Loaf Lounge ★ 4.5
Loaf Lounge in Avondale is the bread-centric cafe Sarah Mispagel and Ben Lustbader opened on Milwaukee Avenue. Open wed-mon 08:00-16:00, closed tuesday.
Worth the queue: Chocolate cake featured on The Bear
Tip: On Fat Tuesday the queue is two hours. Pre-order on the website by the Friday before; collection runs all day.
Location
Address: 7055 W Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60638
More bakeries in Chicago
Lost Larson ★ 4.7
Lost Larson in Chicago is Bobby Schaffer's Andersonville Scandinavian bakery on Clark, with stone-milled rye and the cardamom bun that pulls the morning.
Tip: Cardamom buns sell out by 11:00 on weekends. Arrive at 08:30 or call ahead to set one aside.
Worth the queue: Cardamom bun (kardemummabullar)
Publican Quality Bread ★ 4.5
Publican Quality Bread in Chicago is One Off Hospitality's wholegrain bakery on Grand, supplying The Publican, avec and Big Star with sourdough and laminated.
Tip: Friday is the kouign-amann day; they bake a single batch in the morning and it is the move.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough boule
Kasama (bakery) ★ 4.7
Kasama in Chicago is Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's Ukrainian Village daytime bakery, with the ube cruffin, longanisa breakfast plate and pan de sal at a small.
Tip: Doors at 07:00 weekends; ube cruffins gone by 10:30. Get there at 07:15 and order three.
Worth the queue: Ube cruffin
Stan's Donuts ★ 4.1
Stan's Donuts in Chicago is the Wicker Park doughnut chain on Damen from the Sahagun family, with yeasted pocketed long johns and red-velvet doughnut.
Tip: Order online for pickup if the line is out the door, which it usually is on Sunday mornings.
Worth the queue: Long John with red velvet
Middle East Bakery & Grocery ★ 4.4
Middle East Bakery & Grocery in Chicago is the Andersonville Lebanese bakery on Foster, with manakeesh from a brick oven, spinach pies and pickled vegetables.
Tip: Order a za'atar manakeesh hot from the case and a bag of pickled turnips; eat the bread in the car.
Worth the queue: Za'atar manakeesh