German bakeries good enough to impress a Berliner?

I am dying for some good, dark german bread... Know where I can get some? I am a northsider, but willing to travel for my cravings. My boyfriend will be relocating to Chicago from Berlin soon and I will need to have a few places up my proverbial sleeve to soothe impending homesickness. Please advise! Thanks.

Good luck.

I love Berlin, and Germany is flat-out clean and first-class. If you find a place here, let the world know.

Hi,

Is your favored German bread the sour rye bread? This is the bread my Dad grew up enjoying in Chicago. When he visited relatives in Celle, in the north, they did not know of this bread. He visited other relatives around Stuttgart, in the south, they regularly served this bread.

The problem with German food is their regionalism. It is not enough to be a German bakery, it has to fit the regional context he is expecting.

Regards,

Alpine Deli is what became of the Heidelberg restaurant in Elmhurst and once served a large west-Suburban German population. I know this deli is out of your area but maybe if you called them, they could tell you where they source bread.

Alpine Delicatessen
100 E Roosevelt Rd # 8
Villa Park, IL 60181
(630) 530-5115

You could try Austrian Bakery on Clark. Obviously, it's not German, but they make similar old-world style bread there. It's worth a shot.

Also, I'd recommend sampling some of the better bakeries in town when your boyfriend gets here. As Cathy said, Germany is very regional so he may be accustomed to eating different breads when not in Berlin. I think as long as the quality and craftsmenship of the baker is top-notch, he may find a new favorite.

Austrian Bakery
2523 N Clark Street
Chicago, IL, 60610
(773) 244-9922

The largest selection that we have found of german-style dark breads has been at A&G Market. (Actual ethnicity may not actually be german, but there are a number of dark breads with many densities and levels of softness and crust to choose from)

A&G is located just west of Central on Belmont (parking lot in the back).

A & G Fresh Market
5630 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
773-777-4480

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=11944

Also in the Neighboorhood, and more German perhaps, is Gene's Sausage shop which has a lovely wall of sausage, meat products and prepared foods (and the legacy to the dearly departed Delicatessen Meyer)

Gene's Sausage
5330 W Belmont
Chicago, IL

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12591