Aya Pastry - Chicago, Illinois

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Ultimate faux pas.. old chewy croissants

Mona

This is a cute, floral pastry shop in West Town with good, but pretty expensive pastries, cakes, breads, jams, olive oils, and other items. It is takeout only, with no indoor seating. For cakes, consider ordering online rather than in-store for a wider selection.

The pastry in-store selection was a little limited too, with less selections than I expected. I got a slice of Banana Bread and a Peanut Butter Chocolate Croissant. While the banana bread was mediocre— a little dry, not too flavorful or special— the croissant was wonderful and delicious. It was so flaky, mildly sweet, and full of rich flavors. I also bought a pint of sourdough starter from them for $6, and it’s currently still active and thriving. Overall, the prices are a bit expensive though, with pastry items typically around $4-10.
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Price (relative to peers): 3.5/5
Food: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Overall Value: 4/5

Mariana Costa

I love this bakery, I only start my day after my chocolate croissant, the people are super nice and always super friendly with me. Tânia is always there when I go there, and she is always very attentive and she always knows what I want!! happy to have a great bakery so close to home. And please try the chocolate croissant, it’s the best one!!!

Tammy Saowapak

We stopped here on a whim and are so glad! We only picked up the ube cream puff but we were SO impressed and taken by surprise by how much we loved it (and my dog thought it looked good)! Will definitely come back!

Please make the ube cream puff permanent!

Minal Varma

Extremely well made croissants. Highly recommend stopping by at the bakery! I have how ordered from this place twice and cannot say enough about not only their safety protocol but also their ability to make the best croissants and breads in town! Try to get there early and choose from a variety of baked goods.

Yumi Taguchi

I got the Everything Spice Epi, Baguette, Miso Sesame Butter, Samoa Cake, and Tart Cherry Galette. Everything was delicious! Samoa Cake and Cherry Galette were super scaled back in sweetness (which I like, not too sweet). The breads were fantastic and the Epi is the perfect takeaway snack.

Vincent Mañara

After having lunch at Tempesta, we decided to make a dessert stop here. We ordered a cinnamon roll and Cinnamon Banana Bread, both of which were incredibly delicious. Personally, I found the banana bread to be the standout between the two. The service was excellent, and I'll surely be returning here in the future.

Donnell Mata

A Cake Store Without Cakes—What a Concept!

Imagine walking into a cake store and being told, “Sorry, we need 48 hours’ notice for all cakes!” Okay, fine. I get it—good things take time. But then I asked if they had any standard cakes ready to go, like a normal cake shop might. Nope! Not a single cake in sight.

But here’s where it gets truly absurd. Apparently, the head pastry chef decides each morning what cakes might be made that day. So, it’s like playing cake roulette—except you always lose. No one in the store has a clue what's coming out of the oven until the chef rolls out of bed and consults their magic 8-ball. How does a cake shop not know what cakes they’re making? It’s like a pizza place saying, “We don’t actually have any pizzas right now, but check back tomorrow and maybe we’ll have decided to make one!”

And just when you think it couldn’t get more ridiculous, they drop this bombshell: Even if by some miracle they do have a cake, they won’t sell you the whole thing! Nope, they’ll only sell it to you slice by slice. So if you want the entire cake, they’ll charge you for each individual slice like it’s some kind of bakery ransom. Seriously, who does that?

If you’re into spontaneous, overpriced, slice-by-slice cake shopping, then maybe this is your dream bakery. But if you’re like me and prefer a cake shop that actually has cakes—and some common sense—I’d suggest taking your business elsewhere.