Literally the cutest café. This was my favorite breakfast spot while visiting Chicago…read more The second I walked in, I was obsessed. The green and white color palette immediately reminded me of Ralph's Coffee. It felt classic and polished but still charming. Everyone working there had a smile on their face, and the warmth felt so genuine and comforting, especially first thing in the morning. They had such a huge selection of pastries and cakes that it was honestly hard to choose. I ended up getting the cake shaped like a cherry because it looked so interesting. It was a black cherry cake and I paired it with a cappuccino. It was the perfect combination. The cake was beautiful and tasted just as good as it looked. We also ordered the breakfast burrito, which came with a small side salad. It was fine, but not the standout for me. If I came back, which I would, I would probably stick to the pastries and coffee and try more of their baked goods instead. Service was amazing. The ambience was adorable. I loved how all the silverware, plating, and dinnerware matched that perfect green tone. Every detail felt intentional. It was just perfect.

We had a toddler date with a friend and her son here at the cafe at the Peninsula. They had some…read morelimited-time St. Patrick's Day specials that caught my friend's eye, including the Pot of Gold, a special dessert only available for the weekend. The food was really excellent, as was the service. But it was ridiculously priced. The reuben sandwich was $28. It was a great sandwich, very lean, but you could get a sandwich as good for half the cost elsewhere. They only have a couple of kid's items, but my friend requested buttered noodles for her kid rather than the cheesy noodles. I got the hibiscus drink and lavender lemonade, both non-alcoholic, and they were very good. My little one especially liked the hibiscus. And we ordered the appetizer of whipped ricotta and honey; my daughter liked this more than anything else we ordered. We didn't have dessert at the restaurant, but ordered to go. The pot of gold was really good. There were little "gold nuggets" on it and that was my daughter's favorite part; good thing since I didn't realize it had a layer with Bailey's in it. It was very rich, and the cauldron was really thick chocolate (and actually was a struggle to get into, a bit!). The restaurant is small but it didn't feel crowded. We never felt rushed or unwelcome, and we were there for a couple hours (longer than I realized; it took an unusually long time to make two reuben sandwiches). Their pastries are really nice but somewhat expensive, like the rest of the menu. It was a nice, sophisticated experience.

Desserts are life! And Verzenay is the lifeline…read more My love for flaky pastries and aesthetic desserts led me to find Verzenay. I always look for a patisserie whenever visiting a new city, and after scouring for hours, nothing in Chicago really caught my eye except for Verzenay. Other spots had basic desserts, but Verzenay had a wide selection of interesting dessert flavors along with coffee, teas and a brunch menu. Royale 5/5* Very similar to the Opera cake, but with hazelnut instead of coffee buttercream. This was so decadent. The feuilletine was crisp, delicate, and buttery and perfectly balanced out the creaminess of the hazelnut praline and chocolate. Pistachio Escargot 5/5* So flaky and crispy. The lamination on this pastry is unreal. So many layers. Desi Valour 4/5* Wow you can really taste the cardamom. It was an interesting mix of flavors. The carrots were so caramelized it was almost like a fruit chutney. You would never have known it was carrots. Saffron rice crisp at the bottom was really hard to cute through with a plastic knife, but Passionfruit Ricotta Cake Slice 4/5* Eaten immediately at the cafe, it was cold and so refreshing, light, and perfect summer flavors. The passion fruit was tart, and Butterbean smooth, fluffy, and not overwhelmingly sweet. When eaten later though, it somehow tasted way too sweet. There is a reason Verzenay is rated so high. Beautiful presentation, decadent flavors, and perfect indulgence on a nice sunny afternoon.

It had been awhile since my wife & I stopped by this bakery and thankful we tried it again. They…read morehave certainly added to their menu and it is still wonderful. We came for lunch and enjoyed their mushroom and gruyere grilled cheese. Perfect! Lots of gooey cheese and the mushrooms were full of flavor. Not leave without any sweets, we tried both the eclair and Paris-Brest. The Paris-Brest is the way to go and well worth the price. It is quite large, full of light and fluffy hazelnut cream. Do get! Service was excellent - our food was prompt and the cashier was extremely friendly.

This is my favorite place for pastries and baked items. It's my go-to spot whenever I'm craving…read morecake. This location also has a seating area with tables, and during the summer they have outdoor seating too. You can pick the items you want on a tray and then go to the counter to place your order. I have ordered birthday cakes for my friends from here many times. One time I forgot to pre-order, but luckily they had cakes available to buy right away, which was really helpful. Definitely recommend!

Not my favorite chocolate cake but this is personal preference because I love chocolatey desserts…read more(Korean desserts tend to be natural I believe). The cake was still soft and moist, and it was beautiful. I'm glad I got to try it due to its vitality. Interior is cute and clean. Service is fast.

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.

I've been to Jennivee's twice now and I also got my college graduation cake from here last year for…read morepick-up! They did a beautiful job. For my graduation cake, I chose the tres leches and it was so creamy, moist, and delicious. I basically ate half of the cake by myself lol. This most recent time, I needed a snack and wanted something sweet. Everything here looks amazing and I'm sure tastes amazing too, so it's hard to choose. I chose to get the berry chantilly cake slice since it was a hot day, and it was the perfect refreshing treat! It was soooo good.

If you love pastries that melt, flake, crackle, and crunch in all the right ways... 85°C Bakery…read moreCafé is your new best friend. Every pastry on my table was unreal: the almond croissant was buttery and crisp on the outside with the softest layers inside; the cheese bread had that glossy, chewy exterior and sweet creamy pockets; the chocolate bun was rich, moist, and cocoa-packed; and the pineapple bun had that signature sugary crust that breaks like a cookie. Paired it with a creamy iced matcha and a caramel coffee frappe that tasted like liquid dessert. Between the freshness, the textures, and the warm bakery aroma filling the entire place... this is top-tier bakery bliss.

I was excited to have an 85°C in the Chicagoland area unfortunately it does not live up to its CA…read morelocations that I have tried and loved... It's funny bc when my family in CA took us to one-it was like 8pm and there was soo much to choose from... Here, it seems no matter what time you come- there are only a few items for sale... they claim they run out but based on the reviews, it seems they just dont stock well.. the drinks are also EXTREMELY sweet.

Just sad I didn't discover this pastry shop sooner! On a Friday afternoon, they were bustling! They…read morehad some different indoor seating options, most of which were occupied by either people working or friends chatting. It was a pleasant atmosphere and cute decor, but I ended up taking my goods to go. It was hard to decide between all the enticing options but the friendly woman working the register pointed me to their popular chocolate cake and it did not disappoint! More of a mousse than a cake but it was rich and utterly divine. I also tried their spinach feta croissant, which was ok but I'm not convinced the right vessel for that filling. I also appreciated some of their baked goods were reasonable prices so you could easily try something for under $5 or alternatively splurge for the finer pastries.

First visit here, I got some yummy desserts to take home. We grabbed cheesecake, peanut butter…read moretart, chocolate cake and some French Macarons. All desserts were delicious. My French Macarons were even good several days later. On the first occasion the attendant had already put stuff up and was rushing us to close. Even though we got there wit more than 30 minutes before closing time. We tried to come back a few days later as I really wanted that vanilla bean cheesecake again but they were closed. It was closed 30min prior to time advertised on website. We were bummed. While searching for nearby bakeries, we saw several other people try to patronize this business. So overall probably a 4 stars but knocking a star for not advertising the correct hours. Luckily we were already in the area but I would have been mad if made a venture up here and it was closed. I wouldn't bank on this for an after dinner treat. Get your stuff during the day as the hours are not dependable.

I've been to Mindy's a few times now and have never had a problem finding a treat to enjoy. There…read moreare wide variety of pastry items, breakfast sandwiches, and beverages. My favorite, along with many others, is the iced banana bread latte. Definitely get it with the vanilla cinnamon cold foam! I've had a variety of pastries here, but particularly love the coffee cakes and cookies. The breakfast sandwich is also really great if it's fresh. The staff for the most part have been very warm and friendly. If it's busy, they are less likely to want to chat about the options and give a recommendation, so come in with a few ideas of what you're looking for if you come on a weekend! The store itself is very cute, with lots of wood and warm colors. There is limited seated outside on a few benches. I recommend walking to the park to enjoy your treats and coffee.

Stopped by on a day of bopping around town. I asked the gal at the counter to help me pick some…read morethings. She recommended a Bolognese Danish, a Dubai pistachio brownie, and I added an everything bagel and took it all to go. The Danish was by far my favorite. The pastry was flaky, heavenly, and the filling rich and meaty. This is a pastry worth crossing town for. The brownie was fine, but maybe I'm over the Dubai chocolate trend. It didn't really come together as a unified dessert for me. I wanted the brownie to be richer, fudgier, maybe even a bit sweeter. I would probably get something else next time. The everything bagel was a good texture, but the fennel seeds in the seasoning took me so far away from the classic "everything." They overpowered the other flavors, but the texture was fantastic. Overall, I enjoyed the treats I got, would go back to try some other options. I would probably give this 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up. Also want to add how much I miss Hot Chocolate!

Delicious sandwiches, pastries and coffee! Both indoor and outdoor seating. A 10 minute wait in…read moreline on a Saturday, but well worth it... very popular! Don't miss it when you visit Streeterville!

This small Belgian bakery located on the main floor of an apartment building is something special…read more You are immediately greeted by a kind hearted man who thanks you for supporting their business. He notes all the pastries and breads are made in the back daily, gesturing to an open door where you can observe pastry chefs hard at work. I tried their pistachio chocolate croissant and was in heaven. The pastry is nicely sized with flakey inner layers (cloud like) and a crisp exterior. The base boasts a generous strip of pistachio paste with a ribbon of chocolate running through the middle, evenly distributed throughout the croissant, so that each bite has the proper ratio of components. There is a little sitting space just adjacent to the main area if you plan to enjoy your treat on the spot. It also looked like they had hot items, think more breakfast and lunch sandwiches, to your liking. Highly recommend if you are in the area. What's more is the team really seems to appreciate anyone who supports their business, which makes me want to tell everyone and their mother about Hendrickx!