Hand-Rolled in Peoria: A Visit to Bright-O Bagels

A few weeks ago in Los Angeles, I kept passing bagel shops and bagel trucks with lines out the door. In L.A., the land of green juice and Pilates, of all places. I’d have bet that city was done with carbs, and I would have lost that bet. Every time I walked past one, I thought the same thing: we’ve got that back home. Specifically, my buddy Josh’s place in Peoria, Bright-O Bagels.

I’ve known Josh since he was head chef at Harvest Cafe in Delavan. Back then he gave me unprecedented access to the back of the house, and he’s been incredibly generous to TBR ever since.

Meet BrightSide Kitchen

Bright-O is one of the concepts under Josh’s restaurant group, BrightSide Kitchen, at 106 E. McClure Ave in Peoria. The idea behind BrightSide is pretty cool. They take chef-driven food concepts and grow them into businesses that can stand on their own. Right now that means three of them under one roof:

• Bright-O Bagels: hand-rolled bagels and schmears
• BrightBird: chicken sandwiches and biscuit sandwiches
• BrightBelly Ramen: small-batch ramen on Thursday nights, first come, first served

Are Bagels Passé?

The first time I saw that mixer was October 30, 2025, when Josh gave me a tour of his new kitchen on Nebraska Avenue here in Peoria. Back then he was in the middle of remodeling the kitchen, and he was hoping to add a dining area down the road. While he was showing off the new bagel dough mixer, I asked him the question that had been rattling around in my head since L.A.: in a world where everybody’s counting carbs, cutting bread, and ordering their burger in a lettuce wrap, are bagels kind of gauche now? Are they passé?

Josh didn’t even blink. He told me he knows one thing about Midwesterners:

“Carbs are always in season.”

Hard to argue with that, especially from a guy standing next to a brand-new dough mixer. And if the bagel lines in health-crazy L.A. are any sign, the rest of the country is coming around to the Midwestern way of thinking.

Turns out Josh was right. A lot has changed since that tour. The kitchen is up and running, and now the dining room is looking to expand. It’s not just the bagels filling the seats, either. Josh’s BrightBird chicken sandwiches and his Thursday BrightBelly ramen nights have been drawing crowds too, and the bigger dining room is meant to make room for all three. If anyone needed proof that carbs are always in season, a kitchen that’s outgrowing its seats is pretty good evidence.

The Bagels

I’ve grabbed bagels from Josh’s place to take home more times than I can count, and over the last year I’ve sat down in the shop a handful of times too. There’s no way to try everything in one sitting, so every visit I order something I haven’t had yet, and every visit I walk out with a new favorite.

The daily lineup covers the classics (plain, sesame, everything, onion) and then goes further with pumpernickel rye, asiago, jalapeño cheddar, za’atar, and blueberry. For the record, the pumpernickel is my all-time favorite.

And then there are the schmears. OMG, the schmears. They come packed in little cups with lids that say “Spread the Brightside,” and they’re worth the trip all by themselves. Alongside plain, green onion, and lox, there’s a wasabi schmear, rotating seasonal flavors, and a pimento cheddar special. Last season Josh even made a ramp schmear with local wild onions. If that one comes back around, grab it.

Then there are the bagel sandwiches.  Who knew you could show off on bagel sandwich?? The breakfast side has the Big Bacon Energy (cherry wood smoked bacon, soft scrambled eggs, American cheese), a classic Bagel & Lox, a Trout & Wasabi made with Great Lakes smoked trout, and a Tamago Yaki & Chili. Starting at 10 a.m. the lunch lineup shows up: Corned Beef & Rye, a Turkey Club, The Italian, and a Pizza Bagel (shop favorite).

Exhibit A: the Corned Beef & Rye, piled high on a pumpernickel rye bagel.

Two pro tips. The 3-pack of day-olds is a steal, and the menu calls them “Still Excellent,” which is accurate. And if you roll in between 1:00 and 1:30, it’s Last Call: $1 bagels.

Go Get Some

New York might seem like the obvious place to find a great bagel. And I’m sure the ones in L.A. are great too. But Peoria? Peoria has Bright-O. It’s a great bagel shop right here at home, and it’s run by a guy who obviously cares about what comes out of his kitchen. Like the man said, carbs are always in season.

Bright-O Bagels at BrightSide Kitchen
106 E. McClure Ave, Peoria, IL 61603
Thu–Fri 7am–1:30pm · Sat–Sun 8am–1:30pm · Closed Mon–Wed
Order online · Instagram

Tell Josh Groucho sent you.

Cheers!