Best Bakery and Cake Shops in Chicago River

"Little Goat Diner, by Stephanie Izard is notable for many reasons, including their “cereal killers” – breakfast options served all day. You can’t go wrong with any of the top quality diner style breakfast options here, but we highly recommend going for one of the Sammies. The Los Drowned is particularly tasty, and contains braised beef, Havarti, avocado, pickled peppers & onions, spicy mayo served on a hoagie and is served with its delicious au jus."

"Stephanie Izard’s West Loop diner was always family friendly, but it’s become especially welcoming since Izard since had her son, Ernie. There are plenty of kid-friendly dishes, but the kids’ menu calls out favorites like pancakes and grilled cheese with harvati and American cheeses."

"This sunny Lincoln Park outpost continues to serve up Cali swag via a full bill of brunchtime favorites. Hass avocado BLTs, loaded cobb salads, housemade English muffins, breakfast burritos stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs and sausage, and Guiliana Prosecco-fueled mimosas keep the grown-ups humming while junior takes on a heap of silver dollar pancakes crowned with fresh fruit and maple syrup.How to order: Head to OpenTable for all-season courtyard and indoor dining reservations or grab pick-up and delivery via ChowNow, Caviar, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash. Available for Delivery/Takeout"

"How important are cookies to the ethos of this Lettuce Entertain You Lincoln Park favorite?. The huge display case is the first thing you see when you walk in the door. That is no accident, my friends."

"When the nickname for a hometown is The Windy City, it’s great to go somewhere that brings the summer vibes all year 'round. The Summer House employs bright décor and greenery to p..."

"Restaurants Bakeries Lincoln Park. They had us at hello, those dreamy, creamy cupcakes. (Us and every other Chicagoan with taste buds.) This sweet-as-can-be bakeshop may have cornered the local market with its simple little chocolate and yellow cakes slathered in a colorful array of buttercreams, but there’s much more to salivate over here."

"When you hit up Sweet Mandy B’s you can’t fight the urge to slow the pace and plant yourself to savor whatever treasure you find in the glass encasement and soak up the old-school nostalgia. One taste of their icing will have you wishing you had a vat full and a giant spoon. Call the bakery or stop in to place your special cake order and enjoy the warmth the pastel colors and old-fashioned decor evokes."

"In all our years of baking cookies, we can’t believe we never thought of this. Even if you have no qualms eating raw cookie dough on your own, rest assured, Sweet Mandy B’s has made the filling of this next-level sandwich safe to eat (aka eggless)."

"Stan’s Donuts originated in Los Angeles, and has only showed up on the Chicago donut scene a few years ago. Regardless, they continue to open new locations and rarely run out of donuts unlike other shops in the city. The great perk about Stan’s isn’t just that you can actually sit down at any time of day and enjoy a donut and coffee, it’s also that they have endless donut options available that make choosing one nearly impossible."

"The Best of the Batch: Glazed Old Fashioned Donuts ($2.75) or Nutella Pocket Doughnut ($3.75). Stan’s yeasty doughnuts have become a Chicago staple in the past few years. Stan’s was one of the first specialty doughnut shops to open in Chicago."

"Stan's Donuts has quickly become a Chicago icon with decadent flavored donuts, cookies and delicious beverages. They are currently open every day for takeout and delivery."

"According to La Boulangerie owner Vincent Colombet, the canelé is in his blood. After all, it's one of the most celebrated traditional sweets of his home region of Bordeaux, where, he says, it's not an everyday staple, but rather a special-occasion treat. Though he believes his background gives his version (which is prepared in his central cooking facility on Elston) an edge over those of his peers, still he finds it challenging to produce an exact replica of the canelé of his youth, largely because the rum commonly used in Bordeaux is difficult to source in his adopted city."

"La Boulangerie found on W Logan Blvd boasts a whole range of baking specialties. There are usually 11 staple macaron flavors on offer, with others coming and going based on the season. Currently, flavors include mint chocolate, dark chocolate hazelnut, lemon poppy seed, raspberry, and lavender chocolate."

"Restaurants Contemporary American Wicker Park. James Beard Award–winning pastry chef Mindy Segal is something like the mama of the Chicago dessert scene, and her loft-like Bucktown restaurant/dessert bar is a longstanding favorite among locals and visitors who want to skip straight to the sweet course. Order from a menu of rich hot chocolates that vary in sweetness (sugar fiends will lap up the medium, while spice lovers will appreciate the subtly smoldering Mexican)."

"A post shared by Ed Bello (@photobello) on Feb 6, 2017 at 9:36pm PST. What screams awesome better than a hot cup of chocolatey goodness accompanied by your favourite book/movie?. Head straight to this quaint cafe for a mug of decadent hot chocolate available in several flavours."

"The gooey chocolate morsels are made with burned sugar (see: the ones all the way to the right). And they fly off the shelf, which is really saying something considering the other treats offered at this dessert mecca (see: all the other cookies pictured)."

"Little Goat Diner, by Stephanie Izard is notable for many reasons, including their “cereal killers” – breakfast options served all day. You can’t go wrong with any of the top quality diner style breakfast options here, but we highly recommend going for one of the Sammies. The Los Drowned is particularly tasty, and contains braised beef, Havarti, avocado, pickled peppers & onions, spicy mayo served on a hoagie and is served with its delicious au jus."

"Stephanie Izard’s West Loop diner was always family friendly, but it’s become especially welcoming since Izard since had her son, Ernie. There are plenty of kid-friendly dishes, but the kids’ menu calls out favorites like pancakes and grilled cheese with harvati and American cheeses."

"The Field Museum of Natural History is one of the biggest natural history museums in the world. The Field Museum is considered a leader in its scientific and educational programming. The Field Museum's permanent collection includes more than 24 million different specimens, including fossils, meteorites, and gems."

"Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Kelly Martin used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Field Museum, officially named the Field Museum of National History, is one of the biggest natural history museums in the world. It opened in June of 1894 and boasts a Classical Revival architectural style."

"We walked to the Field Museum from the RV park we were staying at and had a couple of hours to explore. We love how the museum pass gives us the opportunity to do this!. Since we get in for free."

"Wrigleyville can be daunting during the summer with tourists and baseball fans crowding Clark Street making parking an impossible mission. Locals take the Red Line and stay away from the main drag, looking for shelter at bar like Nisei Lounge, which has spent nearly seven decades in the shadow of Wrigley. They were the first dive bar to be on Tock, the reservation system used by fine dining restaurants."

"Buddy Guy's Legends is the home of the blues, made famous around the world by its namesake Grammy-award winning guitarist Buddy Guy. There's live music every night of the week, with free acoustic shows during the lunch and dinner hour as well. Established in 1947, Jazz Showcase has hosted the greatest names in the business and has a seat waiting for you too."

"See a show at Buddy Guy’s Legends Blues music is one of the few great American art forms. Buddy Guy is the master of Chicago blues. And Chicago is maybe the only city left in the country where you can see an incredible blues band any night of the week in a small club at a reasonable price."

"After dinner, enjoy some classic Chicago nightlife with either a live jazz performance at Buddy Guy’s Legends, or a comedy show at Second City. Chicago Itinerary Day 3"