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Argo Georgian Bakery
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am - 7 pm
Sun 9 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
For nearly 80 years, the bakery has offered the finest in traditional dense, hard crusted italian breads and sheet pan pizzas. We have recently add new… read more »
40 reviews for Argo Georgian Bakery
Review Highlights
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"Nothing beats a freshly baked hachapuri." In 9 reviews -
"...bread made in the clay/brick oven) is great as well." In 5 reviews -
"Fruit pies are that same pastry crust but filled with..." In 4 reviews
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40 reviews in English
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Review from Irena A.
Chicago, IL
2/6/2012
ahhh. i can't believe this place is on yelp now! But of course.. All great things get discovered sooner or later. I love this place. I have loved it for 13 years.. Back when hachapuris were $1.20. They are $2.60 now. Still cheap for a filling snack. I lived on Sacramento and Devon when I first moved to the US. I used to go here at least 3 times a week after my classes in high school. This was our spot- along with my eastern European friends cause it reminded us of home. I get nostalgic just thinking about it..
Anyhow, now that I live in Lincoln park this is a long drive.. However not for me! I find reasons to come by the old neighborhood cause I crave my hachapuri. The owners know me since I was a kid practically!!! yes, it took many years for them to grace me with a welcoming smile. But I'm not complaining. They provide fantastic food.
I can't say anything new that hasn't been said. Hachapuris are a must try... So fresh, cheesy and melts in your mouth . I have had their cheese and mushroom pie but it's not outstanding. This place is definitely unique and you won't be disappointed! So Go there:) -
Review from Ia L.
Chicago, IL
4/13/2012
I can't believe this bakery is on Yelp!!! As a Georgian girl this is as close to home as Chicago can get me. I love their bread. I buy several loafs, freeze some then toast them in the oven for a minute until its warm and ENJOY! Hachapuri( my favorite food on the face of this planet) is good. I wish they would have other kinds of hachapuri. I like their Satsebeli( red tomato sauce) it is great with grilled meat and pan fried potatoes; Adjika( thick pasty one only) is very nice and works well if you add a teaspoon( or more :) ) to your food.
Hinkali is ok. My husband mastered making them and they are just better than frozen once there.
In fact I am stopping by there today to make some Easter purchases! -
Review from Jamie O.
Chicago, IL
2/7/2012
A Georgian gem in the middle of Devon's India-town. Thankfully I followed my spontaneous urge to stop by this bakery before hopping onto the bus. On first look, I spied fruit pastries, a freezer display of dumplings, a shelf of breads and one baker working hard in the back.
Overwhelmed by many novel choices, I left with a bag of frozen spinach/feta dumplings for $7. The loaves were all of the same kind and a little too large for one girl to finish quickly.
I boiled the dumplings for 4-6 mins at home in salted water and done! The dumpling dough is perfectly fresh and the filling is flavorful. These are perfect snacks.
Between La Boulangerie, Austrian Bakery and this Georgian Bakery, Chicago does indeed have some extraordinary bread makers. -
Review from janet s.
1/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Devon Strasse is a pot pourri of culture and food, love it. Stopped by to grab a quick hatchapuri today, yum, soft and fluffy and straight out of the oven into our tummies. Super friendly owner, the oven was a masterpiece churning out fresh bread.
$2.60 well spentfor a quick snack. There are a couple of tables for the dining in option. -
Review from Atif I.
11/5/2011 2 photos
If you follow a road, it will lead you to diversity.
Devon was my first destination for food after getting off the plane and checking in to a hotel in the Loop. I couldn't wait. 22 years back I had visited Chicago for the first time and had been amazed at the number of Indian restaurants and grocery stores in the neighborhood. It was different this time, but most interesting to me was this Georgian bakery right next to Desi Land.
Bread or Pie? I had read a review from longtime NYC yelp friend Steve M about the Hachapuris and was intrigued to read about the puff pastry nature, for the versions I had tried in the restaurants and bakeries at Brighton Beach in NYC were mostly bread, till I discovered a puff pastry version at Cupola Samarkanda II. That said there are more difficult choices to make in this world than picking between bread and pie: like do I like chocolate more or ice cream? Hmmm... really, does it matter?
The Hachapuri are the main draw at the bakery, and for good reason. The sizeable, odd shaped (I can swear it's not square as people claim it to be: see picture) flaky, golden pastry is filled with a delightful mixture of mozzarella, feta, and farm cheese that simply ooze out of the pastry upon every bite. Thankfully, the pastry is fresh, still warm and you can almost burn your face from the steam that escapes the interior as you bite into it. The Hachapuri itself, to me, is worth the trip from Downtown Chicago or any neighborhood that the patrons thronging the bakery reside in.
Next on my consumption list was the Lobiani: the kidney bean pie, and this too was delightful: warm and just the perfect, flaky texture. Wanting to try what the breads taste like, I also ordered the "Lavash" bread - the round bread more popular amongst customers, as opposed to the long Shoti Puri. After discussing with the owner whether this was indeed Lavash, he agreed that this was the more popular brand name - however, Lavash (owing its origins to Persia) was different in bite and texture. I still liked the round Puri bread: very chewy, extremely dense with a puffy rim and with many tiny holes inside. It had a dry crust and a pleasant, slightly salty taste. I could eat it anytime with one of the dips available at the bakery. My only gripe would be that this bread wasn't warm - that, however, did not detract much from one's enjoyment. This bread would also be great with soups.
The spacious interior and the lack of the sweltering heat (despite the always fired up dome shaped brick oven) contrasts well with what one would find at Georgian Bread in Brighton Beach. The premises would be one that Baker Badri would dream about, for it would make his work less of a chore.
With apologies to reader who skimmed through Georgia and Pie to think this review would be about Peach Pie. Give the globe a spin :) -
Review from Christine J.
Chicago, IL
8/25/2011
I was surprised to find a Georgian bakery in Chicago in the middle of India/Pakastani town. The bread is fresh baked every day and you can see them making it in the back. If you're lucky, you can get it hot.
I especially love their frozen dumplings. They have pierogies filled with traditional fillings like the Polish kinds. But I would recommend the meat dumplings, which are round and larger. You boil these and they come out doughy and chewy like fresh pasta. The filling is meaty and well spiced. I'm a fan. -
Review from Steve M.
6/19/2011 16 photos
As you can tell from the 16 pix of this place I posted, I was very impressed! I had never experienced cooking like this before, but thanks to both Argo and my Russian born friend Dennis, I am now an expert on formerly Soviet Georgia, its people and its baked goods.
While in the Chicago area, Dennis insisted that we visit Argo, a bakery that he had been to on previous visits. Good thing I'm easy going - I never would have found out about this wonderful place! It doesn't look like much from the outside - or even the inside really, but what their wares will do for YOUR insides is a complete wonder.
As far as I know, this is the only true Georgian oven in the Chicago area. They cook all their stuff in it and the results are nothing short of fantastic! They feature all sorts of stuffed pastries, those made up of everything from cabbage, to beans, to mushrooms & potatoes to just about anything, all in the same enticing light and layered Georgian pastry from Argo's unique oven.
The real draws to this place in my opinion though are two particular offerings: hachipuri and churchkehlas. Hachipuri are like large, soft popovers, cooked on the inside wall of the Georgian oven. They contain three types of cheeses and they puff up hollow, with the moist, bubbling and flavorful cheeses clinging to the insides of the hachipuri once cooked. The result is a flaky, puffy, buttery, cheesy item of deliciousness that cannot be explained unless you've sampled one. After eating just one each of these delightful and deceptively light seeming baked wonders, both Dennis and I were pretty much full.
Another treat they feature is the churchkehla. This is a thing strange and toothsome as I've never before encountered. Either walnuts or hazelnuts (your choice) are strung together on a thread. The threaded nuts are then successively dipped into an emulsion of grape juice mixed with flour until the successive dippings form a candle-like thick grape coating on the string of nuts. They end up looking like sausages (or turds, really[!], but they taste about a billion times better that a turd!). You'll have to try some to believe me.
Alex, the guy who works the front part of the bakery might seem a bit abrupt on first encounter, but he's a really great guy and gets very animated when explaining the Georgian baking tradition. He's also quite versed in Georgian history and culture. I learned a lot from him while in there.
You can also pick up frozen pelmini, hinkali, vareniki and other stuffed Georgian pasta type things to take home to be boiled, fried or steamed from Argo. Also, there are chairs and tables, cafe style at which to sit and enjoy your pastries along with a cup of coffee or tea there too, so make an afternoon of it why don't you?
I wish Argo was in NYC where I am and not just Chicago :-(Listed in: Table for One, Five-Star Favorites
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Review from Nikolina E.
Minneapolis, MN
2/9/2011
My kid brother is obsessed with all things eastern euro, and was insistent that my bf & I take him here to try the khatchipuri.
Oh dear god, why were my hips, thighs, and butt been introduced to khatchipuri? Sooooooo good.
Because we lived on the Northside not far from Argo, it became a staple for us when we lived in Chicago. We tried pretty much everything they offer, right outta that wacky vertical oven: breads, pierogis, fruit pies, soups, drinks, and that bizarre looking grape/walnut dessert on a rope- called Churchkhela, and it's delicious too.
I love the owner/mgment, who always had a friendly, helpful suggestion. As my brother points out, Georgians are not known to be fuzzy cuddly Care Bears; they're survivors of a lot of political and religious nonsense, plopped down in Chicago's unforgiving climate, and then expected to make nice with the kids. I think they do a damn fine job.
Pleasepleaseplease go here; your mouth will thank you (although you need to toss in a few more gym appts after). This is one of the things I miss most about Chi. -
Review from Jacob J.
Few reasons why it's worthy of a bookmark:
You're a tourist and you want to have something different in Chicago
You've been a native a very long time but you haven't tried it yet. A hachapuri.
You love bread, croissants and everything of the like.
Here's what is bomb diggity and must be tried:
The hachapuri is a must try. Think croissant like flakey outside, crispy right from the clay oven and filled with a cheese, which is only gooey when warm. Straight from the oven, I've never opted for stuff that's sat outside all afternoon. Meat pies are a must NOT. Those things are bland and it's bland meat with a pastry cover. Bah. Fruit pies are that same pastry crust but filled with blueberry jam, raspberry, etc. I do not think they make their own fruity fillings, I think it's right out of a jar and into that pastry pocket. Still, it's all inexpensive and tasty stuff.
Don't expect much from the customer service department. This store owner loves new business, but you just can't expect too much from him, so keep your expectations low and you'll dig it.
One of those places I've always known about and shared with a select few, though never thought to Yelp. But, being as I'm the most recent duke.. I'll share. Ha! Now that I've said that I'm sure the people with fake "check-ins" will be trying to steal my throne! -
Review from Onur U.
1/17/2011
This place is a total whole in the wall, a couple blocks west of all the Indian shops on Devon. When you walk in pretty much all you can see is the huge brick oven in the middle of the store where they make their wonderful baked goods. The bread is expertly made with great texture and flavor. The hachipuri as people have mentioned are incredible, particularly right when they come out of the oven. It's like a cheese filled pie you can eat out of hand. They also have a frozen case full of different types of frozen dumplings. The dumplings have great texture and plenty of flavor in the fillings.
This place is a real gem. The kind of place you always stop by when you're in the area. -
Review from Rachel H.
2/6/2011
My co worker was talking about hachapuri from her native Lithuania....so naturally I did what I always do got on to Yelp and searched . Oh my! I was in a for an awesome experience. When I found this bakery I was overjoyed, so was my husband since it ment a trip to Devon and Indian food!
The hachapuri itself is a warm goodness of buttery dough, akin to a crossiant or puff pasrty. I only got the hachapuri so I cannot comment on the other bakery items. They did have an assortment of Meat pies and fruit pie.I might go back to try the various pies.
The store is a bit difficult to spot, the sign is quite small and can easily be missed in the midst of the dull brick building that dot Devon.
Service is blah, just get your stuff and get out...who cares the hachapuri is awesome, do give it a try. -
Review from Kirill G.
Oak Park, IL
1/18/2011
Great khachipuri & great management!
I would like to wish David all the best and continue to grow business!
Will recommend to friends & come back for caviar, which is also great! -
Review from Janet E.
8/16/2010
I've never had any Georgian food before, so I was excited to come here. They had a lot of pastries up front in their display. I ordered the strawberry pie and the apple pie. I thought for $1.70 it was kinda expensive (since I could get an apple pie the same size for 95 cents at chinatown which was right down the block from me and not WAY north in Devon) but figured this wasnt an everyday thing so I'd splurge a bit.
Both the strawberry pie and apple pie were okay. I've had better apple pies elsewhere. The apple pie here was more pastry than filling. The filling was also apple paste. There was no bite of a piece of apple anywhere in this pie. Again, the pie at Chiu Quon Bakery in Chinatown is better. The strawberry pie had more filling than pastry, and I was able to find pieces of strawberry in it.
The Chicago Tribune reviewed the pastries here and raved about the three cheese pastry puff. Maybe I should have tried that one to see what the hype was about, because their fruit pies didnt do it for me. -
Review from Kelly H.
Chicago, IL
5/6/2008
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.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Feisty E.
Chicago, IL
11/8/2010
Long overdue is my review of Argo.
It's been my go-to staple when I lived on the North Side, now it's a very rare guilty pleasure due to a long drive.
It's a tiny (but very clean and orderly) home-ran business, offering traditional Georgian (lol @the people ordering American pies there... it's GEORGIAN as in Gruzia - mountainous region on Southern former USSR, not Georgia as in fly into ATL. So...Much like ordering sushi at the steakhouse...).
Argo hachapuri (flaky, airy cheese stuffed pastry) is second to none. Coincidentally, my mom has many Georgian friends so I can tell you their products are the real McCoy.
Aside hachapuri, my other two favorites are the farmers cheese pastry with raisins, and the tapluna - roll with walnuts and honey. Lavash (traditional bread made in the clay/brick oven) is great as well. All are fresh and preservative free.
I normally get about $30 worth of stuff to go, and contemplate on the drive back home to have it all last a week in a fridge.
The plan works really well inside my head, but then somehow every pastry is inhaled within a day or two... go figure *shrug*. -
Review from Barry J.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2007
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! -
Review from Todd H.
Chicago, IL
3/23/2008
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! -
Review from Maria S.
Des Moines, IA
6/11/2006
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!).Listed in: They Took My Money
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Review from Jay N.
Lombard, IL
8/30/2010
Parking can be a little bit of a struggle with all of the other stores in the area on Devon, but it's definitely worth it. They have a few cafe tables inside if you want a pastry and a cup of coffee, but for the most part, it is a carryout business.
They have frozen pierogi, along with their warm pastries and bread. I highly recommend the hachapuri and get it fresh. It's similar to a cheese puff yet flaky but not airy like a croissant. The mixture of cheeses and warm bread are a great snack and complement to meals. Their flaky pastries are savory (beef, chicken, or veggie) as well as sweet with fruit (blueberry, cherry, raspberry, apple, and others). The hachapuri is $2.60 while the fruit and savory pies are $1.70. Definitely great for a quick morning meal! -
Review from John Y.
Chicago, IL
11/11/2007
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. -
Review from Tanya F.
Chicago, IL
8/26/2011
Everyone raves about the khachapuri here, but not everybody knows that they sell two types. The small flaky ones you can get any time you stop by. But the best, the real khachapuri you have to order in advance. These are the best that I've had in years (even considering those in the numerous Georgian restaurants in Russia). If you are having a party, call this bakery and order 5 or more large khachapuri and then you will know what the real stuff is. (If you are good at negotiating, they may even agree to make just 3 or 4 for the order -- but they prefer to make more of them right away, since it is a long and complicated process). They are large, round, juicy and cheesy at the same time, crispy on the top but not too flaky and not messy. I've also frozen them after I had a couple left over and they are as good or maybe even better when you warm them up in the oven.
Another must are the frozen khinkali. They are pretty expensive, but really worth it. The meat stuffing has some really nice authentic spices, and with some yoghurt sause these khinkali can make a great dinner.
The pelmeni here are good too, but expensive.
Sweet baked goods and on-the-spot khachapuri are ok, but I would only get them if I was really hungry and had no money for smth else.
Churchkella is not bad actually, especially if you get it shortly after it's been made. It's a perfect snack for real sportsmen -- a boost of energy in a small, compact form. Don't get discouraged by the way it looks. -
Review from John P.
Chicago, IL
7/20/2011
This place is why i love Chicago you could have passed by this place for years and never looked inside.It is the only true Georgian oven in the Chicago area.Fresh made bread's everyday and sweet pies with a little cooler with caviar.
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Review from Andrea N.
Palatine, IL
4/7/2009
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! -
Review from Matt A.
Chicago, IL
8/17/2010
Chicago's greatness comes from its diversity. The diversity of neighborhoods and neighbors gives Chicago a flavor unlike any other Midwestern city. On the same street (Devon), one encounters Indian Udupi, Pakistani and Afgan Kebabs, Jewish Deli Salami and Georgian Hachapuris. Thus it's possible to touch the Middle East, the Caucasus region, Central and South Asia in one visit.
We entered for a late afternoon snack, and had no expectations. Walking in, you can barely see the shopkeeper behind the tall glass display. A gruff but friendly Georgian takes your order as he slides pastries out of an ancient looking beehive shaped oven. After looking through the day's options, it wouldn't be fair to consider the Georgian Bakery a full blown resturant, but a bakery doesn't quite do it justice either. Since there are Breakfast, Lunch and Dessert type pastries, you can eat your way through the day just by picking up a mixed bag. But, no matter the time of day you are looking to satisfy, it is universally delicious.
Now, keep in mind I've never had Georgian food, so I have nothing to go off of, but if the rest of Georgian cousine follows suit, I'll be updating my list of favorite foods. We took home five, each of a different variety as our snack turned into a full blown meal. The buttery, flakey pastry melts in your mouth while the various fillings are explosions of flavor. Eating the three cheese pastry may have permanently ruined other bread-cheese combinations for me. The mushroom combination was a refreshing summer treat, while hearty enough to satisfy future Fall and Winter cravings. Surprisingly, the most dissapointing in the group was the raspberry, which we were most excited to try. However, any thing filled with meat or cheese was phenomenal.
This small hole in the wall is a local's dream: undiscovered by the masses, tucked away in a corner of Chicago most transplants don't see, and super delicious and affordable. -
Review from Ignacio D.
Chicago, IL
12/19/2011
This place definitely needs a fresh coat of paint, but most of their business comes from selling Georgian breads to stores throughout Chicagoland, so the lack of ambiance is understandable. Try the cheese filled puff pastry (hachapurri) and take some lavash bread and frozen pelmeni to go. Parking is readily available on the side streets (except at night when the place is closed anyway).
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Review from Pam D.
Updated - 9/11/2009
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.Listed in: Deep Roots in Special Places
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/8/2009
This is the kind of place that calls out to those of us who fancy ourselves citizens of the world.… Read more »
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Review from Jackie N.
2/17/2010
This is a great little spot my boyfriend and I used to frequent. We would always buy a couple bags of pelmini and a few cheese hachapuris which flake away and melt in your mouth. Sometimes I would finish one before realizing and then just blame the boyfriend!
He looks Polish enough to almost be Russian or Georgian and the owner always speaks in native tongue when we visit. However, when I visited alone, I realized I only looked Irish and so I paid more :-/ Ah well! Worth it for the delicious pastries and the interesting photos on the wall! -
Review from Kiki M.
5/12/2010
As far as I know, this is the only place to get churchkhela in Chicago. Churchkhela is basically if you crossed a grape fruit roll-up, walnuts, and a candle together-- its a wonderful Georgian treat. The version you can get here is unfortunately made with some kind of disturbing commercial bright-purple concord grape juice instead of boiled grapes. But it still hits the spot if you have a craving for churchkhela that just won't go away.
Their russified Caucasian savory pastries are yummy and cheap, and there are lots of vegetarian options for the adventurous and dairy-loving eater.
They also sell extremely high-quality and very inexpensive frozen puff pastry for all of your at-home culinary exploits! -
Review from Thos M.
Chicago, IL
6/12/2011
This place could be nice, old world ambiance but unfortunately, it is tired and crabby,
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Review from Ben E.
1/24/2011
Reading others' reviews actually annoys me, since I now know how much I've missed by simply getting Georgian bread (directly out of their own in-house oven...to be seen to be believed) or the oddly wonderful green walnut jam that I've only found here and in Tbilisi. I love this little bakery. It isn't fancy and definitely not a great place to sit down to enjoy your purchases at the counter, but wow. This is the real thing. You won't get much better unless you actually travel to the country itself. This is such a great place to have in Chicago. I'm genuinely grateful for its existence. Yum!
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Review from Daryl N.
Chicago, IL
6/14/2008
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.
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Review from Ben B.
Washington, DC
7/30/2008
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!
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Review from Jean B.
Evanston, IL
10/1/2011
We have been to this bakery a few times. Today, we had a couple of visitors with us and decided it was time to try the churchkehia. Brought the hazelnut one and tried to cut a piece off the thread. We were barely able to slice through between the nuts and the coating was truly so tough,two of us couldn't even get a piece of it bitten off. It was It was also rubbery and basically just uneatable. Was this a fluke? Was it too old? What was wrong with it. Truly, no one would have been able to eat the one we got. Very disappointed.
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Review from Jojo F.
10/22/2009
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.
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Review from Marc W.
7/7/2010
This is a really unique place. They do Georgian flat breads and pasteries. The bread is the best, the pasteries are ok but they use too much margarine and not enough butter. They even have their own huge tandoori oven where they bake their bread. I havent been in a while but the bread costs about $2.
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Review from Weisun C.
1/23/2010
This is the place for hachapuris (different cheeses, meat, or spinach fillings inside a flaky puff pastry). The price for each is around $2.50. The multi-cheese ones are the standard and my favorite. They can be very heavy on the sodium though, and they are not small. The bakery uses a traditional beehive oven that you can see right in the middle of the shop. The guys there are polite and courteous. If the hachapuri are not fresh and warm, you are advised to wait for the next batch. Nothing beats a freshly baked hachapuri! There are only two small tables in this store front (for local old guys to read their papers at), so I just have mine bagged up for home or the car.
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Review from tony c.
Alameda, CA
5/27/2010
pretty neat place. they've got some great breads, a nice selection of... mineral water (which i love. just interesting that they have so many?), and some awesome pastries.
the stuff in the frozen case - the dumplings and all of that business - arent phenomenal. and the guys are nice enough.. but you can tell they're trying to be nice. and when they're not all that nice when they're trying, makes you wonder. aaaand they're russian. which is why my georgian friend boycotts this place. what can ya do. -
Review from Beth A.
Chicago, IL
2/14/2010
I went to this place today because I had a craving for Georgian food. Unfortunately for me, the "khachapuri" and other pastries they serve are more like the Russian sloika. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what I was in the mood for, and not exactly khachapuri either.
I'd like to go back to try things like the khinkali, which they have frozen, the bread, the sauces, and the Georgian cheese. Also, the guy working there was very nice.
Basically, it was a nice enough place, but if you go expecting real khachapuri you will be disappointed. It's more like a sloika s syrom. -
Review from Timmy T.
Fountain Valley, CA
8/5/2010
This is one of those special Chicago places that only a handful know about but could, under the right conditions, become an object of foodie fetishization. Their primary item is hachapuri--basically cheese baked in a puff pastry brushed with eggwash. It's rich, savory, and delicious. Their Georgian 'round bread' is cooked in a homemade brick oven built into the floor. It's dome shaped; they take the dough and slap it on the inner curvature of the bricks. Fantastic stuff to eat with olive oil, pickled vegetables or fish, and cheese, and made traditionally right in front of your eyes. They have smaller shapes of the bread as well. Besides hachapuri, also recommended are their potato pies, cabbage pies, and other savory pastries. I read some of the reviews below. Been coming here for over ten years and while the staff aren't sycophantic, a respectful hello goes a long way and will get you prompt and courteous service. I've never experienced otherwise over dozens of visits.
Listed in: Chicago Food Under $10
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Review from Daniel H.
Chicago, IL
9/7/2009
A really unique place to check out. Items are baked 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 khachapuris are AMAZING.
