
Helen W.

It is the top 2 Asian bakery that I go to here in Chicago. It is always packed on a weekend and you will need to wait in line (the line does move fast though).
There are a lot of selections and they are constantly working on new products as well. The bread and drinks are very fresh and tasty. I haven't never tried to sit down to have any hot food but I bet there are good as well.
My favorite: taro bun and garlic bread Korean style. Try them!



about 1 year ago

Nancy L.

Found this place on Yelp when I was headed to the airport. Perfect spot to pick up some treats before leaving Chi Town! I love a good Taiwanese bakery, which I had one back home! There were so many to choose from, I wish they had bigger boxes. The biggest box they had could hold up to 4 treats.
I would definitely come back here next time I'm in Chicago!



over 1 year ago

Clarissa C.

Yummy and cute small Taiwanese bakery! They have both savory and sweet pastries, and a variety of Asian-inspired drink options.
You pick your own bread with tongs and place them in provided plastic baggies.
I got the ham and cheese bread with pork floss, and the ham and corn bread. Absolutely loved how soft and fluffy both were! Highly recommend!


7 months ago

Vivian Z.

A decent place for pastries/beverages, though slightly overpriced. There is a little bit of seating in the front where the pastries are and more space in the back room to sit down and work. Service was good.
Black sesame hojicha latte (4/5): You can alter the sweetness of the beverage which is nice, and you can also change the ice level (though they charge extra if you ask for light/no ice). The latte was not too sweet and the hojicha flavor was great. The black sesame was not incorporated very well -- I couldn't taste the flavor in the actual latte but there was some black sesame (powder, potentially?) floating around at the bottom of my drink, so I ended up chewing on it as I drank, which made the texture a little odd.
Yuzu madelines (3/5): I enjoyed the soft texture of the madelines; they were baked well. The flavor was a little citrusy, but I would have liked the yuzu to stand out more.
Strawberry taro bolo bun (3/5): The flavor profile was clever, but the bun was a little too sweet for me. I am a bigger fan of the standard texture of a bolo bun -- in part because other elements were added to the bun, the top of this one was not as crispy. The bun itself was chewier and not as fluffy too.



7 months ago

Angel W.

A Taiwanese bakery store located right next to the Roosevelt train station. It's a modern Asian bakery/coffee store with fresh bakery and fresh brew coffee. They also sell some souvenirs/ seasonings from Taiwan and some other Asian countries.
Service: It is a self-serve bakery. They provide paper bags and boxes and you pick your own bakery on the shelves. After that you can go to the cashier to pay your bakery and return the tong. Big fans of self-service store, you can take your time to pick the items without worrying about bothering others.
Food: Egg Custard Tart - 5/5
- Perfect sweetness level for me (slightly sweet)
- Filled with soft and creamy egg custard all the way to the bottom of the crust (ard 1.5" depth)
- The crust is just thick enough to the egg custard together
- Very delicious

about 1 year ago

Stephon H.

I don't think I can ever get tired of this place! I come here for lunch and a morning Matcha sometimes. I think what keeps me coming back is the pastries and the variety of Matcha drinks they have. I definitely recommend an iced blueberry Matcha and if you would like a coffee, I suggest the iced coffee with Ube syrup. There is a lot of space to sit if you need to do some work. The service here is good, not over-the-top or underwhelming.





3 months ago

Denis S.

I'm so happy a randomly found this place. Not something to eat every day, but as a treat, their buns are amazing. I got a savory pork one and after devouring it ended up getting two more sweat buns to-go.
I also got a mango smoothie, which was fine but nothing special.
8 months ago

Cynthia H.

I randomly stumbled upon this spot while on my trip to Chicago and am so glad I was able to try it out! I was originally a little skeptical because I thought it was similar to an 85 degrees but it turned out to be much more unique. They also sell some other items like ramen broth.
We arrived at around 3pm on a Sunday so a lot of the baked goods were already sold out. I was able to try the taro mochi bun with pork floss which was super yummy.
They also have a wide variety of coffee, tea and non caffeinated drinks. We tried the mango pandan matcha and black sesame hojicha. Both were delicious! The matcha could've been stronger but the flavor combination worked well. I'm a big fan of both black sesame and hojicha so the extra nuttiness in the drink was perfect for me.
There's also seating and WiFi for those that want to stay longer.
6 months ago

Pa Zao L.

I got the ham & cheese bun with pork floss filling and strawberry tart. This is my first time trying pork floss and I didn't like it because it was too dry. The strawberry tart was delicious! Loved the fresh strawberries on top and the almond pudding inside was flavorful but not heavy.
A bit pricy and the area can be busy since it's right off Roosevelt and Wabash. They have a big selection and every time I go, they've already run out of the more popular items. You grab individual tongs from a rack and place the items you want in a plastic bag or a tray (depending if you're staying to eat or to go).
I recommend trying this place out!
3 months ago

Ai H.

Hands down has become my top Asian bakery place in Chicago with various bakery items to choose from and a delicious hot matcha latte. I am absolutely in love with the taro bun as it reminds me of those hmart taro that you heat up in the air fryer. I've tried the pork buns as well and was very happy. There's plenty of seating but it can get busy as group of friends stop by here to chat or individuals bring their laptops to study. Either way, it's a good environment with lots of food items to choose from. I will be back!
5 months ago

Lisa M.

Yum! Love a bao place. I think everything we got here was good. Cute atmosphere. Lots of natural textures and fun art. You place your order on the one side and can go through to the other to sit and eat.
Got a London Fog Tea Latte too, but it wasn't the strong pick-me-up I needed. If you don't prefer strong teas, this might be a nice one to try.

10 months ago

Abby S.

Wowowow. Just wow. These are the best sweet treats I've ever had. I stopped by in the morning and there were so many yummy choices! I got the ube mochi bun which was puffy and soft. The black sesame matcha was also good! There were some tables to sit at and lots of chill K-pop tunes playing from the speakers, it's the perfect place to bring a laptop and study.

3 months ago

Divya V.

I stumbled upon this place as I was in the neighborhood and craving a good coffee before my Pickleball practice. I ordered an Iced Latte with almond milk with Ube syrup. The coffee was honestly ok and the ube syrup didn't really blend well with the coffee. I feel they have more Teas on the menu than coffee options. The coffee was reasonably priced however I have never had to pay extra money for a cup of water, that was really odd! I'm not sure if I'll come back to this place again!



10 months ago

Ken K.

Stumbled upon this place while walking around Chicago's South Loop area... had a great bakery item (ham and scallion bun) and a latte. They had a lot of awesome looking bakery items to choose from. Def puts a smile on my face when I find a small local gem like this!






5 months ago

Nisa S.

This page really needs an update (lol). They no longer serve food. You can still get all of the baked goods and drinks.
One of the servers was iffy about giving my fiance the restroom key. I get it, not for public use.
There's a good amount of seating in the back. They were playing Kpop. Several areas with bar stool seating in the front and back.
I had the hojicha black sesame iced and unsweetened. I enjoyed it. I like it when my drinks aren't super sweet.
I tried a few of the baked goods. They were bringing out fresh items as we sat and ate too. The egg custard bun was light, but the egg custard texture reminded me of a scrambled steamed egg. The black sesame bun had a bit of what seemed like a mochi paste filling, sticky and not sweet. That was fun and I've never had anything like that before.
If you've ever tried an 85 degree bakery, it sort of reminded me of that except everything tasted more fresh. We did come at 9am. Everything was warm and fresh tasting. They also had a shelf for "no waste" discounted items probably from yesterday.

8 months ago

Kylie O.

I went around 3pm on a weekday. There were a decent amount of pastries available, but it was clear that many had been sold out. After tasting two of them, I can see why.
I got a taro (?) filled bun and a pork floss bun. Both were very soft and fresh. They were the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The workers were very nice and the checkout process was very quick!
The front area where the pastries are is a little small and has two tables to sit, but they do have more seating in the back. I didn't get to take photos of all the pastries due to the small area and since there were multiple people grabbing pastries. However, I can say that they have so many varieties and it all looked delicious!!
I really recommend trying this place, I will definitely come back at opening one day to try some of the items I missed out on :)



6 months ago

Laurita M.

I couldn't resist stopping in after catching a glimpse of their stunning pastries displayed in the window. They offer an impressive variety of both savory and sweet treats, all at affordable prices. The self-serve setup lets you pick and package your selections at your own pace, adding a fun, personal touch to the experience. They also serve coffee and drinks, and even in the middle of the day, the selection was plentiful and beautifully prepared. Every pastry I tried was as delicious as it looked--definitely worth a visit!

3 months ago

David Y.

Food: good Taiwanese bakery in the city, pretty good flavors, wish some of the items were kept more warm
Service: was fine, most part was self serve
Ambiance: didn't sit in, just got it to go


4 months ago

Rob R.

Yooooooo! The first thing I did on my first full morning in Chicago was jump on a bus and head straight for Sweet Bean. I had high hopes and it did not disappoint!
Taiwanese bakeries are beginning to be right up there with my favorite places I have to visit when I'm in another city. Sweet Bean is definitely no exception and has fueled my addiction to Taiwanese baked goods.
Walking in there was a laid back vibe. No one trying to rush you. People coming in and out grabbing breakfast. I took my time and looked at every single item before ordering. I ordered a Hot Dog and Onion bun and a Ham and Green Scallion. I had a lot to do that day, so I didn't want to overeat or I would have ordered more. With that being said, after I polished off the hot dog and onion, I went and got another one. Off Tha Chain! I ate that one and then had to physically restrain myself from ordering one to go. Let's face it. That third one wouldn't have made it to the bus stop.
I ordered an Iced Jasmine Green Tea (my go to tea) and a flat white coffee. I sat there for a bit while eating and drinking and then went about my day. My only regret is not coming back again before I left Chicago.
If you've Bean a Sweet person this year, ask Santa to stuff your stockings with Sweet Bean baked goods. Better yet, leave Santa a Hot Dog and Onion Bun. He won't even remember the cookies!










about 1 year ago

Khadijah H.

Sweet bean is so cutesy! Walked past on my way to the train station and decided to pop in. You walk in and smell the amazing aromas of various pastries. If you're interested in grabbing an item, they have tongs for grab and plastic bags ready to go to place your goodies in. Don't worry, fresh tongs are brought out frequently.
The staff is friendly and knows their menu well. They are constantly bringing out the freshest items for customers. I purchased a Ube red bean paste pastry and it was pretty good. I can say I wanted more Ube flavor than red bean paste. This pastry is for those that adore red bean, if not, it's passed and get something else.




5 months ago