a cream cheese that would highlight that. After many iterations and about three months of testing, we landed on our current blend.

Our Chicago Cream Cheese contains the flavors you'd find on top of a Chicago hot dog: cucumber, celery salt, sport peppers, yellow mustard and NO KETCHUP!

A link to our ingredient information can be found at the bottom of each page of this website.

Alas, Bagels are all about gluten. Proper gluten development in the dough is key to that wonderful chew. While it's possible we may develop a gluten free Bagel recipe in the future, our kitchen and equipment are not free from gluten (and therefore wouldn't be advisable for anyone with a wheat/gluten allergy)

We have several Vegan options available daily. Those include our Vegan Plain and Vegan Everything Bagels (made with agave rather than honey) and Tofutti Cream Cheese (soy-based so it is also peanut/tree nut free).

Some of our weekly special Bagel flavors are also Vegan so check our Menu for those.

Yes, our retail shop is both peanut and tree nut free.

We carry a variety of Dark Matter Coffees. Brewed in store is our Daly Kick in the Bagel and we use Unicorn Blood for our Espresso drinks.

We also have bags of whole beans available in store. Call or come in to see what's available on any given day.

We do not brew Decaf Coffee or stock Decaf Cold Brew, however, we do carry Decaf Espresso and can make Americanos or other Espresso-based drinks. We cannot do Half-Caf beverages.

Daly Kick in the Bagel is the Signature Blend that Dark Matter Coffee Developed just for us! We brew it in store everyday or you can buy a bag of beans to enjoy at home.

Macchiato translates to "stained" or "marked". A traditional Macchiato is a coffee or espresso with a small amount of foamed milk on top, marking the coffee. Our version of the Macchiato shines the spotlight on the espresso with just enough foam to perfectly complement the flavor.

If you're preordering using our online portal (order.thedalybagel.com), you must have a minimum of 12 bagels and all bagel orders will be in multiples of 6. If you would like a specific mix in your bagels, please select House Mix for the number of total bagels you would like and in the comments section at the bottom you can tell us the breakdown of bagels you would like.

If you have a larger order or would like to add other requests to it, please contact catering@thedalybagel.com or use the Catering contact form under the Order Bagels button at the top of this page.

It's easy! Skip the line at the front door and come in through our side entrance on Lombard. Look for the bag with your name on it and you can grab it and go! Some larger orders may require multiple bags and some cream cheese orders may be placed in the small fridge to keep them cool so be sure to grab everything before you go.

You can follow the Careers link at the bottom of the page to see if we currently have open positions. If you'd like to send a resume for us to keep on file for the next time we are hiring, you can email it to amanda@thedalybagel.com

Please note that we do not hire solely seasonal positions. We like our people to stick around

If you have questions about a catering order, special event, or upcoming holiday, you can email those to catering@thedalybagel.com

For other inquiries, you can always call our store (708-613-5263) or shoot an email to info@thedalybagel.com.