I went to check out St. Viateur and their bagels were amazing! It is open 24/7 and I actually got to see them make the bagels from scratch. From cutting the dough to boiling them to baking in a brick oven, they are all handmade. They have the regular plain and sesame bagels but they offer other classics like poppy seeds and organic varieties as well. Every single one is crunchy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside.
However, you will most probably get what's coming out of the oven. If they don't have any of the less popular ones available, tough luck, because they are not going to make a batch just for you. Personally, I stick with what's fresh from the oven. Get a bag of 'em with some cream cheese and smoked salmon from the fridge and make yourself the meal ever! Now that's some late night snack that we need in Chicago.