Patti Ann's Bakery

Located at the corner of Bergen and Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights, Patti Ann's bakery (formerly Evi’s Bäckerei) is a new Austrian-influenced bakery from the team behind nearby Olmsted and Maison Yaki. For now, they’re only open Thursday-Sunday from 8am-4pm, and no matter when you go, there’ll probably be a line. But as long as you don’t mind waiting for a few minutes with all the neighborhood Goldendoodles also sitting patiently, there’s a huge range of breads and pastries you can and should try. The options rotate, but you can expect everything from bacon and onion-topped focaccia and a ham and cheese pretzel twist to extra-thick strawberry sriracha donuts and miniature eggnog bundt cakes. Whatever you do, make sure to grab a maple cruller and a loaf of red sauerkraut sourdough if they’re available—they’re the two best things we’ve tried so far.

photo credit: Noah Fecks