Verzênay Chicago — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I feel like a million bucks here.

This cafe is genuinely an experience and you feel like you are a special person because of the level of quality of food and beverages you can purchase.

I am a coffee and bakery snob/critic and a private chef for a living. I'm picky and demand for excellence in food, it's just my passion.

To finally enter a place where you can see THE level of quality, care and aesthetics that goes into their food makes you feel like you just caught your crush looking over at you and you're getting butterflies in your stomach.

The ambiance is cozy and the teal color of the establishment gives you Disneyland French quarter vibes. Everything is very clean, especially the bathrooms. The bathrooms even have the Vacant indicator on it, so you don't need to guess or stress. Music is just the right volume.

But then the food and caffeinated beverages are just out of this world. The seasonal Heirloom Tomato Tartine is incredible. Truly a perfect combo, nothing to add nothing to take away. You get what you pay for, in the best way possible.

The desserts are beautifully balanced in flavor and not too sweet in general. It's very easy to make things sweet and pawn it off as a pastry. Instead, the desserts look like a carefully crafted piece of art and you feel bad ruining it by taking a bite from it. Both the chocolate croissant and almond pecan croissant look like art. And you eat it all with fresh small flowers on the table? Amazing.

Drinks like the Parisian Rain Tea Latte and Pink Kashmiri Chai are superb texture and mouth feel with a very well balanced flavor. You just can't go wrong.

On top of all of that, the chef is the owner and is on site covering All Positions. This is genuine leadership and connects you to the place as a reminder that a real person is running the show and trying to make things work. Not only that but her and the staff are simply lovely and provide a great level of service.

I love local businesses and to see this level of excellence and so many things going right, gives me some hope back for humanity.

Thank you for such a lovely experience,...

Ah, French bakeries—bastions of decadence, elegance, and the kind of pastries that make you weak at the knees. Or at least, that’s the idea. Verzenay, however, manages to turn the dream into a lukewarm reality, and I mean that quite literally.

Let’s start with the coffee—an undrinkable brew that’s barely warmer than room temperature. I get it, coffee shops are skittish about scalding lawsuits, but this was less "coffee" and more "tepid bean water." Might as well hand me a liability waiver with my order next time.

Then there’s the price—astronomical enough to make you consider refinancing your house. Normally, I’d pay top dollar for truly exquisite pastries, but at Verzenay, the cost-to-quality ratio is as lopsided as a melted macaron.

I tried three items to get a fair assessment. The Éclair was a letdown—chocolate filling that was oddly grainy and inconsistent, making me question if it even knew what the word "homogeneous" meant. A shaky 6/10. The Pistachio Escargot promised pistachio cream, but somewhere along the way, the cream got lost. What I bit into was a dry, vaguely nutty swirl that felt like a practical joke on my taste buds. Another 6/10.

The Raspberry Rose Croissant was the saving grace—sort of. A flaky butter croissant filled with pecan almond paste, raspberry rose jam, and topped with a raspberry glaze. It sounds divine, right? It tasted good, sure, but not exactly life-changing. I’d give it a decent 8/10, but the hype had me expecting fireworks and all I got was a sparkler.

I considered trying the Raspberry Tart—until I saw the $8 price tag and thought, “I’d rather be disappointed $28 lighter than $36.”

Overall, Verzenay is a prime example of style over substance, where "French-inspired" translates to "mediocre and overpriced." If you’re going to declare yourself the best, expect your customers to hold you to the highest standards—especially when their wallets are...

A little slice of Paris in the Midwest. We recently had the pleasure of visiting Verzenay, a pâtisserie, boulangerie and café located in the heart of Lincoln Park. The owner and head pastry chef of this lovely, sun-filled gem actually studied French pastry making in Paris. She, then, brought back her knowledge and skills to Chicago, where she now passionately handcrafts authentic French delicacies, using high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients.

In light of the season, we decided to try several fall-inspired menu items during our visit, both sweet and savory. Here is everything we ordered: Pumpkin Cake, Paris-Brest, Apple Pie, Egg & Cheese on Croissant with Chicken Sausage, Mushroom & Gruyère Melt and Pumpkin Latte.

We honestly adored every single dish! The Pumpkin Cake was super moist and delicious, with no artificial pumpkin taste. The hazelnut praline cream in the Paris-Brest was delightfully decadent. The Apple Pie was warm and cozy, with an amazing crumble on top. I am obsessed with their Croissant Breakfast Sandwich! The croissant was flaky and buttery, and the chicken sausage was loaded with flavor. The Mushroom & Gruyère Melt came on this thick, crunchy bread, and the Gruyère was just perfectly melty. Finally, the Pumpkin Latte had a nice, creamy texture with subtle pumpkin flavor. So good!

If you’re into French pastries, I cannot speak highly enough about this place. We were very impressed by the authenticity. Definitely check them out! Oh, and they only do pies during the fall, so go grab a slice while you still can. You...