Great American Bagel

Delicious bagels and friendly service! I work right across the street, but I finally made my first trip in here last week. Since then I have been back three times! The bagels are amazing. The everything bagel had the perfect amount of salt, which normally seems to be lacking at every other bagel place I have been to. They have so many options for cream cheese flavors, all of which have been delicious. Try the vanilla cream cheese on a cinnamon raisin bagel. It tastes just like a cinnamon roll! The inside is clean and there is plenty of seating which has made it an ideal study spot for me over the course of the last week. I am so glad I finally stopped in here. Now I can finally say goodbye to the overproduced and limited selection of bagels of Starbucks. The only thing that has disappointed me so far is the soup, but the amazing bagels more than make up for that.

Erica there is a great!
However, today when I was entering the store, I noticed the trash can was OVER FLOWING with trash. Even the sidewalk was dirty in front of the trash can. Doesn’t really make you want to eat the food from this place if they can’t empty the trash. Rodents are more likely to come around if the trash is never emptied. I am surprised the Village of Palos Heights doesn’t have some kind of ordnance to stop this.

I am completely disapointed in this location. I used to live a few suburbs over next to another Great American and it was fabulous. This Harlem location is on my route to work now that I have moved — so I have stopped a few times and cant believe the difference between the two locations. I always order the same breakfast item… a plain bagel toasted with veggie cream cheese. Pretty simple, right? Not sure what they are doing different, but the Harlem location barely has any veggies in theirs and the cream cheese is almost a yellow. What is making it a darker yellow? Too boot… they put the least amount of cream cheese on the bagel as possible — not even a thin layer. I realize I could order extra — but trust me — I shouldnt have to at the price for a single bagel with cream cheese. At the other American Bagel locations I have been to — the veggie cream cheese is a bright white, full of veggies and tastes amazing. I will say they are friendly in the mornings when customers come through the door.