Real New York bagels. Rolled by hand in the Midwest.
Kettle-boiled and baked fresh every morning. Local and family-owned since 2006.
The craft
Four steps we never skip.
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Hand rolled
Every bagel is shaped by hand. No forming machine.
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Can't rush it
How we make the dough stays between us. It takes as long as it takes, and nobody's rushing it.
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Kettle boiled
Boiled in a kettle before it bakes, the New York way. Never steamed.
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Baked fresh
Baked fresh every morning in a rotating deck oven.
What goes in
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Flour we stand behind
High-quality flour that is never bleached and never bromated, plus whole grains in our honey whole wheat bagels.
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Produce picked for flavor
Heirloom tomatoes and fresh greens, picked for flavor, not shelf life, and sourced locally when they are in season.
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Atlantic salmon
Premium cold-smoked Atlantic salmon, sliced thin for lox and piled high on the Brighton Beach.
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Smoked natural turkey breast
Smoked natural turkey breast on the Long Island and our catering platters in Chicago and Lake Geneva; house-roasted turkey breast in Madison.
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Craft coffee, locally roasted
Locally roasted beans from Passion House Coffee Roasters in Chicago and Lake Geneva, and Colectivo Coffee in Madison. Brewed hot, poured cold or pulled as espresso.
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All made by us
Every bagel rolled by hand, every cream cheese whipped, and every deli salad and sauce made from scratch in our own kitchens.
Signatures
Stacked high, on a bagel that was dough at dawn.
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Bacon, Egg & Cheddar
Thick-cut bacon, a fried egg and aged cheddar.
Order this: Bacon, Egg & Cheddar -
OMFG
Nashville fried chicken, thick-cut bacon, a fried egg, aged cheddar and spicy aioli.
Order this: OMFG -
Lox & Cream Cheese
Atlantic cold-smoked salmon and house-whipped cream cheese. The classic.
Order this: Lox & Cream Cheese -
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Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheddar
Spicy Italian sausage, a fried egg and aged cheddar.
Order this: Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheddar -
Catering · serves 13
Riverside Park Platter
A NY Dozen® (13 bagels), a pound of lox, two 8 oz spreads and all the fixings.
Order this: Riverside Park Platter
Find Gotham
Six shops. Zero shortcuts.
Four in Chicago, two in Wisconsin. Pick the closest one and order ahead.
Chicago
- Gold Coast 1212 N Dearborn St., Chicago Daily 7 am – 2 pm
- Lakeview 2801 N Lincoln Ave., Unit B, Chicago Daily 7 am – 2 pm
- South Loop 521 S Dearborn St., Chicago Daily 7 am – 1 pm
- Magnificent Mile 162 E Superior St., Unit B, Chicago Daily 6:30 am – 2 pm
Madison
- Madison 112 E Mifflin St., Madison Tue–Sat 8 am – 2 pm · Sun 8 am till we run out! (Usually noon)
Lake Geneva
- Lake Geneva 300 Wrigley Dr., Unit B, Lake Geneva Daily 7 am – 2 pm
Catering
Feed a crowd.
Platters that serve 9 to 13, hot pans and coffee, scheduled online for the morning you need them.
In loving memory of Kenneth Scharf (1956–2021), pictured with fellow co-founder Joe Gaglio.
Local & family-owned since 2006
You don't need New York water. You need a New Yorker.
Gotham started in Madison in 2006 with one New Yorker and a hunch: the secret to a real bagel was never the water, it was the hands that rolled it. Twenty years on, every bagel is still rolled by hand, and the family still runs the place.
Read Our StoryAs seen in
- Chicago Tribune
- The Infatuation
- ABC 7 Chicago
- WGN Radio
- Block Club Chicago
“The bagels here are excellent and will shut up any complaints about Chicago’s bagel scene.”
Gotham Rewards
Earn on every order.
For every $150 you spend, you unlock a $10 reward. Members also get our news and offers. Gotham Rewards is for our Chicago and Lake Geneva shops.
Join RewardsAt Gotham right now
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Lincoln Brunch Fest
Saturday, Oct 10, 10am–2pm: we're serving at Lincoln Brunch Fest on Lincoln Ave between Diversey and Wellington, steps from our Lakeview shop.
About Lincoln Brunch Fest -
Chicago Bagel Fest 2027
We're coming back to Chicago Bagel Fest in February 2027. The organizers haven't announced the date yet; we'll share it when they do.
About Chicago Bagel Fest
Fresh out of the oven, on Instagram.
Follow @gothambagelschi for Chicago and Lake Geneva, and @gothambagels for Madison.
Get the good stuff
New sandwiches. Seasonal schmears. Local events. Shop openings. Collaborations. Catering ideas. And occasionally, free Gotham swag.