If you have never heard Winston's Bagels, let me introduce you...Foodie, meet Winston. Winston,…read moremeet foodie. You can now fall in love. Winston's Bagels are LEGENDARY in Carbondale, IL. The genius behind the tasty treat is Winston. He's a hippy 60(?) something man with a food cart who, in my day set up his mobile shop on "The Strip" - Carbondale's main bar scene. I hear he's moved onto Grand now, but wherever he is, YOU NEED TO BE THERE TOO. Here's the scoop... Winston comes out at night, just about the time the college kids are bar hopping. He sets up his small mobile cart, and starts cranking out The. Best. Bagel. Treat. You. Will. Ever. Eat. Winston grills the bagels over charcoal, which gives the bread a traditional char taste and creates this fantastic crunch when you bite into it. He drizzles the bagel with margarine (I think it's Parkay from the yellow and blue squeeze bottle), and generously tops each bagel side with plain cream cheese. Then the magic happens. You choose your toppings. I'm partial to the Everything: apple, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, cucumber, red onion, garlic powder, bacon bits, and raisins. It's the perfect morsel to have when you're out drinking in Carbondale - every college student learns this lesson to perfection at SIUC - or even if you just have a late night craving for a sweet / savory treat. Of course as alumni (Class of '95!), we all crave a Winston Bagel now and then, and when we go back it's a must eat treat! I've tried to make them at home, but it's just not the same. It's missing Winston's je nais se quoi. He generously doles out hugs, stories, jokes, and charm along with his bagels. Plus the man is a total genius. He charges $2.25 for a bagel. That fits any pocket book - and more often than not - you give him three dollars and tell him to keep the change. The man is making some dough. I hear he takes a couple vacations a year just with his tip money. Go fall in love with Winston The Bagel Man. He'll be there in Carbondale grilling his bagels into the wee hours of the morning!

I noticed that Winston's Bagels has 5 stars with 11 reviews, and I am not surprised one bit. This…read moreis the ONE THING every SIU-C graduate talks about and craves after they move away. At last visit, they were $2.25 each and still worth every bite. Winston sets up shop across the street from Pinch Penny Liquors near Saluki Bookstore. Options are the same as I remember: Cream Cheese, Garlic Salt, Butter, Ground Cinnamon, Cucumber, Apple, Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, Bacon Bits, Onions. I used to get sunflower seeds, butter, and cucumber but recently tried all-but-onion and am not quite sure I can go back. Remember cash only, and they don't break $20s. Definitely tip Winston or any of his helpers running the cart! Truly an institution in Carbondale!

I have been chasing the Lox bagel sandwich high that I got years ago from Gotham Bagels in Chicago…read more Until now, no place has even come close. But Baked & Boiled Bagels has surpassed my previous fave! Everyone was really kind and helpful and the place was cute with a very small eating area, and you could also watch people making the bagels as you ate. I will go there every time. I'm in the area now.

I want to start by saying the customer service from Mama Dee was SPECTACULAR. I was flooded with…read morecreative bagel and cream cheese options upon entry and I let her know it was my first time there. She suggested her favorite bagels, explained the breakfast sandwich, and she didn't rush me to order. I landed with the bagel breakfast sandwich! My custom sandwich was a lightly toasted Rosemary & Salt bagel, bacon, 1 egg, cheddar, tomato and their new dirty sauce which is house made mayo with everything bagel seasoning! The best savory bite to start my morning! I also ordered a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. That's never the wrong choice.

Great bagels, unfortunate parking…read more Parked around the corner and walked there. Just a couple of people in line ahead of me. Young lady behind the counter was friendly and helpful in picking flavors. Store is clean and bright. Smells wonderful! Was disappointed that not all of the flavors are available all the time, was there almost an hour ahead of one being available to sell, boo... Also wished that they would have asked about slicing the bagels for us, would have been very helpful. Still the best bagels in town!

Best bagel I've tried in St. Louis. I got the delox, not toasted and it was incredible. Only reason…read moreI give 4 stars is the ordering online process sucks. It sets the time ready an hour out from ordering so they don't even prepare it until then even if they aren't busy. I went to pick it up early because surely it shouldn't take that long, had no one in front of me and had to wait for them to make it since the online order had it ready an hour later. Still worth it! Update- came again and got the same thing except this time the salmon was completely different, they didn't include any capers, and the taste was completely off. Definitely won't be coming back after this experience. Was really hoping for what I got the first time I went :(

I love this place. The bagels are fresh-baked and so good. My favorites are the onion, bagel and…read morepumpernickel. The flavored cream cheese tastes fresh, and it is so full of flavor. The garlic & herb is my favorite. There is plenty of parking in a private lot. You order at the counter and they have a small dining area. They can get quite busy on the weekends so there may be a bit of a wait Service was friendly and helpful.

The service was great, and the restaurant itself has some seating if you want to dine in…read more The staff was friendly and recommended customizing bagels if needed. I ended up getting a bagel with egg and avocado that came close to $10, which I thought was a little steep. The bagel wasn't as filling as I thought. But, I think the bagels are decent.

Great food and beautifully restored double decker bus. Fun for the entire family. The food is…read moreconsistently great and the service is top notch. I'm so glad The Bustaurant is back!

This place is just cool. The food is excellent and the staff is friendly…read more I had the steak kebabs with sticky rice. The steak was tender with a slight char, which is perfect in my book. The rice had a sort of Thai/Indian fusion drizzle that was slightly sweet, spicy, and earthy all at once. I also had the humus, and it was excellent. This place just made the regular lunch rotation.

Best Lox & bagels in Cobden…read more This is my best acerbic statement on the choices locally have been extremely limited, but the iron whisk really does an amazing breakfast, I miss Tom's Mary's inherent is excellent, but if you want breakfast, the iron whisk is the best

Just left the restaurant, we are from Kansas City, attending a Softball Saluki game. The meal was…read moreunique, delicious and superb staff. Thank you for a memorable meal experience!

I will get on my soapbox every single time about supporting local coffee shops. Stop going to the…read morechains. All you're doing is buying the CEO their next mansion. Enter Pine Mountain Country Coffee on Festus Main Street. This is a mini Cracker Barrel. If you look around, it will resemble Cracker Barrel. They have all the candies and the sweets and the baked items. It's adorable inside. Their coffee is strong, it's great, and you should be supporting Local businesses like this. The service is genuine and way faster than the chains. Do not make me go protest in the Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts parking lots. Don't do that to me.

The ice cream here is amazing!!! It's made in Wisconsin and the flavors are unique and delicious…read more Plus they make those incredible over the top sundaes and floats. They recently have reworked the inside some and have a new candy station that is full of all kinds of seasonal goodies. When I worked down the street, I would often come for their cold brew coffee, fir an afternoon pick me up. They also serve some pretty amazing breakfast and lunch sandwiches on New York bagels. Weekend hours are longer over the summer and early fall staying open until 10pm but as they hit October the hours shift to close by 9 o'clock on the weekends. They have cute ice cream cone seating tables as well as an old time soda bar. Definitely our families go-to ice cream splurge. I love that it's on Main Street with all the cute boutiques, shopping and local events.

First timer! Was craving a bagel and saw it had great reviews. Owner gave me a rec and it was…read moredelish! She said they will be providing bagels in Dierbergs soon!

Stopped by yesterday for a couple of bagels and decided to get a bagel with lox for lunch…read more They keep adding flavors based on customer interest. Had jalapeño-everything today. YUM! As she cut the bagel the steam rose - how could it get fresher?!?! Seriously such an amazing lunch! Also got another bagel or two for later and follow the owner's tip -- if not enjoying immediately, let it cool down & keep airtight so it doesn't dry out. Such nice folks

Easy review... Food = 5 stars - best deli around…read moreService = 5 stars - everyone is so friendly Ambiance = 5 stars- old school deli We are here once a month for lunch and have never been disappointed! Thank you!

The place is a hole in the wall, authentic, old school, small deli without any frills. We loved…read morewatching the interaction with the locals - moving away from St. Louis has me missing that aspect of the community. After we ordered coffee, they looked at us and told us it would be 5-10 minutes. They had no milk and were out of creamer. Again, authentic to the community - you should order black coffee here & not past 8:30z As we sat & I realized, I leaned in and said, did you realize it's almost 11:00? Honestly, neither of us realized until after we sat down that the breakfast rush was long over and they were essentially brewing a pot just for us. They were very nice & accommodated but, boy did I feel bad once it dawned on me. Enjoyed both our bagel & knish.