Evanston Central Street

One of my favorite places to hang out on a Saturday morning is Central Street in Evanston. There are so many individually owned businesses here and that’s one of the many reasons I like to support the shops on Central Street.
Here are a few of my favorites:

Foodstuff’s

At 2106 Central Street, this gourmet food store changes up their menu all the time so you have to stop in frequently to enjoy all the new dishes – like this spicy, skirt steak.

They have several other locations in Chicago, including Lake Forest, but I love the Evanston store because of the variety and the charm of the space.

MilleFiori

You can get lost in the beautiful mix of unusual flowers and gifts. I saw at least 20 things I wanted to cart home.

At 1943 Central Street, I believed that this shop got a lot of their business because they open at 9 AM – an hour before the popular Spice Shop next door. I am convinced now, after exploring the shop today, that it survives all on its own merit. The merchandise is simply beautiful.

The Spice House

At 1941 Central Street, this specialty store has one mission – to make you the freshest product by small, weekly batch grinding to ensure you the highest quality spices.

Forget that they import spices from countries of origin and have the highest recommendations for premium quality. Every one of their staff is totally educated and that is the reason I buy all my spices there.

They will take you by surprise because they are turning out new spice blends every week. They even have a line of blends named after each one of Chicago’s ethnic districts.

Tag’s Bakery

Wander down the block and you will find Tag’s at 2010 Central Street. Tag’s has been around since 1937 and has great pastries like the Kolache’s that my Czechoslovakian great - grandmother use to make along with almond covered Swedish Pretzels.

Honestly, I was not ready to love the Swedish Pretzels as much as I did. Somehow, I felt a little less guilty about them than I do Almond Croissants... and the crunch factor won me over instantly.

Bon Appetit!