Pastries & Bakeries in the Chicago area

[Sweet Willie]

YGM?

You've Got Mail (Email)

I've used this acronym on other boards and looks like I assumed incorrectly that is was used on eG as well.

[Wendy DeBord]

I had a couple items from Gerhards Bakery in lake Forest this past week that were excellent.

Keylime tart- in a spicy crust (definately cinnamon but not sure if there were others).

Fruit tart-using a puff pastry base- it was very light and just the perfect balance of the natural sweetness from the berries to pastry cream and whip cream.

Chocolate tart- chocolate mousse disk with groite cherries sitting on a fuietine ganjua base, thin topping of ganche and unsweetened whip cream

Black and White tart- white chocolate mousse set in a molded chocolate tart shell (Purchased and stale unforunately) layer of sponge cake soaked with coffee, topped with a light chocolate mousse.

I really liked the fact that he doesn't sweeten his whipped cream- it plays a perfect balance against the sweet pastry.

The sales clerk was just a bit too freindly and for each description/question (since they don't label items) she'd step around to the front to view the pastries. She also bragged about his macaroons- yet there weren't any available for sale. She went to great lenghts to tell me how he has people on a calling list waiting for theses. Which didn't make any sense to me........I'd have them on hand all the time if there was such a huge demand for them.

All and all it was worth the $21.00 for 4 individually sized (yet petite) pastries.

[Sweet Willie]

forgot to add:

Chiu Quon Bakery has two locations, one in Chicago's Chinatown and another in what I call Chicago's Vietnamtown which is Argyle street on the north side of Chicago.

The reason I am recommending Chiu Quon Bakery is I've found that they speak more English and have more signs in English than the other bakeries in the area so it is a good stop to see what Chinese pastries and sweets are offered. Plus the store is better lit than others as well.

Simply view the cases and their yummy contents. Perhaps a pastry filled w/walnut bean paste, a sesame dough ball filled w/sweet bean paste (one of my favorites), or a coconut tart.

If you have been to Hong Kong, you may have seen the Egg Tarts

“Egg tarts are a little small open face tart (3' diameter and 1' deep) which have a sweet egg custardy filling. When fresh out of the oven they smell like a cross between fresh brioche and crème caramel.”

Chiu Quon serves the egg tarts and if you get them when they are fresh out of the oven, MAN!, there are few sweets that are better. The tarts really do need to be warm. Heating them in my oven worked well.

Chiu Quon Bakery

1127 W. Argyle - phone: 773.907.8888

2242 S. Wentworth – phone: 312.225.6608

[ronnie_suburban]

Another fine place in the northern burbs is Three Tarts Bakery (formerly Vanilla Bean Bakery) in Northfield. They have excellent breads and delicious sweets...and also great sandwiches at lunch time. Their sesame semolina bread is outstanding as are their baguette and rye bread. Their cookies and cakes are also top-notch and beautifully rendered. I'm not sure it's worth a special trip, but certainly worth a stop if you are in the area.

=R=

[tavogels]

I've recently moved to the area-- have found a couple decent-enough bakeries for coffee cakes and other midwestern "standards". What I'm looking for, though, is a bakery that sells really good French or Viennese pastries-- the kind of stuff that is way too labor-intensive to make at home regularly. If the western 'burbs is too ambitious, recommendations in the city would also be appreciated. Many thanks!

[kjente2]

west side of which city?

[tavogels]

<loud smacking of hand on forehead>

Chicago. Sorry. Guess that disclosure would have been helpful....

[ronnie_suburban]

Rolf's Patisserie is great but it's North, not West...on Touhy Avenue just east of the Edens expressway. It's almost right next door to Lincolnwood Produce, which is a stellar grocery store. So...if you're going to be in the area, you may want to check them both out.

=R=

[Louisa Chu]

Lutz has been THE place for Viennese pastries - I haven't tried them for years - but in my memory they were very good.

And I've heard excellent things about Vanille Patisserie - I know there's a thread on it - maybe in the Pastry Forum.

[Michael M]

Where exactly are you among the west burbs? That may be helpful as a start.

Vanille Patisserie is an excellent French patisserie, but it's on Clybourn just north of Webster. It's good enough to be a destination place, but far from being west. If you go, go early enough to get their croissants.

Lutz and Rolf's also have their strong points, but they aren't that far west, either. Lutz is on Montrose near Western, Rolf's on Touhy near Lincoln.

Another one to try in the city is Bittersweet, on Belmont just west of Sheffield, though again, not west at all.

I've heard very good things about a Euro style bakery called Ambrosia, at 710 W. Northwest Hwy, in Barrington. That's fairly west, but I've also never been there.

[terrarich]

Hey,

Can anyone recommend a good place, northsidish, for me to pick up some nice pastries? I will be in town this weekend and need to find some nice yummies to fill out a brunch at the in-laws.

Please don't mention Swedish in Andersonville. I remember as a kid being able to walk in there after playins b-ball and picking up rumballs and creme horns. Now I can never step in the door without having to wait 30 min to be served!

I have been away for several years and expect that, considering the culinary advances made in town, I should be able to pick from several places to go. I just don't have time to explore.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[tetsujustin]

I'd say Bittersweet on W Belmont (which I think is owned by Charlie Trotter) is a good bet. Pretty nice pastries, great vanilla iced tea and gigantic rootbeer floats. They also have a pretty decent savory section.

[ronnie_suburban]

North side-ish . . . a few I like:

Vanille Patisserie

2229 N Clybourn Ave

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 868-4574

Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Cafe

1114 W Belmont Ave

Chicago, IL 60657

(773) 929-1100

Sweet Mandy B's

1208 W Webster Ave

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 244-1174

Lutz Cafe & Pastry Shop

2458 W Montrose Ave

Chicago, IL 60618

(773) 478-7785

Rolf's Patisserie

4343 W Touhy Ave

Lincolnwood, IL 60712

(847) 982-9400

And in the northern 'burbs

Sweet Memories Bakery

1852 1st St

Highland Park, IL 60035

(847) 432-1025

Bakery on Elm

1162 Wilmette Ave

Wilmette, IL 60091

(847) 251-7602

Three Tarts Bakery Cafe

301 Happ Rd

Northfield, IL 60093

(847) 446-5444

=R=

[Peter]

I'd say Bittersweet on W Belmont (which I think is owned by Charlie Trotter) is a good bet. Pretty nice pastries, great vanilla iced tea and gigantic rootbeer floats. They also have a pretty decent savory section.

←

Not a Charlie Trotter restaurant....

Anyway, we love Angel Food Bakery at 1636 Montrose. Very cute, fantastic pastries, and some fun retro products as well!

[terrarich]

Thanks everyone! Keep 'em comin'. I might have all of sat. to shop around with my son. I am sure he would induldge me my pursuits!

[scordelia]

Have to second the Lutz's recommendation--it is also a good place to go for brunch!

Also Selmarie in Lincoln Square is very good, and Levinson's on Devon near Sacramento Ave--a good Jewish bakery with an amazing strawberry marzipan cake for $7.50, great bialys and Jewish rye, and next door, you can pick up all the smoked fish you wish at Three Sisters Deli (can't just have pastries for brunch).

[terrarich]

Thanks everybody.

I made the mistake of venturing out mid-afternoon for my hunt. Bittersweet was out of brunchish pastries. I went to Lutz and then Selamarie. I have to say that Cafe Selamarie does a really good job. What I failed to do was ask if they did all their baking on site.

[ronnie_suburban]

Other than the baguette, croissant and breads used for sandwiches, everything at Cafe Selmarie is made on premises.

=R=

[icecreamparty]

How about any French patisseries? i.e. best brioche, best croissant, best cafe au lait/chocolate chaud, etc?

Edited August 23, 2005 by icecreamparty (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

How about any French patisseries? i.e. best brioche, best croissant, best cafe au lait/chocolate chaud, etc?

←

For starters, check out this thread:

Decent Croissant in Chicago, does this exist?

=R=

[Jean Blanchard]

I live in Naperville. With well over 150,000 people and money to spend we can't get a decent bakery in this area. I'm talking REALLY GOOD bakery. We used to have Tasty Bakery (not exactly the place to go for great croissants) in the center of town but even that is gone and replaced with condos. I go to Puerto Vallarta, MX every year and even they have a spectacular french bakery!

Tell all of your pastry chef friends that they are missing an opportunity here! I'm hungry for a good eclair!

jb

[Mark Horvatich]

Have you tried Upper Crust in Lisle (corner of Main and Burlington) or Early Riser in Downers Grove (on Main just south of Curtiss)? And since you mentioned Puerto Vallarta, maybe you can try Cortez Bakery in West Chicago (on Roosevelt in the strip mall just east of 59).

Tasty Bakery moved to Cass Avenue in downtown Westmont, but you can get their products at Lindstrom's bakery in Lisle (on Main just north of Upper Crust).

Venture out of Naperville...there's lots of great stuff in the rest of Dupage County!

Mark

[scordelia]

There is a nice old fashioned bakery in Western Springs.

[Jean Blanchard]

I have tried Upper Crust and I think it's pretty good but not the kind of quality you get at so many bakeries in Chicago. I'm looking for beautiful tarts, croissants and what I think of when I say French pastries. It just really surprises me that we can't seem to get better quality in my town. I'd like to just be able to walk into town, grab a cup of coffee and a fabulous pastry. Maybe I should just move to France! Thanks for the suggestions though. I'll give them a try.

[Mark Horvatich]

This seems to be true in a lot of bakeries and it's definitely true at Upper Crust -- if you go there after, say, 11AM the "good stuff" is gone for the day. That's also true at Cortez Bakery, though if you can speak even a little Spanish, the folks there will "find" some goodies for you in back if you arrive later in the day...

Mark