North Shore Bakery Tour

Take your tastebuds on a flavorful tour of North Shore bakeries. What’s your baked goods go-to? Buttery croissant? Fresh, warm donut with special sprinkles? Maybe an artisanal loaf or homemade sweet bread? Pair up your morning coffee with one gem, hit a terrific deli or sandwich shop for lunch, and take a cake home for supper. You and your family always have an incredible selection of restaurants on Chicago’s North Shore.
 

Patisserie Coralie, Evanston

Kick Off at a Coffee Shoppe
Stimulate your morning coffee stop with a delicious upgrade. Small-batch, from-scratch purveyors Kneads & Wants Artisan Bakery and Café (8042 Lincoln Ave., Skokie) rotate their seasonal menu of croissants, scones, cookies, and other treats to accompany espresso, coffee, and tea selections. Breakfast sandwiches toasted between house-made savory waffles are yummy and filling. Taste the custom coffee blend (or a French Hot Cocoa) at Patisserie Coralie (600 Davis St., Evanston), the boutique French pastry shop that specializes in traditional French marvels like croissants and quiches. (Snag some chef’s-kiss-marvelous macarons, too!)
 

Mini Donut Factory, Wheeling

Grab and Go Fresh Donuts
Pick your preference and watch Mini Donut Factory (1067 E. Lake Cook Rd., Wheeling) make the warm and ready-to-eat delights right before your eyes. The ever-evolving menu of minis can dress up with an appealing array of toppings like Caramel topped with chopped graham cookie and Blue Dream sporting a blueberry icing with strawberry drizzle. Small batch donuts and custom blend coffee are fresh daily at DB3 Donuts (1704 Central St., Evanston) where the boutique baker rotates basic and fancy donuts flavors every two weeks. Special order the DB3 Custom Donut Letters topped with Oreo cookie pieces, chocolate curls, cereal faves, or…bacon!
 

Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen

From a Nosh to a Meal
Make your lunchbreak a fresh feast with specialties right out of the ovens. Buck Russell’s Bakery & Sandwich Shop (1167 Greenleaf, Wilmette) puts original sandwiches on house-baked bread and croissants. Try the North Shore Turkey Club with BLT plus avocado and garlic mayo. You might know their world-famous bagels and pastries, but get a load of the hearty sandwiches at Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen (4905 Dempster St., Skokie). The New York Special puts corned beef, chopped liver, onions, and horseradish on their Jewish Rye. Take the grandkids to Max & Benny's Restaurant Deli and Bakery (461 Waukegan Rd., Northbrook) for classic takes on Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls or Brisket Pot Pie before you bring home the challah, bagels, mandel bread, and hamantaschen.
 

Hewn, Evanston

Bountiful Bread Selections
The smells and flavors of a fresh loaf enhance any meal or snack. Everything at Hewn (1733 Central St., Evanston) is made in-house from scratch daily sourcing seasonal ingredients from small, local farmers. Definitely try their Cheddar Country, a two-year aged, white cheddar folded into their country loaf dough and fermented overnight. Misericordia Sweet Shoppe (989 Waukegan Rd., Glenview) boasts a full line of bakery products and specialty cakes, as well as Sweet Breads in craved flavors like lemon, banana, and cinnamon sour cream.
 

Bennison's Bakery, Evanston

Take the Cake…Home
Got a special occasion or need to bring home some cheer? Stock up on sweets of every stripe in North Shore bakeries. At Schlegl's Bakery & Café (3915 W Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood) you could go with their delectable donuts, cookies, and miniature pastries. But the decadent Dobash Cake tempts with perfectly-layered vanilla cake filled with chocolate buttercream covered in ganache. Baking through the night, Bennison’s Bakery (1000 Davis St., Evanston) delivers classics like the Princess Torte: three layers of sponge cake filled with raspberry jam, lemon curd, and creme mousseline, then iced with sweetened cream and topped with marzipan.