Let Us Eat Cake
By Anonymous in Food on Aug 14, 2005 2:43PM
Chicagoist heard about this bakery from co-workers, but it was not until we tried their famous pear cake did we completely understand the reverence felt towards this bakery. Served at someone’s birthday, the pear cake is surrounded by lady fingers, topped with half-slices of pears, and filled with cream that is just so light you can’t believe it. It is so famous, that many Poles have this cake specially packed and sent to Poland for special occasions. The makers of this delicious cake? The Oak Mill Bakery.
Chicagoist visited the Oak Mill Bakery on Belmont (they have four locations) during our Polish food tour (don’t fret, a visit to the pierogie factory is coming...). The bakery was packed, and the employees were smiling and chatting with the customers...something we love in a bakery (seriously, have you ever gone to a bakery with grouchy people? Ruins the whole experience!). The walls of the bakery are lined with pictures of the wedding and birthday cakes they make, from basic ones like Sponge-Bob, to more elaborate like motorcycles, trucks, flowery-hats, and glittery ones. Glittery cakes! We have a niece that would be all over that one and secretly, so would we. It’s this thing we have about shiny objects since we were little. Damn you Glittery Barbie!
It was hard to decide on what to get, not only because there were so many choices, but also because the counters were completely packed with people and we couldn’t see a thing. We decided on what looked like a cappuccino-flavored cream-filled cake, a cup of coffee, and a seat by the window, all for less than $6. The cake was super-sugary, almost too much, but that didn’t stop us eating it so quickly that we forgot to take a picture of it, realizing that last part on our caffeine-sugar high on the drive home.
They also specialize in breakfast pastries, particularly the Polish Pazcki (pronounce punch-key, sort of). This is like a jelly-filled donut, but we probably just offended the Polish community here in Chicago and the entire country of Poland by making such a simplistic comparison. These are particularly popular the day before Lent begins, when people apparently pig out on these prior to giving them up for Lent. In one article on the Oak Mill Bakery wall, there is a story about how one bakery went through 15,000 pazckis in one day. One day, people! And that’s not even with any kind of super-sizing. That must have gotten everyone through Lent and then some!
The one thing Chicagoist will say is that their website is very disappointing and does not do the bakery justice at all...many links lead to pages that state “No records were found matching your request.” Why have the links in the first place? However you do get a few pictures of wedding and birthday cakes, and some pastries. Our recommendation is to get to one of them on your own and find your own favorite. And don’t grab and go...have a seat and enjoy the atmosphere.
Oak Mill Bakery – 4 locations, we visited
5635 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60634
Phone 773-237-5799
Open 7 days a week
www.oakmillbakery.com