Bakery Crescent

For an authentic taste of Japan, this bakery is a must-visit. Its cozy neighborhood feel offers a tempting variety of sweet and savory breads at surprisingly affordable prices—even over 10years in business. Favorites include the dreamy chestnut cream bun, which blends silky chestnut paste with fresh cream, and the nostalgic sweet potato cream bun, which is packed with comforting mashed sweet potato. On the savory side, the yakisoba pan—a fluffy bun stuffed with noodles—is a classic, while the takoyaki pan offers a unique twist.

This is a small Japanese bakery. It’s a standard grab and go. There’s no seating. Yes, they do speak English for people who think there’s a language barrier. They have refrigerated sandwiches on your left in a cooler, that’s very convenient for quick meals. The egg and ham sando was okay, not quite as tasty as the ones in Japan. The eggs in this sandwich are not as creamy and the bread was just okay. The tonkatsu sando is a lot better. I recommend heating it up for about 40 secs. It has just the right amount of savoriness. They have bread, different kinds of buns and donuts, etc. The takoyaki bun was very delicious. I recommend getting that one. Basically, if you want to come here to pick up items for breakfast, snacks, or a light meal then this place is very solid. Prices are pretty cheap, cheaper than Tous Les Jours. Service is very friendly. Ample parking but can be limited since it’s not a big lot.

Nice and friendly staff and good atmosphere. Curry bread tastes so good as I ate in Japan! The chocolate croissant is crispy and worth the purchase.

It smells so good and everything is fresh! The prices are affordable and reasonable! The croissant bread is amazing and all the pastries looked good. Got the Dorian cream and was delicious. Staff is super friendly and welcoming! Love this local bakery!

A quaint bakery with a good selection of different Japanese pastries and milk bread. Prices are very reasonable since things seem fresh and made on site! Staff was kind and polite. The Danish bread was fluffy with a nice light buttery flavor.

Super yummy Japanese pastries and sandos! The curry pan is my favorite!

A hidden gem for authentic Japanese pastries, and baked goods. Fairly priced and high-quality check it out if you’re in the area.

I’ve been buying from there local business for a while now and i’ve never found a bakery that makes delicious bread and great display. They’ve got the best prices and great service that makes you come back for more. I really recommend this place because it’s always my go to spot for sweet treats!! 10/10 for experience and taste and costumer service!

Stopped by for a quick snack. The prepared sandwiches were so good! Had the katsu cutlet, and an egg sandwich. Bread was soft and I thought a great value. Also had a few breads, custard filled, ube, red bean. I liked it, would be great with coffee and I saved some for the next days coffee, phenomenal! The location is easy to miss off of busy Algonquin Rd. We arrived around 2pm so most of the stock of bentos was depleted. I'll have to stop by during prime time to grab some next time. Definitely will be back.

This is a small Japanese bakery. It's a standard grab and go. There's no seating. Yes, they do speak English for people who think there's a language barrier. They have refrigerated sandwiches on your left in a cooler, that's very convenient for quick meals. The egg and ham sando was okay, not quite as tasty as the ones in Japan. The eggs in this sandwich are not as creamy and the bread was just okay. The tonkatsu sando is a lot better. I recommend heating it up for about 40 secs. It has just the right amount of savoriness. They have bread, different kinds of buns and donuts, etc. The takoyaki bun was very delicious. I recommend getting that one. Basically, if you want to come here to pick up items for breakfast, snacks, or a light meal then this place is very solid. Prices are pretty cheap, cheaper than Tous Les Jours. Service is very friendly. Ample parking but can be limited since it's not a big lot.

I used to live in Japan, and this sort of bakery brings back fond memories. You can get a pan, melon pan, cream pan. You can get Japanese bread, and also they have a small selection of pre-made sandwiches. Tonkatsu, egg salad, etc. they speak Japanese, and it's a really nice atmosphere. There's no seating, so pretty much just grab and go. The price is a reasonable, and the food tastes good. Stop by next time you're at Mitsuwa, or make a special trip

We came on a weekend after the lunch time rush. There was no more bento boxes but we were able to get some other wonderful goodies. There were sandwiches and a wide assortment of bakery buns. The sandwiches were really good, both the tonkatsu and egg sandwiches. The buns we had were really good, we got 4 different kinds. And we also were able to get some "special" ones which I believe are the day old ones, since they were cheaper than in the display case. Overall great stuff here at this bakery, next time will try to get some of the bento boxes.

Been around for years, but never on my radar. Made a point to go to try out some traditional pastries, and a sandwich. Do you know that egg salad is the most popular sandwich sold at the 20,000+ 7-Elevens in Japan? Usually costing around 65-75 cents. They were offered here, and I snatched one up. I believe the bakery follows the traditional recipe. It was creamy, eggy, and delicious. Their version had slivers of ham and lettuce. Three half sandwiches, about three bucks. Worth the trip. P.S. The pastries are delicious, less sweet than Americans are used to.

This is a Japanese bakery in a plaza along the busy Algonquin Rd. They are around the corner from Nikko Sushi. We came at 10:15am on a Sunday (they open at 10am), and a line formed after us very quickly. There is a small display case with one refrigerator with drinks and sandwiches and a table by the window for their loafs of breads. We got multiple different things to try, about $40 worth. Of note they charge 4% if you pay with credit or debit card. The pork katsu sandwich is delicious and we can't wait to try the other things we got. Per their signs, after Jan 2024 they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Highly recommend coming early as they likely sell out.

A small Japanese bakery that offers a range of goods in addition to fresh pastries. My favorite is the doraemon

Been coming here for YEARS and won't have bread anywhere else. They always have the freshest and best bread as well pastries around, hands down!

Went in looking for an egg sandwich. They were out. Got a pizza pastry. It was good. Nothing special. Price was right. Less then $3.

i got there right before 2pm on a saturday and there was barely anything left!! was dying to try one of those sandos but what i did get was delicious. mos def home made...sweet, SWEET japanese lady behind counter, and i am all about supporting small local businesses! RUN AS SOON AS THEY OPEN AND BRING CASH!!

10/10 good prices definitely recommend if your into genuine Japanese sweet treats! Staff is very accommodating and will inform you of what the bread is filled with and ingredients.

Cute small shops will forever always have a place in my heart! I'm so sad I haven't been here prior to this year as I know for a fact I've passed by this place a MILLION times! Love all the fresh baked treats and bread! I usually pick up a loaf of the shokupan 10 slice. I really like the unique sweet and savory buns and pasties they have because they throw in a few random flavors every day! The kitchen food is pretty solid, I recommend calling ahead at least 30 mins prior to when you want to pick up. The crustless sandwiches are pretty bomb since it's on their homemade bread! I also like to randomly pick up the sack of bread ends they have some time...such a good price to make French toast, sandwiches, and general randomness! Literally can't say enough fab things about this place!

Delicious, authentic Japanese bakery across the street from Mitsuwa. I didn't even know about until I saw it on YTer Mike Chen's Strictly Dumpling when he was in Chicago. Get the Coffee Royal, an elegant and delicious combo of a croissant and cinnamon-esque roll. I didn't get a photo of it... one bite and I had to finish the rest. Surprise is that there's also carry out food to go! Bento box, rice bowls, you can pick up a whole picnic from here. Though, tbh, the rice wasn't as good as it should, a bit mushy - maybe an off day. Everything is already packaged including the bread. The Doramon breads are so cute! Yakisoba pan is nice and savory. Out of the 3 places I've gone to get the famous sandwiches, I think Bakery Crescent's milk bread is the best, soft and firm at the same time in ways you would want it. Everything is really tasty, definitely making this a rotation of mine whenever I am in the area. Cars and people are constantly making their way through. I probably would say better to come here early to get the best selection. Wonderful treat!!

A cute little bakery with high quality delicious pastries and food. Highly recommend: 1) Mentaiko pastry (salmon roe) - flaky fluffy pastry with melt in your mouth salmon roe (slight kick at the end) 2) Curry pan - tried both the baked and the regular one and prefer the regular one - it has a glutinous texture inside with crispy outside and the curry inside is rich - the baked one is a good choice for healthier option 3) Katsu sando - super fluffy bread sandwiching a crispy katsu and crispy cabbage that keeps it very light 4) Sweet potato pan - has real sweet potato inside and has a crispy choco bottom

Hidden in the shadow of Mitsuwa grocery store is the Japanese bakery you should actually be swinging by instead of the Mitsuwa food court/bakery. We were met by a gentle Japanese grandpa who kindly introduced us to all his in-house baked bread. The melon bread was a home run. Who knew honeydew mixed in bread could be so good? He also directed us to the Japanese menu that we almost missed out on due to the delicious pastries in the display case before us. Our bento box and rice bowls were made to order and worth the wait. This bakery is hidden away in the corner of the strip mall but definitely worth discovering!

Solid Japanese bakery at a super affordable price point. Came here for two sandwiches. They were fresh, full of flavor, and cheap. I'd come back. Great to pair with a visit to Mitsuwa next door. Thank you for the delicious food Crescent.

OMG how did I not know about this place it's right next to Mitsuwa?! The most authentic Japanese bakery I've found in the states, better than the hippo house bakery inside Mitsuwa! I found this place when I looked up Asian bakeries near me while I was in the area & wanted to see if there was anything besides Tous Le Jours around. I didn't think much of the name until I saw the pictures, Japanese bakery items!? Sold. I immediately drove over there. Everything they had looked SO good & I was able to order everything in Japanese & the woman helping me was super nice. When I went up to the counter to pay I noticed they have a food menu, what!!! I wish I got some stuff, I saw they had taco rice which is an Okinawan thing I haven't ever seen in the states! Very thrilled to have found this place & I'm dying to go back, I wish there was something like this near me but an hour & 20 min isn't too bad haha. This place is an absolute gem!!

Nice small Japanese bakery. We've had the Yakisoba, the pork cutlet sandwich, the ham and cheese sandwich, a chocolate pastry, an apple pastry, and a custard pastry. They were all very good. I thought the bakery was closed as I was looking at the empty place next door. Entry door to Bakery Crescent is next to cake bakery. One word of caution: if you want to order bento boxes or other lunch items you must call in ahead and order and pick up later.

Terrific hidden gem! Tried this place on a recommendation online from a post I asked about egg salad sandwiches. The egg sandwiches I was finding were lacking the "eggyness" I wanted but this place does it right. The offering they have with ham is awesome and I have returned for it numerous times. The bread they use for the sandwich is great, which made me want to try their white loafs and I was not disappointed. I've also had a few of their pastries and everything has been quite tasty.

When you walk in to this tiny storefront, the smell of freshly baked bread tells you that this is the real deal! I've been here several times and tried just about everything (sorry for not remembering the authentic names): chocolate danish, cheese danish, apple pastry, sweet red bean paste danish, sweet purple yam danish, the pastry-wrapped hotdog, the ham and cheese croissant, all excellent. Make sure to grab a loaf of the fluffy milk bread, too! It's hard to see the bakery from the street. It's tucked away in a strip mall and does not directly face Algonquin Road. You enter right by RallyHouse. It doesn't even look open when you see it from the outside. Definitely worth a trip!

On a Saturday morning, we went to an Asian grocery shop nearby and started looking for our quick breakfast. We looked around prepared lunch shelves, but could not find what we wanted. Then I remembered there is a bakery shop just nearby, so how about looking there for breakfast? They open at 10am. We were there around 9:50am. They welcomed us naturally, the door was already open. It was a little chilly outside, so I appreciate they let us in. 2 friendly ladies working in front, and baking area looked busy. They said they started baking around 4am every morning. When you go there at 10, every bread is freshly baked. Much respect for their business! Our orders: French cheese Croque Ham and egg Apple Tuna Chestnut French cheese From the name "French", I imagine baguette like crispy texture. It was so soft and fluffy. Easy to eat with hands, (oh they have a hand sanitizer on the counter and wear masks). It also travels well and after microwaving it, the fluffy texture still there. So simple but addictive. Croque It is a basically a breaded and fried potato and beef ball with thick sweet soy sauce. Again, it is soft and easy to tear to share with someone else. We have been looking for a croque sandwich for months. This was not a sandwich, but still satisfied my craving. Ham and egg I was a country boy through my childhood. A small bakery in a town did not have any fancy pastries. This classic ham and egg bread does bring back memories of our small bakery in 80's. Every component was perfect as I like. Also it traveled and microwaved well. Apple This one and French Cheese have been my wife's 2 favorite pastries for years. Apple has a gentle cream and apple slices inside, with sliced almonds on top. It's a perfect balance of softy and crunchy! Tuna A little weaker compared to other items. But soft, fresh, nicely seasoned. Probably good for a quick breakfast or lunch, with zero "fish smell." :) Chestnut I chose it as the bake of the day this time! Puff pastry is crunch but easy to note it through. Chest nut paste and whipped cream has a perfect texture and amount inside. It has roasted sesame seeds on top, which adds an extra savory aroma after you enjoy the sweetness from the filling. I think it was perfect, very good snack with 5 stars! When I graduated from a school, I started working near Tokyo. I was shocked with the streets filled with busy businessmen and asphalt. But I really liked a French bakery shop in the station near my cheap apartment, which was kind of my escape place before and after work. This crescent bakery reminds me of that "escape" feeling. Also each item costs only around $2. My total score was 5 stars without doubt.

Bakery Crescent is probably the best Japanese bakery in the Chicago suburbs, and is definitely a much better option than Hippo Bakery (located in the nearby Mitsuwa) now, as all the pastries of Crescent are much cheaper and taste just as good, if not better (except for the shoku pan, of which I personally think that Hippo still makes the best). The service is great and you can actually pre-order breads ahead of time, as they tend to run out of the more popular items (ham and egg danish, for example) pretty quickly. There are a wide variety of pastries available, and they also offer some savory dishes (tonkatsu, curry, etc.) for order. Highly recommend!

Found this hidden gem via Instagram and now I am in love! This authentic bakery is better than other pastry shops that I frequent and the prices are very generous. My nostalgic item is the egg salad sandwich. It brings me back my childhood from back in Asia. It's so delicious!

Bakery Crescent is open! Just stopped by with some friends and bought some of their authentic pastries. They did post a sign saying they are not open on Mondays and Tuesdays after January 24, 2024.

One of the best authentic Japanese pastry stores. Most of the pastries are very fresh including sandwiches. Their best is bento boxes or to go orders (food). Very authentic taste!

Everyone says Bakery Crescent has the edge over Pastry House Hippo, but I don't see it as a competition. There's a big overlap in the kind of baked goods they both carry, but Pastry House Hippo has a handful of key items that Bakery Crescent doesn't have, like nikkuman and chocolate pudding croissants, while Bakery Crescent makes custom bentos that are quite tasty and delicious. What really makes Bakery Crescent stand out is the sweet elderly couple that makes everything by hand every day. I've grown quite fond of Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka the few times I've been in to pick up some sweets as they've always had a warm smile and a kind word for me. If you're looking to switch things up, I definitely recommend Bakery Crescent.

Excellent hidden gem of a bakery. They have a wide assortment of Japanese breads/pastries, also very very good shokupan.. I bought a couple of loaves to take home! Haha! They also have sandwiches (egg, ham) but buy early cause they sell out fast! Aside from this, they have a variety of bento meals available.. Tip: Call in advance as they are cooked/made fresh based on your orders! Very friendly and helpful person at the counter

Great small bakery! Call to order if you are ordering a meal, they make it as needed. Very nice people & bakery & food is great!! I get the chicken cutlet all the time :) Ambiance is comfy, very much so japanese comfort food. Small shop so nowhere to sit but that doesn't really matter as most people just stop by for pick up

The taste of their pastries and bread are delicious. The workers are so nice and always smiling.

Love this place! I felt like their stuff taste flesher than Hippo in Mitsuwa ...wonder if I need to get there early to get to try their takeout lunch boxes...

Very friendly family owned business with great service and OMG! They have the best bread loaves . The cheese-filled bread and other baked goods were fantastic too! I always miss the delicate and distinctive textures of Japanese bakeries, particularly the breads. I was only able to find them in Japan, now Bakery Crescent has it. The next time I'm in Chicago, I'll see them again and bring lots of loaves back to Minnesota.

Hidden gem of the neighborhood!!! You have to call ahead and wait to pick up, but the food is so good with such a reasonable price. Highly recommend this cute little place if you are shopping at Mitsuwa or happen to be around.

I and my mother like bread from this bakery very much, and my American husband also likes bread , especially Shokupan, tuna bread and apple bread very much. My mother says " I want to bring some bread to Japan " Bread is soft and perfect sparingly texture and smooth. I do recommend this bakery if you want to eat real Japanese bread. And bento box is soooooo good !!! very yummy !!! Daily lunch box costs $6.95. You will be satisfied with all food from this bakery !!! ;)

Yummy bakery at a decent price. All the bakery items seem fresh and the unique combinations were delicious. My husband and I got the takoyaki, ham and corn, chocolate, cheese and croquette bread. Their breads were fresh and I love their unique combinations. The croquette and takoyaki were among my favorites. You can really see and taste the "homemade" loving care they put into their pastries. I definitely want to come back and try their takeout bento boxes as well.

Wow! Really cute local shop and they are so sweet. Things do run out quickly but they are still stacked with the classic goodies (like melon pan). Love it!

I love this place!!! Back from our Japan vacation earlier this year and missing all the great breads we ate. Luckily, this little gem is in our neck of the woods. The breads are very tasty and made fresh daily. I especially love the custard, almond chocolate, UFO and apple turnover. We get our shokupan bread to the thickness or thinness we prefer. This makes our tamago sando at home really yummy. This is now our go to place for any fresh Japanese baked goodies. The bentos are delicious and at a great value. The wonderful lady behind the counter said that we can call in the morning and can specify a pickup time. They will make them fresh, warm and ready at pickup time. I highly recommend Bakery Crescent to everyone in the area. Be sure to stop by and get fresh delicious breads at wonderful prices.

Nice bakery, everything is here delicious and priced good. Thank you for serving great product

This bakery is wonderful, the backed goods are some of the Japanese best that you can find and their food is just as good. Sometimes they do not have the ingredients for all the dishes so the menu can change from time to time. It's just a small mom & pap shop but I absolutely recommend it to everyone who enjoys good affordable food. Everything is very fresh.

Melon buns! The boo, his bro and I stopped in here after a brief but fruitful stint at the sushi & Korean restaurant 2 doors over where even walking in you could smell the baking buns from Bakery Crescent. My boo spent the month of April in Japan and a from what I've heard, basically lived off sushi and baked buns similar to the ones sold here, so naturally, we just HAD to stop in so he could get his fix of Nippon-style nibbles. The dude chose 3 items to split between the three of us, the chosen trois wouldn't have been my picks but all were surprisingly good. I would've gone with something a bit more chocolatey, or even the the crazy looking corn bun, but the guy got the red bean, the melon and the creme one which he knew I would have no part in because of my aversion to custard. The red bean was very PB&J reminiscent but with a bean'ier texture and sans the PB and the melon bun had a surprising amount of flavor for such a light and airy puffed pastry. The service was swift and sweet and the prices were perfect and more than reasonable. I'll be back, probably before the holiday weekend is over.

Everything at Bakery Crescent is amazingly delicious and their customer service is always great! Their blueberry pastries are my favorite. Give them a try, you'll love them!

Amazing breads and a wide selection of bentos as well. Make sure to call ahead 30 mins to order the bentos as they are made fresh to order. Highly recommend their 4 slice bread, it's thick and fluffy!

A Japanese bakery next to Mont Blanc (http://www.yelp.com/biz/frNjerY6tJByr6iJqf4QxQ?hrid=BexI691PpFqYAJe-pNADnQ). Mont Blanc has cakes while Crescent has 'kashi-pan' which is various Japanese pastry creations. This place used to be more happening a decade ago, but currently is struggling. They recently made it so that you now need to use Crescent's entrance to go to the Japanese video rental store next door, perhaps in an attempt to increase traffic through their store. Hippo (http://www.yelp.com/biz/QkAMmMg0vm4jm1xHi9rffA) inside Mitsuwa has far more selections and bread is fresher.

I love their pastries! Sandwich bread and rolls are very good too. No preservatives and totally home baked.

So glad I had a chance to come here last weekend on a lark! My mom, brother and I would always come here for a treat, if we were in the neighborhood. I remember this being better than the Hippo Pastry shop in Mitsuwa (Yaohan for us old schoolers), but haven't been there in a while either. I had the curry doughnut, which is basically a pork (or maybe chicken?) cutlet covered in curry, then covered in doughnut batter, fried, and covered with sugar. And I think there was some coconut flakes involved, too. Basically a Willy Wonka's meal-in-a-pill, free heart attack included! My friends shared a pastry filled with chocolate, which they said was deliciously light and fluffy, yet crisp. And everything is basically under $2, which is a steal! On a random note, I remember them having awesome tarts or cakes with fresh fruit glazed in sugar, but they didn't know what I was talking about... maybe it was under a different owner... Or maybe it was the place next door?

My quest for pastries brought me to this little hideaway next to Boston Blackies and Mitsuwa. Typical of most Japanese operations, Crescent is clean, and the staff so polite from whom the Chinatown folks could take lessons. The selection is not huge but sufficient to satisfy my yearning for sweet bean paste pastries. I chose the Danish with sweet bean over the anpan, which is a bread dough. While Asian Danish are never flaky like what one comes to expect from traditional Danish, the dough nevertheless is as soft and chewy as I remember. It also comes with a little sprinkling of sesame and sweet whipped cream. The curry pan is just as flavorful. Best of all, the prices are affordable, with nothing over $2. I may have found my piece of pastry heaven finally in the burbs.

I bought white bread. My 6 year old loved it with grilled cheese. She ate twice amount. We will revisit to try another ones too.

I really like this place over Hippo. Better bread, to me their dough is just better/more tasty... And I love their $1 pan no mimi!! Great people working here, really like the owner!

The good taste came back! I talked with new owner. He keeps long process for baking breads. Old owner skipped some process. It feels like real sponge. I hope owner can keep it. I can give 5stars so far. If it goes down, I give lower stars. So far Good job!

My colleague surprised me one morning with pastries from Bakery Crescent. One of them was the chocolate croissant. One taste I was hooked. Since I couldn't eat all the pastries in one sitting, it tasted just as good when I microwave it the next day. I also love their bread too. The service is prompt and courteous. I will definitely be back.