Been seeing a lot of love for Filipino food/cuisine in the Chicagoland area and loving it. I'm a sucker for baked goods in general and Umaga Bakehouse did not disappoint. Super cozy interior and huge fan of the color blocking interior. Being not too familiar with Filipino pastries, I had to hold myself back from buying everything. It can get busy during peak hours, but be prepared to eat some of the best Filipino pastries in the area! They also have some pre packaged foods to go as well! Highly recommend the rolls Royce and classic pandesal. Will need to be putting this into the weekend rotations. read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The bakery looks nice and clean. They have quality filipino bread. They have variety of Filipino fave snacks, you name it they have it, naming a few- spanish bread, pandesal, puto, pan de ube, pan de regla, spanish bread, señorita etc. They even have kapampangan tamales and food to go like tidtad (dinuguan), igado and menudo. I always buy the señorita which are smaller spanish bread and they are delicious especially when hot because they are freshly baked. You just have to wait at least 15 min but worth the wait. This time too I bought the egg pie slice and bibing-cutie. I really love the egg pie with it's thin crust but not hard. The egg custard is not too sweet and doesnt have that eggy taste. The small bibingka taste good too. There is buko included in the ingredient and cream cheese inside. Not too sweet too. All breads are kinda pricey but what is not these days and sorth every penny. read more

See all

They just opened 2 months ago and it was my 1st time trying Filipino bakery and buns I've never had Filipino buns & snacks before, so this was such a treat to try everything at the first every Filipino bakery in Chicago! It's a bit further up in North Mayfair or Albany Park but accessible by driving or by bus . Seafood City is nearby so it's nice to do a bigger trip . 4703 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60630 It's super huge, we went on a Sunday afternoon & there were LOADS of Filipino families & friends there Kissel & Rob's families owned Filipino bakeries before in the Philippines & California. Its family owned , Jeff, Kissel 's brother also flew in from California Featured in: WGN, CBS News, Timeout, Infatuation, Filipino American Post, Chicago Sun Times Lines were LONG when they opened in April (2 hours) , but now you can comfortably walk in! Every bite reminded me of my childhood in Hong Kong , where the buns had a soft pillowy texture. I would eat it after school around 4pm. Almost cried They even had the sausage hot dog buns I grew up with! Definitely MUST TRY Umaga Chicago, it's A new & BEST Filipino bakery in Chicago They will have Ube cold brew & more outdoor seating coming soon! My favorites were the: Chicken Empanada $2.99- super tasty with rich chicken flavor and a crusty flaky pastry even crimped with "UMAGA" ON THE SIDE so cute! Halo Halo $8.99 - comes with crushed young rice, NATA de coco, red green koang, sago, milkymilkyicecream, Ube paste, cream/milk, white bean Senorita Bread $7.99 for a dozen - made to order that's soft tiny, with buttery warm sugar inside. Not too sweet and edible in 1-2 bites. Sapin Sapin $7.99 in 8 - chewy purple, white , and yellow mochi cake with Ube, coconut, and jackfruit flavors combined. Super chewy and fun to eat Pork asado siopao bun $12.99 in 4 - really tasty with sweet soy pork inside and light peppery. Bibingka $4.99 coconut with sugar topping and rice cake with banana leaf & cream at the bottom Others I got Ube milk bar $1.99 pure butter milk, sugar coconut and Ube Rolls Royce $4.99 denser, layers  Ube ensaymada $5.49 with cheese Simply ensaymada $6.49 owner's favorite simple butter and yeast. You can add ice cream inside Kutsinta $6.99 8 pieces  Mango bango $6.99 read more

See all

I bought over $40 worth of bread and I have no regrets. The bread has been incredibly fluffy and soft for everything I've ordered. The one item that was subpar was the ube horchata. I didn't get too much of a horchata flavor, it tasted more like ube milk with cinnamon. For the breads, I ordered a twisted donut, corned beef pandesal, pork Tocino roll, chicken bao, and a few ube breads. The twisted donut is huge! It's twice the size of what you would get at Paris baguette and it's perfectly fluffy and soft. I highly recommend trying the corned beef pandesal and the ube breads. I will definitely be back if I'm near seafood city! I came here on a Sunday around 1 pm and there wasn't a long line to order. Definitely give this Filipino bakery a try. read more

I was so excited when I saw on instagram that they were going to open up soon. Finally got to get a chance to stop by today. I ended up buying pandesal, kutchinta, and the classic ensaymada. The kutchinta was so delicious. Just a little thick but still pretty good. My favorite was the classic ensaymada. I've never had this good of an ensaymada. Now I want to go back for more!!! read more

See all

First time here last week. The ambiance of the store is urban, clean and a uncluttered; a departure from the typical Filipino store. I found that they offer a variety of baked goods that took me back to memories from my childhood. They also have meals that are in the same simple unassuming plastic packaging and amusingly with the same price tag, $8.99 (at the time this review was written). I thought that was smart and clever. Though I am not sure if it is a fair price ;) I had tried the Ube Milk Bar which I was enticed with in one of their fb stories. I was disappointed NOT to find a some kind of ube pastry but a rather dry, heavy pound cake with the so-called ube coating. There was no ube to the taste. And after I had left it for awhile I noticed that the paper bag went dark. It was grease that seeped in. I didn't expect that. So there you go, my first experience is not so good. We shall see if this will improve. read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Ube Milk Bar - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Umaga Bakehouse is conveniently located in Edens Plaza across from Target/Five Below and has free parking. I've been here multiple times and there wasn't a single thing I disliked. The breads/pastries I have tried are: pan de ube (sweet bread roll with purple yam filling)-the ube flavor comes through and preferred this over the ube pandesal ube pandesal-soft and fluffy but I couldn't taste the ube flavor ensaymada (sweet bread covered with buttercream and then topped with grated cheese)-okay but didn't care for the cheese but this is a personal preference almond ensaymada-rich and creamy, my favorite out of the breads/pastries I tried I have also had the malabok which was topped with shrimp and hard boiled eggs. I enjoyed the flavor and while it was oily it wasn't as oily as other ones I have tried. Although there are mixed reviews about the ube horchata, I actually really liked the ube horchata since it wasn't overly sweet. The halo halo is a must try and hits the spot on a hot summer day. Staff are friendly and helpful with recommendations! read more

The service was really nice. Everyone was very friendly. We decided to give this place a try. We've never had Filipino sweets from a bakery before so ordering was foreign on its own. The staff was very helpful. We loved the sweet bread with sweet cheese filling and the croissant (not pictured) was amazing!! Give it shot. read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I stopped in today and picked up a few goodies like: pandesal, a bag of Turon, cheese rolls, siopao and halo halo. Everything tasted yummy. read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Turon, halo halo, cheese rolls, pandesal, siopao. - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our favorite Filipino bakery when we're in the area. It's adjacent to a grocery store with other bakeries inside, but their quality is better; in my humble opinion. Very friendly people, tasty bread, dessert, cold Filipino meals, and more. As you walk in, you are greeted by the abundant variety of treats and a relaxed atmosphere. There are a couple of tables and window seating to eat at-if you simply cannot wait to try what you bought. A lovely bakery that we enjoy and hope you will too. Give them a try! read more

Magandang (Good) Umaga! Umaga meaning Morning in Tagalog. So, good morning! A good morning indeed it is when you start it with Umaga. This is a cute little bakery, serving sweet and savory treats, and I am here for all of it. Upon entering, you can smell the freshly baked goods and it's hard not to want to try everything. Some of my recommendations to get are the mini pandesal, corned beef pandesal, empanadas (chicken), tocino rolls. All breads here are soft and pillowy and definitely hard to say no to. They also serve some select food items there that are absolutely delicious and surprising because this place is mostly a bakery, but the food that they serve is phenomenal. One of my favorite things to do is to buy the menudo of Navotas (menudo is a braised pork dish braised in tomato sauce with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, etc) and put in inside the mini pandesal. The palabok they make is so delicious! I love when palabok has the thicker noodles. They also have this thing called egg pie- get the egg pie. They are doing everything right and mastering it. I am so happy this place is located across the way from Seafood City. It's just so easy to get to. Service is good they have two little tables inside just in case you cannot wait to get home to eat your treats. read more

This place is like the Apple Store... but specifically for Filipino baked yummy stuff. Please please please expand into the south side too. would love to see more cheesy breads read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Atmosphere - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service and ambiance is awesome. The food is ok and good, i mean, don't get me wrong, their palabok and ensaymada are great but their puto bumbong are hard just disappointing, even warm up in the microwave for almost 2 mins it still hard. Their ginataan bilo bilo is so sweet, sorry but it really is. read more

My first time going to Umaga! Pandesal, ensaymada, and pan de coco are such classic Filipino treats. We love the soft, buttery richness of ensaymada. We love the sweet coconut filling of pan de coco. We enjoyed going there and picking up some Filipino favorit delicacies, even with the weekend crowds. It's always a good sign when there's a line--means the food is definitely worth the wait! read more

Ube I love you. Rolls Royce I love you. You are my favorite neighbor . I do wish you had a dairy free ube latte, but then I'd never be able to stop myself from coming in every time I pass by. Delicious treats and a fun store layout that makes picking out baked goods feel like a discovery. read more

I had seen many positive reviews for Umaga Bakehouse on social media over the past few months. I believe the establishment is less than a year old. It has steadily gained popularity within the Filipino community in the Chicagoland area. I live about an hour away from the bakery. I had to drop off a relative around the Albany Park area one morning, so I figured I would stop by Umaga and try their pastries! The color scheme is orange and white, with a very simplistic and modern design inside. Upon entering, I was welcomed with the aroma of freshly baked bread and was also greeted by friendly staff members. There were so many different types of Filipino breads and pastries to choose from; pandesal, ube pandesal, ensaymada, sapin sapin, and empanada to name a few. They had a few non-Filipino baked goods as well. I ordered one bicho-bicho twist (sugar twist) and chicken empanadas, along with an almond croissant. I wouldn't buy the croissant - the filling was a bit too sweet for my personal liking, but the chicken empanada was perfection. The combination of a flaky crust and savory chicken filling served as a delicious snack/quick lunch on the way home. I will definitely be coming back to Umaga Bakehouse! There is so much more I would love to try, including the bibing-cute (mini bibingka - Filipino rice cake). Once I was at the register, I noticed that they also offer palabok and a few other ulams (side dishes). I am curious as to how those taste like. I definitely recommend everyone visit Umaga Bakehouse and try as many things as possible, you won't regret it! read more

See all

This bakery incredible ! All of your favorite Filipino baked goods and then some. Their senorita bread is some of the best I've ever had in my life. Perfectly sweet and fluffy, and not too buttery or rich ! We had to wait five minutes but it was worth it to have a fresh batch, still warm out of the oven. A beautiful and well laid out store and the service was so kind and accommodating! read more

See all

If you're a bakery, you need to have chocolate items. With that being said, we got the empanadas, and it just wasn't my thing. They have a good selection of pre packaged baked goods though I didn't buy any. I would probably recommend if you like Filipino baked foods but I personally can't go back here. Customer service was good and everyone was nice, but as stated before...every bakery needs to have at least one chocolate item. read more

So I came here on a weekday hoping I'd be able to taste the hype. Unfortunately, the baked goods was very sparse (which is a good sign)! The moment you walk in, you immediately get hit by the smell of BREAD. Though there was a line inside the bakery, the line moved fast. I'm not sure if the workers all there speak fluently Filipino but they were definitely on the younger and more American side. As for the food, I didn't have many options to choose from. I had the choice between prepackaged wheat pandesal, fresh pandesal, fresh muffin, and fresh cheese bread. I opted for the cheese bread since it seemed unique. For a dozen, I paid about $5.50, which is not bad! I wanted to try their ube horchata but the cashier said it was unavailable. Not sure if there was a menu too. I had to ask the worker what was available so keep that in mind. Would I go here again? Probably just to try out all their products to see if it's good. It was definitely FRESH Filipino bread. The portion sizes were good and prices were affordable. It definitely didn't feel like a tindahan in the Philippines but catered more towards my generation of FilAms. Solid business and would still support read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love this new bakery. Just look at the photos I'll attach for the variety and that's just 50% of it. They have cold food too. They have the twist donut. Huge and delicious. Though a bit pricey. They have Ilocos Empanada on weekends. I hope they will keep this in the menu because it's hard to get it anywhere else. 1 thing I hope they do incorporate in the future are drinks. They only had Ube. Wish they offered bottled drinks and or bottled water to sell. You know, we come buy the pastries and want to eat it in the car. 1 stop shop would offer drinks too. As everyone said, the place is smaller than the picture shows. But it's clean. Go on a Sunday before noon to beat the line while everyone's at . We will be back even though we drove an hour to get here. We will be back definitely! Thanks! read more

See all

The 2 stars is for customer service. I've been calling and no one picks up the phone. It always goes to an automated message. I've already left 3 voice mail messages regarding a purchase I made last Saturday and to this day, no one has returned my call. I'll update review when I get a response. read more

We went here a few times already and mostly try different things to taste. Today, we had turon, kutsinta and senorita bread. Kutsinta was okay not too sweet, senorita bread were so good a must try if you visit. Only bad thing we tried was the TURON a complete failure. First the banana was a quarter of a half of plantain, raw that makes it dry and hard, too sweet to get the crunch and made it feel and taste hard. The worst turon i had in a Filipino restaurant so far and for the price was a total ripped off. The ate was nice however when I was sharing with another customer our experiences she looked at us and then mean.. lol.. The store was clean. Overall will comeback and keep trying their breads just stay away from the turon. read more

So...I've heard about this new Filipino bakery that a lot of my country men are falling in line early in the morning to try. I refused to go since I don't like falling in line just to try a bite or two. Driving home I noticed that there is no line in the later PM which I learned most of the best sellers are gone. So I tried a few bread they are selling. Tocino Roll: 4 out of 5 Star Tocino is bacon in Spanish,typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, tocino is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried until very crunchy; it is then added to recipes, much like the way lardons are used in French cuisine. In the Philippines, tocino refers to sweetened and cured pork belly. It's Tocino inside the bread. The tocino is made differently maybe for the purpose of putting it inside the bread. I would rate this 4 out of 5. Although the meat is good, it didn't caught the tocino texture that your mama used to make. The bread is good. As a commercial baker myself back in the Philippines, it seems like the ingredients in making the bread very generous and flavorful. My guess is they didn't use cheap ingredients. Ube Pandesal: 4 out of 5 star Purple yams, also known as ube, are a type of yam that are native to Southeast Asia. They are a starchy vegetable that are usually a vivid violet-purple to bright lavender in color, but some range in color from cream to plain white. They are often used as a natural food coloring and have a sweet but nutty flavor. As I said earlier...the bread making and ingredients are generous which makes the bread itself good. Adding Ube or Purple Yam adds color and a hint of Ube flavor. I could suggest a better idea but they have to contact me privately. A baker doesn't share their secret recipe online. Chicken Siopao: 5 of 5 star Siopao is a Philippine steamed bun with various fillings. It is the indigenized version of the Fujianese baozi, introduced to the Philippines by Hokkien immigrants during the Spanish colonial period. It is a popular snack in the Philippines and is commonly sold by bakeries and restaurants. Usually I order pork but the store ran out so I tried their chicken. Bun consistency is good. The chicken inside is flavorful. Usually you eat Siopao with a dipping sauce that is sweet. I would rate this 5 of 5 star. Price is moderate. Availability of their best seller would be nice in the afternoon. So maybe a little QA survey would help so they know if they need to bake more of their best seller for the afternoon guest. Would I keep coming back? No. But I will definitely stop by if I'm around the area. Although I said it is good, it is not the only bakery in the neighborhood. Will I recommend this bakery? Yes! Good job to the owners and especially the staff in front and back of the bakery. I wish you all the best!!! read more

See all

Basically I blacked out in the store as soon as the dough smell hit me and bought one of everything that looked good (which was almost everything) and almost every single thing we tried was incredible. Also we were waiting to get crushed by the bill and were instead shocked how low it was. 10/10 stars wish I was writing this from already back there. read more

Good product just BEWARE ordering through DoorDash. Placed an order at 10:00am for a pickup at 7:10pm. I received a text from DoorDash at 6:58pm saying the order was cancelled because the order "could not be fulfilled". I drove to the store in hopes to understand what happened or purchase anything from the order but the employee said they did not have anything left. She explained to me that they received the order on the DoorDash machine but did not see the order until later in the day when all the inventory was gone. It was a very unfortunate breakdown in procedure for it left us in a bind. Will think twice in the future. read more

Been wanting to check out Umaga with all the hype around it. The bakery is really clean and modern compared to smaller Filipino bakeries. The staff was also very helpful in recommending items. We ended up getting pan de ube and a special coconut, pandan, ube ensaymada. Excited to try more items another time. read more

Whenever I visit, the baked goods are fresh and delicious. The environment is clean and easy to navigate. Everyone, especially Flor, is incredibly kind and attentive. She was always explains the ingredients and baked goods thoroughly. read more

I was excited to try this new Filipino bakery and it was really cute! The signage, packaging, and decor were all very appealing and modern. There were so many options, I didn't know what to try. I asked many questions and the staff were super helpful and patient. I ended up getting an assortment of empanadas, hopia, ube pan de sal. All were delicious!! read more

This is my second time visiting this place and I have to say that I am slightly disappointed this time around. I usually get their "Pork Bao", "Spanish Bread" and those are good as usual! I also decided to get "Pimiento Bombs" on my recent visit and I was expecting it to have more filling on the inside but unfortunately there was little to none in it. I mean it has enough filling to taste the (cheese) pimiento filling but it ends there. When I'm in the area, I'd visit Umaga Bakehouse again but I will steer clear of the "Pimiento Bombs" as I feel like the Cheese Pimiento from Valerio's in nearby Seafood City has more filling in their cheese pimientos. Otherwise, service is fantastic as always! I would give 3.5 stars if I could. read more

Service: great, they had enough people Food: Presentation and Packaging were nice. I spent $107 on different things - halo-halo was very good, although cannot justify $9. Pichi pichi was good quality but no sweetness at all. Kutsinta was very good. Steamed asado siopao dough was very good, but filling seasoning was too intense and quite peppery. Sansrival which was my highly anticipated item was not good, felt like you were eating stick of butter, lacked the crunch of typical sansrival and my sister had the same feedback. Good thing I only bought one. Cheese rolls were good. Baked siopao dough was good, same feedback on filling. Walking throughout, you feel like wanting to buy everything, hence the $107. read more

I would post pictures but everything was so good we ate it before we remembered. This bakery is exactly as it advertises, reimagined Filipino baked goods. Traditional items and recipes with the right amount of modernization without losing the original. We ordered Matcha Espasol, Bibing-cute (Bibingka), Ube Bar, Bicho-Bicho, Sans Rival, Matcha bread, and pork empanada. Everything was very good with great presentation. The price for what you get is also part of the appeal, for fresh baked goods at the price of mass produced. Highly recommended! read more

Went here during the grand opening and wow was the line long (because it was very popular amongst the Filipino community). We waited in line for an hour, not too bad for grand opening of a popular bakery. The interior of the bakery was very modern and had an orange theme to it. Nice display of pastries. It is family owned and the staff are very friendly. We bought many pastries, but my favorite had to be the pandesal and siopao. I loved that they offered the option where they made the pandesal fresh and put it in a brown bag, mirroring the real deal back at home in the Philippines. Very soft and crunchy bread. We got chicken siopao and the sauce inside the siopao was salty and savory, while the break was soft and sweet. The chicken was good too. The prices weren't the cheapest but it was worth it because it reminds me of the Philippines! read more

See all

Second time in this place bought more foodie and tried more different stuff.. So organized and detailed let me mention fast check out..all pastries look's so good and taste wonderful. As soon you walk in you smell the divine pastries.. everyone should check out this place read more

Amazing! Have yet to experience going to a Filipino bakery with a modern flair. Presentation of goods made me want to buy everything. Ube Milk bar had a hinted taste of ube. Palitaw was delicious and a bit nutty from the sesame seeds? Sapin Sapin there was one if the best i've had. Ube horachata needed a bit ice and a tad warmer than I would like. Classic Ensaymada was excellent. Willdefinitely go back! read more

See all

Love the baked goods here and now that they've added quality cold brew, I'm hooked. Absolutely love having this slice of the Philippines with a modern twist. There's a great balance of sweet and savory options and the ambience is so clean and sleek. Support this place if you have a chance so it sticks around! read more

Umaga Bakehouse - Ube cold brew - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

one of my favorite stops in Chicago. The bread variety and kakanin selection is so good. I love the sapin sapin, twist bicho bicho, spanish bread ,pimiento bombs and so much more. I bring a horde back when I leave. read more

This bakery has a wide selection of Filipino sweets both traditional and reimagined. The bright modern decor and display layout are beautifully done. On this first stop (definitely not last) we had ensaymada, cassava cake and halo-halo. Yummm city all the way!!! read more

See all

Food is so good like corned beef pandesal. Service is awesome. people behind the desk are very nice. The place is so clean. easy to find a parking. no extra 7 cents for the plastic bag. read more

this i a filipino bakery that i love . fast service and quality of bread is great .. little more expensive compare to valerio's but they have different bake items .. read more

The place looks really good - modern, clean, well-lit. Food was disappointing, at least when it came to Ube-flavored delicacies. It barely tasted like Ube and just too sweet. So, don't bother with the biko, sapin-sapin, malaya or hopia. As for service, the woman manning the register was very helpful but the catering pickups were just so unorganized. Why bother to assign pick up times when customers still had to wait for an hour or so in the store. Disappointing. read more