Western 'Burbs (Naperville Area): Any Good Bakeries?
We used to live in Naperville many moons ago. Then we moved to France. This little tidbit means the bar was set quite high for how all other bakeries are judged, at least on the bread and pastry front.
I'm not looking for a French bakery but if there is one to recommend that would be grand and I'm all ears. What I am looking for is a bakery with that little extra something -- flair, perhaps? We've done Great Harvest Bakery and while their bread is good and their snickerdoodles are excellent, it is a tad basic. I do adore Pastry House Hippo at Mitsuwa and hope it's still there (haven't been back yet).
It can be cupcakes, pastries, cakes, cookies, whatever... as long as it's yummy and not too boring. So I eagerly await anyone's recommendations of a "better than average" bakery in Chicago's West Suburbs...
Cheers,
Misa :)
By MisaOutandAbout
on Dec 29, 2009 06:53 PM
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I just tried Kirsten's Danish Bakery in Burr Ridge (about 20 mins from Naperville), and was suitably impressed. I'm not extensively versed in bakeries by any means, but I went there on numerous recommendations from friends and Yelp, and found it quite tasty. I sampled a lot of breakfast pastries with friends. I have also heard some rave reviews about their cupcakes, but I didn't see any in the case, so I am wondering if those are "special order" items.
Kirsten's Danish Bakery
94 Burr Ridge Parkway
Burr Ridge, IL 60527-0832 - (630) 655-2066
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Is Geneva too far? The Cocoa Bean has some nice treats as well as a light lunch menu. I've had soup, bread, and pastries and all were delicious.
http://www.cocoabeangeneva.com/
Aurora has some good Mexican bakeries (really good custard-filled flaky pastries) and there's La France Bakery in downtown Aurora. Haven't been to this one in quite a while but I remember that we ate in and enjoyed it. The space is way over-done but it was still fun. They had tres leches cake slices that looked nice, too.
http://www.la-francebakery.com/desert...
There are probably many others closer to you but just in case...
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We're big fans of Cocoa Bean in Geneva too. Always interesting and seasonal, we usually get a box of their mini's for a holiday dinner. There are a number of Mexican bakeries in Aurora along New York Street and downtown that carry traditional Mexican sweets amongst other things.
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A bit of a drive from Naperville is Hahn's Bakery in Geneva. Based on the breads I've bought from them at the Wheaton Farmers' Market in past summers, I would recommend their ciabatta and other "european"-style breads. There might be other places where they sell their goods during colder months, but if not, try them out either at their store or at the Wheaton Farmers' Market (or do they call it a "French Market") when it starts up again
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Hahn's is pretty good. We like their pretzel rolls. I couldn't find a listing for them but they are a few doors off Third Street across from Graham's Chocolates.
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>> I couldn't find a listing for them
Huh? I typed "Hahn's Bakery Geneva" into the Bing browser and all the resulting listings pointed to the bakery. Here's the info:
Hahn's Bakery
303 Franklin St
Geneva IL 60134
(630) 232-8548
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Thanks for recommendations everyone! I should've checked back here sooner as we just made a trip to Geneva this afternoon, doh. Bookmarking for future trips out to indulge in baked delicacies. :)
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Sugar Monkey is a fabulous cupcake bakery in downtown Naperville.
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Right next door in Lisle is the Upper Crust Bakery, located in the downtown by the tracks. Top notch stuff, not just cupcakes and breakfast stuff. Highly recommended, and close by.
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Bit miffed at Sugar Monkey. They had their "Open" sign turned on, so we stopped to park and I braved the bitter cold to walk down only to find them, in fact, closed. Grrrr. Once I've forgotten about how annoyed this made me, I may try them again. ;)
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Suzette's Creperie in Wheaton has been on my list but I haven't gotten there yet. Does anyone think this might be a good stop for MisaOutandAbout?
http://www.suzettescreperie.com/
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My Mother-in-Law praises this place.
French Cakes Patisserie
12337 South Route 59
Plainfield, IL 60585-4624
(815) 436-7331
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French Cakes Patisserie
12337 South Route 59
Plainfield, IL 60585-4624
(815) 436-7331
I went there last Friday based on the post above and it was nasty. No one liked anything I got and I ended up throwing the remainder away.
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If you are willing to drive 12 miles, you would very much enjoy Toni's (formerly Toni Maries) in downtown Hinsdale (or, take the Metra train from Naperville to Hinsdeal, and walk less than a block from the station).
http://tonisweets.com/
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Have you tried Labriola west of Oakbrook mall? It's a bakery cafe. Breads are quite good as the owner studied in Europe and his main biz is commercial baking for restaurants. Have lunch while you are there. Woodfired pizzas and tasty burgers on pretzel bread.
http://www.labriolacafe.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/labriola-bake...
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I'd second Labriola. The cafe is flourishing and has expanded through this recessions. Excellent food and great value. Pretzel rolls in particular are great.
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Pastry House Hippo is still at Mitsuwa. We go there once a week. We love Toni in Hinsdale--just got a fantastic black forest cake from there. We also love Honey in Glen Ellyn. It's a restaurant but they also have some fantastic baked goods (we always get the cupcakes) and cold salads in a case. We love having breakfast and lunch there.
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