Umaga Bakehouse

They just opened 2 months ago and it was my 1st time trying Filipino bakery and buns I've never had Filipino buns & snacks before, so this was such a treat to try everything at the first every Filipino bakery in Chicago!It's a bit further up in North Mayfair or Albany Park but accessible by driving or by bus . Seafood City is nearby so it's nice to do a bigger trip . 4703 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60630 It's super huge, we went on a Sunday afternoon & there were LOADS of Filipino families & friends there Kissel & Rob's families owned Filipino bakeries before in the Philippines & California. Its family owned , Jeff, Kissel 's brother also flew in from California Featured in: WGN, CBS News, Timeout, Infatuation, Filipino American Post, Chicago Sun Times Lines were LONG when they opened in April (2 hours) , but now you can comfortably walk in! Every bite reminded me of my childhood in Hong Kong , where the buns had a soft pillowy texture. I would eat it after school around 4pm. Almost cried They even had the sausage hot dog buns I grew up with! Definitely MUST TRY Umaga Chicago, it's A new & BEST Filipino bakery in Chicago They will have Ube cold brew & more outdoor seating coming soon!My favorites were the:Chicken Empanada $2.99- super tasty with rich chicken flavor and a crusty flaky pastry even crimped with "UMAGA" ON THE SIDE so cute! Halo Halo $8.99 - comes with crushed young rice, NATA de coco, red green koang, sago, milkymilkyicecream, Ube paste, cream/milk, white beanSenorita Bread $7.99 for a dozen - made to order that's soft tiny, with buttery warm sugar inside. Not too sweet and edible in 1-2 bites. Sapin Sapin $7.99 in 8 - chewy purple, white , and yellow mochi cake with Ube, coconut, and jackfruit flavors combined. Super chewy and fun to eatPork asado siopao bun $12.99 in 4 - really tasty with sweet soy pork inside and light peppery. Bibingka $4.99 coconut with sugar topping and rice cake with banana leaf & cream at the bottomOthers I gotUbe milk bar $1.99 pure butter milk, sugar coconut and UbeRolls Royce $4.99 denser, layers Ube ensaymada $5.49 with cheeseSimply ensaymada $6.49 owner's favorite simple butter and yeast. You can add ice cream insideKutsinta $6.99 8 pieces Mango bango $6.99

We dropped in to check out this new Filipino bakery. They are in a new strip mall section just steps to the north of the Seafood City Filipino marketplace which itself has two Filipino bakeries. It's mostly a carryout store with a large variety of packaged goods, but there are 10 scattered seats in the store if you want to dine in. Their space is not particularly large but it is bright, airy, and clean. We tried 3 items:- halo halo, $8.99- 4 pack of Rolls Royce ube buns, $4.99- 4 pack of pan de coco (coconut buns), $4.99 There were a lot of bread products to look at and choose from. We were not familiar with most of them, but they do have a helpful cheat-sheet of 8 recommended and popular items if you are new to Filipino baked goods. All of the customers we saw were Filipino for what that's worth. The prices looked a little elevated to me. The halo halo was nice and refreshing but it was small for $8.99. You can get one in the Seafood City food court and in other places for about $6.99 and they are probably bigger. The buns we bought were fresh, but also a bit small for the price. The pan de coco was ok, but the Rolls Royce was a little overly sweet for our taste. Overall, I'll go with 3.49 rounded down to 3 stars, and suggest you go see and try for yourself.

Umaga Bakehouse is conveniently located in Edens Plaza across from Target/Five Below and has free parking.I've been here multiple times and there wasn't a single thing I disliked. The breads/pastries I have tried are: pan de ube (sweet bread roll with purple yam filling)-the ube flavor comes through and preferred this over the ube pandesalube pandesal-soft and fluffy but I couldn't taste the ube flavorensaymada (sweet bread covered with buttercream and then topped with grated cheese)-okay but didn't care for the cheese but this is a personal preferencealmond ensaymada-rich and creamy, my favorite out of the breads/pastries I triedI have also had the malabok which was topped with shrimp and hard boiled eggs. I enjoyed the flavor and while it was oily it wasn't as oily as other ones I have tried. Although there are mixed reviews about the ube horchata, I actually really liked the ube horchata since it wasn't overly sweet. The halo halo is a must try and hits the spot on a hot summer day.Staff are friendly and helpful with recommendations!

Went on a Saturday morning. It wasn't terribly busy which is good. First time in a Filipino bakery so I was a little bit lost on what to get but picked a few items and they were all good. I most definitely be back for more of those Turano things!

Happy to be giving Umaga the full 5 stars it truly deserves! This was my 2nd time here and options were plentiful this time around. Everything was soooooo good!! This time I tried the señorita bread, halo halo and bibing - cute Ube. I'd get all of these again. The quality of ingredients umaga uses is seriously top notch. Everything is made with love and it shows. I love this place so much!

Went here during the grand opening and wow was the line long (because it was very popular amongst the Filipino community). We waited in line for an hour, not too bad for grand opening of a popular bakery. The interior of the bakery was very modern and had an orange theme to it. Nice display of pastries. It is family owned and the staff are very friendly. We bought many pastries, but my favorite had to be the pandesal and siopao. I loved that they offered the option where they made the pandesal fresh and put it in a brown bag, mirroring the real deal back at home in the Philippines. Very soft and crunchy bread. We got chicken siopao and the sauce inside the siopao was salty and savory, while the break was soft and sweet. The chicken was good too. The prices weren't the cheapest but it was worth it because it reminds me of the Philippines!

It's a contemporary Filipino bakery brand. Simple bright orange is the theme. Clean and simple packaging with simple uniformed labeling. Some products showcase a translucent brand orange. Overall, the presentation of products are well presented and easy to access. I wasn't a big fan of the Ube drink. Seemed pricey for the size. It tasted ok and I'm glad I tried it once. I'll try the Halo Halo next time. So far, my favorite is The Philippine Cheese Roll. It's so soft, creamy, with the right amount of salt. Service was fine.

We were finally able to visit Umaga Bakery this weekend and it was a joy to go to! Honestly, as a Filipino American, this would be our candys store as a kid type of visit. The colors were great, the food just reminded me of the Philippines and food we would eat together with family, and the vibes were familiar for sure. The service people were really great too! Very helpful and cheerful. It does get a little loud in there but only because it was a busy time.The food was fantastic! The quick food to eat like empanadas and siopao were great! Definitely better heated though. And then the amount of options was awesome! Even the Ube horchata, that was a cool experience. We'll be back!

05/09/24 - Umaga Bakehouse is a new Filipino Bakery 0.6 miles from my house next to Teriyaki Madness & the Seafood City complex. I'm Japanese but everyone in my life from my wife, my 3 best friends and all the Filipino family & friends I've made over the years. I love Filipino food but I can't understand their obsession w/pandesal. Pandesal is a staple bread roll commonly eaten w/breakfast. When we visited my brother in law in the Philippines first thing in the morning he goes out and gets pandesal. My wife's 2 Filipina girlfriends, 1 from Orlando, 1 from California visited us & wanted pandesal. My buddy from Topeka KS (American Indian) married to a Filipina came to Chicago looking for pandesal, my buddies wife wanted pandesal. I've been eating Filipino food foreva & I love it but to me Pandesal? I just don't get it?I picked up the following items from Umaga as I was meeting my friend & her kids later that day. Bonete - Biko - Pogi Ube Rolls - Hamon & Queso - breakfast sandwich w/ham & cheese mehhh

So glad to see traditional Filipino baked goods get some popularity! This is definitely a "trendy" version of a traditional Filipino bakery, they have some fusion foods as well as the classic pan de sal, puto, pichi-pichi, etc. Check out the refrigerator case at the end if you want to try out some Filipino ulam (food to eat with rice) to go!I am a little concerned at how close this bakery is to Valerio's, the Filipino bakery I've been going to my whole life (first in LA and now in Chicago), and how it might affect their ability to do business. So if you want to know what a more traditional Filipino bake shop looks like, grab some treats from Umaga and then walk over to Valerio's in the lot over, next to Seafood City, and give their business support too! There's more than enough to go around and the more Filipino businesses we support, the more we can celebrate the growth of Filipino small businesses!