Best bakery in Argyle area?

If we are looking for Chinese or Vietnamese sweets in the Argyle corridor area, what are our best bets?

We are flexible about what kind of sweets we get, and we are willing to be adventurous in trying new things.

Thanks in advance.

Chiu Quon has always been my favorite. They have a location in Chinatown and on Argyle. I'm a big fan of the long coconut bun with the swirl pattern on top. In fact, it's one of my favorite sweets of all time and the source of my moniker--because I'm Coo coo for coconut buns.

1127 W Argyle St
Chicago

CCCB wrote: In fact, it's one of my favorite sweets of all time and the source of my moniker--because I'm Coo coo for coconut buns.

You learn something new every day!

I also like Chiu Quon a lot, but I prefer La Patisserie P, especially their green bean paste cakes.

La Patisserie P
1050-52 W. Argyle Street
Chicago, IL 60640
773.878.3226

Here's a link with some commentary on La Patisserie P: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8044

Sorry. I was being lazy when I posted on Chiu Quon being a favorite. I knew there was a link to it too. It's available here.

Ooh what perfect timing for this post!

I want to bring in breakfast for a 20 person meeting tomorrow, and as it's the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, I thought it'd be fun to bring in some Chinese baos for the late-morning meeting. Does anyone have a recommendation for a place for baos? I'd rather not do Wow Bao if I can avoid it...

(I realize that Argyle is mostly Vietnamese and baos are Cantonese, but I can't get down to Chinatown before work. I also know that Beijing isn't known for dim sum, but at least we have the same country.)

Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

asami

Sorry all,

When I clicked in the link that CCCB provided, I saw that Chiu Quon has baos and Chinese pastries. There's even suggestions for how long the baked goods will keep... LTHers rock!

asami

I LOVE La Patisserie P!! Big fan of their taro cakes, sesame balls, and coconut "snowballs." Anything made with gelatinous rice is a dessert winner in my book. In fact, even though La Patisserie offers tons of French pastries and lavish-style confections, their simpler and more affordable sweets are what I go nuts for.

I've tried most of the bakeries in Chinatown, and for some reason Chiu Quon seems to be a notch ahead of the rest. The pastries are fresher, and seem to be made with higher-quality ingredients. I've stopped going to any of the others.

Jerry wrote:I've tried most of the bakeries in Chinatown, and for some reason Chiu Quon seems to be a notch ahead of the rest. The pastries are fresher, and seem to be made with higher-quality ingredients. I've stopped going to any of the others.

I would agree with you, with the exception of St. Ann's bakery in the Chinatown Mall. That's my first choice followed by Chiu Quon. Of course, the original poster was asking about bakeries on Argyle. In that case, Chiu Quon is my first choice, but I'll admit that I haven't tried very much at Patisserie P yet. A situation I plan on remedying on my next Argyle visit.

Jerry wrote:I've tried most of the bakeries in Chinatown, and for some reason Chiu Quon seems to be a notch ahead of the rest. The pastries are fresher, and seem to be made with higher-quality ingredients. I've stopped going to any of the others.

Jerry,

On Argyle Chiu Quon is my bakery of choice as well, very fresh, they are continuously busy and have a high turnover, and use good quality ingredients. Chiu Quon is also a good place for a quick dim sum snack, I'm particularly partial to the crisp gingery pot stickers, though the thicker than typical slightly chewy dough may not be to everyone's taste.

Enjoy,
Gary

Chiu Quon Bakery
1127 W. Argyle St
Chicago, IL
773-907-8888

While this is totally late in the game, Baozi are not uniquely Cantonese. In fact, Beijing is quite famous for them. Any Chinese food using wheat flour is a Northern thing. That said, having ingested many baozi both here and in China, Wow Bao's are--in terms of size, shape, and texture--as much like China's as most i've had here. The fillings are not traditional in the least, of course, but in their own right are pretty tasty. In this country, I don't think a real baozi lover can afford to hate on Wow Bao, unless their Chinese grandmother makes them at home.