Loretta’s Bake Shop and Cafe

Came in a couple weekends back and purchased an egg/​bacon sandwich. The sandwich was good but like other reviewers have stated, the owner lacks customer service and not in a «Soup Nazi» sort of way. I got the impression that she was annoyed that she’s an owner of a small business and has to deal with customers.

I really can’t believe the experience I had after reading some of the reviews. I don’t know what I did, but the lady behind the counter was a huge %$&#. Even before I walked in she was yelling at me to shut the door. The couple in front of me asked her a question about empanadas and she fired back «I can’t say, i’m out of x so that will make your decision easier.» We all looked at each other with wide eyes. All i wanted was a simple cup of coffee and she scoffed at that. Judging from the one other person in there, methinks she won’t be around much longer with rudeness like that. Being in a high rent district like randolph, her recipe for baking isn’t going to cover for her lack of appreciation of her few customers that she has left. Too bad. The coffee sucked.

I love this place! Found out about it through Giftie, so I decided to stop in while shopping in the neighborhood. I ordered some treats to go but my favorite were the homemade cookies! They were great! I can’t wait to go back for more!

I have always loved Mary Beth’s (owner) cookies and pop tarts. But we ordered a dark chocolate pecan pie and a chicken chorizo potato quiche for my partner’s birthday this past weekend. Both were to die for! The best quiche of my entire life. I don’t normally love pecan pie, but I loved this one. The pie was not sickly sweet like so many from other bakeries. Absolutely delicious! I think from now on instead of Saturday or Sunday brunch, we are going to have quiche every weekend!

The owner/​baker Mary Beth is the absolute sweetest, and her pop tarts (and everything else in the shop!) are to die for. I’m here about once a week, and every time I walk in, she greets me with a smile and my usual Strawberry pop tart. Despite the fact that she has a lot on her plate running the shop and baking everything all by herself, she manages to remember not only what I usually order, but also what we talked about the last time we spoke!
Her passion for what she does will be apparent as soon as you bite into one of her delicious treats. If you find yourself in the West Loop, you MUST stop by. And if you don’t find yourself in the West Loop, it’s a place absolutely worth going out of your way for. Just make sure to call ahead and check if she’s got any pop tarts left if you’re stopping by later in the day, I might have eaten all of them already.

The adult pop tarts are the gateway dessert and when you leave you just might be addicted to Crack… Crack pie that is. That’s what happened to me. Not ashamed to admit it.
The pop tarts by the way are fabulous. Great flaky crust, sweet but not too sweet filling. And none of that processed taste that the store bought pop tarts have.
The Crack pie… also amazing. I asked about it and she gave me a sample and I was hooked immediately. Really – No joke. It’s slightly sweet, custardy, buttery, and its crust is pretty much a cookie.
It’s a small store, some other items I notices – cookies, brownies and apple cake to name a few. Their menu board listed at least 5 different kinds of empanadas. Had I not gotten some sandwiches for lunch from down the street, I’m sure a couple of those empanadas would have made it in my bag.
Friendly lady behind the counter. Cute bake shop.

Stopped in for lunch and a coffee, left with a Nutella pop tart (which is amazing, by the way) and a smile on my face.
Found out the store was named after Mary Beth’s mother. It was a little slow, so Mary Beth and I got to chatting and I found a wonderful baker whose personality reflects her craft– a wonderful balance of sweet and savory. Big heart, sharp mind, makes an excellent empanada.
I got the quiche which was perfectly flaky and topped with just the right amount of spinach, the meatball empanada, a surprisingly good combination full of flavor and texture, and finally a Nutella poptart for the road, which, how, I… I don’t think I can eat another pop tart ever again.
Mary Beth, I am forever changed by you. I will be back very soon.

Loretta, please consider moving in with me and making those delicious egg sandwiches every morning! They’re the perfect mix of butter, cheese and everything that is right in the world.
Seriously, forgot about the pastries for a moment because her egg sandwiches will blow your mind.
I’ve seen her crack, scramble, and fry the egg on the grill so I can assure you it’s a fresh, real egg. You must eat it the second she hands it to you for the full effect.
Pastries are also good and I can tell by the taste they are also made from scratch. I like some things better than others but I chalk that up to personal preference.
Her demeanor is somewhat dry but I’ve seen her be talkative to a family that appeared to be one of her regulars so I hope she’ll get friendlier with time.

Holy mo. I’ve lived near this place for almost a year. I’m kicking myself for not going sooner. Loretta is a delight — very real. Her treats are beyond. I got the cinnamon donut and couldn’t control how much I moaned as I ate it. I can not wait to go back and get ALL THE THINGS.

Can’t imagine getting my holiday stuff anywhere else. The pie crust is to DIE for.
And there’s new coffee, too — Sparrow roasted, which is ah-​may-​zing!
Still totally addicted to crownies… so, SO good.

Cute little café! Came here around 9:30 on a Thursday because we had an errand to run in the neighborhood. Had a ham, egg, cheese breakfast sandwich on Bays English muffin. The eggs were scrambled to perfection and with the ham and cheese and toasted muffin it was excellent. I also tried a strawberry «pop tart» which was so good! The pastry was super flakey and tender, not too much filling, and just enough sugar glaze on top. My friend, someone who does not have a sweet tooth, tried the cinnamon sugar baked donut and loved it. I had a taste and it was a great balance of complex flavored donut and sweet cinnamon sugar. The woman behind the counter (I assume it was Loretta?) was super nice and you could tell she loved what she did. Great find, will have to go back next time we’re in town.
#LuxeOrBucks 90% #NinaKnowsNice @justUsAdventures

I am a fan of Loretta’s for all the baked goodies. This place is a neighborhood gem. As of the last month, they are now also open on Sunday.
The empanadas are very sizable with high quality ingredients. The potato and chicken chorizo varieties are my favorites. My wife loves all their baked sweets.

Stopped here for a quick after lunch dessert. It’s a smaller place that’s a little hard to find since the signage blends with the building. However it is definitely worth stepping inside.
Had the marshmallow cornflake chocolate chip cookie. It was heavenly and devilishly good. The texture was more like a crisp, very decadent.

The cinnamon butter donut was amazing, I dream of it…
Empanadas are made fresh…
Love this place
Loretta is very nice, I don’t know what the other reviews are about?

I never write reviews, but this place was atrocious. The only reason why we even came here was because we were waiting for au cheval. Not only was Loretta mean AF but the food was cold and dry. They have a massive bee problem and they were constantly landing on the pastries. I think I ate a bee wing.

Nutella coffee cake?! YES PLEASE.
My boyfriend lives around the corner from this place. We stopped on a Saturday around noon. The place was not busy and we were served quickly. Besides the Nutella coffee cake, we got a marshmallow cornflake cookie (they’re huge!), a chocolate doughnut, and a mac & cheese/​BBQ pulled pork empanada. (A well-​balanced meal, I know). Everything was delicious. The owner bakes everything fresh daily. She’s also super sweet and friendly. If I lived by this place, I’d probably be in almost everyday — and probably be about 20 pounds heavier!

Wow! I’d walked by this place a few times and looked it up on Unilocal.The reviews were good, so I popped in one day and was blown away by the baked goods and friendly baker. The place is owned by the baker who makes everything fresh every day. She probably had 30 different types of baked goods and I was overwhelmed with too many delicious-​looking options. When I finally decided upon some brownie with a cookie baked into it and a baked brown sugar vanilla donut, I was beyond satisfied.
In addition to the delicious goodies, Loretta, the baker/​owner, is very friendly.
I will definitely be returning and will start ordering catering from here.

Stopped by after lunch one afternoon — I had to ask the owner for recommendations because there were so many options/​I wanted everything! Ended up with a salted caramel brownie, a brown sugar buttermilk donut, and a cornflake marshmallow cookie. All were amazing, but my favorite was the perfectly crumbly donut. I’ve tried every single great donut shop in Chicago, and this is as good as, if not better than what you’d get there. It is a must-​try! Also, the owner was so friendly and we chatted for a while. I will be back to try everything else Loretta’s offers!
**Tip: Credit Card minimum is $ 5 purchase.**

Picked up a pecan pie for my coworker’s birthday, since pecan pie is her favorite. I had called ahead earlier in the day to see if they carried pecan pie (called three other places– Hoosier’s, Artopolis and Shaw’s Crab House and they all didn’t have it available either because it wasn’t the season or just because) and thank goodness Loretta (I think that would be her since only one person works there) said she would make the pie for me and have it ready by 3 PM.
Got there at 3:03 and the pie was all ready to go! I love when people are true to their word! Chatted with Loretta a bit and she was so friendly. She told me that she runs the place on her own, bakes everything in the shop on her own, and especially loves making pies. I snagged a crownie– cookie brownie in a muffin form, but still haven’t tried it yet.
…
OK so I just ran to my bag and grabbed the crownie and cut a piece of it off and it was YUMMY. I love moist sweets— a nice bit of crunch on the outside and top and soft, chocolately goodness on the inside. Perfection.
Oh, about the pecan pie— birthday girl said it’s the BEST PECAN pie she’s ever had. Yeah, it was pretty good— not sickenly sweet like the pecan pie at some other places *cough* Costco *cough*.
I think I’m going to have to have another slice of pecan pie tomorrow at work…

My first impression wasn’t great. The woman behind the counter seemed a little severe, not that much into the small shop chit-​chat. But the baked donut topped with ganache and toffee was mighty sweet, and the place homey and comfortable enough to linger a while. I was usually the only customer in the place while I was there.
Hey everyone! She doesn’t bite! She just sweet tooths you into submission. Come on in & join the quiet party.