One of the absolute best bakeries in the city that somehow feels like a well-kept secret, even though it has been around for decades. I've tried several kinds of chocolate cake, the lemon bar, red velvet cake, various scones, the carrot cake, the cheesecake, and one thing is better than the next. These owners really care about producing an excellent product and succeed. Prices are extremely reasonable and staff is lovely. A destination bakery! read more

The banana cake is the best I've ever had. The key lime pie is tart but sweet & smooth textured with real whipped cream. That's so important. The chocolate decadence cake is heaven in a slice. I wish they would have the 3" cakes regularly available. The pineapple coconut cake is the right amount of sweetness where sometimes coconut is overloaded with sugar. I wish they had other coconut options. Today I'm trying their brownie and a macadamia cookie. I'd like to try the cheesecakes but I usually buy my standards. The less than perfect-- I think the staff could be a bit more friendly, especially to repeat customers from the neighborhood. A lot of their business is selling wholesale to restaurants, but people paying retail should be treated in a friendly manner. I call ahead to check stock ( I recommend you do so you're ready with substitutions). A lot of the items are frozen, so plan thawing time for a party. I must say I often feel the staff, not the younger girls, often acts like I'm bothering them and a customer shouldn't feel that way. After all, it's treats & it should be a pleasant experience. I don't think it's intentional & it's not nasty, just not friendly. Buy directly from JRs and don't use a food delivery service because the up charge is too much. read more

I work in a cafe in bucktown long time ago and they order pastries from here jr bakery Scones and muffins Today I pass by and pick up some treats Tastes good and fresh See you soon again read more

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After reading Andrea M's review, I made a visit after a Target run. Picked two cake options off their menu to see if slices were available in the back. Still $4.50 a slice - coincidentally went with same cake choices as Andrea, the marjolaine and the chocolate decadence (wanted to get something rich but not so heavy as the chocolate fudge cake). Next visit - cheesecake slices! Going to have to think over how many and which ones. read more

Amazing cheesecake! Especially their frozen chocolate dipped one. Support small, local businesses! read more

JR Dessert Bakery - Frozen chocolate dipped cheesecake - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had driven past this bakery several times, and it doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you step inside, the small space is neat and clean . There is a small counter showing off brownies, tarts, lemon squares, and cupcakes. What isn't obvious is that you can ask for cake slices from the menu above, even though the cakes aren't featured in the display case. I got 3 slices of cake - the mango cheesecake was very creamy and full of mango flavor. It's great if you like a creamy texture (as opposed to a stiffer New York style). The marjolane was unique, made with nut flour. The chocolate decadence slice was rich and fudgey, with hints of coffee/espresso notes - it was great and not too sweet. read more

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I ended up here because I was stuck in traffic due to an accident on Howard street. I ended up buying a honey bun and a few assorted fruit tarts - and I was blown away. Everything tastes beyond good! I have decided to get my birthday cake from them. read more

Jr is the best cheesecake, Hands down. Very clean & inviting. All the choices! They have improved on their customer service. I'm so happy about that. read more

I ordered a 2 tiered cheesecake as a wedding cake for a family friend when the bakery she ordered cancelled the order so the bakery could go on vacation. There were no more bakeries in Milwaukee that could make the cake for them in time. I called JR's and in 10 minutes the order was taken and paid for! It was in a huge box and I was able to safely drive to Milwaukee, unload and store at the venue so easily. The cake was so beautiful and it is difficult to find the adjectives to describe how delicious it was. It was light,creamy and perfectly baked. It was covered in a cream cheese frosting that was tarter than the cake and it was an amazing bite! I will use this bakery for many of my future cheesecake needs!!! read more

My family received a pecan caramel cheesecake from this bakery as a gift for Christmas and we all enjoyed it! I'm not a fan of pecans so that might have tainted my eating experience slightly but the top layer of cheesecake and caramel was absolutely wonderful! After letting it thaw for a while, it was perfectly soft and melted in your mouth. I didn't really like the chocolate icing on top or the bottom layer of hard crust. Both didn't have very good flavors to them and the crust was so hard it was difficult to cut or eat. But again the cheesecake by itself without all the extra stuff was absolutely great! I would love to try other items from here soon. read more

JR Dessert Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Bought a delicious cheesecake for Thanksgiving. Everyone enjoyed it! The people there were patience, kind and welcoming. I'd definitely go back. read more

Husband got me the red velvet cupcake, blue berry tart and a cherry tart. The red velvet cupcake was the best, no artificial red taste that most red velvets have, and the cream cheese frosting was perfectly sweetened. The tarts were okay, the blueberry tart had those super tiny blueberries that are more flesh then fruit, so it's weird to eat, would have been better with the larger blueberries. The cherry tart tasted like the canned cherry filling you can get at Walmart, very sweet and artificial tasting. I'd go back for the red velvet cupcakes for sure, skip the tarts. The filling isn't fresh tasting. read more

Unfortunately a $28 Apple pie was soup. Disappointing! For a Thanksgiving Dinner. For this amount of money quality testing should be part of the process. read more

For the past 10 years I drove down this bakery and saw the sign they had at the window "cookies and milk"and thought it was funny as who would just buy cookies and milk at a bakery??? But I finally gave this place a shot, walked in one day and ordered their cheesecake. And omg it was the best cheesecake I ever ate. You can order a slice or the whole cake. I absolutely love this place and have been holding back as I wish I can eat their cheesecake every week. read more

When I fist saw the Apple pie, I thought now there is a awesome looking pie.. But looks can be deceiving.. It has to be the most bland flavorless apple pie I ever ate.. read more

If you've ever ordered dessert at a restaurant and been blown away, only to find out it wasn't made in-house, it was probably from this place. The more I find out about this bakery, the more I love it. They have the best carrot cake you can get, and they have a banana cake that is unreal. read more

If you want cheesecake that tastes like toppings and sauces, this is not the place for you. If you want some of the best cheesecake you've ever had, with flavorings that complement the actual cheesecake, rather than overpowering it, you want to go to JR Dessert Bakery. This is some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. A small sampler (six generous slices) ran us $20, so very reasonably priced as well. read more

Errrrrmah gawd! These are the best cupcakes! The frosting is perfect, not your typical sugary frosting. You can tell they use quality products. I will definitely be ordering from here read more

I hosted a birthday brunch for my wife with a few close friends earlier this month. When she gave me the go ahead to buy cheesecake I took to Yelp for some guidance on the best in town. Thankfully all roads led me to JR Dessert Bakery which is not far from our home in Skokie! I settled on the most popular - plain cheesecake - which was truly delicious. The only complaint is that it crumbled rather easily and could have been creamier. Still, the cheesecake lived up to its reputation and my wife was happy! Great customer service from placing the order over the phone to pick up. read more

JR Dessert Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

2 words...Brownie Cheesecake. Nothing else needs to be said. Been enjoying this place since my teens.

Should be 6 stars. Eli who? Worth the drive up north and then some. The lightest and best tasting cheesecake I have had cross my lips. Not too sweet, not too dense with the perfect combination of flavors and zest. I am only bummed that I took it to the neighbors and couldn't eat the whole thing myself. Got the variety pack with six unique cheesecakes. Each was wonderful, including just the plain one. Can't wait to try the rest of what they've got going on there. A tad pricey, but heaven isn't cheap these days. read more

Any kind of cheesecake you can possibly imagine can be found here. They have all different varieties and sizes. Their cheesecakes are excellent -- a really great crust, with soft and creamy cheese filling. The best thing about this place is their cheesecakes are always fresh baked. And you can have them deliver their yummy goods to anywhere in the U.S!! read more

JR Dessert Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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JR's cheesecakes, brownies and other treats are indeed as good as it gets. We have friends, a married couple who both cook superbly and are known for being well able to, individually and together, make delicious scratch cheese cakes. When ever we are invited to their home for a gathering of more than six people that includes a meal, they request we bring a J.R. Dessert Bakery lemon cheesecake as they fell in deep like with one we brought along years ago. They prefer JR's to their own. S. and I agree with them. ~Peter O. and S. read more

Not much to look at inside, three menu boards and almost empty display case. Guess most of their business is wholesale and mail order. Service was ok, felt as if I took someone away from browsing their computer. Bought blueberry, and pecan caramel. Cheesecakes come frozen, told to thaw for 4 hrs at room temp. Not that great, really dense but not much flavor. Crust what crust! Very minimal, and very thin. Bought one brownie in display case, ended up throwing it away. Hard exterior from being left out too long. They had slices of cheesecakes also but did not look appetizing, maybe I should have took that as a clue to leave! read more

Having lived in Chicago and never having heard of this place my friend Nicole asks me to go pick her up a few cheesecakes for her office party. She orders a lemon and pumpkin and they get them and show them to me and I approve of the cheesecake. They slice it and place it into the box. I order a slice of their dark cherry cheesecake for myself to try. I get home and place all the cheesecake into my freezer and sit down to eat my slice. This is one of the best cheesecakes I have found in the Midwest. Now to find an occasion for me to bring a cheesecake to just so I can hit this place up again! YUM! read more

I had a chance to try the Key Lime Pie and the Molten Lava Chocolate Cake at the Taste of Chicago and it was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be checking them out for any event that I need to bring the dessert to because it was the bomb!!!!! read more

I have tried the carrot cake, cheese cake, red velvet cake and cupcakes, tripe choc mousse cake, flour less cake and lemon cupcakes. I work for an establishment where we buy from Jrs and sell their desserts. I must say they are all delicious. My customers even want the bakery info. I will def buy for my family parties and holidays. Very excellent desserts!!! Highly recommended read more

I went here to buy a cheesecake for a work birthday, and it got rave reviews. I didn't give it five stars only because I don't like cheesecake, so I'm not the best judge, but the women at my work loved it. Another important factoid: the prices listed on their website must be for mail ordered cheesecakes. I got a large cheesecake that served over 20 people for $26, which I think is reasonable. Their website prices list it as close to $50. I almost didn't go, and I'm so glad I did! read more

Top notch cheesecakes! If you ask for an irregular you can get acheesecake at a discounted price with just one or two flaws. I recommend this place for anybody that wants a quality cheesecake. read more

I have never used yelp before but created an account just to praise the work of JR bakery, I know a good dessert when I see one- Recently a friend turned me on to JR when he brought the Variety Pack to our weekly game night. This cheesecake was something special we each (my 3 friends and I) tried a small portion of each cheesecake. Each one after the next was spectacular and all around amazing from unique flavors like cappuccino or classics like the artfully mastered raspberry. The best in our opinion was pineapple coconut, the only one that was slightly dissapointing was lemon which I see is not a favorite among others reviews. 5/5 Amazing, a must if you live in the Chicago-Land area. read more

A friend sent me one of their cheesecakes as a holiday gift and, oh my, it is the best cheesecake I have ever had, including bakeries in NYC. Creamy, light, with a wonderful crust I would recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately, don't live in the Chicago area anymore or I would be there ever day....and weight 400 lbs! read more

I was referred to them by Pasta Palazzo since they get their desert there. I stopped by today and was blown away by the quality of everything there. The only upsetting thing was the selection of bake treats wasn't as large as other bakeries. I am definitely looking forward to trying all the cakes and pies they sell. read more

I got my wedding cupcakes from JR Dessert Bakery this past July. Unlike another reviewer, I did not receive free samples before making my decision. They had me order and pay for the different flavors before deciding, which I was a bit surprised about since they knew I'd be ordering over 150 cupcakes. Once I decided on the flavors and placed my order, they suggested I get frozen cupcakes because it would be a lot easier to transport them from the north side to the south side without them melting in the summer heat. It made me a bit uncomfortable since I wondered if they would taste fresh, but I figured they knew what they were doing, so I agreed to it. A bit to my surprise, they were actually really good when they did defrost and you couldn't even tell they had been frozen. Had the reception hall kept the cupcakes out when my brother-in-law brought them over instead of putting half of them in the fridge (they weren't aware they were frozen and I wasn't around to tell them), it probably would have turned out fine and they would have all been defrosted by dessert time. And after the wedding, we had leftover cupcakes which we kept frozen and would defrost a couple hours before we wanted to eat them and even a month later, they still tasted fresh and delicious so I say who cares if they are frozen first as long as they taste good! There was an incident with the bakery though on the day of the wedding. They forgot to give our small cake for the cake cutting to my brother in law who picked everything up to bring them to the reception hall. They called us to let us know that they had accidentally forgotten to give them the cake along with the cupcakes and wanted us to come pick it up. Since our wedding ceremony was going to start within the hour and was more than 45 minutes away from the chapel and reception hall, we said that wasn't going to work. After a bit of arguing back and forth, they kindly agreed to bring the cake to the reception hall for us. It made it in plenty of time for the reception and they even called the next day to make sure everything worked out which was very thoughtful of them. I'd say 3.5 stars for customer service, but 5 stars for deliciousness of the cupcakes. read more

This is a small bakery on Howard street. They are mostly special order and mail order. They have a good selection of pies, coffee cakes and cheese cakes. I promise you that you will be impressed with the quality and taste. Simply amazing. All natural ingredients and simple but great recipes. Many of their item are frozen and ready for you to bake or defrost. If you want your order ready to eat, call ahead and special order. I would highly recommend the Apple Pie. read more

We love JR cheesecakes and have loved them for years. We used to live in Chicago and it was our go-to place. Now that we live in Houston, we get one shipped to us every year for my moms birthday. This year, the heat was way too much and the cheesecake arrived at room temperature instead of cold. I called JR to see if that was ok and received the best customer service. The owner apologized and offered to refund my money. Who wants a refund? I want cheesecake. So she said she would ship a new cheesecake out the same evening packed with dry ice. I can't wait to dig in! Great customer service and amazing desserts!!!! read more

One late night I was scouring Google for good dessert places in Chicagoland. This was one of the places heavily recommended. However, I have to recommend against it. Everyone raved about the cheesecakes here, and as a cheesecake enthusiast myself, I had to try this place out. I had the lemon cheesecake and was highly disappointed. Furthermore, the service left a LOT to be desired. After going into the store, I noticed they offered a Wildcat Advantage (they give a discount to Northwestern University students). I showed them my Wildcard, and expected that shold be enough. However, it wasn't...Every other place that offers Wildcard Advantage, just letting them inspect my Wildcard is sufficient, but not here. They wanted to make a copy of my Wildcard. I have no idea what they would do with it or why they even needed it. Needless to say, I refused to take the student discount. Additionally, they have a credit card minimum. Usually this doesn't bother me because I understand how bank fees can really add up and be burdensome for these small stores, but this just came as icing on the cake after the whole Wildcard situation. Not coming back here again. read more

The lady who served me was quite pleasant. I chose a slice of ginger lemon cheesecake, a slice of chocolate mousse cheesecake and two chocolate chip cookies, one with nuts. Ii thought they tasted good. The slice were 3 bucks and some change and the cookies were big and under 2 bucks. I wasn't blown away but I'd return if I were in the area. read more

The best quality cheesecake I have had, the frozen cheesecake bars are to die for!!! Great pies as well, very good to pick some up for parties! read more

I usually do not like cheesecake, but the Cappuccino cheesecake from JR is delicious. When I brought a few slices of cake (red velvet, pear, and carrot) to a friend's house, they loved them. I am definitely going back to JR. read more

I've been eating JR Dessert Bakery's products for at least 20 years. They just keep getting better and better. The cheesecakes are heaven. It's hard to choose, so you can get the one with six flavors. The other pastries are just as good. I purchased the pear cake for my mother's birthday and it turned out to be one of the best cakes I've ever eaten. The brownies are killer. Best bakery in Chicago. read more