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“Best Italian and Sicilian Cookies- It's in Chicago”
Review of Palermo Bakery

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Palermo Bakery
Ranked #2,891 of 10,308 Restaurants in Chicago
Neighbourhood: Dunning
Restaurant details
Neighbourhood: Dunning
Reviewed 1 July 2013

I have been to many Italian neighborhoods In San Francisco, NY, San Diego, Boston, Providence, New Jersey, Philly, St. Louis and the list goes on. I have not tasted cookies as great as these. Let me explain.

I travel to Chicago periodically and when I do, I try to make it to Palermo Bakery and buy a few dozen cookies to take home. Palermo Bakery is about 9 miles southeast from ORD on Harlem. Sometimes I've taken a cab there from the airport if I have hours before my flight home. It's not a cheap cab ride, but the cookies are very much worth it. When you step foot into the bakery, you are overcome by the smells and the abundance of freshly baked breads, rolls, focaccia, savories, etc.

A lot of the cookies here, especially ones with sprinkles you may have seen at other bakeries. But focus on the center case where the coolest best tasting cookies are. They're Sicilian cookies, marzipan based. My first exposure to these cookies was when I first visited Sicilia, I stayed in this ancient town, Ortygia, an old Greek city state. Not only was the cuisine amazing in this Sicilian town but the Greek influences to their structures was apparent everywhere. On my first day there, after lunch, I was walking down a small street with my friends, when out comes this 80 year old, 4 foot eleven, short and cute, grandmother devouring two cookies. From where she came, I looked in and noticed a small bakery selling just cookies. This grandmother had lost all of her teeth and was chomping on a cookie like it was going out of style. I was amazed watching her and thought to myself, if she at 80 or so with no teeth is still eating these cookies, I'm going in. So, I convinced my friends to have a look and in we went. What we saw inside was a setup similar to Palermo Bakery except a much smaller scale. We all tried different kinds of cookies and loved every single one we tried. That began our obsession and what an obsession that was, almost every other block, you find these cookies all over the island. Palermo Bakery brings me back to that first time, when I was introduced to almond based/marzipan cookies. Some of these you may have seen in the shape of intricately hand-painted fruits. My favorites are the unadorned cookies that you find all over Sicily. For the duration of our time traveling through the island, we sampled the best seafood preparations and these unforgettable marzipan cookies. Im glad I can find them in the U.S. now, in Chicago.

Palermo is not only an historic and beautiful town, it is also the sweets center in Sicily-- an apropos name for this place. Palermo is easily my favorite Italian bakery in the U.S. hands down. The cassatas here are authentic and delicious. http://en.wikipedia…. They have cassatine (bite-sized version) if you're watching calories but who cares, live it up once...... a week, LOL. I usually get a variety of my favorites: whole hazelnut cookies, whole almond cookies, pistachio cookies, almond slice, pistacchio amaro, cherry slice, pignoli, amaretti..... There is a whole case full of different marzipan based cookies that I have not gotten tired of. Finally they make a really good Sfogliatelle (crusty pastry with orange ricotta filling, great with a latte or cafe con leche for breakfast). If you like cannoli this is the place to buy them and they know their cannoli. I always ask them to make it fresh so I dont risk the shell getting soggy on my way back to my hotel. They will do that for you just ask. They're quite helpful. I always ask them to crush-proof my to go order for the overhead compartment.

On my way back to the airport, I can't help but marvel that a place like Palermo Bakery exists. The cookies taste authentic, as though I had just picked them up at a bakery in Sicily. The art and craftmanship of making these cookies are part of a rich cultural tradition passed down from generations of families. I learned that from having visited Sicily a few times and continue to learn about Sicilian history and cuisine. I realize I am lucky to have found it. I honestly have not found any bakeries in Cali that make these traditional marzipan cookies. For these reasons, I am all for supporting an institution like Palermo Bakery. I am glad that there is online ordering available now. If I have the time, I prefer going there though. It's part of the experience -- to see and sample what's freshly made.

Share the good stuff with friends/fam and score happy points: Christmas or a festive occasion is a great time to share these unique cookies on the dessert table with a good after dinner liqueur, an armagnac, or a not so sweet sparkling red.

Date of visit: June 2013
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2  Thank paolola
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