Tamago Coffee and Bikes

A friend had his bike repaired at Tamago and recommended it. Since I live right up the street, I stopped by because my friend had pointed where the shop is. This was during a regular week day but the shop wasn’t open. There are no opening hours posted nor could I figure out what the name of the shop was to perhaps look it up online. Today I happened to walk by and saw the door was open, and as I desperately needed my bike fixed, so I stopped by. The owner was super friendly and helpful and my bike was fixed within a few hours! Plus he knew a lot about my bike and was just fun to talk to. I got a complimentary bread (which surprised me because I didn’t get the whole food thing) and biked off happily. Now I even know the name of the store because it was on my electronic receipt! I’m glad I found this Unilocal site because the store’s website is only a bunch of rotating pictures?

I’ve grown to be a Tamago loyalist and have found that the consistency of the service has improved dramatically since it first opened. Jay is so pleasant and gracious, gives great advice, and stocks the shop with all kinds of goodies. Truly an excellent spot!

This is as good as it gets: cheap, friendly, quirky, efficient, accomplished. I dropped my old Raleigh off for a tune-​up and patch and got it back a day and a half later, complete with new bar tape and a complimentary baguette. Whole thing cost $ 50.
The shop itself is unassuming. So is Jay, its proprietor. You’d miss it if you blinked. But don’t let that fool you. He does excellent work and is a true craftsman. Definitely a business worth your support.

If you are into bikes you owe it to yourself to at least check Jay’s place out. The store is very unique. He works alone but the store is never empty. People often come to hangout, have coffee, share bread and snacks, and talk. I’ve had numerous maintenance appointments with Jay and every time I have left very happy.
His prices are very fair. Its a pleasure to talk through the work that needs to be done with Jay, who is the owner mechanic, and it is always great work.
The store is very comfortable and its just a place you might want to hang out.
You will usually leave with a great loaf of bread too :)

I love authentic local businesses that especially cater to things I love, bikes and coffee. It’s a very cool concept and Jay is awesome as hell
I love that they carry Stumptown cold brewed coffee too!

I don’t own a bike but we stopped by this afternoon for coffee and chocolate (he carries Mast Brothers bars), and walked out with a complimentary baguette. The owner Jay is really pleasant to chat with and it’s super cozy and chill in the shop.

Incredible service and pricing every time. Jay truly knows how to make his customers feel welcome. Each time I have brought my bike to Tamago, it always feels more like visiting an old friend than having my bike repaired. At the same time, he is remarkably efficient. This is truly a gem of a shop in Chicago!

I really enjoyed the kind, timely, and professional service with decent price.
Now my bike becomes the fresh new one. and even having one-​year guarntee for check-​ups!
Highly recommended!

Great cheap service in a nice coffee like setting. I was gifted a free bread after my first visit and it was delicious. Excellent service and community and will sure be a returning customer. I just want to note that I made a Unilocal account for the sole purpose of writing a 5 star review for this place. If you want to fix your bike come here. Period.

I have never had a more positive experience at a bike shop than this one. Talking with the owner felt like making a new friend, and I couldn’t help but be uplifted by the feeling of connectedness to the community that I felt while chatting in this little bike/​coffee shop. Also, they’re Linus bikes are exactly what I was after. Beyond pleased!

I think the idea of this shop is wonderful and the owner is very friendly and helpful. He actually cares about helping people with their bikes and does not try to steal their money. I also think hyde park needs this shop, because the options for bike shops are limited and not very good.
However, I have only been to this store ONCE. I have gone over 6 times. I have had a lot of bad luck with my bike this summer and have needed immediate repairs since I commute to work. Each time I have gone to this shop, hopeful to have some quality service, I have sat in front for 10 minutes WITH ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATION THAT THE STORE IS CLOSED waiting and then walked my bike over to a competitor.
This store needs a way to tell customers when the hours actually are. If that is just answering the phone, responding to emails, tweeting, or even just a smoke signal, that would be better than how it currently is. I will not come here again until there is better care to keep the hours consistent.
So do not bring your broken bike to this store, do not take effort to go here because it will not be open.

I’m sure it’s a lovely place, and I’m sure the guy is a lovely guy, but it’s not run like a business – I went there twice, to get some maintenance done on a bike, and both times he was just out of the shop in the middle of a weekday. According to the friends who recommended the place to me, the fact that the owner is a «character» who may or may not show up to work on a given day is is part of its charm, but I don’t particularly like walking my broken bike down to 55^th and Everett and waiting outside for 90 minutes on the off-​chance that he decides to show up. If you’re looking for a place to exchange money for goods and services, I would recommend doing what I did and walking the third of a mile to DJ’s.

Jay is absolutely amazing. He is really thoughtful and intelligent. I have great confidence in anything he does because he really knows his stuff. He can get really busy so be mindful of that… but he will do whatever he can to help you because he is a very kind person and he cares. He is pretty much amazing.

A pure unadulterated gem, I tell you! I just so happened to be walking to the lakefront on 55^th. To my surprise, I saw a random shop with a beautiful display of Fjällräven Kånken backpacks in the window. I ran to the shop in disbelief as stuff that I like are never sold on Hyde Park. This was nothing short of a miracle because I’ve been dying to purchase a Fjällräven Kånken! But wait, there’s more! I just so happened to have purchased the bag when the store was giving away $ 35 gift cards for every purchase! Thus, I was able to get my bike tuned up for free! The guy who tuned up my bike did a great job. He tightened my brakes, pumped my tires, cleaned it up, fixed some broken spokes and some other stuff. So what are you waiting for? Go to this place, now!

I read the other reviews and decided to give Tamago a try. Jay quickly assessed my bike, made a few adjustments and gave me a few pointers. I was so pleased with the service I was moved to write my first Unilocal review.

AMAZING. I came here because my bike was in terrible shape after a long winter. At one point, my entire bike was covered in a huge thing of ice — so I’m not kidding when I say my bike was in poor shape.
For the cost of a commuter repair ($ 65) plus a new chain, the owner made my bike something that could function again! He was able to clean up the rims, change the brake pads, fix my breaks, and change the chain. And it was all done and ready in about 5 hours! Which is insane, especially considering the place is hopping and there is always someone dropping off a bike. The owner is also super knowledgeable and explained everything that he was going to do and everything he didn’t want to do because of cost. He also guarantees his work for a year, so when I noticed my brake pads were acting up and resting on the front tire, he quickly fixed it in like 5 minutes and I was off on my way.
When I say I love this man, I mean it with the utlmost respect. He fixed my baby for under $ 100 bucks and made it possible for me to take my bike on a 30+ mile bike ride just last weekend, days after it was fixed.
If you’re in the area, definitely stop by. He takes online appointments, too, which makes life easy. But he’s amazing with bikes and knows how to fix old bikes in a way that doesn’t break the bank.

AWESOME! Welcome to Hyde Park! I haven’t partaken in any of the food or coffee yet, but I did bring in my bike and it’s now running like it’s brand new. I choose the $ 65 commuter package as my bike hadn’t seen any love in a few years.
You can make an appointment online which was great! He also has all the prices listed on the website which is refreshing after going to places that take a look first and make up prices as they go. When I picked up my bike the owner let me know that all his work was covered for a year if anything sounded or felt weird to bring it back in and he’d take care of it.
I’ll head over again for a pour over and some pie soon. I’m so glad to have this place in the neighborhood.

I do not have enough good things to say about Tamago Coffee and Bikes. It’s the best thing to happen to the Hyde Park food scene this year, and its a bicycle shop.
I do not own a bike, but I still go here. I hope that gives you a sense of Tamago as more than a bike shop; It is the much needed portal that delivers Chicago’s best food to Hyde Park.
Places like Bang Bang Pie, Gaslight Coffee Roasters and Publican deliver their food here, which in turn is delivered to the Hyde Park community via bicycle, or for pick-​up at their store. Before Tamago opened, I would have to make the trek to Logan Square or Wicker Park to eat good food, but now, I finally have a way to access all the deliciousness north of the Loop while only spending a fraction of the time and the money to get there.
And can we talk about the owner, Jay? Jay is a wonderful human being. One time he had a Bang Bang Pie flash sale, and I called while I was on my way because I knew I wouldn’t make the 9pm closing time. He was kind and flexible and said he would wait for me. And when I arrived, there was an entire Bang Bang pie waiting for me with a cute drawing of my name and a bicycle on the container. And he gave my friend and I each cups of pour-​over gaslight coffee too. That pour-​over coffee… I’m no coffee expert but it was flavorful and rich. He is so knowledgeable about bikes, coffee and food. A great combination for a great person.