Publican Quality Bread perfectly encapsulates what bread and pastries should strive to be. Their small location in West Loop Chicago is a bit inconvenient to get to, but it is worth trekking across the city for some of Chicago’s highest-quality loaves.

Everything is made from scratch and baked daily, with some ready-to-go sandwich options available. They have a weekly menu of different loaf options each day, from multigrain sourdough to focaccia.

Greg Wade, 2019 James Beard Award winner, oversees the bread that is naturally leavened from a 30-year-old bread starter — the result is bread that has the perfect ratio of chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The 1979 multigrain sourdough is some of the best bread I’ve had!

The bakery also features a showcase of amazing pastry options, with different special additions each week. The mainstays feature wheat, buckwheat chocolate, almond croissants, kouign amanns, monkey bread, morning buns, and seasonal fruit tarts, amongst others. I’m a fan of the chocolate croissants, but I love trying new options every time I visit.

Customers can place online orders for pick-up in advance for daily pastry and sourdough bread options, which is recommended for busier days of the week, as the line of customers often extends out the door.