Sweet Bean

I went around 3pm on a weekday. There were a decent amount of pastries available, but it was clear that many had been sold out. After tasting two of them, I can see why.I got a taro (?) filled bun and a pork floss bun. Both were very soft and fresh. They were the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The workers were very nice and the checkout process was very quick!The front area where the pastries are is a little small and has two tables to sit, but they do have more seating in the back. I didn't get to take photos of all the pastries due to the small area and since there were multiple people grabbing pastries. However, I can say that they have so many varieties and it all looked delicious!! I really recommend trying this place, I will definitely come back at opening one day to try some of the items I missed out on :)

A decent place for pastries/beverages, though slightly overpriced. There is a little bit of seating in the front where the pastries are and more space in the back room to sit down and work. Service was good. Black sesame hojicha latte (4/5): You can alter the sweetness of the beverage which is nice, and you can also change the ice level (though they charge extra if you ask for light/no ice). The latte was not too sweet and the hojicha flavor was great. The black sesame was not incorporated very well -- I couldn't taste the flavor in the actual latte but there was some black sesame (powder, potentially?) floating around at the bottom of my drink, so I ended up chewing on it as I drank, which made the texture a little odd. Yuzu madelines (3/5): I enjoyed the soft texture of the madelines; they were baked well. The flavor was a little citrusy, but I would have liked the yuzu to stand out more. Strawberry taro bolo bun (3/5): The flavor profile was clever, but the bun was a little too sweet for me. I am a bigger fan of the standard texture of a bolo bun -- in part because other elements were added to the bun, the top of this one was not as crispy. The bun itself was chewier and not as fluffy too.

Yummy and cute small Taiwanese bakery! They have both savory and sweet pastries, and a variety of Asian-inspired drink options. You pick your own bread with tongs and place them in provided plastic baggies. I got the ham and cheese bread with pork floss, and the ham and corn bread. Absolutely loved how soft and fluffy both were! Highly recommend!

This page really needs an update (lol). They no longer serve food. You can still get all of the baked goods and drinks. One of the servers was iffy about giving my fiance the restroom key. I get it, not for public use. There's a good amount of seating in the back. They were playing Kpop. Several areas with bar stool seating in the front and back.I had the hojicha black sesame iced and unsweetened. I enjoyed it. I like it when my drinks aren't super sweet. I tried a few of the baked goods. They were bringing out fresh items as we sat and ate too. The egg custard bun was light, but the egg custard texture reminded me of a scrambled steamed egg. The black sesame bun had a bit of what seemed like a mochi paste filling, sticky and not sweet. That was fun and I've never had anything like that before. If you've ever tried an 85 degree bakery, it sort of reminded me of that except everything tasted more fresh. We did come at 9am. Everything was warm and fresh tasting. They also had a shelf for "no waste" discounted items probably from yesterday.

I'm so happy a randomly found this place. Not something to eat every day, but as a treat, their buns are amazing. I got a savory pork one and after devouring it ended up getting two more sweat buns to-go. I also got a mango smoothie, which was fine but nothing special.

Yum! Love a bao place. I think everything we got here was good. Cute atmosphere. Lots of natural textures and fun art. You place your order on the one side and can go through to the other to sit and eat. Got a London Fog Tea Latte too, but it wasn't the strong pick-me-up I needed. If you don't prefer strong teas, this might be a nice one to try.

This restaurant popped up on my social media a few times and decided to give it a try since it's impossible to find an authentic Taiwanese style cafe in Chicago.First off they're at a great location, easy to find off the L. However parking would be a pain if you're driving to this location cause it's south loop.I picked up a few of the bakery and the earl grey peach pudding cake. I loved the flavor of the cake as it's not too sweet and the pudding balanced the flavor out very well. I also tried the black sesame hojicha however I was pretty disappointed as I didn't taste much of the black sesame flavor.The bakery itself has a very cute decor and variety of selections. Everything looked delicious and I'd love to come for another visit to try other items!

I stumbled upon this place as I was in the neighborhood and craving a good coffee before my Pickleball practice. I ordered an Iced Latte with almond milk with Ube syrup. The coffee was honestly ok and the ube syrup didn't really blend well with the coffee. I feel they have more Teas on the menu than coffee options. The coffee was reasonably priced however I have never had to pay extra money for a cup of water, that was really odd! I'm not sure if I'll come back to this place again!

Very cute place with yummy food. I would go back again and again. We got tea and some sort of hot dog thing and it was delicious. I'm actually craving it rn. Service was lovely as well.

Yooooooo! The first thing I did on my first full morning in Chicago was jump on a bus and head straight for Sweet Bean. I had high hopes and it did not disappoint!Taiwanese bakeries are beginning to be right up there with my favorite places I have to visit when I'm in another city. Sweet Bean is definitely no exception and has fueled my addiction to Taiwanese baked goods.Walking in there was a laid back vibe. No one trying to rush you. People coming in and out grabbing breakfast. I took my time and looked at every single item before ordering. I ordered a Hot Dog and Onion bun and a Ham and Green Scallion. I had a lot to do that day, so I didn't want to overeat or I would have ordered more. With that being said, after I polished off the hot dog and onion, I went and got another one. Off Tha Chain! I ate that one and then had to physically restrain myself from ordering one to go. Let's face it. That third one wouldn't have made it to the bus stop. I ordered an Iced Jasmine Green Tea (my go to tea) and a flat white coffee. I sat there for a bit while eating and drinking and then went about my day. My only regret is not coming back again before I left Chicago. If you've Bean a Sweet person this year, ask Santa to stuff your stockings with Sweet Bean baked goods. Better yet, leave Santa a Hot Dog and Onion Bun. He won't even remember the cookies!