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I stopped here again today to get more hachapuris. They are still wonderful and I love the place. The people I have dealt with are very nice. I do admit however that I am not as crazy about some of the other filled pastries I have tried here ... specifically the beef and the spinach.
I am keeping the 5 star rating because the hachapuris are so good, and the place is so unique. It will be a regular stop for a long time to come in my quest for all things yummy. I hope to try their homemade pirogies soon.
This is the kind of place that calls out to those of us who fancy ourselves citizens of the world.… Read more »
My coworker and I stopped here today for a late afternoon snack. Telling from the street, this bakery doesn't look like anything fancy or quite special. But as a one-time "bread-a-holic", this place is quite a gem. Since losing some weight, I just had to give in to what looks like an enormous bialy. Not like a bialy at all. Not like French or Italian bread. Not like a Mexican bolio, either. Different and quite delish. After eating about 1/6 of the loaf. I'm taking the rest home for the husband. I'm sure he'll dig it.
This is a hidden gem! Everytime I'm in the area, I have to pick up a few hachapuris. I'm so glad I don't live close by!
You have to try this place! Probably the only authentic Caucasus bakery in Chicago! I prefer this bakery over any other in Chicago!
A really unique place to check out. Items are bakes fresh daily, and they have frozen entrees/items to take home as well. Everything I've had has been delicious, and you can check out the huge oven the have in the middle of the store. They staff seems a little unused to non-Georgians, and there's a language barrier, but they're helpful and friendly if you're patient (they probably feel somewhat similar about us...). Apparently you can get sandwiches too, though I have yet to get one. Interestingly, they sell these stuffed buns called homentash which vaguely remind me of the Jewish kind, they even have poppy seed filling. It's a quality place and a unique spot. Moreover, they use the word "puri" to refer to bread. If you're knowledgeable about food you can really sense how this place reflects the various Eastern and Western baking traditions which were fused as a result of Georgia's geographic location.
The Argo is one of those places that makes me glad I live here in Chicago, and makes me never want to leave. Sure, there's crime, and people hopping the curb and driving into houses and such (seriously, what's up with that; I can say with complete confidence that in the 27 years I loved* in California, that never happened even once, whereas here I have personally experienced it four times) but then, you can walk down what seems like an innocuous strip of crap dollar stores and BOOM, there's a Georgian bakery. Georgian! As in: one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics! I didn't even know they had ovens there!
But apparently they do, stone ones. There's one gracing the middle of the Argo, and said oven creates some crazy magic with the goods here. Sure, the hachapuri is mad tasty, as are the cabbage (really) and bean pies, but the real star, for me, are the regular breads. They are made of just flour, water, and salt, but like I said, that oven is magic. The breads are like nothing you've ever tasted. Shoti looks like a baguette, but the texture is denser and softer. The lavash, basically the same thing, in flatter form. And on Tuesdays**, there's no shoti or lavash, but there is "new bread", a delicious loaf.
And, best of all, they are cheap. Less than $2 a loaf. You can supplement your dinner with fresh cheese from the dairy case, dumplings, or a fresh hot fruit pie. Everything here is terrific.
Except the tapluna. WTF is that thing?
*This is a typo, but I liked it, so it stays.
**At least, I think they don't sell shoti and lavash on Tuesdays. They might have just been out - there is a significant language barrier here, and the proprietor was trying to tell me SOMETHING about Tuesdays and bread, but damn if I know what it was. He also seemed kind of worried about the new bread, like I would hate it or something, which is nutsy. Damn shit is great.
Cannot say enough good things about the hachipuri, the cabbage-filled pastries, the mushroom and potato filled pastries, or the flatbread. For 10 bucks you can walk out of this bakery with enough carbs to really piss off the Atkins people.
The hachipuri is the real star here. Get it fresh and eat it hot. You'll make the drive out to the ass-end of Devon again and again!
cheap, delicious fresh bread. Great with homemade soups.
One kind of dough, white. The bread has a nutty flavor, nice tooth on the crust, tender inside. Always fresh. It actually revives nicely after a few days, even if you try to ruin it in the fridge.
Two shapes, long baguette shape and round. Get at least one of each. You tear hunks off the long loaf in the car on the way home.
The oven is unique. It's worth a visit just to see it. It's igloo shaped, set into the floor. The heat is almost unbearable when you're up close.
The mushroom filled flaky crust pastry is delicious too.
The owner is a real stand up guy who treats me and my boys like we're from the old country. I wish I needed a loaf from here every day.
Check it out yelpers!
So delicious, and so cheap! Walk into this tiny, Devon Ave. storefront and you'll see the traditional Georgian oven (it looks like a brick beehive) and smell the fresh breads and pastries. They usually have a range of meat, cabbage, cheese, and fruit pies, all made of flaky pastry wrapped around a dollop of carefully composed filling, and all under $2. Round, low loaves of Georgian bread are stacked up in the back, as they come out of the oven, and a new refrigerator case in front is stocked with Amish-made yogurts, kefir, butter, and sour cream -- all natural and unusually good.
The only thing missing: someplace to sit and eat (add some chairs and I'll add another star!).
I try to only review unique places in Chicago. Places I feel are really one-of-a-kind. This place is amazing. Small, very friendly staff, and always something hot just out of the unique stone oven. They have two items that they make fresh all the time 1) is a three cheese pastry that is incredible, hachapuris, and 2) a red bean pastry that is delicious, but not to everyone's taste. I swear sometimes I can hear these guys calling to me to come and eat them. I take all out-of-town people here and they cannot believe it. It amazes me how many Chicagoans do not know about it. Very inexpensive and worth every calorie. Enjoy. Cash or checks only.
This tiny bakery located on international Devon Ave. is a nice find. It's worth the trip to see how Georgian bread is made here in a large in ground cider block oven... the bread dough is slapped onto the inner wall of the brick oven and presto...... You have fresh Georgian style bread that is hot and tasty....and ready to consume.
Unfortunately, the staff on duty seems suspicious and not overly skilled in customer service. Outside of the bread, there really isn't much to offer to it's customers.
Some items are worth trying but, there really isn't much of a selection.
Wow. Exceeds all expectations. I had heard and read great things. They were true. The hachapuri (also spelled khachapuri) is likely ridiculously unhealthy, but every bite makes you glad you got it. Its like a very flaky, soft, delicious bread. That by itself would be wonderful, but it is improved by being filled with a mixture of mozzarella and feta, which is incredible. The black tea is also quite nice. Their other breads looked very nice, although I didn't try any. Looking forward to returning tomorrow!
Georgian Bakery or Argo Georgian Bakery as it's officially called serves the best pastry in Chicago. That's right, I'm afraid this cannot be argued. I'm careful to say pastry, singular, since quite honestly I've never had anything else besides the hachipuri. It's just that whenever I happen to be there I never have enough cash to try anything else and seeing as I buy as many as my dollars will allot, the other pastries simply don't get a chance. I'm sure they're good but it's hard to beat something as magical as the hachipuri. And when it's magic your taste buds crave, head to the Georgian Bakery. The hachipuri has milky mozzarella and feta cheese and is wrapped in soft, warm, and crispy pastry bread. They are cooked fresh several times a day in the only oven of its type in Chicago. These little bundles of love go quickly so there's a good chance of catching a fresh one when you walk in. It's common to see overly excited people waiting on them as the owner, casual in that 'old country' way, takes them out of the clay oven with a long flat wooden shovel. He knows what you're there for although he hardly shares the same enthusiasm. People say the bread there is very good as well as the meat pastries, I wouldn't doubt it and will definitely have to try it soon.
The place is located appropriately on 2812 W. Devon Ave, between California and Mozart. It's not fancy; the window advertisement is bi or trilingual; Russian, English, and probably Georgian. The neighbor to the east is Balalaika, a Russian book and music store, and the western neighbor is a mini Asian style grocery store. If the weather is nice the owner keeps the door open, either to cool off the place from the intensely hot oven or as an attempt to snag passersby with the delicious aroma that seeps out. On the inside it looks like the rest of my favorite foreign places; built as it would have been in the mother land and seemingly catering to it's "own" people with a collection of flyers and newsletters in Russian and an open kitchen. As a matter of fact the owner doesn't say much, even if you do speak to him in Russian, a non Georgian dialect will not raise any eyebrows. It's one of those places that all patrons could selfishly hope never to get "big", as the owner is the chef and his magical pastry cooking abilities are uniquely his. Eating the hachipuri at Georgian Bakery is a lot like going to see a movie; you don't want to do it by yourself. So, bring a friend and go eat some hachipuri then spend all day talking about which part was your favorite.
YUMMMY! This place is sooooo amazing. They have a huge brick in ground oven thing that they cook all their breads in and they come out piping hot soft and fresh. AND its super cheap. Its a cute little place located right before California on Devon. YOU MUST TRY THE HACHAPURI!!!!! Took me a long time to pronounce what i was eating but its sweet sweet bliss. Its a layered pasty dough with yummy cheeses in the middle baked to perfection. My boyfriend got addicted to these things after trying them. They are absolutely delicious, so wonderful that they were written about in sun times and tribune. Everything i have bought there is wonderful. The place is very very clean which is an A++++ in my book and the staff kind and cautious! CHECK IT OUT!
Chicago, IL
Category: Fruits & Veggies
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Bakeries
Chicago, IL
Category: Bakeries
Chicago, IL
Category: Bakeries
Chicago, IL
Category: Grocery
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
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