holy shit this was SO GOOD. we got chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate peanut butter, and twice…read morechocolate chip. we got all of them freshly baked piping hot at 10:45pm 15 min before closing they also had a few options left if you don't want to wait for them fresh. the overall store was also super cute, lots of decor and history and merch! CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT SO GOOD BEST CHOC CHIP COOKIE???? crispy outside melt chocolate inside so yums dark chocolate peanut butter v rich, same crispy outside gooey inside. p good but kinda too sweet after a few bites twice chocolate chip has hella chocolate chips and also dark chocolate. tasted diff then the og walnut one i think too much chocolate takes away the cookie flavor idk... yummy but not as good as walnut I WOULD GO BACK JUST FOR THE CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT AGAIN OMG

Love the cookies here! Crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside…read more A small location that's pretty quiet when we went in. The ones working make recommendations if you ask.

This is my absolute most favorite bakery. So this is my ode to the bakery and Dom, who is a gem of…read morean employee there. I've been a customer of almost 10 years and have been obsessed since they first opened their doors at a different location. I literally live an hour away without traffic and even longer with traffic, but I make sure to stop by or send someone else to get it for me at least once a month or more. I love the amazing cakes that are so delicious and unique but on top of that, it is Asian owned, LGBTQ supporting, etc. A lot has changed since their little storefront with no seating. The bakery is now a full on cafe and I'm so happy to see how much they've grown and how successful they are. And while it is glorious, I will say I miss the sweet neighborhood charm and great customer service it used to have. Getting in touch with the bakery through phone or text can be tough and to be honest, sometimes one of the people working there is kind of...very mean. It had me questioning if I should keep coming back. I just love this bakery so much though and being raised by parents that had a small food business, I can't help but want to support. I had a particularly difficult last minute request for the bakery a few weeks ago and I was reminded why this place is so great. It had been YEARS since I made this specific request, which was an order for a slice of cake for every flavor and a cupcake for every flavor. This is a BIG and time consuming request, especially if it's last minute. Unfortunately I come to the city whenever the traffic isn't atrocious, so it's always last minute. Dom absolutely pulled through though. Even though there were other employees there (I saw two others but one disappeared and then another male was kind of walking around the cafe and such), Dom took this giant request and fulfilled it himself. The other gentleman (not the mean person previously mentioned) was actually who I made the request to, but he told Dom to do it. I was kind of confused why they didn't do it together but idk, maybe the other guy isn't allowed to handle food? Who knows. Regardless, this request obviously took a long time and the line was getting longer; people were getting a little restless but Dom stayed calm but was swift. I swear he was moving faster than most people in the industry could with a cake knife like that. He was not impatient or rude to me at all. He was just there to do his job as fast and well as possible. It's so rare to see that type of work ethic. He is also so obviously proud of the bakery and the food they serve which makes you feel good about being a patron there. So although I continue to have an unpleasant experience with one particular employee there, Dom keeps my love for this bakery alive. He reminds me of what this bakery was like when they first opened their doors. I hope Dom is cherished there and I bet he is considering his work ethic. I will continue to support this bakery and I recommend everyone else to support as well. It may not be that small little shop anymore but Dom is a reminder of the heart of the place.

Excellent though expensive cupcakes Coffee is good…read more Plenty of seating and tables if you're eating in Service is very good

Within the old Gate area of Chicago Chinatown on Wentworth sit two Chinese (Cantonese) bakeries…read more Chiu Quon was by far the more popular of the two. It is newer and sharper looking. Staff spoke English well. Customers included many westerners as well as the expected Asians. Chiu Quon is cash only, same as Feida across the street. I was generally quite excited about what I might find here. The name Chiu Quon 超群 is a 50+ years old bakery in Hong Kong (English name Maria's bakery). I was wondering if it had any association. Alas, no. Be that as it may, this Chiu Quon is a 1986 institution in Chicago Chinatown. So, they deserve their own applause. I was on a mission per a friend's request to find 'chicken little cookies' 雞仔餅 or as CQ calls it, Phoenix Cookies. That was the first thing I bought. Alas, my friend reported they are oddly sweet instead of savory. Well, each has their own family recipes. I did side by side comparisons with Feida. The CQ pastries are a bit more refined, prettier, a reasonable filling to crust ratio, but also smaller, less filled, and $0.25 more. Items we bought: - Wife pastry 老婆饼, filled with wintermelon filling (no chunks) - Red bean pastry 豆沙酥, a smaller flat round type - Crystal gel pastry 香蕉糕. This old school soft steamed glutinous rice mochi roll is now commonly vanilla flavor. Theirs have a bit of red bean inside. Their version was quite sweet. - Red bean filled pastry bar with walnuts. We liked this item the most. Plump, well filled with red bean, the walnut has a balance to the sweetness, minimum crust. We bought more to bring home. All items were around $2.50. I honestly like both bakeries and wish we have lower cost options at home.

We came here for a quick breakfast and were satisfied with what we got. There was a bit of a line…read moreinside, but it moved quickly. We got a few buns and pastries, then ate them inside at the standing counter they had along the window by the front door. This did feel very mych like a grab and go spot, but it was raining so we stayed a bit longer. Food was nice and tasted correct. Prices seemed fair, and the space was clean - felt like your typical Chinese bakery. Overall, we left feeling full with our choices and it was a nice experience. Thanks, Chiu Quon!

We had an amazing experience during our recent trip to Chicago at Kasama. Our dinner consisted of…read more13 courses. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared, beautifully presented, and delicious. It was such a fun experience getting to try the chef's own take on Filipino cuisine. The quality of the food really stood out. My personal favorites were the nilaga and halo halo. The service was also excellent -- everyone was attentive, welcoming, and made the entire dinner feel special. I also couldn't help but notice how different the ambiance was. The kitchen area was open to where you could directly see the chefs. I usually feel chaos at times watching their every move along with them shouting over each other, but I felt a sort of calmness here. No one looked stressed or angry - just a bunch of chefs doing what they do best in a calm and quiet manner.. which I appreciated! Overall, a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. Definitely worth trying if you're in Chicago!

Kasama is a two Michelin star restaurant in Chicago that is arguably more famous for their…read morebreakfast than their dinner service. Every scroll online was about their longanisa breakfast sandwich and infamously long line. So of course, I had to give them a try. They open at 9am, but the line starts forming long before then. Luckily, I had just gotten off my red-eye flight, so I headed straight from O'hare International Airport to Kasama. We arrived around 8:45am and the line was already halfway down the block. And as we got closer to opening time, the line doubled. We waited in total for an hour and a half before it was our turn to order. Now, I must say, it is definitely not worth it to wait in line in the morning for their daytime service. You can order your food online and walk straight inside to pick it up when it is ready. The food we ate did not feel worth a 90 minute wait in the freezing Chicago wind. The dining area is quite small with only a few tables available. I think they have an outdoor dining area as well, but no one really wanted to sit there given the cold. Even though daytime service is only counter service, the workers were really nice. The girl at the counter was so friendly and helped us quickly find a table after ordering. The longanisa breakfast sandwich arrived at our table wrapped in aluminum foil. And for the time that we waited, I was hoping to receive a fresh sandwich. I totally understand batching the sandwiches ahead of time to meet their ridiculous demand, but I was a bit underwhelmed. The sandwich was still good. I liked the silky texture of the egg, but the meat was already lukewarm. Eating the sandwich did not feel as satisfying as I had hoped it would.  I liked my drink - the Maiz con Leche. Hot and creamy with delicious corn flavor. I like the grainy texture of it as well.  The second most well known item here is probably the Ube and Huckleberry Basque Cake. It's a good cake. Crumbly texture. Tart. Although I felt like the huckleberry for the most part overwhelmed the ube. I was hoping to get a bit more ube flavor, but I could really only taste it in the bits where it wasn't mixed that well into the huckleberry.  I did, however, love the Matcha Panda Eclair - a light choux pastry with a piping of matcha pandan cream, filled with toasted rice. This was probably one of the best pastries I've ever had. The bite of this pastry is very satisfying. The outer layer of the pastry has ridges that are slightly crisp, and chomping through the choux to hit the crunch of the toasted rice was very satisfying. And the cream was delicious. They absolutely nailed the matcha and pandan flavor. I feel like pandan can be a difficult flavor to get right, so I was especially impressed with how they pulled it off.  Regardless of the time it takes to stand in line to dine-in, Kasama is a great place to visit. I would just recommend everyone skip the line and order online!

Really cool place to get a great latte and breakfast right down in the loop…read more Cinnamon buns looked amazing. Latte and cereal granola bowl were really filling. Husband got a breakfast sandwich which was hearty. Long lines, limited seating.

Everyone but one particular women was wonderful. Her name was Tamera. She yelled at my friend and I…read moreto step up to the order area after we had been asked to wait, when we explained why we were waiting she said "ok well you can still step up!! right here! go here!" in an awfully rude tone. Tamera may need to be educated on how to appropriately redirect guest. I know customer service does not come natural to everyone but as this was my first and only exposure to this shop I felt immediately off put by her attitude. I waited 15 minutes for my food. I went inside to look to see if it was ready. Tamera responded with "We have been calling out names outside." in once again, another rude tone. I took my sandwich and left. The sandwhich was cold and squishy (ham and cheese croissant) due to the long wait. I do not recommend this place to anybody who is visiting while in Chicago. I understand that the cafe is busy. Learn to manage your stress and not take it on guests. Very unprofessional.

A very cute place that I'm so happy to have found! It was small, intimate, and cozy. Definitely the…read morekind of place you'd want to hang out in for a bit while you sip some coffee and chat. The staff were super kind and patient! It was my and my friend's first time there. We both got the raspberry cinnamon roll and she got a latte. She loved her coffee, and the cinnamon roll was amazing! It was just the right amount of tart and sweet, and the cream cheese frosting was very light. Can't wait to come back and try the other options!

One of my favorite bakeries in Chicago!…read more The vibes were 9.5/10. Kerrie, the owner, was so nice ringing us up and all the employees were super kind. We got there 10 minutes before opening and were second in line. We even saw the first customer get a free drink, which was such a nice touch. The space feels really welcoming and homey, and I loved the aesthetic. There are only 3 tables though, so seating is limited. The Banana Bread (9.9/10) was ON CLOUD 9. So moist and chocolatey, with a light chocolate cream and roasted candied pecans that had the perfect crunch. Absolutely loved this one. The Raspberry Cinnamon Roll with Espresso Cream Cheese (9/10) had a nice laminated pastry and espresso cream wasn't overly sweet. Such a good combo. The Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Danish (9/10) tasted like a chocolate fudge danish topped with cookies and cream, which I loved. It had the firmest shell of the pastries we got and that extra crunch was perfect. The Hot Dog Pastry (8.5/10) was super flaky, and I loved the crunchy pieces on top. The Guava Custard Danish (8/10) had a great guava flavor and was solid. The Breakfast Pastry (8/10) had hashbrown, ham, and cheese inside a flaky crust. It was a really good flaky breakfast sandwich and WAY better heated up. The Atomic Cake (7/10) had vanilla cake, banana, strawberry cream, cheesecake, chocolate, and a light whipped cream topping. The cake layers were moist and it wasn't overly sweet.

We came by about 20 minutes before opening, and was inside around 40 minutes after. The line moved…read morefairly quickly. Interior is very small, so only a few can fit inside. However, they don't rush you when you're inside at all so you can take your time to look through the options. What I love about Sugar Moon is all of their pastries are very unique. They have great flavor combinations beyond the usual selection of laminated pastries. There was extensive savory options as well. I loved their focaccia bread. I've had some weird options at other bakeries (Kasama looking at you) but I genuinely enjoyed eating everything at Sugar Moon even if they were an interesting mix of flavors There is a lot of hyped bakeries in Chicago right now but Sugar Moon is absolutely worth the line.

Is it worth the hype?? It sure is hard to argue against it. We came on a Friday around 10am and…read moretook us about 30 minutes to get our order in and our food. Street parking wasn't too bad, and my wife got coffee up the block while I waited. Their menu rotates often so here's what we got (and I may be getting my pastry names wrong here): Espresso cornflake cookie Smores cookie Banana pudding croissant Jalapeno cheddar galette Southwest brioche Miso mushroom brioche There's a bit of outdoor seating around the corner from the cafe. Honestly? Not a miss among them. Just reading that list again is making my tummy grumble, and everything was chock full of flavor and toppings. Maybe we ordered too much this trip since my preschooler wouldn't touch the spicy stuff, and no way I was giving them a coffee cookie, but otherwise everything was perfectly soft and a great start to our day in the city. Hard to say if it beats the other popular bakeries in the city, but really we're all winners with so many great spots around now.

We happened to pass this bakery when walking around downtown. I had their banana pudding in New…read moreYork before and like it so much. There was a banana pudding bar where you could add different flavors to the banana pudding. There were cupcakes and other yummy desserts also. The service was very swift. - banana pudding: smooth, creamy, and good amount of sweetness. It was the same delicious pudding as I had in NY. - hot chocolate banana pudding: just okay. It tasted a bit of chocolate but the M&M's pieces gave a weird texture to the hot chocolate theme (just not my liking).

Magnolia Bakery is known for its banana pudding, and for good reason! After recently trying banana…read morepudding somewhere else that honestly didn't impress me, coming to Magnolia's and enjoying their banana pudding was exactly what I needed. My companion ordered the classic banana pudding, while I tried the banana pudding with a brownie bar. Let me tell you, that brownie version was AMAZING! It was delicious, and I'm disappointed I forgot to take a picture because it deserved its moment. Both options were enjoyable, but the brownie addition was definitely a highlight for me. The bakery is always clean, and I love that it's relatively spacious for a bakery. The customer service was also top-tier. We arrived when they were getting ready to close, but the staff still welcomed us in to grab our desserts. We were able to get in and out quickly, and I really appreciated them accommodating us so close to closing time. Between the delicious banana pudding, clean environment, and excellent customer service, Magnolia Bakery continues to live up to its reputation. Five stars from me!

Our experience with Bittersweet Bakery was exceptional from beginning to end. We ordered our…read morewedding cake from Bittersweet, and they made the entire process enjoyable and stress-free. The cake tasting was a wonderful experience, giving us plenty of delicious options to choose from while helping us create the perfect cake for our special day. Throughout the entire process, their communication was outstanding. They kept us informed every step of the way and worked directly with our wedding venue, "Firehouse Chicago", to coordinate the delivery and logistics. Everything was handled seamlessly, and our cake arrived exactly as planned without a single issue. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but Bittersweet's professionalism, organization, and proactive approach gave us one less thing to worry about. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellent customer service truly stood out. One feature we especially love is that they keep the recipe and design of your wedding cake on file. Every anniversary, they can recreate your wedding cake or a cake in any size you choose. We've continued this tradition, and each anniversary cake has been just as delicious as the original while bringing back wonderful memories of our wedding day. If you're looking for a bakery that is responsive, dependable, and delivers an outstanding product, I highly recommend Bittersweet Bakery for your wedding cake or any bakery needs. They responded promptly to our questions and requests, unlike some businesses that never replied to estimate inquiries. Their customer service and quality were truly exceptional. A heartfelt thank you to Samuel who conducted the Cake Tasting and the entire staff at Bittersweet Bakery for helping make our dream wedding a reality. We will always be grateful and look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with your incredible cakes.

The pastries at bittersweet will never disappoint. I grew up going to this bakery and the quality…read morehas never wavered. The quiche is always fantastic, and anything out of the pastry case is a must. Drinks are good as well! Such a cozy spot to grab coffee with a friend (or give in to the temptation of snagging a pastry on your way to the brown line)

This was our go-to coffee spot whenever we were near the Riverwalk area or needed strong matcha in…read morethe morning for the day ahead. I would order ahead via the app, and either my husband would pick up or we would go there together. The baristas consistently made drinks well. It's a cute little PB spot. I would definitely recommend if you're staying at one of the nearby hotels and need a PB fix.

I was in Chicago last month and, while exploring the city on foot, I came across Paris Baguette and…read moredecided to stop and try one of their pastries and a coffee. From the moment I walked in I was impressed. The store was spotless , everything looked fresh, and the displays were beautifully organized. It was honestly hard to choose because everything looked so good. They had outdoor seating, which made it the perfect spot to sit back, relax and take in the city while enjoying a yummy pastry and coffee. Service was fast and no lines. Favorite unexpected spot during my trip to Chicago!