Tips for traveler with a sweet tooth in Chicago?

[Bay Gelldawg]

I'll be staying on the Gold Coast and would like to know if there is a bakery, chocolate shop, restaurant with unusually good and imaginative desserts, or other not to be missed sweet opportunity in that part of town.

Thanks.

[nsxtasy]

There isn't much I would recommend right in the Gold Coast itself, but within roughly two miles are five of the very best bakeries for pastry in the entire city:

Floriole Cafe & Bakery, Lincoln Park - www.floriole.com
Vanille Patisserie, Lincoln Park and West Loop/French Market - www.vanillepatisserie.com
Alliance Bakery, Wicker Park - www.alliance-bakery.com
Toni Patisserie, Loop - www.tonipatisserie.com
Fox & Obel, Streeterville/River East - www.fox-obel.com

For more information on each of these and others, see www.chow.com/topics/542316

As noted above, the Lobby, the restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel, does indeed still serve The Chocolate Bar, its all-you-can-eat buffet of 30-40 chocolate desserts, on Friday and Saturday evenings. It's pricey, though, around $35-40. www.peninsula.com/chicago/en/default.aspx#/chicago/en/Dining/The_Lobby

For non-pastry confections, I'd second the recommendations for Garrett's Popcorn ( www.garrettpopcorn.com ) and Vosges Chocolates ( www.vosgeschocolate.com ). Another excellent artisanal chocolatier downtown is Canady le Chocolatier, with locations in the South Loop and the West Loop/French Market ( www.canadylechocolatierchicago.com ). Our very best artisanal chocolatier IMHO requires a trip to near north suburban Evanston, for Belgian Chocolatier Piron ( www.belgchocpiron.com ).

[Querencia]

Your query reminds me of when a famous doctor was asked where in his city he would go for the best medical care and he replied "The airport". I regret to tell you that the closest thing we have in the Gold Coast to a dessert shop is Baskin-Robbins, and that when we want a good bakery etc we hit the trail. The Red Line or 36 Broadway or 22 Clark or 156 LaSalle can get you anyplace fast---to bakeries and dessert venues---and the Mag Mile area is an easy walk. Other readers: does the Peninsula Hotel still offer its chocolate dessert buffet?

[GourmetWednesday]

Yes, the Peninsula Chocolate Bar is still available. Other than that, Chicago isn't really known for our bakeries, or at least it's not what we do better than anywhere else. Garrett's and Vosges do the hometown proud, though.

[Querencia]

Sure we have excellent bakeries---we just don't have as many neighborhood bakeries as we used to and the ones we have aren't downtown. Dinkel's (Lincoln just north of Belmont), Swedish Bakery (N Clark at Balmoral), Middle Eastern (Foster just west of Clark), Italian bakeries in the Little Italy neighborhood or Palermo at 3317 N Harlem, Slavic bakeries (eg Pticek's or Racine Bakery) at the western end of S Archer, Roeser's on North Avenue, Oak Park Bakery, and House of Fine Chocolates (N Broadway at Barry) are alive and well and worth the trip. Google "chicago bakery" or try Chicago Yelp for details and inspiration.

[camusman]

Hendrickx Belgian bakery, 100 E. Walton
Vosges chocolates, 520 N. Michigan
Teuscher chocolates, 900 N. MIchigan

[weinstein5]

I would also recommend Garrett Popcorn - http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/ - it is not baked item but there Caramel Crisp corn is habit forming - there are locations through out downtown -

[kathryn]

A short walk away:
Xoco
Doughnut Vault
Do-Rite Doughnuts
Grahamwich - I believe they have Bleeding Heart goods