Naples Bakery-Cakes, Cookies, Pastries on the Southwest Side

Driving from Top-Notch Beefburgers to Vito & Nick's, I passed the storefront for Naples Bakery in Evergreen Park, and so stopped to check it out. Naples bakery has been serving the Southwest Side for over 85 years, and they have an article from the Sun-Times (I think) from 1970, labeling them as one of the best bakeries in the city (along with Lutz). I was very pleased by what I ordered: excellent cannoli, very flavorful almond cookies (amaretti), soft lemon cookies (angelettes), rich baba au rhum, and sfogiatellas. I place it in the category of Il Mulino (although without savory dishes), which is a nice category to be in.

I couldn't find a reference to Naples bakery on the board (Wolf Bakery is better known), but it deserves to be recognized. Friendly service, too. They specialize in wedding cakes (and describe themselves as the "home of the famous turtle cookies").

Naples Bakery
3705 W. 95th Street
Evergreen Park, IL 60805
708-424-1810
http://www.naplesbakery.com

Before Naples Bakery moved to 95th Street it was situated in the thriving business district of the Italian neighborhood on 69th St., west of Ashland Avenue (together with Ambrosino's and other specialty grocery stores). Until the early -1960s I lived at 69th and Justine, one block east of Ashland Ave., and though we had the excellent LeMay's Bakery a stones-throw from our house we frequently purchased our pastry from Naples (bread and sweet rolls from LeMay's). When I lived in Oak Lawn I'd visit Naples frequently, also - and I continue to make irregular stops through the years. I've enjoyed the cannoli's from Naples for more than 50 years.

Honestly, I think Tuzik's, further west, is every bit as good as Naples, and Wolf's beats both, particularly where donuts and coffeecakes are concerned. Having grown up in striking distance of all three, I think it's a region dense with pretty solid, old-school bakeries (re: hot cross buns instead of "pastries"). I happily eat most anything from any of them, however. It would be interesting to do a one-to-one-to-one comparison of donuts or some such item that each bakery offers.

Wolf's formerly had the greatest cheesecake in the world. A while back, however, in the midst of redoing their kitchen, they lost the pans--learning this was one of the saddest days of my then-young life. They never went back to making them. Anybody else recall these ethereal edibles?

Tuzik's Bakery
4955 W 95th St
Oak Lawn, IL 60453-2522
(708) 422-0099

Wolf's Bakery
3241 W 95th St
Evergreen Park, IL 60805
(708) 422-7429

I stopped in a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post about it. At the very least, I wanted to honor their cannoli in the "Worst Thing You've Eaten Lately" thread.

Strange. My wife and I thought that their cannoli was delicious. And we had just had a second one from an Italian bakery the previous day that did not stand up to criticism.

Honestly, I tried 3-4 things from there and nothing rose above the mediocre. But the cannolo was way below that. Filled early in the morning so it would be nice and soggy by the time I got it, the filling was more watery than creamy, the cheese of fairly poor quality, and the flavor off-putting, as if a very cheap vanilla extract had been used. I'm not going to dock any points for the green-dyed peanuts, as that seems to be a common local affliction -- the rest was bad enough.

I don't know, maybe I got the wrong stuff, but I'm in no hurry to return to find out. Good thing Jimmy Jamm was nearby.

Naples Bakery Will Close After 97 Years

Popular bakery in Evergreen Park to close doors at end of year as Barraco's will expand and use the space.

EVERGREEN PARK, IL - Naples Bakery will close at the end of the year after nearly a century of serving baked goods to the South Side of Chicago and the nearby southwest suburbs.

The final day for the popular bakery that’s been at 3705 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park for years will be Dec. 31.

“With Barraco’s taking over our building to expand their business, a long era is coming to an end,” the business wrote on its Facebook page recently. “We wish them as much success as we’ve had through the past few decades.”

The bakery famous for its cannolis, napoleons and sfogiatellas has developed a loyal following, not just for nearby customers in Evergreen Park but for several residents of nearby suburbs and longtime fans who remember the bakery’s original location on 69th Street near Wolcott Avenue in Chicago.

“We developed many friendships and loyal customers and for that we are forever grateful,” Naples continued in its statement. “We would like to thank you for your past business, and tell you how much we have enjoyed having you as a customer.”

Fans were understandably upset about the end of an era that dates back 97 years.