Vesuvio Bakery

Very disappointed in the Italian sub. Was there a few years back and had a bad meatball sandwich. With reviews thought I would try again. Way too much bread for the Subway sandwich. And it was mostly ham and no dressing at all. I’m not sure if they make it differently if you’re from the neighborhood or Italian but I certainly didn’t get what I felt to be an Italian submarine sandwich. Furthermore being a former health inspector I was aghast at the amount of potentially hazardous food that’s left to sit out at room temperature. Be very cautious at buying things that are not kept at temperature.

I always pass this place on the way to work and finally decided to stop in today, I am so happy I did! When you walk inside you will find a great selection of Italian pastries, breads, cakes, sandwiches and more. You can totally tell that everything is made with love. The man behind the counter who helped me, was so nice, extremely helpful and patient, considering I asked several questions about some items and was indecisive about what to purchase because everything looked so friggin good!
Me and my son were looking for a good sandwich to eat and we were definitely not disappointed. Our delicious sandwiches were made fresh right in front of us and nothing close to skimpy. I also purchased a tin of homemade Italian sausages covered in red sauce and I gotta say they were the best I have ever tasted. Even though I didn’t purchase any pastries or cakes they also sell, I do plan to stop in again to try them out. The prices were very reasonable too! This bakery/​deli is definitely worth the stop in.

Doesn’t look like much, but what comes out of the oven is fantastic. Prices are very reasonable, and their sandwiches are an impressive bargain.

Take it from a first-​generation Italian… The best, most authentic Italian deli/​grocery/​bakery you will find for miles around the western suburbs. Worth the drive. The owner is genial, the prices are very reasonable and THE SMELL when you walk in brings you back to the old days’ corner store! Be sure to grab a cannoli or an Italian sub for the trip home! Great bakery pizza too!

Food is fabulous and the people are all extra nice!

love this little local family run joint. When you step outside your car and walk past the exhaust fan you get whacked with an amazing bakery smell. They’re no freddys. But their subs are great, for $ 3, with amazing bread! And they have real good cannolis. They also sella variety of mini stuffed foccacias for a dollar, or buy five get one free, highly recommend the sausage. You can spend twenty bucks and be fed for two days, and that’s coming from a fat boy. Screw subway, screw Mr sub… go here!

Egg and pepper sandwich is great, and so are the slices. I would highly recommend both of them. I have had their sausage and meatball trays too, and they are very, very good. The owners and their children are some of the nicest, friendliest people you will ever meet.
Would highly recommend that you check this place out.

Italian sub with mortadella AND fresh bocancini on fresh roll… for $ 3.00…YES, THANK YOU!!!
I walked into Vesuvio intending to buy a donut and walked out $ 8.00 later, with tasty focacia, an Italian sub, 2 bags of beautiful dried pasta, a stuffed Focacia sausage calzone and the knowledge that I’ll be stopping here to soak in their delicious amazingly priced delicious food and friendly owners (perfect Italian speaking from Bari) every time I drive by from now on!
…and next time I may actually remember to buy a donut.

A $ 3 sub? You gotta be kidding! But no. It’s the real deal. It’s been years since I’ve stopped at Vesuvio Bakery. So I stopped in there this morning for a couple Italian subs. Nothing has changed. And the $ 3 sub? So glad I got two. I inhaled the first one and will probably eat the second. and it’s only 10:15 am. I can’t wait for lunch. You must try this place

I love this bakery. I’ve been going there my whole life and they always have top notch food. You can even stop in for a sub or sandwich made by a nonna– and the Italian cookies for dessert are exactly how my nonna made them.
My favorite item there now is the farm fresh eggs. They are from chickens raised by the owners and they will proudly show you the pictures of their farm. These are the best farm eggs in Chicagoland and insanely inexpensive. I’ve shopped around and they’re consistently $ 0.50-$ 1.00 less than store bought.
I highly recommend this bakery/​deli, you won’t regret shopping there– or the cannoli you grab to go with lunch!

I love Brookfield Zoo. What I do not love love love are their overpriced concessions. $ 6 for a pretzel and cheese? I’ve done it. And I’ll probably do it again. But when I’m looking for a meal that won’t cost me $ 15 per person for a paltry sandwich and chips, I’m super grateful for Vesuvio’s.
Upon using my trusty Unilocal app I found Vesuvio’s was just a few miles away from zoo — and offered handmade sandwiches, cookies, and a few snacks as early as 5am. SCORE.
Full disclosure: Vesuvio’s isn’t much to look at from the outside. In fact, it looks a bit like a hole in the wall. Inside you’ll find a few coolers, a few cookie cases and a long sandwich counter. Hands down, the $ 3 sandwiches, yes $ 3, are legit, delicious and filling! I can highly recommend the Italian sub on foccacia and the turkey and cheese. And don’t leave without getting a few cookies — the chocolate dipped chocolate chip as well as their Italian lemon cookies are pretty fantastic.
The staff was none too chipper when I rolled in, but after sampling the (very affordable goods) that I packed in my iced cooler for lunch time at the zoo, I’m quite the fan of Vesuvio’s. Next time I’m definitely going to try a hand piped cannoli, too.

I’ve been going to this bakery since I was a little girl, at least 32 years. Since then I’ve moved away from Chicago, joined the military, deployed overseas, lived all over the US — through all that Vesuvio Bakery has remained my favorite bakery. I am always willing to make the trip to get some cookies, cannoli and a sandwich. What matters most to me is that they have remained consistent in flavor which I attribute to the bakery being run by the same owner all these years. I have never been disappointed. Vesuvio is absolutely an authentic Italian bakery. I guess it isn’t for everyone’s palate however if you turn your nose up to grocery store bakery and all those packaged goods with additives that allow them to survive a nuclear blast, go by Vesuvio. You will be going back for more!

While I have never been to the actual bakery, my dad has been known to surprise us with Vesuvio sandwiches every once in a while. The egg salad sandwiches are absolutely decadent!
Packed with more egg than you can possibly fit in your mouth (they are NOT scrimping at Vesuvio), the egg salad sandwiches are the real deal. Although perhaps slightly salty for my tastes, I find myself craving this sandwich from a mysterious bakery in which I have not yet actually set foot. The bread is pretty darn good, too. There are also generous helpings of red peppers inside.
If you’re near North Riverside, I HIGHLY recommend that you check this place out. The egg sandwich is huge. To give you an idea, I ate a third of it and it filled me up for my entire lunch! I look forward to trying some of the other homemade goods here once I actually enter the storefront. Until then, Vesuvio will remain the mysterious place from which delicious egg sandwiches appear.

Vesuvio’s is no gourmet pastry shop but is a good option if you’re looking for a little mom and pop bakery that’s cheap, local, and satisfying
This is a family run store that serves homemade Italian pastries, bread, and sandwiches. Can’t comment on the savory stuff since I’ve only had sweets here. Taste wise, everything is decent but it’s the lack of freshness that lets me down sometimes. The donuts are a favorite of mine here and the cannolis which are filled fresh are good too. Those two seem to be consistently good. I suspect that the rest of their goods go stale from sitting out for too long. The cookies that I’ve had were hard and the clam shell pastry with custard inside was tough and stale when I bit into it. But for a buck and some change it’s a darn good value and I’d pick Vesuvio’s anyday over a grocery store bakery or DDs.
Store itself is a total hole in the wall. Kinda grungy and worn out looking. Still, there are a few good standbys and if you catch them at the right time, the other pastries can be tasty as well. When I’m in the area, this is a place I head to for an afternoon snack to go with my coffee.

Picked up pumpkin and apple pies for thanksgiving and they were terrible. We threw them out. Picked up a container of pasta fasol that was sitting out by the cash register and it was tasteless. Tasted like someone opened a can of beans and threw some pasta in it. Completely flavorless. Will not go back.

A little known secret in North Riverside, Illinois is the Vesuvio Bakery and Deli. Over the holiday we purchased all are Italian treats there. My family has been patronzing this Bakery/​Deli since the early 1980s. They carry Italian Pastries, Cookies, Wedding and Party Cakes, Italian Breads, Buns, Pizza, Italian Speciality Items and great Italian Sandwiches. Gino, Grace & Vito Toscano are great people. So are Anthony, Pina & Nicolette Ritacca. This establishment is well known with-​thin the Italian community. Mon-​Sat they are open 5am-​5pm, on Sundays 5am-​2pm. When you go into this Bakery it reminds you of Taylor Street. Italians passionate about eating good. The owner always give the kids free cookies just like back in the day. I recommend this place for your Italian needs. For an Italian Sub-​sandwich, its a big yes., The way I feel about Vesuvio is A’more’… and lots of it. (:

Best Bakery 60 525, 2010
Best sandwiches ever!
Run by a very cool family.
I Love This Place!

Vesuvio makes the very best bread I have ever eaten in my life, and I have eaten a lot of bread…
No matter which kind you choose, they all have their own unique taste and texture.
Ask for the Hardcrust, (unsliced) if you like a crisp, well done crust and a clean white, moist crumb inside… it is the best.
The Italian sausage is outstanding, and hand made.
I love to walk to this bakery on weekends to have a true Italian cold cut sandwich and then, completely satisfied, waddle back home.
The pastries are all very good,…when fresh… a couple of times I have received day olds and been disappointed.
The staff is very Italian, close knit, but once they let you in you are family.
Extremely good value.

usually drive by this place about once a week and decided to drop in and satisfy my sweet tooth craving for the day.
Ordered 4 sfoglitatelle’s, the cresecent shaped desert with the cream filling in the inside.
So, ok. I couldnt even get my teeth through it, let alone a frikken fork. And yet I asked if they were baked fresh. The woman says «o yes, I made them fresh this morning»…eh, whatever. They were hard as rocks. The only thing soft was the custard.
And cookies? you must mean «rocks».
ok, should’ve just went to Dunkin Donuts…

This place was discovered by someone at work last month, and we still think it’s too good to be true. Vesuvio is both a bakery and a deli, offering sandwiches and soup for lunch. The sandwich options include cold cuts and Italian-​style tuna salad (with vinegar and oil instead of mayonnaise), but what has everyone at work bent out of shape are the homemade Italian beefs and meatball sandwiches. Both come on large, freshly-​baked, oval Italian rolls, and are generously filled with your choice of thinly sliced beef in the customary gravy or two large meatballs in red sauce, then humbly wrapped in plain white butcher paper and secured with a rubber band. I had the Italian beef today, and it was enough for lunch by itself. The same was true of the meatball sandwich that one of my coworkers gets regularly. The sandwiches were fresh, delicious, and tasted uniquely homemade, very different than sandwiches from a typical beef stand. The cost? $ 2.50 each. Nothing less than obscene. These sandwiches would cost $ 7 anywhere else. Vesuvio also makes their own very potent giardiniera mix. My coworker also had a large cup (it looked about 16 ounces) of pasta e fagioli soup that looked delicious as well. Light, clear broth with beans, vegetables, and pasta, that smelled fresh and savory, not like it had been sitting all day. She was still stunned when she told me that it cost $ 1. Where the hell else are you going to get a large cup of homemade soup for one dollar?
Vesuvio also offers traditional Italian pastries and cookies. I recommend the biscotti, which are full of almonds and redolent of anise, as well as the excellent lemon knots.