Hewn Bakery

We love Hewn bakery, and the sourdough is our favorite. They use high quality ingredients, and their breads and baked goods taste amazing. They also sell their stone milled flour, and its not cheap. If you want to find out whether bakery uses high quality ingredients, try their croissant, and compare it with a croissant from a different bakery. The buttery melt in your mouth flavor is unmatched. I have tried baked goods from many bakeries, and Hewn is my favorite by far. Paris Baguette's baked goods look amazing, but the taste is meh because they use a ton of preservatives, and bake from frozen that is made at the factory and shipped.

Hewn is not just Evanston’s best bakery but a worthy rival to the heavy competition in the entire Chicagoland area! I was able to try a good handful of their pastries since we ordered some boxes for an event, and everything looked incredibly appetizing. You could tell the baked goods were made carefully and with high quality ingredients because they not only tasted amazing but looked the part as well. My favorite item was the orange cremeux kouign amann. I have never tried one of these before, so this was the perfect opportunity. This pastry, originating from Breton and literally translating to butter cake, masterfully combines the flaky layers of a croissant with a crunchy, caramelized base and culminates in what can only be described as sugary perfection. This specific kouign amann was filled with a citrusy paste and topped with Italian meringue, which added tartness to the dense yet soft pastry. Chocolate croissants are always good indicators for quality bakeries, and this one did not disappoint. It was massive, buttery, and filled with two batons of the richest Valrhona chocolate. The final sweet I tasted was the double ginger cookie. It was thin, crisp, and very chewy. I really enjoyed the texture, and the ginger taste was subtle but still evident. I will no doubt be visiting Hewn in person as there is still so much to try, especially their freshly baked breads. Please give Hewn a visit—I guarantee you will leave full with satisfaction (and carbs galore)!

Honestly, no amount of stars, photos, or reviews could ever do justice to how incredible Hewn is. Whether it’s the viennoiseries, the pastries, or the quiches, everything is consistently delicious every single time I visit. Don't walk—run there!

They have the CUTEST little sign welcoming you in and you get the heads up of some delightful beverages to pair with any treats you pick up! Their loaves are my family’s favorite weekly staple, we’ve now tried almost every loaf on rotation they offer! My dog gets SO excited when he sees that brown bag come in the door, he knows the bread heels are his little treat! I feel great serving it to my family knowing there’s no preservatives or hidden added ingredients.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I went to Whole Foods and bought a ciabatta bread. They sliced it perfectly, with no collapse whatsoever. So, at last, I can freeze my bread. It's incredible how some people are limited in their approaches and fail to listen to their customers. See my picture below of the sliced ciabatta. A customer recently told me about a new bakery in Evanston. The store’s layout is very efficient, and customers receive service immediately. The various types of bread—ranging from baguettes to croissants to sourdough—are beautifully displayed, making it easy to choose your preferred option. While the prices are slightly higher than average, this is expected for a bakery that offers higher-quality products. However, I was surprised at checkout when the app prompted me to tip, starting at 20%. I find this surprising because the employees are already paid for their work in serving you the bread. Another thing that annoys me is that I asked for the ciabatta bread to be sliced so I can freeze it and toast it as needed, since the loaf is too large for one person. They told me that it was not possible to slice because the bread “will collapse.” OK, so how do I keep it fresh? No response. Plastic bags ruin the crust, same for the refrigerator, and bread boxes are expensive. So, I ended up with a hard, rock-like ciabatta that will be fed to the turtles at the cemetery. Bummer. Could you make smaller ciabattas? Thanks.