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Mon-Fri. 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Sat. 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
"I know it's up on Argyle, but this place makes better Chinese buns than anyplace in Chinatown. I've been buying the baked Chinese buns and…" read more »
I've been a fan of Swedish Bakery for years. When my fiancee and I began planning our wedding, we thought about having them make our wedding cake. We couldn't have made a better choice -- we were impressed with SB from the start. During our consultation and tasting, Eliza was both personable and professional. She paid attention to what we wanted, and was able to quickly give us her ideas and price estiments. The prices were much lower than we had expected from such a high-quality bakery.
When the day finally arrived, we were delighted to see that the wedding cake turned out beautifuly! We wanted something untraditional, and they pulled it off in a way that was pretty, tasteful, and cool. The cake was also amazingly delicious, and the portions provided were generous!
A few days after the wedding we got a nice thank-you note from the bakery. It was a nice finishing touch. We were pleased with every aspect of our Swedish Bakery wedding cake experience. We would highly, highly recommend Swedish Bakery for your wedding cake needs.
This place is a Chicago staple. Raised in the neighborhood, I grew up with Swedish Bakery marzipan as a holiday and birthday staple, it has successfully ruined me for other marzipans.
As I kid, trips to the Swedish Bakery with my mom and sisters meant two things
1. A long wait. This is why I recommend getting there early.
2. free cookies and candies and coffee cake samples while we waited. Which is why getting there late ain't so bad.
You should definitely go.
A co-worker brought a marzipan cake in today, and I thought...marzipan? For a cake, really?!
It was AWESOME. Moist cake with frothy vanilla frosting, enshrined by delicate almond flavor, all melting in my mouth....they seriously know what they're doing.
Tasty.
We stopped in tonight just to check this place out for the first time, and we were generally surprised. The prices on everything seem really good, and the service we got was also good :)
I would come back.
We got an apple turn over the size of my face for like...$3 you cant beat that.
Rare Delightful Place Where Foodies, Cheapies, Sweet Teeth and Locals Rejoice.
I love baked goods. Anytime I move to a new city, I go into a Bakery Indian Jones mode. I don't feel at home until I have identified my go-to place for baked good gifts. The Swedish Bakery is my favorite. People order from all over the world, and it makes sense.
Kathleen Stanton-Cromwell, owner, and her family maintain excellence with passion and talent. (They also are generous leaders of the community.) The staff is extraordinary - committed, the best trained in the city.
The prices will throw you off. The food is gourmet; the prices are supermarket.
I go at least three times every week. If I get my mailing list together, I am sending loved ones goods from the Swedish Bakery for the holidays. Any special event that comes up: just an excuse to get one of those legendary cakes! Gorgeous! You will find that once someone orders a cake from the Swedish Bakery, it becomes an instant tradition. Their professionalism and perfect cakes can't be beat.
For details on specific items, check out these videos:
Hungry Hound - ABC - 2008:
http://abclocal.go.com...
Sweet Home Chicago:
http://www.youtube.com...
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This is a very good bakery, specializing in all sorts of goods. In a plethora of many bakeries in the Andersonville area, this one sticks out. Naturally, many of the goods are Swedish. Being a Swede myself, I know that they know how to make their baked goods. If you're in the area, be sure to stop in.
Not a bad review on this place!
My moms been talking about this place forever and now that i live in the area, i can finally stop in there more often!!
Its true, there is always a line.. but the girls try and speed you through it.
Prices are reasonable and the sweets are always great!
Only downside is that its street parking and you have to pay the damn meters..
Can I give six stars? Due to a change in plans, we rented a car to drive back to Omaha, and the rest of the city opened up to us (like passing a magical mission in Vice City or whatever the current version of GTA is). My wife had a donut, and I had an orange mini bundt cake. We sat on the bumper and ate these - and they were so simply amazing that we walked right back into the store and loaded up. Bought a full sized orange bundt cake, of a Swedish flop (the greatest pastry invention ever) and a few mini pastries, cookies, etc. Everything was amazing - and I really can't wait to go back. It's also super reasonably priced! The place was busy as can be too, loads of people coming in and out ordering cakes, picking up orders, grabbing snacks, you have to try it!
Conversation today at Swedish Bakery:
Me: I'd like that last package of Plain Tea Rolls, please.
Girl: It is one short. Only eleven in the package. I will charge you the regular price, $3.60, because if I charge you for each roll the eleven will come to more than the package price for a dozen.
Me: But I'm not getting a dozen. This is a short package.
Girl: You have to pay for a dozen because they are cheaper that way. We charge for rolls individually.
Does this strike anyone but me as an odd pricing system? The rolls are always pre-packaged by the dozen. I have been going to Swedish Bakery for 18 years and never got the impression that I could ask them to take one or two rolls out of a package of a dozen and sell them to me. Can you take one egg out of a dozen at Jewel and expect them to sell it to you? Or one doughnut out of a box of Krispy Kreme? I doubt it.
Just saying.
If this place wasn't any good you wouldn't have a line to get in here.
It's a wonderful bakery for everything but layer cakes which I think are tad lacking in sugar and I really don't like things real sweet.
Everything else is awesome and they work hard to achieve perfection.
High turnover bakery and reasonable prices keeps things fresh and moving right out the door long before they turn into Styrofoam.
But...is anyone really Swedish working in here?
Steady customer for about three years here. Every single thing I ever bought here--pastries, cookies, donuts, b-day cakes, every other day cakes (cheesecake!), brownies, and bread--was perfect and crack-good.
I'm so glad I moved further away from this place. Doctor says I might get to keep my leg now. Still, some cinnamon raisin bread or marzipan cake seems like a fair trade for a leg. I dunno.
Delicious affordable cake!!!! Loved the traditional white cake with fruit on top! Go get it!
This old-school bakery can certainly hold its own in the cupcake world of Chicago...
I came here to try their cupcakes and WOW! they are delicious. I got the mint-chocolate-chip cupcake and the icing was just like mint chocolate chip ice cream! Yum. The chocolate cake part was very moist and the cupcake itself was huge...almost the size of two normal cupcakes put together. They also had a beautiful looking lemon cupcake and a couple more flavored cupcakes to choose from.
In a city of high-priced designer cupcakes, this no-nonsense bakery shows people that sometimes newer is not necessarily better. I will definitely be back to Swedish bakery for their cupcakes!
Went on a saturday afternoon looking for a pumpkin pie. No pumpkin pies... so I got a pumpkin slice. The wait was around 15 minutes. Slice was good, nothing spectacular. $2.50 for a slice.
Sometimes I shop at Jewel further North on Clark (bear with me).
It's always funny when I walk by the 'baked goods,' case there. Jewel workers have found me laughing hysterically, pointing at this sorry excuse for bakery fare, delirious.
Enter Swedish Bakery. For my birthday, the fiancee got me a huge box of Swedish Cannoli's. There were a few pistachio mixed in, but damn did these things go fast. You can eat two of them before you even know it, your hand traveling back and forth from the cute to-go box, having received a subconscious signal from your brain.
And as much as I love these flaky, creamy, chocolate-ie, pistachio-ie concoctions, they are not even close to my favorite things held within those austere walls.
Behold, in all its glazed glory, the Royal Danish. Bow down to the Danish. Revel in its ability to calm the savage beast/significant other. Rip it delicately apart. Treat it as you might a long lost friend, taking time to savor some lost camaraderie.
Or just eat the damn thing as fast as you can, along with a tall glass of chocolate milk.
Or coffee, which they have there. Something to do after you rip a ticket from that little red dispenser. Fill a tiny Styrofoam cup full of diluted coffee and hammer those damn samples until your teeth are buzzing or they call your number, whichever one comes first.
All of the sales people here are very helpful and don't laugh when you just point and say, "I want that thing-ie with the icing on it."
It gets a little crowded, and it's closed on Sundays. But really, those are the only two negatives.
You want to go to here. Now!
Stopped in while biking home after a failed attempt to come here earlier, on a Sunday (they are closed, boo). Was curious as to this huge streusel-topped flat thing in their display case, labeled thusly: "Less than perfect, 10% off."
It was "Swedish flop"-- buttercream frosting sandwiched between two panels of rich danish dough and topped with streusel. (The apparently "perfect," full-priced Swedish flop elsewhere in the display case did not look any more pristine, but hey, I'll take it.)
Ridiculously, a "half piece" (which was a giant thing about the size of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper) cost only $3. $THREE. At Starbucks for that price, I can get a super-processed, over-sweetened coffee cake the size of a Post-it.
Their space is vast , bright, and very clean, and the staff patient and knowledgeable. The only thing reminiscent of seating is a little bench smack in the middle of the room-- and then nowhere else for you to enjoy your goodies in-store, other than a narrow counter along the window with no seats. But I don't mind portable food, and will be back (hopefully during Christmastime!)-- and will hopefully get to up my rating then!
And for the record, the Swedish flop was very fresh, simple, delicious, and worth way more than $3.
There's a reason there's a line...it's just freakin' good. Lots of variety, doughnuts, cookies, pastries, cakes, and fresh bread. Treat yourself, and try this bakery...
5 Stars for Swedish Bakery is an understatement. This is the best dang bakery in Chicago. And if some other bakery wants to tempt me to change my opinion, they better have a slice of German Chocolate Cake ready that can hold a birthday candle to SB's!
The feeling I got when I walked into the Swedish Bakery was indescribable. It was a feeling I have longed for and haven't achieved since childhood. It was similar to the proverbial, "I feel like a kid in a candy store." When you walk in, you're surrounded on all sides by delectable baked goods. The hardest part was deciding what to get. I got carried away. Let's just leave it at that. I highly recommend the oreo cupcakes, the Swedish almond cookies, the smiley pig, the porcupine, and the mini-chocolate chip cookies. Or, you may just want to let your heart lead you to your destiny.
Whenever someone's mentions Swedish Bakery the first image I get in my head is their Fruit filled cake. Mmmm. Let's see now....Sweet and spongy cake.....light and whipped cream.......sweet and tasty jelly covering on top.......luscious custard on the inside.....and finally a long green strip of Marzipan with your name and "Happy Birthday" written on it with red gel. YES. This is the exact image I get in my head but the real memories are of the taste even more so than the image.
The cakes to me, are truly memorable. I won't go as far as to say that they're the greatest tasting cakes in all of Chicago (Although they maybe so far) but they do taste really yummy and always leave you wanting seconds. They use light and fluffy cream which is not full of fat content so it doens't turn into a hard layer of lard on the roof of your mouth. The cake is a nice balance of super sweet and mild. As you put it in your mouth different elements balance out. The cream is mild, the custard is average, the jelly is super sweet and the fruits are a mix. Oh and I hope you like Marzipan because Swedish Bakery uses LOTS of it. It's their main theme if you ask me.
They always have long lines here but your wait time is pretty minimal as the staff takes care of you pretty quickly. To me, this isn't the type of place you go to for your daily croissants. You come here to get sweet tooth fix for certain occasions. Of course there is almost no parking at it's location but I usually manage.
I remember eating cake from Swedish Bakery since I was a kid and it'll probably continue to be that way. Even if I never eat it again, I doubt I'll ever forget the taste of it.
How have I neglected to review the Swedish Bakery all this time? It's one of my favorite spots in one of my favorite neighborhoods. Well, I don't get in there too often because they're not open Sundays and Saturdays are a madhouse. My last trip was on a Friday around 9am, and the place still had a steady stream of customers.
Not much else to say that hasn't been said: the product is awesome and the prices are extremely reasonable. All of the ladies who wait on you, young or old, are very pleasant. I also love the cardboard-box treatment with the red-and-white string. Classy.
Anyway, it's all awesome, but here's what I got last time: chocolate eclair (which my sister devoured and I nibbled), chocolate/peppermint bark (a nice little after-dinner bite, not overwhelming in either flavor), a cute little marzipan/almond-buttercream/raspberry frog (actually, I see it below in one of the three photos that Yelp is asking me to rate) which I gave as a gift to a really swell gal, and two scones. Let me tell you something about these scones--I forgot about them on my counter for FOUR days. But I wasn't letting them go to waste, and as it turned out, they were totally edible. Stale, sure, but not hocky-puck stale; more like "the outside is uncomfortably dry but the inside is almost exactly what it should be" stale. So I bet that if you eat them the same day, those things are amazing!
If this place where any closer to my home, I would probably just pack up my things and move in. The aroma alone would keep me happy all the live long day.
First off I would like to thank them for breakfast this morning--as I waited for my cake to wrapped up, I got to sample (oh okay HORDE!) their tasty samples. People, they cut these samples up in very generous portions--so, I had a nice pastry while I waited--not to shabby! Plus, it was delicious.
Also, they were open before 6:30am this morning & that was just plain delightful. The service was superb as I was greeted with a hearty "Good Morning" and an offer of coffee (SWEET!). Now, they did not have the cake I originally went in to get, but have no fear, I gladly improvised & am eagerly awaiting the lunch party to partake in the little piece of heaven I purchased.
If you are ever in the Andersonville area, do yourself a favor & stop on by the Swedish Bakery. I would recommend a week day rather than a Saturday--unless you like to wait in long lines.
I am always going to be fat with a place like this around--seriously it is hindering my weight… Read more »
I love this place and am very happy to be right in the neighborhood. Only down side is that they are closed on Sundays!
I have been eating the sweets from Swedish Bakery since my first birthday! In fact, I always get the mixed fruit cake for my birthday every year, and it continues to remain my FAVORITE cake.
The mixed fruit cake is a yellow cake featuring a layer of the bakery's homemade custard, another layer of whipped cream, topped with a mixture of fruits such as peaches, green grapes and strawberries, and finally, surrounded with whipped cream. The cake is not too sweet and I like how after I eat it, I'm not left with a heavy and guilty feeling, nor a disgusting granulated sugar aftertaste because the bakery uses whipped cream instead of frosting for this cake. But, if you're looking for that super sweet sugary taste, you can always pre-order the cake with a message written in strawberry glaze atop a ribbon of green marzipan that spans the cake! Or just buy a marzipan cake.
Other noteworthy desserts are their classic butter cookies, especially the ones with the cherry center, and the eclairs. The butter cookies aren't oily, and the eclairs consist of a nice and flaky pastry, with the not too sweet whipped cream. No other eclair I've eaten tops the ones made at this bakery.
Because Swedish Bakery has been a fixture in Andersonville for 20+ years, this place can get pretty crowded, so get there early! Try to pre-order cakes when you can or you may just find yourself losing out on a delicious cake!
Wow I really loved the paczki I got here on Mardi Gras morning... I don't come in here often enough.
They have the sort of bakery I remember growing up with, which is not necessarily what first pops into my mind as a delicious treat these days, but they definitely have quality products here and a great and friendly staff. If you're looking for some delicious old world style treats, or a fresh pastry or baked bread I would definitely check this place out.
I've been coming here since I was two years old back when my family lived in Andersonville. I have no memories of my mother bringing me here because I was so little, but I do remember enjoying their pastries. You can't really go wrong with anything here as well. I'm a big fan of their lime cake which I'm typically not a fan of any key lime pastries for that matter. Soft and moist. Friendly staff. Reasonable pricing. Good stuff.
I'm not sure this place needs another five-star review, but who cares? I'm going to do it. I have been here on numerous occasions and each time, the bakery items are delicious! We have ordered many tres leches birthday cakes here and pick up the occasional bolillos to go with dinner.
I'm not entirely sure, though, that this is actually a Swedish bakery.
Super long lines on the weekends, and lines during the week days as well. But it's all worth it. The breads are AWESOME, the bakery goods a little sweet, and the cakes are great.
I usually prefer cookies that are of at least 5 inch-diameter. But Swedish Bakery and it's gazillion teeny-tiny buttery cookies are an exception to my gigantic-cookies-only principle. Melt-in-your-mouth butteriness, some cookies half-dipped in chocolate, some with frosting and sprinkles. So many combinations. Eat one of them and your eyes will become googly and you'll develop a strong desire to throw cookies in your mouth and its vicinity at a high speed...
Oh, this place has samples!!! Always a plus. I had a cookie, a quarter of some caramel-y donut, and a spoonful of chocolate cake yesterday morning all for... free!! All of them were exquisitely yummy. Yay!
The wait times to get a lousy croissant or petit four here is ridiculous. They have the worst service imaginable. They give you time when you order but the place is constantly packed on the weekend and then they run out of the things you want.
As far as the prices, WAY too high.
My mom ordered a cake here and it was inedible. The amount of frosting to cake was unreal. We couldnt find the cake. After letting the cake sit out for an hour-it was still hard-the frosting was like a big block of lard.
No one enjoyed it, and it was a bad ending to my graduation day. It does not deserve all the 5 star reviews-since I have been here on so many occasions and have waited for so long-it has become too much of a hassle.
The temptations of the Swedish Bakery are many!
Cases upon cases of delicious delicacies await you!
Cakes, pastries, breads - all fresh and delicious! Never have I been disappointed with their wares!
Beware on weekends, though. The lines are LONG!! They do accept phone orders, which make for much shorter wait times, but you can miss out on some previously unknown yet tantalizing morsels! Sometimes impulse buying can be good - especially when you can be assured that it's going to be tasty!
Tasty food, quick, friendly, and probably not very healthy!
I once walked in an they decorated a cake for me on the spot on a Sat morning!!!
Ahhh the curse of being born into a Swedish family in Chicago. Being tempted by Swedish delicacies since childhood. Both baked goods and Glogg (see my review of Simon's for that). That being said, my family has been patrons of this bakery for an eternity so I'm a little biased.
The sweet sounds of Swedish being spoken in a singsong voice are gone. Most of the warm Svenska personality is gone. A lot of the old school friendliness is gone. They used to ask how Grandma was, now its just "take a number". "NEXT". I am happy for their success, but I can only imagine how busy it would be if they still had the warmth and charm oozing out of them like a jelly donut.
It used to be different. The baked goods are still yummy, don't get me wrong but the warm and friendly Swedish hospitality has faded over the years and the baked goods have become more mainstream. Now it could be just about any bakery.
Having this place so close to my house could be a curse just as much as a blessing. The carb junkie inside of me is very content, but encourages me to visit more often. The healthy living side of me thanks me for my restraint. Believe me, it takes a lot to stay away from here!
This is my go-to spot for baked goods, especially breads and coffee cakes, to showcase my neighborhood when entertaining guests or heading out of town and bringing some of Chicago with me. Everything is fresh and tasty. Sugar junkies: check out anything with frosting, especially the frosted sugar cookies. My face hurts just thinking about it.
Be sure to order ahead and prepay for even the smallest items anytime close to the holiday season. You'll still have a wait, but it won't be as long as grabbing a paper ticket. Shortly after my move here, I picked up some rolls around Thanksgiving. I waited over an hour, and that was with a pre-order! I'll never do that again. Lesson learned: order ahead and prepay.
At any other time of year, drop in and peruse the selection a little more casually. The employees are usually helpful and friendly, and you can try a sample of goodies while you look around. You'll surely find something to take home, if it makes it that far.
Gosh, what a great ethnic bakery! I had to come in here a year after my boyfriend stole my heart by purchasing me an adorable marzipan froggie here that was too cute to eat---but I caved in and am glad I did! You guess it, the Swedish Bakery is Swedish (lingonberries and all) and has a nice history of being located in the Swedish neighborhood of Andersonville since the late 1920's.
After recently finding out that I am allergic to wheat, I saw that they had Potato bread. Yes, I bought a HUGE loaf of freshly baked, dusted and sliced potato bread (35 slices total) for only $1.80!! Only in a 'panaderia latina' can you find such quality and quantity. Their cookies are perfect for dipping in coffee or tea. They have a large variety for everyone's tastes. I personally recommend the rectangular cinnamon ones (peppercrocker); they're identical to what my grandmother from Sweden baked on the week of Christmas. Cookies run $7 for a half a pound ($14 for a pound). Oh, and I couldn't hold back and also purchased a cupcake for a great children's hospital cause--so they're also community orientated. I like! All this for $10 bucks!
P/S: One of the best ways to help you decide which treats to buy yourself is by their counter samples! On weekends, there may be random rushes of customers. Be sure to grab a number at the counter while you eye the jaw-dropping treats, cakes and pastries to make up your mind.
Was looking for a cake for my mother's birthday and heard about this place from some folks at work... So I took a look at their website and was stunned when I saw all the choices. I ordered the 7" chocolate ganache and it was to die for. I am not a huge chocolate fan and I thought this might be too heavy or just too much, but man o man was it delicious. I had a tiny piece, but now I wish I had more. While I waiting for my cake I tasted some pound cake that was very good and sugar cookies.. They were also just delightful. I landed on the carrot cake( its my fav) and I adored it. Luckily I just got a slice or else I would have eaten the whole thing.
This place is not good for the diet, but if you are looking to fill that sweeth tooth this is the place for you.
If Heaven has food -- this is what it tastes like. I'm not a sweets person (and yes that is 5 stars) but there is something magical about their sugar twists, coffee cakes and other treats that makes me want to buy the whole shop when I walk in there. As I am typing I'm drooling thinking about it.
I'd subtract a star for being closed on Sundays, but their stuff it so amazing that I just can't bring myself to do that.
We've gotten something from Swedish Bakery for every single graduation, 1st communion, and confirmation party my family has ever had! There is one cake in particular, has gelatin and fruit on the top that is my family's de facto party cake. Anyways, all the cakes are delicious and are always crowd pleasers. I don't think my birthdays could be complete without the Chocolate Ganache and raspberry filled cake.. It really completes my life. Truly the Best!
PS: Watch out for lines. Call in your order , the line is always shorter!
Cinnamon twists--yum to the max!
I will walk miles for baked goods. Literally. Nothing like pastries to motivate me to exercise. Today, my 2-mile trek led me to Swedish Bakery.
I have been living in Rogers Park/Edgewater for 8 years now, and this was my FIRST Swedish Bakery Experience. To all you current SB fans, I know what you're thinking: "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU???"
I took home a few pastries to share with my sister. They were super deeee-lish.
What? Huh? I hear whispers of "red velvet cake" from the other reviews... Looks like I will be back for more...
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