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.

isappointing.. owner is rude and arrogant... quite a small selection of pastries that are blah…read more.. highly recommend Le Cauldron Praline bakery at 500 Davis, Evanston. It's brand new and has an amazing variety of pastries and fresh croissants.

On my way to work one morning, I passed by the patisserie. The woman who was working the counter…read morewas stepping outside to take a breather since this morning was apparently rather busy. I dropped my work bag off at my office and returned. I have a feeling that giving her time to collect her thoughts meant more than its weight in gold because when I returned, she was very thankful. When I returned, I ordered a café au lait and a croissant. The café au lait was clearly brewed from some good beans because it didn't require any sweetener. The croissant was fresh, still slightly warm. There are several other offerings that I will eventually get around to trying. This downtown location is less congested than the Evanston location. With it being less than a block away, I will indeed return at times, more when the weather warms up.

Small dessert shop located in the Chicago French Market/Metra Market. They had individual desserts…read moreand croissants, small sweet loaves, and exactly one 6" cake for sale, plus coffee and tea. All pretty standard flavours, but if what I got is representative of the whole offering, the quality is what makes them special. I got the Manjari, a chocolate mousse coated in a dark chocolate ganache with a thin chocolate cookie/cake "crust" on the bottom. It was almost $10 which I think is pricey for an individual dessert, but it was perfectly designed and the chocolate was clearly good quality because it was RICH. The dessert was pushing my tolerance for sweetness but in this small portion it worked as the chocolate was very strong to balance it out.

Bought a "Celebration Cake" from here and it looked beautiful and it actually tasted really good!…read moreIt wasn't overly sweet! Great customer service! The young lady behind the counter even went out of her way to assist my husband and I with directions on which Metra train to take and how to get to the station. We were just in town to visit family. Purchased a cake from here and got help with directions too!

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!

Nice location. Clean. Bright and has a wide selection of delicious looking pastries. Coffee is…read moresolid and the cups right up my alley. Firm. Strong and secure. Friendly workers make it a nice place for a quick snack.

We stopped in to Coralie Coffee before starting a day of sightseeing, and we really enjoyed our…read morestop! The pastries were buttery and delicious, the Chai tea was REALLY good, and the cappuccino was absolutely fabulous! Service was very friendly, and the location is super cute and clean. We will happily stop in again when we are back in town!

Another perfect latte and treat, another perfect day. As soon as I walk through the door, I cannot…read morehelp but smile. A mochiato to drink in, a latte to go and a chocolate chip brioche...yum! I couldn't stop there though... the quiche!!!!! Yuuum!

This bakery is amazing and wonderful - everything we had was delicious and we went there twice…read more Service was excellent

Le French Patisserie is cuteness overload, esthetically gorgeous just like the desserts they are…read moreselling. Came across this spot after walking back from Navy Pier. It's close by. Le French Patisserie offers coffee, gelato, & delicious pastries, including croissants, profiteroles, crème brûlée, and tiramisu. What did I have - La Mure Tart - $12 -Blueberry confit, light yogurt cream, almond dacquoise - light/fluff texture, refreshing, and creamy Guava Cold Cheesecake - $9.30 - Creamy cheesecake infused with sweet guava flavor and topped with a guava glaze - creamy texture, the guava is infused throughout the dessert (taste in every bite), it's sweet but not overly sweet (good balance) Pros 1. Beautiful bakery. 2. Beautiful desserts. 3. Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere. 4. Indoor seating. Extremely clean inside. Cons 1. The lady who assisted me was very sweet, but she didn't know dessert ingredients. There are signs but I had specific questions like - gluten free, etc. Overall, I recommend trying Le French Patisserie. The curbside appeal is adorable and the desserts are to delicious looking and tasting to pass up. Just inquire about ingredients if you have any dietary restrictions.

Best part of my shitty day. One perfectly flaky, buttery croissant, a dolce de leche latte, and a…read morelittle stroll in the warm winter sunshine. Bottle it. (Also plenty of space to hang/work if that's what you need.)

Stopped in to meet a friend. The interior is fine. Nothing crazy to write home about. The food was…read moregood. I got a ham and cream cheese turnover that was very flaky. I took home a cinnamon roll that ended up being amazing. I also took home a chocolate croissant that my husband raved about. My iced honey latte was okay. I actually really wanted a matcha, but the nice worker confirmed that they use a matcha powder mix that has sugar in it. I'm very thankful to this worker for his honesty bc that's not something I'd ever want. With how popular matcha's gotten, they really need to do actual real, good matcha powder for matcha lattes if they want to sell matcha. That was disappointing. There easy pay to park right out front.

Adorable and delicious! Great spot to stop by for a sweet treat. My husband got the ube (not…read morepictured) and he loved the flavor. Service was good and it was a nice place to drop by for a quick sweet treat.

Good flavors and cute. You are able to try samples. I always get the 3 of a kind flavor…read more You can get a different animal in a cup or cone. I think it would be helpful if they had signs of what's included on the animal to save time. To account for allergies, they do get quite busy, and it's hard to hear the staff members sometimes when they're explaining the options. Parking is difficult to find on North Ave.

This spot is bustling! Can't say that I'm surprised given its prime real estate in the heart of…read moredowntown along the water- great for both downtown employees and tourists alike. I ordered a cappuccino and set up my laptop at their wrap around bar to work for a few hours. The energy here is great and I loved the abundance of natural light. The Wi-Fi was strong and the bathrooms were clean. And of course, the coffee was great. Note that it can take a while to get your order given the long lines. They have a variety of seating types for those sticking around. Overall, a positive experience!

The space is super spacious with lots of spots to work, but it does get pretty packed. Still a…read moresolid study/work cafe overall. Service was amazing. The server was really friendly, asked how my day was, and gave great recommendations. The cherry blossom matcha was surprisingly really good and super unique. It has this slightly umami, sweet flavor. First sip was a little unexpected (almost tasted like medicine), but it actually tastes really good after a few sips and grows on you. Not too overpowering either. The grilled ham & cheese was also a standout. Perfectly toasted bread with a really good balance of Swiss cheese and ham. Simple but done really well.