Barb City Bagels - DeKalb, Illinois

Dana S.

I loved this place while I was staying in Dekalb. I got some really good bagel sandwiches here. I enjoyed all the varieties of bagels and cream cheese they had. The bagels were always fresh and soft. While there’s no really unusual flavours, there’s a pretty wide selection. They also do pastries like muffins and scones, and drinks. I also really liked the blueberry knot and sunrise muffin I tried! The bagel knots come gratuitously topped with cream cheese icing, which looked a little excessive, but I actually didn’t think it was too much once I spread it a little.
The chai was a little sweet for me, but it still had a nice flavour. FYI the mix they use has milk powder in it, so while you can change the type of milk they add to it, you can’t make it dairy free (the staff was helpful to let me know about this when I ordered it with almond milk). The decaf coffee could have been stronger but was fine. They have a few different flavours of regular brew. The only thing I didn’t like was the peach smoothie; it just tasted like syrup.
The staff was great every time I visited. I really appreciated that they accepted the personal cup I brought for my cold drinks.
Lots of comfortable seating in the shop. Big windows let in lots of light, and you can grab a newspaper to read while you’re there.

Rachiades G.

Mixed review. Food was well cooked and flavoring was satisfactory. They were out of medium roast drip coffee so I requested a refill- which took about 15 minutes while 4 employees stood around talking. I ate in but wasn't asked if I was dining in or to go so I was handed a brown paper bag. Table was not clean when I sat down.

Love the vibe of the place and it was very friendly and welcoming. Seating is comfortable, a mix of booths and tables. Lots of customers coming and going so you know the place is popular.

Bathroom were clean and handicapped accessible with grab bars. No stairs going into the establishment.

therese H.

I love their bagels and love that they serve Intelligentsia coffee. I just wish I still lived in state so I could visit more often! They are still my gold standard for everything bagels and I love their sundried tomato cream cheese.

Aubrey C.

This was my first experience this past week and I'm sad I haven't been here before. Walking in, it's much bigger than anticipated and boy do they have a large selection. I got the campfire coffee, iced and it was delicious. I also got an egg and cheese with ham on a garlic bagel, a hash brown and a cinnamon roll. Everything tasted so good! The cinnamon roll tasted homemade, not sure if it is or not but it was the best I've had in I don't even know how long. The associates up front were all friendly and genuine. The atmosphere is so nice; very quaint.

Tucker M.

The bagels here are great! They’re not super dense which makes the not only taste better but more enjoyable to eat too! Their coffee is decent, but nothing that would get me to come back regularly. The bagels however I will definitely be making a return for. Recommend checking this place out if you’re looking for a nice breakfast bagel!

Ryan

(EDIT) Gave this place another go. This time around the service was perfect. Much friendlier staff, plenty of bagels, and good coffee. This place really is that type of environment that is make or break just by who is attending the counter.

Went to pickup some breakfast bagel sandwiches with bacon/sausage, was shocked to find two employees who seemed kinda dismissive and almost lost, when attempting to order we were informed that there will be no more bagels made. If we wanted something "theoretically I guess I could put it on this cinnamon roll". What is going on here? Business hours state open to 2PM, you're telling us this at 10AM? Life happens sure, doesn't mean you talk snobby to potential returning customers. I hear the owner is amazing, sad to see a possible good experience ruined by what feels like a lack of energy and effort by front desk staff. I'll give the place another try and update my review.

Doug

Bagels are great, they do an awesome job on them, I’m disappointed this time because I got a bagel with vegan cream cheese, and $2 is already plenty for a smear, but another $1 upcharge, for like 2 tablespoons? And didn’t cut the bagel in half? It’s a sad day.

J M.

This is a quaint little bagel shop in downtown DeKalb. They have a good selection of product, with several unique flavors, such as Hawaiian, though everything does kind of taste the same. The atmosphere of the place is nice as well, though they could do to play music or something create more of an ambiance, and the staff is friendly and attentive. The issue here is the value for what you get. The portions are small for what you have to pay and the quality of the ingredients is a little suspect. For instance, I got a spinach & egg bagel and the egg was cooked to in a microwave and, as a result, it came out rubbery. And I got a “bagel dog” as that sounded interesting but the bottom was so overcooked I couldn’t bite through it and the hot dog was shriveled and gross. Overall, I’d stop in for a drink and a bagel to go, maybe even a sweet treat, but their sandwich option are underwhelming to say the least and far too expensive for what you get.