By Bob Glaze
Every time I am in Oak Park I find some great new bakeries and coffee shops. My top recommendations include:
Courageous Bakery & Cafe: At 736 Lake St., this is a great bakery and cafe where you can grab coffee and a cupcake. They also have an extensive breakfast and lunch menu.
Not to be missed is Spilt Milk at 811 South Blvd. This is a popular sister-owned bakery specializing in artisan pies and pastries baked from scratch, with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. They also have a large selection of cookies, bread, coffee and tea drinks, soups, sandwiches, buttermilk biscuits and quiche. Their pantry and food items include wines, chocolates, jams and spreads, snacks and more. Opened in 2014, Chicago Magazine named it having the city’s best pie in their August 2019 “Best of Chicago” feature. I loved my key lime pie and latte. I highly recommend the experience.
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Nearby is Kribi Coffee at 1033 South Blvd. Their first location is in neighboring Forest Park, and a third is will open soon at 149 Forest Ave. in Oak Park. Now, Kribi Coffee is focused on sourcing green beans directly from our farmers in Cameroon, where the owner, Jacques Shalo, is originally from. In addition to excellent coffee drinks, they feature pastries, donuts and bagels from other local sources. I enjoyed the experience.
Sugar Fixe Patisserie at 119 N. Marion St. is a great spot for a macaron or cupcake!
Across the street is a great new find Léa French Cafe at 106 N. Marion St. They have a great selection of pastries, croissants, cookies and tarts along with sandwiches, salads and quiche plus coffee drinks, tea and other beverages. I had never had a hazelnut croissant, so I had to buy one. It was one of the best I have had!
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Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea, at 702 Lake St., is a colorful cafe offering tea, coffee drinks along with salads, sandwiches and pastries. I enjoyed my visit! I have also been to their locations at 12 S. Michigan Ave. across from Millennium Park and 1330 W. Fulton Market in the West Loop
Recently opened in Oak Park, is the second area location of Publican Quality Bread. It is located at 211 Harrison St. The menu contains coffee drinks, breads, cookies quiche and pastries along with tartines, sandwiches, salads, pizza, beer and wine. They have a nice outdoor patio.
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The day before I drove out to Oak Park, I read about Broken Tart at 1108 Chicago Ave. This is a small bakery featuring baked goods from cookies, scones and muffins along with a number of cakes and coffee drinks. I loved the olive oil cake that I bought for dessert the next night.
Next door, make sure to stop in for an ice cream break at Petersen’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream at 1100 Chicago Ave. in Oak Park. It is two blocks from the Wright Home and Studio and has been open since 1919 and in this location since 1931. I have been several times and loved the butter pecan and the peach!!!
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The Cultural Caffeine Tour in Downtown Oak Park took place from April 22–28, 2024. The event celebrated the local coffee and tea scene by offering signature caffeinated drinks at participating businesses. I was out of town but went in May over Memorial Day Weekend to visit a number of the 13 tour stops downtown.
The first stop was for dessert at Crepas Culichi. This is a French café with the flavors of classic Mexican dishes It has a beautiful, classic design and lovely outdoor patio seating. It is open for daily brunch and dinner. They are known for their crepes, both sweet and savory. I loved the sweet crepe with cajeta or Mexican dulce de leche with bananas and ice cream along with the cafe de olla or a Mexican style coffee with cinnamon and brown sugar.1101 Lake St.
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Next was Khyber Pass at 1031 Lake St. This is a popular restaurant serving Indian dishes cooked in a tandoor or a hollow, barrel-shaped clay oven. The menu looked excellent, so I would like to go back for lunch or dinner. But on this tour, I enjoyed a traditional masala chai tea made with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and served with milk.
The next stop was Wise Cup at 1018 Lake St. They feature coffee drinks, baked goods and special Indian treats including samosas. With its Indian influence, I tried the Kashmiri cardamom latte. It was very tasty.
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I then enjoyed VIGO COFFEE at 1100 Lake St. I had been to their Chicago coffee shop in Lincoln Park in Chicago and recently read about their horchata latte, so on my visit to Oak Park, I really loved trying it. Don’t miss it when you are in town. It is made with espresso along with rice water, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It also has a number of pastries and food items as well
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I hope you enjoy Oak Park on your next visit as much as I do.
