The 1 hour and 15 minute drive to Evanston to have tea with my hija-amiga was absolutely worth it…read more Patisserie Corali is a tiny, very popular, and very crowded little gem that serves a beautifully simple high tea in a warm, quaint, country-French setting that instantly puts you at ease. We had a dedicated server who was kind, friendly, and young -- and her slight lack of experience only added to the charm. It felt human, unpolished in the best way, and refreshingly sincere. The classic three-tier stand delivered a joyful tasting journey: savory finger sandwiches, lovely cakes and sweets (including their excellent macarons and madeleines), plus warm buttery scones and tasty mini quiches served separately. It was a cornucopia of small delights; generous, comforting, and clearly made with care. The tea selection is also wonderful and thoughtfully curated. What truly stood out, though, was the lack of pomposity. No stiffness, no theatrics, just good food, good tea, and a feeling that you've been welcomed into someone's home. Easily one of the best high tea experiences in the Chicago area. Lovely, cozy, and full of heart.

This is a darling and precious French cafe on the corner of Davis and Chicago Avenue in Evanston…read more I've been wanting to come to this cafe for ages. It's small and sweetly decorated (Eiffel Towers, rolling pins, Guy de Maupassant quote, stack of macarons tower), with cafe tables along the sidewalk. But it's the bakery cases that draw the eye, of course. A rainbow of macarons, stacks of croissants. Pastries like jewels. I ordered a tomato, basil & mozzarella quiche. They let me know it would take a few minutes to heat up. I also ordered a cafe au lait and almond croissant. The croissant was very large, a little more crispy than I like, and filled with a liquidy almond, not paste. It was very good, although not the best croissant I've had. The quiche was marvelous, soft and delicate, and basil scented with a flaky crust. It was not overly cheesy -- just the right amount. I ordered a slice of salmon quiche to go. I also selected a half-dozen macarons to take away. They were delicate, with a slightly crunchy outer layer and a sweet and flavorful center. I loved the Coralie Coffee flavor as well as the rest.

A shining beacon in Evanston. My second visit and it is the best coffee shop I have ever been to…read more With a variety of coffees and food, this place is numero uno! I will try the outdoor seating if it ever gets warmer. Mr. Conchito is always there every day with a warm and pleasant attitude that will brighten up anyone's day. It is a superb small family business on a busy corner. A great place to pit stop before sitting in traffic. I recommend this place to anyone who likes excellent food and coffee!! ¡Buenos Diaz y Gracia tambien!

It's a newly opened coffee shop and I finally gave it a try…read more It's a little coffee shop around the corner. The vibe is really cute. It has good natural light with large windows. Some days it could be busy but the day I came it was just me and another person. I got iced latte. Coffee was alright, nothing spectacular.

Even though we had baguette sandwiches (wonderful bread!!), the pastries looked exquisite. Was…read moresorely tempted to try one, but it'll have to wait to next visit. Our server was very nice, Ambience is not quite Parisian and maybe a few more touches of French style should be introduced. Light, airy space, nice to see out the big window and watch the world go by. At the time we were there (noon-ish), it was quiet, perfect for a téte à téte.

The pastries are exquisite, authentic. The Praline Cauldron is the most wonderfully French bakery -…read moreeven the overall best bakery in Evanston. Pastries and sandwiches (some vegetarian options) can be warmed, correctly in an oven. The "squirrel" pastry is a wonderful combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. The butter shines the in the croissants and brioche. The lemon brioche has a fresh lemon filling. The bread has a good crust and flavor. VIVE LE PRALINE CAULDRON! Bonnie D.

Loved Loved how different this place is! We just moved to Evanston, and wanted to try new local…read morerestaurants. After long day of unpacking, we walked into this place! There were so many people inside we asked to see if we can sit outside in the patio with really cute fire pit area. We tried oysters, baguette, salad, cocktails everything was delicious! Incredibly friendly staff from busser and our server Joe was Amazing! Definitely will return and ask for him! Definitely will recommend and return soon!

This was a lovely meal. Service was excellent and the wine selection was very good (obviously…read moreheavily French). We ordered the cheese plate, which was just okay. The bread was served in a large hunk - it was odd and somewhat difficult to share. The apple jam also did not pair terribly well. The salami was not the best quality. For our main we ordered the cassoulet. This was excellent. This came with chicken instead of the traditional duck, but was still very flavorful. Dessert was a somewhat forgettable ice cream puff. I wouldn't order this again. The ice cream was grainy and the puff pastry was very dry. All in all a good date night spot. Ambience is very intimate and we could hear each other talk - sometimes hard to come by. Food isn't the highest quality, but the entree was great and the wine paired well.

Great place for a nice brunch with friends! Very hide inside with seating options as there are…read morecouches on the side for those that jut wanna place to chill with a coffee and read a book or table tops on the main dining area. Went there this past Saturday with friends and glad that we got there when we did because the line just kept growing lol. I got the Sweet Potato bowl and added some smoked salmon to it and did not regret my choice at all. Flavorful, healthy yet, satisfying. And the pastry display caught my attention (as it always does anywhere I go) so just had to snag their newer item...the Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana bread which was a nice way to end this brunch. This is going to be a nice go-to brunch spot in downtown Evanston for me...and apparently the rest of Evanston from what I saw lol. Popular spot and I see why. Great location, great food and great ambiance.

Sharing Sandwiches, Sharing Burgers, Sharing Recs, Sharing Stories, Sharing Hearts, Sharing Love,…read moreSharing the Rest of our Lives together...... Never Ever Apart Again.......... Don't you EscapeZzzz.....

I go here all the time. Sometimes I like what I buy, sometimes - meh. I'm only adding this review…read moreas I had something that was excellent . I think they called it an Omelleten (?). It looks like a taco. Sponge cake, whip cream and strawberries. That's it. The simplicity and freshness is perfect! They didn't add a fake jam, just fresh strawberries rolled in the most perfect sponge. It was light, great texture, really good flavor. The whip cream was simply whip cream. Not pastry cream or a fake whip cream. Every pastry should be this simple but perfect.

Got an almond croissant and very disappointed. Tasted like a grocery store pastry. Sugary and…read moreartificial. Tossed it after two bites.

St. Roger Abbey is nestled in Wilmette, having another location out in Birmingham, MI…read more This cute bakery is run by friendly nuns who are trained in the French art of pastry and baking - super impressive! They offer organic French macarons, bread, cookies, jams, various pastries, and even ready-cooked meals that you can order in advance or pick-up in the store. I loved checking out their shelves of jams, pickled veggies, and other nicely packaged boxes that could be great for gifts! We came here for a caffeine fix, and we ordered: +a White Chocolate Mocha - not brewed well; very weak and watered down; no flavor of the white chocolate +a Cafe Latte with almond milk - not brewed well; very weak and watered down +the Leek Delight - seemed a day or so old; it was dry and extremely bland +the Les bugnes d'Albi - this didn't taste like anything - just a fried, unflavored dough, topped with powdered sugar The organic lemon cookies that I purchased to go were actually delicious - I think it's best to just stick with their packaged cookies here. The nuns were nice. They have limited seating inside, and the place seems pretty popular for pastry orders. Plenty of free parking in the front and in the residential area around the block. +organic lemon cookies +friendly nuns +ample parking

Saturday early in the afternoon, stopped for a cup of coffee. Three employees. Line got longer…read moreafter we placed our order. But our order came out pretty quickly. I got blended hazelnut with cold brew large for $5.70. I did not add any flavors or whipping cream. However, it was still sweet with hazelnut flavor. I loved it! I wonder how sweeter it gets with flavor added with whipping cream. Very local coffee shop with many other pastries and chocolate for sale. Good spot for coffee after a meal in the area!

Beautiful pastries/cakes!! They seemed too precious to eat but my sweet tooth tore through the box…read morebefore I could admire it some more(not before I took pictures of them though) I can't remember what the names were of each pastry/cake but I posted some pictures. The cakes were light and not too sweet but felt that it was too pricey. The shop is nestled in a little a mall strip so it's easy to miss. There is no place to sit so come here for great dessert after eating from other great restaurants in the area Staff was not very welcoming and they seemed hesitant to honor the yelp deal which made things very awkward. Overall, not sure I would return.

Do NOT buy Groupons here. The owner/manager was rude, unreliable, and unprofessional. She didn't…read morehonor the Groupons. They were closed for over a week at time and on the day the Groupon expired. The cakes were mediocre. I saw a deal on Groupon and thought it would be a great opportunity because I needed a birthday cake. I bought three $10 Groupons. The week I needed the birthday cake, I went in during their business hours but there was a sign on their door that they were closed for about a week. I was so disappointed. I went back this week during business hours and again, there was a sign on the door that they were closed that day--the day the Groupon expired! The sign said they would honor Groupons for the next three days but unfortunately, that was only partially true. I went back two days later and the owner said I could only use one Groupon. She said I needed to come back two more times because they only honor one Groupon at a time. She also said that she would not honor the full price of the third Groupon. I had to explain that that was my third time there and that they were closed the previous two times during business hours. I asked to speak to the manager and she said she was the manager. I asked to speak to her supervisor and unfortunately, she said she was the owner. After arguing with her and explaining that I would have used all the Groupons before the expiration date had they been opened in the first place, she finally agreed to let me use the Groupons but she only honored two and the cash value for the third one. As the owner, she had the power to honor the Groupons but she just decided not to. That goes to show how much she cares about customer service. Also, I had driven 45 minutes each way just to get to this bakery three times. I spent 4.5 hours in the car! What a waste! It doesn't make sense to get this Groupon, especially if you don't live around Skokie and if you don't have time to make multiple trips. If you do, definitely call ahead to make sure they are open.

Love this place! We go at least a couple of times when we visit our daughter. The bread is top…read morenotch. There are always tons of options for sweet or savory pastries.

Hewn is awesome for both their bread and pastries. Also wonderful, community-engaged owners, and…read morefriendly, helpful staff. Right now Central Street is under construction, so you have to park in the Metra parking spaces or on a side street (obey parking signs!) and walk in, but it is so worth it!!! You can also buy an orange and white construction cone croissant filled with chocolate cream. Absolutely worth the walk!!

Please bring back the old version of COCO BREW. I'm begging…read more I've been a regular since they first opened a few years ago, I think around 2019? Their Coco Brew used to be one of my absolute favorite coffee drinks for years, up until recently. I'm not exactly sure when the recipe changed, because as far as I remember it still tasted the same through 2025. I've been busy this year and haven't come as often, but the last three times I ordered it, it was completely different. And since it was made by different baristas, I'm assuming this is a recipe change rather than just inconsistency. (Check the photos to see the differences!) The old version was much lighter, mildly sweet, and had that lovely coconut milk aroma. It tasted fresh, smooth, and really balanced. The new version is totally different. The first thing I noticed was the color. It's way darker now. And the taste matches: darker, more sour, and with a strange almost medicinal aftertaste (reminded of some cough medicine..) The gentle sweetness and mildness are completely gone. Now it somehow tastes strong, sour, and watery at the same time. What happened?? Please don't change something that was already so good. Even the ice seems different now. It used to have smaller ice pieces that filled the cup more evenly and let the liquid move through, so you got that really pretty layered look with the coconut milk and cold brew. Now it's large chunks of ice just floating on top. Anyway, this is just my little heartbreak over a drink that used to be so beautiful and delightful. Other than that, the vibe is still nice as usual, maybe a bit more crowded than before. The decor is still cute, and I've always liked the woody interior. It's also one of the brighter coffee shops in Evanston, with really nice natural light.

Love this bright, clean, and professional coffee spot! Plenty of free parking with a large lot…read moreattached, which makes stopping by super easy. The baked goods are incredible, and the baristas are friendly and easy to chat with. Lattes are beautifully made, and I really appreciate the care put into the latte art. A great place for quality coffee with a welcoming vibe.