Take a tour of bakeries with us to find the quality breads and sweets you’ve recommended
Chicago is no cream puff when it comes to bragging about bakeries. We asked for, and you answered with, nominations for the best baked goods in town.
Almost 300 replies came into the Tribune Good Eating mailbox, all from readers adamant that we try the chocolate-frosted doughnuts at their favorite place on the West side, the cinnamon rolls at an Old Town bakery or the seeded rye at a great deli they knew.
It was terrific to see so many passionate and thoughtful letters. Some readers sent detailed lists of their picks, from bread to buns to babkas; others described the obsession their family has with a particular cheese Danish or marzipan cake. No matter what we ended up choosing, we discovered a lot of loyal bakery patrons all over the area.
But we had to narrow it down. The slimmed-down list of 40 bakeries we used as the starting point was culled from names that had the most nominations.
Then we shopped. And ate. And ate and ate. There were times when none of us wanted to look at a pastry again.
Finally, we came up with 20 bakery best bets, based on appearance, texture, flavor and the critical question, “Would you spend your own money to buy this again?” Here are the items we would go back for … and next time, we won’t have to share.
Note: Call ahead of time to be sure that what you’re salivating for is available.
Florentines
Tag’s Bakery and Pastry Shop 2010 Central St., Evanston
847-328-1200
Everybody on the North Shore seems to know about these glistening 2-inch disks of sliced almonds baked in butter and honey and coated on one side with dark chocolate. Chewy and crisp at the same time, toffeelike florentines ($10.50 a pound) make a casual cookies-with-coffee dessert something to look forward to.
Pretzels
Heidi’s
7633 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles
847-967-9393
Forget those airport/ballpark pretzels. Even mustard and a spell under the heat lamp can’t put them in the same league with Heidi’s pretzels and pretzel rolls (45 cents each). These are substantial snacks, appropriately chewy, studded with salt and appealingly handmade. Parking the minivan may be a bit of a challenge in the narrow strip-mall lot, but the quarry is worth it.
Bird feeder bars
Red Hen Bread
1623 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-342-6823
The sweetest way to get your daily fiber requirement comes by way of these thin cookie/bars chockfull of glazed white and black sesame seeds, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, almonds and currants in a caramel coating on a butteryshortbread crust ($1.50 for a 3-inch square). Yum. Don’t you dare give these to the birds. The bakery, just 4 months old, is a tiny, charming storefront lost in a nondescript section of Bucktown. Its small display of rustic-looking breads and desserts is arranged artfully in antique wood and glass cases, and the friendly staff members don’t mind answering lots of questions.
Danish layer torte
Pastries Plus Bakery by Peterson-Webner
129 W. First St., Elmhurst
630-530-2243
The bakery calls this magnificent cake a Danish layer torte ($1.50 slice; $19.95 to $120 for cake, depending on size), a humble name that is akin to calling a Ferrari an Italian manual transmission with wheels. But it’s hard to think of a title that could do justice to this delectable dessert. (Maybe Ferrari Cake?) At any rate, the torte boasts buttery, melt-in-your-mouth yellow cake pleasantly interrupted, seven times, with fresh raspberry filling and mellow, creamy custard. The whole thing is covered with a sinfully rich, creamy fondant icing. Ooo la la. Slices are usually available, but cakes need to be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.
Macaroons
Ambrosia Euro-American Patisserie
710 W. Northwest Highway
Barrington
847-304-8278
Coconut, coconut, coconut is what makes these nuggets (75 cents each) so chewy and splendid. Ambrosia knows how to add just the right amount of sweetness, so that the golden macaroons aren’t overkill when the urge to eat more than one takes over. A trip out to the far northwest suburbs to visit this big bakery filled with elegant pastries is well worth the effort. Tables are on-site if you can’t wait to get your goodies home.
Houska
Vesecky’s Bakery
6634 Cermak Rd., Berwyn
708-788-4144
This egg bread (small, $3.15; large, $4.50) was loved by tasters for being tender, soft and full of raisins. A nice loaf for celebrations or just for treating yourself with a slice of good toast, the bread is not overly sweet and would be great for breakfast.
Palm leaf cookies
Kirschbaum Bakery
825 Burlington Ave., Western Springs
708-246-2894
The bakery, open for more than 40 years, is a resource for any number of old-fashioned sweets, but we (and our readers) particularly like these dainty, pastrylike butter cookies ($1.95 a dozen). Just the thing for an elegant tea or casual morningcoffee with friends, the cookies are an appealing combination of crisp and slightly chewy, which means plenty of yummy crumbs.
Raisin sunflower bread
Breadsmith
1710 N. Wells St.
312-642-5858
This dense bread ($4.29) is made here only on Fridays, but it’s just the thing to have for the weekend. A 2-pound loaf, sprinkled through with chewy raisins and nutty sunflower seeds, makes good sandwich slices and even better toast, especially when smeared with cold, sweet butter. This cozy store is overflowing with specialty loaves if you want to pick up some other selections.
Sourdough rye bread
Bread with Appeal
1009 W. Armitage Ave.
773-244-2700
This great old-fashioned flavored bread ($4.25 for a 22-ounce loaf) offers a hefty dollop of caraway flavor. It is not for wimps. The crust is rough and crisp, the interior chewy and dense with the tang of sourdough. This bread cries out for a pile of good pastrami or corned beef. But it isn’t the only popular item in this attractive bakery/cafe. Saturday mornings find a long line of neighborhood fans waiting for skinny brownies, cowboy cookies, scones, muffins and the chocolate-strawberry bread.
Twist
Sicilia Bakery
5939 W. Lawrence Ave.
773-545-4464
Baker Joe Pecoraro simply calls it a twist, a braided, rustic-looking sesame seed bread ($2.80 for 2-pound loaf) that’s pretty enough to hang on your front door. Except you wouldn’t want to do that, because then you couldn’t eat it. And you won’t be able to resist the crisp crust abundantly sprinkled with fresh sesame seeds, and the soft, doughy bread. This tidy, bright bakery sells a variety of Italian baked goods. The twist is a good place to start.
Spinach croissants
Dinkel’s Bakery
3329 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-281-7300
These stuffed croissants ($1.19) are usually sold out by noon every day, so get there early or make a special order. What’s worth the effort is a superflaky, buttery pastry wrapped around well-seasoned chopped spinach. It’s great for breakfast or lunch. Or use the store’s 75th anniversary as an excuse to come in and celebrate at an old-fashioned bakery and ice-cream parlor.
Butter loaf
Beil’s
4229 W. Montrose Ave.
773-725-0021
The cinnamon-sugar-butter streusel that adorns Beil’s butter loaf ($3.75) is strewn lightly throughout this fluffy, buttery confection that’s part bread, part cake andthankfullynot overly sweet. We loved the tender texture of the yeast dough and the pretty, homemade look of the coffeecake itself. Beil’s, a family-run bakery that has been on the Northwest Side for 52 years, draws a crowd, especially in the morning; the butter loaf certainly must account for some of that attention.
Sauerkraut rye bread
Weber Bakery
7055 Archer Ave.
773-586-1234
The delightfully chewy crust of this loaf ($1.69) encases a soft interior in which flavors of sauerkraut, rye and caraway are beautifully balanced. It’s ideal for sandwiches or for toasting. This and other breads, cookies and an impressive selection of fruit-filled cakes are available from 5 a.m. daily in this picture-pretty, third-generation German-Polish family bakery.
Apricot kolacky
Pticek & Son Bakery
5523 S. Narragansett Ave.
773-585-5500
Flaky and buttery and not too sweet: These are the qualities that make a Pticek Bohemian kolacky (43 cents) stand out. Be warned, however, that not only does this apricot-topped cookie look as good as it tastes, it also is so light that no one will stop willingly after just one. Regular customers also scoop up sour cream cheesecake, grandma rye bread and the Croatian nut roll made with walnuts.
White chocolate mousse cake
Toni Marie’s
51 S. Washington St., Hinsdale
630-789-2020
Lined up on the Tribune’s test kitchen counter with dozens of other bakery products, this beauty stood out: ruffled white chocolate on an airy vanilla cake gilded with fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries ($17 for a 6-inch version). It felt almost criminal to slice it up for the necessary taste test. The reward was a light cake with creamy filling enhanced by the sweet-tart bite of a raspberry sauce (sold separately; $4.95). A small grouping of tables near Toni Marie’s entrance takes advantage of the casual bakery’s location in the heart of Hinsdale’s busy downtownand makes it easy to stop by and sample just a slice ($2.95).
Russian challah
Chaim’s Bakery
4956 W. Dempster St., Skokie
847-675-1005
The bakery is inside the Tel Aviv Kosher Shopping Plaza, a deli/grocery store on the north side of construction-afflicted Dempster Street. You can weave your way through the backhoes and graders, though, and the Russian challah ($1.85 for the 1 1/4-pound loaf, $1.05 for the 3/4-pound) is reason enough to do so. Glossy with an egg glaze, this well-formed loaf is tender, slightly sweet and not too dry, putting it among the best challahs we sampled. Leftovers, sliced thick, make great French toast. It’s available on Thursdays and Fridays only.
Butterscotch coffeecake
Skokie Bakery
4043 Main St., Skokie
847-675-2440
Talk about a slab of serious pastry. The Danishlike cake ($4.95) is about a foot in diameter and laden with butterscotch caramel and pecans, and when you carry it out to your car in its wax paper bag, you’d better use both hands. As one taster wrote: “When fat and calories don’t matter, give me this!”
Apple bistro tart
Bittersweet
1114 W. Belmont Ave.
773-929-1100
It would be hard to zero in on just one sweet when this elegant pastry shop clearly takes such care with everything. But the sight of this golden-crusted confection ($14), circled plumply around soft-cooked apples, was irresistible. This 10-inch tart has a superior, free-form pastry that’s the right side of sweet; the apple filling has been warmed to a caramel finish that is good enough to spoon right out of the pan. Bittersweet is closed Mondays.
French boule
Heavenly Hearth Bread Co.
1101 Central Ave., Wilmette
847-853-0200
“Best bread crust” is what readers told us to look for, and that’s exactly what we found, though beauty is more than skin-deep here. An ambitious roster of artisanal loaves comes out of this minimalist storefront: Racks of bread, a counter and a huge Bongarde oven are the only props. We especially liked the French boule ($2.75), though the denser sourdough (pictured) anda whole-grain boule didn’t last long either.
Jamaican-style beef patties
Caribbean American
Baking Co.
1539 W. Howard St.
773-761-0700
We loved these hot pockets ($1.10). Ground beef gets a charge here from onions, garlic, hot peppers, paprika and a pleasantly fiery spice blendjust enough to warm you through. Everything is held together in a wheat-flour crust that slices perfectly. The store is pretty plain inside-don’t look for fancy decor-but the welcome is sincere.
