Could there really not have been a grab-and-go bagel shop in the Ukrainian Village/Wicker Park area before Bagel on Damen?

It seems strange given all the food choices the area has, but, aside from some bakeries, it's true. Bagel on Damen fills a void, which leads to its biggest drawback: peak hours mean big crowds.

That's too bad because if it weren't for this popularity, Bagel on Damen would be an ideal place to pick up some bagels or spend a relaxing Sunday morning sipping coffee. It's intimate - four tables and four seats at a window counter - and aesthetically pleasing, with large windows, framed charcoal drawings and exposed brick.

The food selection is nice, too, even though the bagels aren't made on site (13 varieties are brought in from New York Bagel & Bialy). You can get a number of accompanying cream cheeses, including several deliciously unusual variations, like cheddar and horseradish, shitake and rosemary and white truffle and toasted pine nut.

The rest of the menu consists of 13 bagel-based breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups, deli salads and a few pieces of head-turning miscellany, like a pizza bagel or "two hard boiled eggs served in a brown bag with salt, pepper and hot sauce." There's also a small but fun selection of gourmet cookies, crackers and snack mixes, as well as Bubbies pickles, Nutella, preserves and bagel chips.

Bagel on Damen has broken free of the Intelligentsia-or-Metropolis coffee mold, instead bringing in coffee from Portland, Ore.-based Stumptown. You can buy beans or drip coffee, but no espresso drinks are offered.

It sounds weird saying this, but hopefully this place will become less popular. Until then, avoid busy times or call in your order, and don't forget to bring cash because Bagel on Damen doesn't take credit cards.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Alexander Hough