On the go or eaten in, Tilly Bagel Shop serves bagels as they should be
Written by Finn Martin and Gavin Meichelbock
As probably seen on TikTok—though not by me—Tilly Bagel Shop in the South Loop broke into this carbohydrate competition only a few years back in August 2023. Similar to the LA bagel scene with places such as Jyan Isaac Bread, former pastry chef, Hannah Tillett, got her start making these rolls with holes back during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since turning her side project into a main gig, Tilly Bagel has quickly expanded to a second location in the Fulton Market District. From the perspective of a world-weary Angeleno who is tired of spending $30 for a bagel and a coffee, Tilly Bagel Shop is a much-needed return to the traditional bagel experience.
While this bakery does draw big crowds—big for Chicago that is—as seen on their socials, my photographer, Finn, and I managed to beat the rush on this Friday morning. We placed our order of one number two—a Lox bagel—and a number four—a Crispy Potato with Chorizo—in addition to two black coffees, which were poured out right away.
The shop itself is a bright jitter bean of energy that smells of warm bread and insomnia. The staff are all inviting, and the atmosphere is brimming with locals who proudly name Tilly Bagel as their go-to shop. One such rave review came from a local named Shikha, who, despite being in the process of moving, still stopped in for a sit-down with her husband and child. The three of them love the delicious, meatless breakfast option and are happy to see Tilly Bagel expand across the city.
Sliced, toasted and schmeared, the bagels came prepared wrapped in wax paper and served sandwich-style—as any big-city bagel does. In LA, an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese costs more than minimum wage, so the $16 price tag at Tilly was a much-welcomed change of pace. The everything bagel itself was a nice in-between of a New York and a Californian-style bagel, which is fitting given Chicago’s location. While New York bagels are also served sandwich style, their dense interiors can make them hard to tear apart with your teeth, causing all the toppings to fall out the back on the first bite. A California bagel is the opposite dilemma from the opposite coast as its style is more akin to a dinner roll, with its soft exterior and fluffy interior. At Tilly, they combine the defining aspects of these different coasts to create a well-rounded sandwich that features New York’s dense, chewy exterior along with California’s fluffy interior.
As for the toppings, it was so nice to have lox that was not cut paper thin for once—as is the current LA trend. These slices of salmon were a standard one-eighth of an inch thick and because of this, they didn’t simply dissolve in your mouth, but you actually had to chew it—a weird compliment but getting the texture of the raw fish as a part of the sandwich is a flavor game changer because their fishy, smokiness sits in your mouth longer, hence adds a lasting flavor effect. While the onions aren’t julienned and artisanally drizzled with olive oil, they don’t have to be—they’re onions. They exist to provide intensity and crunch to the bagel and that’s exactly what they do, and I didn’t have to spend seven extra bucks to get it. Since the dill and capers were tucked inside the sandwich as opposed to decorating its open face, I didn’t have to fight to keep them on my bagel or worry about the dill sprigs going up my nose. I was simply able to enjoy the citrus notes of dill and the salty capers as a part of the meal, not a baffling obstacle.
Pecks of spice came with the crispy potato bagel. The jalapeños paired excellently with the black coffee to wake me up, and the flavors found between the cheddar bagel in my hands resurrected me further from my sleep deprivation with each new bite. The hash browns were prepared on the softer side—not your McDonald’s crisped bite, but rather a good buffer for the texture of the chorizo and crisped onions and scallions. The chorizo made little noise, as is usually expected of sausage, but still was enjoyable as it matched the spiciness of the jalapeños at a lower intensity.
While Tilly Bagel Shop may appear to be a “no frills, no thrills” breakfast option, the flavors are just as good—if not better than—anything back home, and will cost you almost $10 less.