Zeitlin’s Deli Closes Lincoln Park Shop, Ends Farmers Market, Pop-Up Business

LINCOLN PARK — Zeitlin’s Delicatessen, the Jewish deli known for its bagels, challah and babkas, has closed its Lincoln Park shop less than a year after opening its first brick-and-mortar location.

The closure also marks the end of Zeitlin’s broader retail operation, including its pop-up and farmers market sales, bringing an end to the business after more than seven years.

The brothers behind Zeitlin’s, Sam and Hal Zeitlin, opened the 30-seat deli at 2203 N. Clybourn Ave. in late October after spending years building a following through farmers markets, catering, wholesale and pop-ups around Chicago.

The Clybourn shop was intended to be a major next step for the business. It combined Zeitlin’s production kitchen and retail operation under one roof, allowing customers to order bagels, deli sandwiches, sides and Jewish baked goods for dine-in or takeout.

The Zeitlin brothers started the business in 2019 and gradually expanded its presence across the city. Before opening in Lincoln Park, Zeitlin’s had become a regular at farmers markets and operated a stall inside the From Here On food hall in the Old Post Office.

All of those operations have now closed. In a social media post announcing the closure, Sam Zeitlin said “the high cost of opening and operating our flagship store could not be sustained” despite neighbors’ support.

“To everyone that has supported, shopped, and cheered from a far, your love is felt,” Sam Zeitlin wrote in the social media post. “Zeitlin’s started as a dream to bring people together and I will miss the cherished moments of baking, growing the business and serving. The city of Chicago inspired me in 2020 to take this leap and I will continue to be inspired by its people. Right now, I am taking the time to be with close ones and hope you all take care.”

Zeitlin’s expansion came during Chicago’s bagel scene boom, with new shops and bakeries ranging from traditional Jewish delis to newer businesses experimenting with sourdough, fermentation and culturally influenced flavors.

Zeitlin’s was among the bagel-forward businesses that were a part of that new wave, which bakers described as a more personal and artisanal revival of the bagel craze of the 1990s.

The company’s move into a permanent storefront was partly funded by its customers. Zeitlin’s launched its Bagel Bond program, allowing supporters to invest in the business and receive returns in cash or bagels. An earlier Wefunder campaign had raised $95,000 in 2023.