Alliance Bakery, the century-old Wicker Park bakery, is opening a new location about a mile away in West Town at 1837 W. Grand Ave.
The company’s second location will be much larger than the original bakery at 1736 W. Division Street and will serve as the company’s primary point for custom cake orders, according to Block Club Chicago. Alliance Bakery first opened in 1923 and eventually fell into the hands of owner Peter Rios in the mid-2000s. The business owner decided to open a second location to create a larger production space. Alliance Bakery hopes to debut in West Town at the start of June.
“We’re going to have a full bakery, counter display, coffee, and baristas,” Rios tells What now Chicago. “We’ll have seating for 10 to 12 people. There’ll be several tables, with a counter with stools by the front window.”
Rios says everything else will remain similar to the original, meaning customers can expect various European pastries, cookies, and other sweets, including custom-order cakes. The original location also features a full espresso bar. Alliance Bakery has won several awards and accolades under Rios, most recently winning 1st place in the 2018 RBA Cake Decoration Competition.
Chef Rios has an extensive history in baking from years of training and demonstrations throughout Europe and chocolate and pastry seminars in Istanbul. This love for baking began at the French Pastry School Chicago and has led him to become executive pastry chef at the Fairmont Hotel Chicago, Sofitel Hotel Chicago, and Art Institute of Chicago.
