La Fournette
1547 N. Wells St., 312-624-9430, lafournette.com
Best new: Walking into this adorable new bakery and café in Old Town, you might be distracted by the cases filled with colorful macarons, fanciful spritz cookies, and alluring quiches. But press on. The bread racks at La Fournette are lined with savory leaf-shaped olive fougasses, great leathery wheat and rye sourdough country breads, and stacks of freshly baked baguettes, all crafted by a fourth-generation baker born in Alsace. Make like a Frenchman: Tuck a long skinny loaf or two under your arm and bicycle home.
Floriole Café & Bakery
1220 W. Webster Ave., 773-883-1313, floriole.com
Best overall: Sandra Holl’s delicate baguettes, tender brioches, wheaty miches, and ultraearthy sourdoughs are the top crusts.