Roeser’s Bakery
Red Velvet Donut
Caramel Apple Donut
Strawberry Donut
Pumpkin Donut
Sweet Potato Donut
Crunch Donut
Nutella Dobash Torte
A Humboldt Park mainstay predating even the classic Dinkel’s and Lou Mitchell’s of Chicago’s dining scene a visit Roeser’s Bakery was admittedly unplanned as we trekked back from Lou’s towards Longman & Eagle’s Sunday Donut Shop but in the end it was, in fact, the 1911 bakery that would prove the most memorable stop of the morning. Truly ‘old-world’ with a focus on cakes, cookies, and classic European tortes it was with great interest in the history of the space that we entered the small bakery and listening to the clerks tell the story of 100+ years in the business and a refusal to move even as the neighborhood shifted I couldn’t help but feel for their nostalgia the end result an order of a half dozen +1 doughnuts plus a modernized slice of the my favorite Hungarian torte taken home to share with largely impressive results. Beginning first with the torte, a mere $4.50 for a large slice despite the substantial time it takes to make the cake, perhaps the biggest surprise was just how subtle the nutella came across beneath the chocolate and moving onward to the doughnuts this theme would persist; all but the sticky and artificial tasting Strawberry proving excellent, particularly the seasonal trio of pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan crunch cake options with a supple crumb and just enough sweetness to accent yet never overwhelm the natural savory undertones.
