My new favorite baked goods spot! There aren't a lot of Asian bakeries aside from the ones in China Town, so I was extremely happy to find this. I usually try to go there early in the mornings when they have more selections. I've tried almost every single pastry they have, and can say they are all fresh and have great flavors, both savory and sweet. My personal favorites are the pork floss buns and the mochi buns. I usually get the matcha latte here, and have gotten it both sweetened and unsweetened. Both are great! read more

Have been waiting to try this little Asian style cafe in South Loop. All the seats at the cafe were taken at first - many people work/study there at Sunday afternoon (?), but we were able to grab a table with ~5 min wait Most bakery items are Asian influenced and looked delicate. The lychee black tea cookies I got were pretty good but neither lychee nor black tea flavors were noticable Little bit disappointed but how sweet my tumeric soy milk latte was. I deliberately asked if it is sweet and the staff there said it can be unsweetened... read more

one of my favorite cafes in chicago. i'll go out of my way for this one. amazing drink selection (flavored matches, teas), cute pastries, nice decor, friendly staff. also a nice study space read more

I was really looking forward to trying out Sweet Bean after seeing a lot of posts on social media about it and was super excited that there was finally a bakery/cafe in the South loop area that featured Taiwanese-style breads and desserts (among other things like soup dumplings). But unfortunately, I was disappointed by the quality of the pastries, like the mung bean mooncakes or salted egg yolk/red bean pastries...they don't match at all the quality of those you can get in Taiwan. Honestly, you can buy higher quality stuff (I Mei desserts for example) at a local Asian supermarket like H-Mart, or just stop by Chinatown if you want better freshly made breads. I didn't try the soup dumplings, as I am wary of stores buying frozen ones and just heating them up - and even though the store claims theirs are all made in house - some of the photos on the page seem to suggest otherwise. Regardless, I doubt the flavor of these dumplings will be authentic...there are much better places to visit in the city. read more

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I took my parents here and they usually don't like trying many new things, but they LOVED it! I've been coming back frequently and the staff are always fantastic. They don't have their menu online yet, so I included pictures of it with my review. They also have a variety of sweet and savory pastries available and I highly recommend trying those. Our favorites from the pastry cases are the parmesan hot dog buns, mini quiches, and blueberry pudding tart. read more

Sweet Bean - Breakfast menu - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My go-to coffee spot. Quick, convenient and delicious! Their iced caramel latte is always just sweet enough!

I went last year and was happy with the experience. I went once again recently and a few things have changed that were pretty disappointing. They are now self serve, so you have to use tongs to place your pastries into small plastic bags. These bags do not seal shut, they are pretty small, so it is difficult to place pastries in these bags. If you drop the items, you get charged for it. This is fair, but it didn't used to be this way. You made a pleasant experience into an annoying challenge. They didn't used to do this. You used to be able to place items on trays and the cashier would help you bag your items. They would also place any delicate items in boxes. If you bought multiple pastries, they would also give you a larger bag. They didn't do any of that this time. My egg tarts were crush by simply being placed in a bag vs. a box. I was very disappointed by the experience. The pastries weren't very good as well, only the egg tarts were great (even after being crushed). read more

Barista and everyone is friendly BUT THE ORDER TAKERS can be persnickety and unreasonable!!! I really like these folks but the order takers up front are killing this business. I live 180 feet away and was going to this restaurant 2 to 3 days a week so I called downstairs since I was in a hurry and asked if I could just place an order for an egg and cheese omelette. I explained I lived upstairs and I would be happy to pay for it over the phone or in person when I get downstairs but they were not willing to help me. Since I always tip and usually spend $20 to $30 two to three times a week, I am a $3000+ a year customer. I asked politely three times if there was anyway she could help me since I was I a hurry, and because they burned my egg omelette yesterday and they promised it in 15 minutes... it came out burnt and in over 20 minutes when they were no more than 3 people in the restaurant including me. I used to be in the restaurant business So I hate to ever complain about anything, but if the folks that are taking care of the customers in the front of house can't be accommodating or at least try this place is going to fail no matter how good the food is and I'm sure the rents high.... Bottom line I hate that this place can't get it together because if they could they would make a ton of cash and I would be very supportive of it! Guess I'll just walk to Dunkin' Donuts save $16 and get my egg and cheese wrap from there since I can't seem to get a simple order for an omelette placed. Very disappointed in the service Because the food is great. Honey Berry Café and Yolk also around the corner and their people are pretty polite. If you go here you'll find some good food but hopefully you'll get a nice person too! This is regarding service dates on 12/17/2021 and 12/18/2021. 12/18/2021 was the poor experience. Both at approx 8am. read more

Delicious food and coffee, cute and cozy vibe. We had to come back a second time while on vacation because the kids loved it too. read more

Sweet Bean - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is open and a great spot to grab coffee and a selection of over a dozen homemade pastries. The variety is impressive. It's right off the train too which makes it a convenient meet up spot. read more

Sweet Bean - Sweet and savory baked goods - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Take all my money because this is the best Taiwanese pastry cafe hands down. Reminded me a lot of the 85°C Bakery Cafe in California. I stop here every time I'm in the South loop now. The variety switches out every time and there's always something new to try. The drink options are also extensive and I absolutely adore the interior design of the cafe. read more

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I do love this place which is in my neighborhood. I go there a few times per week looking for one favorite item - the crispy shrimp rolls. Why do they not make MORE of these?!!! They are awesome. I have tried their coffees and the teas (as it is now winter). It seems to be a great place to read and study, but I usually get mine to go. Love that they are also checking customers' vaccination cards and the place is very clean. Keeping our city safe and covid-free is huge for me. I am trying to keep them open. Also, the customer service is really fast and friendly. Love this place. Definitely TRY it if you have not. read more

Ok, I love a good char sui pork bun but the pork stuffing taste like bbq brisket. The bread is on point and probably I'm going to assume most of bread stuff is on point. Place is convenient, cute, and charming. I would go again. read more

Stop scrolling and just go! I'm so glad to have this small business joining our South Loop strip, it's a gem! The first time I went I got a coffee and some chocolate and everything was so rich and yummy. Then the owner, Angela, brought us some guava ice cream that was so good I was craving it for days. I went back today and they had an even more exciting ice cream flavor- matcha and jasmine tea! I also tried the Earl Grey Tea Latte with almond milk served hot- everything hits the spot! I really love the vibe of this place, I wasn't planning to sit down and stay for too long but when I did it was 45 mins later that I finally looked up! I just relaxed and enjoyed the delicious food and drink and taking in the city. The location is perfect for meeting up with friends or just hanging out by myself when I need to escape my lovely work from home office ;). Like I said, stop scrolling and just go. And say hi to Angela! read more

Dumplings, coffee, acai bowls, and pastries? I love the concept and everything has been delicious so far. It hits the spot for quick, close Asian food. It gets busy and it is hard to find seating during the day but nights tend to be slower. read more

Sweet Bean - Dumplings in chili suace - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This bakery is overhyped in the reviews. It has overpriced Asian pastries that look better than they taste. Ambiance was depressing and super cold. Would only recommend coming once just to check it out. read more

Cute spot with quick bites! Came here to catch up with friends and it was the perfect spot. Highly recommend the cold noodles and Shanghai-style soup dumplings! The noodles were perfectly chewy and all the flavors hit just right. I liked how the sitting area is separated from the bakery / ordering counter so there's less commotion if you're trying to get work done or want a peaceful place to meet with someone! read more

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Must try! Savory pillows of greatness! Walnut sweet cheese was delish. Hot chai was also amazing read more

Rude front desk guy who did not give me the time of day and had afalse advertisement. They don't have any food on the menu except the acai bowl. read more

Happy to stumble upon this place near my hotel. Cute casual place with a lot of offerings - sandiwchy things, sweet and savory Taiwanese bakery items, some sweets, and coffee/tea drinks. Soup dumplings were great! Iced hojicha latte half sweet was awesome! Taiwanese style rice krispie treats are crack One little word to the wise - can sit there and work but the wifi didn't work so great. Also on my last day in chicago I came right at opening, figuring best to get to a bakery early to get things freshest, but right at 8am, many bakery items weren't ready yet. Several of the savory ones were ready, but the pork floss buns, the red bean ones and other more sweet ones didn't sound like they'd be out of the oven till 9ish. Right by the Roosevelt stop! read more

So glad to have this in our neighborhood and very pleased to have met Angela (the owner). She is friendly and giving off all the good vibes. If you want delicious snacks, sweet and/or savory pastries from a small female and minority owned business, this is the place. read more

Sweet Bean - Pork filled bun with pineapple glaze, hotdog bun. - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is AMAZING, it's only been open a short time but I've already been a few times. It's basically the best seated coffee shop in the area (most places nearby are to go or very limited seating), but you could also have a full breakfast/lunch/dinner there and there even is packaged goods to buy and a full bakery attached. Exactly what the neighborhood needed!! Cute set up, you walk into one room with pastry shelves and come packaged products and then you go up to order other dishes (snacks and full sized meals) or drinks (smoothies, typical coffee shop offerings). Then in the other room there is a barista bar for pick up and lots of sitting-- they encourage guests to stay as long as they want use the wifi. Decent music at an appropriate volume creates good vibes. Drinks-- had the iced coffee with milk and maple, simple but well done Dishes-- the shrimp sandwich is delicious (but messy!) and comes with these AMAZING homemade salted egg chips, the soup dumplings and the chile dumplings also are amazing Pastries-- the best bbq pork bun I ever had, the Portuguese tart is also the best, the hot dog croissant is yummy, and the salted egg custard bun is also pretty good!! read more

Good selection of Asian bakery. We bought several buns for breakfast, everything is very fresh and moist. read more

Sweet Bean - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Reluctant to leave this 5 star review because I want to keep this wonderful new business my own little secret. Salted egg yolk bun: the bread is on the dry/tough side, but their delicious filling makes up for it. It's really packed to the brim and you'll get a balance of bread and filling until your last bite. Pineapple bun: again, bread is dry and tough, but it's generously filled with a delicious pineapple paste! Sticky rice pastry with lotus seed paste: Crunchy on the outside, chewy and pillowy on the inside. This is one I hope to try fresh/hot out of the oven one day. Tropical fruit tea: Yum, just get it. Hojicha latte: Pretty good. Inside: Plenty of seating with outlets along the walls. Might make this place my new work spot if they get wifi! Update: they have wifi but it's kinda slow read more

Omg this place is so adorable and fun! I was staying in South Loop for the weekend when I discovered this place on Yelp. It really is a must try! The staff are really sweet and friendly. They provide trays and to-go boxes and you get to walk around and pick out what you want from their selection of sweet and savory pastries. They also have different candies and gums and cookies that you can take to-go. They have a wide selection of coffee as well. I got a regular coffee w/ cream and sugar, a corn and ham bun (YUM) and an egg tart. The pastries were fresh and moist and delicious! I gobbled them up. The coffee was good too and I want to try their matcha. Def try this place out!! read more

Sweet Bean - The cutest to-go boxes ever - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cool atmosphere, but I ordered a hojicha latte and was assured it had milk even though I didn't taste any at all after bringing it back and showing the worker, not the highest quality barista either in ability to foam the milk properly. the pastry was unique, but overall I would not come for the drinks which was my motivation. read more

Sweet Bean - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

On a walk I happened to notice this cafe. There is a large assortment of mostly savory buns and pastries. There were also a few sweet treats like cream puffs and mini cheesecakes. I ordered the ham and cheese bun along with a bacon and tomato mini quiche. The bun and pastry were nice but I could not bare to eat them because I tasted ketchup or some sauce on both. Ewww. My mom did rave about the egg custard tart so for that reason I'm increasing the stars to 2. read more

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Amazing bakery in Chicago. Went multiple times on vacation to start our day with coffee and treats. Had multiple baked goods and they were all delicious! Thai tea was delicious too and lots of matcha options. read more

This prices are affordable. I had a Pineapple Fruit Tea with Oolong. Then had a Pineapple Bun and a Bignet filled with Lotus Paste. There still adding more items to their menu. Staff and service was great! read more

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Lots of seating, great baked goods to pick from, soup dumplings are bomb, and many items to still try! read more

Sweet Bean - Soup dumplings - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sweet bean is a must try in Chicago! They have an incredible variety of unique pastries and all have been delicious. I especially enjoy the sweet and savory ones. I also highly recommend their other food items including the noodle dishes, dumplings, and shrimp toast. The shrimp toast is just to dieeee for. I'm craving it, thank goodness I have left overs thanks to their generous portions!!! The place could use some interior decor butttttt still 5/5 because the food makes my tummy so happy. :) read more

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Very fun, very friendly. From the decor on the outside, I expected Sweet Bean to have a cutesy, pop culture-y vibe to it: it does not, but it does have a calm atmosphere that I could see myself studying in (and I did read here). Sweet Bean has a pastry area as well as a separate hot food menu; from the pastry area, I got a taro pastry and a salted egg yolk pastry. The taro was sweet, delicious, and bright purple on the outside! I personally didn't like the salted egg yolk pastry - I was expecting something savory, and it was sweeter than I anticipated - but I believe that reflects my personal tastes, not quality or ability on behalf of Sweet Bean. The cashier was super nice! He helped me narrow down what I wanted to drink and spent way more time than I would have expected helping me out. Unfortunately, I wanted something iced and ended up with a hot cappuccino, which was my fault - I should have been more explicit. Still, would for sure come back here! What a fun spot for some reasonably priced and unique-to-me pastries! read more

We stopped in the other day to grab a cup of coffee and some pastries! Everything was incredible. We got the bacon tomato bun, ham and scallion bun, Portuguese egg tarts, a ham and egg milk bread sandwich (not pictured), and a caramel honey latte (not pictured). The buns and milk bread were so soft and flavorful. Coffee was also great and not overly sweet or bitter. I would recommend this spot! They have more food options available for sit down as well! read more

Sweet Bean - Portuguese egg tarts, ham and scallion bun, tomato and bacon bun - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A great place for contemporary Asian desserts and baked goods. It's a study cafe which consists of mostly students. Not a great place to hang out but they have good variety with drinks with Asian flavors and bakery items for the Chinese-palate. read more

Sweet Bean - Hojicha latte - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is amazing if you love Asian pastries. Hands down the best Portuguese egg custards in the state.

I usually run inside really quick to grab a quick pastry. However, I will not be supporting them anymore. I ran in really quick to see what they had left towards the end of the day. I was turned away rudely by the tall Korean or Asian male. He was very rude asked for proof of my dog being a service animal. I had the service animal harness which wasn't enough for them. By Chicago law, businesses may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person's disability. I will be reporting this business for not being service animal friendly. read more

Don't waste your time! The cashier and others have terrible customer service! Also just go to Chinatown and have an authentic cultural experience! CT have excellent pastries! Try Chiu Quon! read more

One of the best cafes you will ever go to. it has unique sweet and savory pastries. I make a point to go here every time I'm in Chicago.

The buns were tasty. But the selection wasn't very big. There were no hot options available. Maybe it would have been better earlier in the day? I went around noon. The smoothie bowl is just that. A smoothie in a bowl. Not displeased but not super impressed. read more

This place has a really nice vibe, great lo-fi music, and delicious pastries. Let me say that again DELICIOUS pastries! Coffee is solid too and my wife stole my breakfast sandwich (so I guess that was also good). Right next to the train station so it's easy to get too. It's a problem because I might get fat from coming back several times. read more