Tag’s Bakery

I admit, back east, I had my go to bakery place. In Chicago, I have yet to find it. This bakery I have been to before and it is a solid offering and seems to have reliable quality product and regular patrons. The cake is affordable and I would say a step up in quality from what you would get at Whole Foods. Do not get me wrong, Whole Foods has some nice looking cakes, but of late, the taste and/​or the lack of richness seems to suggest all looks but no character. The carrot cake I had here recently was rich without being too rich, but I felt the icing could have been a little thicker and more butter creamy (my preference). I also felt the cake itself could have been a tad more moist. If anyone knows of a bakery in the Chicago area that has a phenomenal amaretto cake, I would be much obliged.

I was looking for a new-​to-​me bakery in Evanston and a lot of trusted reviews talked about Florentines. Sliced almonds, toffee like caramel, chocolate – it makes this thin cookie type confection and it’s freakin’ genius.
We walked in to a very cute old-​fashioned bakery (like a place Beaver Cleaver and friends would have frequented) and had fun checking out the display cases full of cupcakes, cookies, pastries and pies.
So along with a small box of Florentines, I bought some Nurse Week themed cupcakes and cookies for my mom and friends (and me) and a chocolate cake slice as requested by my sidekick.
Everything was so good. The vanilla frosting on the cupcake was almost like marshmallow fluff and I loved it. But from what I tried, the Florentines were my favorite and highly addicting. If you ever need to bribe me and don’t have a lot of money – a box of Florentines will do the trick.
Service was stellar. Super friendly and helpful – she went around the counter to hand me my purchases, not necessary but above and beyond. They do classic and old-​fashioned right.

I haven’t been inside this place yet and I will soon. I absolutely LOVE the florentines here. I have them every year at a christmas party. They are definitely one of my favorite cookies to have. I could get a whole box of these and eat them every day and wouldn’t get sick of them ever. I will soon come into the store to check out some of the other things they have to try. If you haven’t had the florentines, try them immediately!

Florentines!!! Sure they have other stuff and I“m sure it“s good but those Florentines rule the roost. Friendly folks too.

Absolutely HORRIBLE! Dried out bakery… yum! Do not waste your time on this place– and their attitudes — right up there! If you enjoy that heavy — thick cake resembling cement– go for it! Thanks…

Cute little shop. Cookies are really good and staff was very friendly and helpful. Will be back for more cookies!

I’ve been here several times over a period of years; generally my experience has been more of a «hit» than a «miss» — most of the things I have bought are pretty good.
Then came Christmas Eve and some last minute shopping on Central St. I stopped in seeking some last minute Julekake — a Scandanavian «Christmas cake» — really a sweet loaf of bread with raisins and citrons in it — but nowhere near the amount in typical fruitcakes. I’ve usually bought this at the Swedish Bakery in Andersonville, but at this time of that day, I knew they’d be out of it. But given that Tag’s is a Swedish bakery, thought I’d check and see.
As I was asking some employees who didn’t know what it was, one of them overheard me who did. She said, «yes, we have it — it’s over there.» And in a basket on top of the counter were three loaves wrapped in plastic. I took two of them, one for me and one for a friend who I was going to visit that night.
Well, I tried it the next day and it was everything I was hoping for. Great taste, a small amount of poppy seeds (which I had never seen before) and most importantly, nice and moist. It took me about a week to finish it and I’m happy to say that it was about as moist on Day 7 as it was on Day 1.
Happy to have discovered this at Tag’s — I’ll be back again when they have it.

Best bakery around! It’s pretty pricy but it’s worth indulging sometimes!

Their Florentine cookie was one of the most amazing cookies I have ever had. It was like a thin piece of English toffee in cookie form. Wonderful butter cookies. Sadly, all of their flaky pastries, the turnovers, donuts and apricot sticks, were old enough to have lost their flakiness, and the chocolate chip cookie was way past due. They really need to throw their old product out sooner.

More of a 3.5 star than a 3 star.
Pretty good. Nothing transcendent. Didn’t seem to be worth the 4 and 5 stars reviews others gave it (though I am something of a tough grader).

I have limited experience, but this was good. A group of friends and I were in town just for a quick weekend, and we got some donuts from Tag’s the first morning. They were solid, if not something that totally blew me away. The lemon poppy seed glazed donut was absolutely wonderful though, and the macaroons were very good. It sounds like some of their other pastries and goodies are great too! I’ll have to try them next time!

Seriously underrated Evanston Bakery — Check it out!

Usually only go to Tags for fresh Florentines (love to gift them!) YUM. My family loves their cakes but I find them pretty standard bakery cakes, super sweet. I recently tried the muffins– morning glory was excellent. They are very small for usual bakery or store bought muffins but so home-​made delicious… and gave me an «excuse» to try 2

I was able to pick up a last-​minute birthday cake the same day I needed it for a reasonable price. It was delicious and the birthday boy was impressed with the amount of flavor it packed! Highly recommend for an affordable alternative to your run-​of-​the-​mill grocery store sheet cake. If you’re looking for a large cake (sheet cake size) you’ll definitely need to call a day or two ahead of time.

They are known for their Florentines, and according to Marie D, they are «worth the trip from anywhere in Chicago.»
But, I was enticed by some butter cookies and a pretzel thingy made from pie dough mixed with cookie dough covered in almonds — and wow was it deliciously rich and ginormous in size! I saw their sidewalk sign advertising marzipan baked goodies, but when I went in I quickly learned these were way too big for a single serving size and so the super colorful case of cookies called me over. A great variety to choose from. I have to say I immediately fell in love with a particular cookie batch that looked like the cookies were decorated with a single monster eye on them (in my pics).
I’ve always know about Tag’s, but yesterday was that magic day where I was on a real sugar and coffee kick, so I made the actual stop in (after my gelato). Some bakeries seem picked over when you stop in later in the afternoon, but not here. I was thrilled at the great variety, perhaps a little overwhelmed in a good way. The cakes looked old school delicious, and I imagine they are all made with a recipe that’s been used and perfected over and over again all these years.
The lady behind the case was super friendly and extremely patient with me when I couldn’t make a decision to save my life. Thankfully my time was running out before I had to head up north, so I had her wrap up two bags of goodies. One for me and the other for my kiddos.
Tag’s will be a for sure stop the next time I’m passing by Central.

My recommendations:
The custard and jelly donuts are always good.
If you like fruit cake, they make a pretty good one bite size or full cake for the holiday season. The spinach and feta croissant was good too.
Will go back to try the cakes and other pastries!!!

I’m not always happy with things I buy here. It’s the closest to home, but nothing ever looks very appetizing. I will say, I like their donuts and some cookies. The cakes, I’m ambivalent about.
There is room to add two very small bistro tables, but they don’t. I like the place, but I could like it so much more.

Oh, Tag’s, how could you do this to me? I got up early the other day and headed off to Tag’s to buy a coffee cake for a meeting, as I did not have the time to bake anything. I picked up a pretty, round streusel coffee cake, and headed over to where my meeting was going to be held. There I cut the cake and put it on a plate. I sampled a piece. No! The coffee cake did not taste day old, but days old! I gave a piece to a friend who also bakes, voicing my concern. She took one bite: «Definitely not today’s!» she said. I was sad, disappointed, and embarrassed that the food I brought to the meeting was absolutely third rate. I also felt cheated that they charged me a pretty penny for a very inferior product. I am giving Tag’s 2 stars, as 3 stars means «A-​okay,» and what they did to me wasn’t okay at all.

Came here right when they opened. Ordered a few cupcakes, my favorite being a lemon raspberry that was to die for. Eclairs weren’t so great, i’d skip them next time. Originally came here for cookies but when I got there, they looked like they had been out from the previous day, which was really disappointing. Again, they’re the reason I came here in the first place so I ended up getting just ½ pound. Brought them home and sadly they weren’t fresh. :(4 stars for the cupcakes.

Just got back from visiting family in the area. Went to this bakery 3 times in a week. Cakes were awesome and so were the donuts. Try the chocolate donut with chocolate glaze. Yummmmmm. Also had cookies, carrot cake and red velvet cupcakes. Everything was fresh and very tasty.

OH – I must correct myself on the scones. Yesterday they sold me a killer cinnamon scone. It was supposed to be today’s breakfast, but once I nibbled a little corner, my will crumbled (haha), and I devoured it on the drive home.
Tag’s continues to be eminently reliable for cookies, especially the chocolate-​chip and fun decorated varieties. I wish that they would discount their doughnuts after 5pm, since that’s when I’m usually there, and they are understandably stale by then. I wonder what happens to the leftover doughnuts after closing time. Maybe I will hang out behind the store next time to find out.

I would have been mislead on this one if I looked on Unilocal first…
We wandered up to Central St. on our bikes one weekday morning and decided that a bakery would be a nice place to stop, so in to Tag’s we walked.
Everything looked super decadent and appetizing, to the point that we considered ordering a cake from here at some point. Service was quick and friendly. We ended up sampling a slice of chocolate cake, lemon tart, and two small cupcakes on some benches across the park (not really any seating in the store or outside).
The two mini cupcakes and lemon tart were, in a word, gross. My two cupcakes were a bit stale, so they tasted dry on top of overly sweet; I could barely stomach a full bite. The lemon tart had a horrible rotten taste, possibly just so sweet it was rotten, or just the combination of too much sweet + old lemon that sat too long? I don’t know, just wrong. Either way, they didn’t taste fresh, especially the old cupcakes.
The chocolate cake was actually really good and moist with a nice fluffiness. I do see good things written about their florentines, but I wish they’d call themselves a cookie shop if they couldn’t reliably deliver fresh and well executed versions of the other items they offered…
For the chocolate cake and benefit of the doubt on their cookies, 2 stars. I’d come back to see if the cookies are any good, but the others were so off the mark…

The rappers say, «It’s all about the Benjamin’s baby!»
The nurses say, «It’s all about the meds baby!»
The foodies say, «It’s all about the Florentine’s baby!» And this is where it’s at.
After finishing up my three month ICU nursing orientation at the hospital where I work, my preceptor gave me a box of Tag’s Bakery florentines adorned with a cute gold ribbon and handwritten note stating, «Congrats! You have made it. Good luck on your own! –Stephen.» He was carrying on the tradition of having received cookies when he finished his nursing orientation.
Little did I know what unexpected golden treats I had waiting at the end of the long, dark, dreadful tunnel. Unfortunately, I have been to Evanston many times and never knew about Tag’s. Why, why, why Unilocal?!While cupcakes, gelato and waffles have become the popular treat in the Chicago food scene, these Florentine’s are my new favorite discovery to share with the world.
Florentine: Oyster-​sized cookie consisting of very thinly sliced almonds, one side of milk chocolate, the opposing side of homemade caramel, and a pearl of marchino cherry in the middle. If you can’t picture it, see Stephanie M’s image here:
These goodies melt in your mouth (and in your hand, unlike M&Ms boasts) and stick to your teeth. Instead of this being bothersome, I view it as allow me to savor all the flavor. While I’m usually not the first person to enjoy almonds, these are simply amazing — and it tasted just as delicious the following few days, not just in a daze at 3 am in the morning while on the night shift.
Although this review does not discuss the bakery, since I still have yet to go myself, it reviews their amazing Florentines. That counts, right?! I can’t wait to make a stop for another box (for just myself, not as a gift or to share with the rest of my unit) in the near future.
Side note: I just discovered that the Florentines are Gluten-​free! Score!

My family have been customers for over 30 years. Always loved coming here for every special occasion and ordering wonderfully decorated cakes, awesome butter cookies and the oh so delicious smiley face cookie… I am sad to say the quality of decorating has literally gone down the drain. The last couple years have been an extreme disappointment, yet I always give it another try. I tried for the last time today… My disappointment has won! I picked up two dozen baby shower cupcakes that looked like a three year old could have done better. The baby booties, rattle and diaper pin were the size of a dime. Every cupcake was a different size. And they only used two colors for the decorating. Never again! Good luck to all, but reconsider this place if you want cute, detailed and quality decorating!!!

Five stars for the Florentines — worth the trip from anywhere in Chicago.

Florentine cookies… TO DIE FOR!!!
Got a yellow cake with buttercream frosting… cake was soft & moist so it was perfect for me, buttercream frosting was a little bit too sweet for my liking.
Hoping to try the chocolate cake with raspberry filling soon!