The Bagel To Close Old Orchard Location After Over 30 Years

SKOKIE, IL — The Bagel Restaurant and Deli, one of the North Shore's most iconic family-owned Jewish delis, is closing its Skokie location at the end of the month. After more than 30 years, The Bagel's Old Orchard location will shut its doors for good at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, according to a social media post from its owners.

"We look forward to continuing to proudly serve you at our Broadway location," said third-generation owners Danny Wolf and Haya Golenzer. "Please make sure you visit us before our last day to share your favorite meal or a memory as you have all become a part of our family as well."

The deli's first location was in Albany Park, where it opened in 1950 at the corner of Kedzie and Lawrence avenues. After surviving the Holocaust, Elsa and Herman Golenzer, who had owned a restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, along with their children Michael and Ruth, brought their family recipes and authentic Old World cooking to Chicago's North Side. Ruth's son Danny and the late Michael took over in 1969, according to the Chicago Tribune food reporter Louisa Chu, who explored the history of Chicago Jewish delis last year. The original 34-seat location at 4806 N. Kedzie Ave. was formerly occupied by a baker called "The Bagel Bakery." According to the website Dining Chicago, the founders were unable to afford a new sign so they decided to go with the name "The Bagel Restaurant" and keep the sign in place.

In 1977, demand for The Bagel's offerings outstripped the capabilities of its original location's facilities, according to the restaurant, so the deli moved to its second location at 3000 W. Devon Ave. in West Rogers Park, where it remained for 15 years. Two weeks after closing up shop on Devon, The Bagel opened up in Lakeview at 3107 N. Broadway Ave. in December 1992.

The Old Orchard Shopping Center location first opened in 1987, according to the restaurant's online history and the owners' social media message announcing its closure.

Since the closure of the Lord & Taylor store next door, the owners of Old Orchard have been planning to reconfigure the area. The general manager of The Bagel's Skokie location on Sunday told Chu the restaurants lease had already expired and it had been operating months to month. He said the diner "tried to stay open as long as we could for customers because they’re like family.”

In hundreds of replies from disappointed customers, longtime patrons bemoaned the loss of favorite menu items like kreplach and matzah ball soup and questioned the reasons for the restaurant's closure. Some suggested Old Orchard had decided not to renew the lease. Others suggested Skokie's tax rates were a contributing factor. One set of parents recalled the Old Orchard location had actually been open since at least 1985.

"Surprise – you have been in Skokie more than 33 years," the mother remembered. "My husband and I ate there the night I went into labor with my first child. She will be turning 34 in February."

Addressing his comment to the 33-year-old daughter, her father described the same incident.

"Evanston Hospital told us she wasn’t quite ready, yet – to go have dinner. I told Danny, the owner, your mom was in labor," he wrote. "We got served and finished in 20 minutes. He wanted no water breaking on his floor."