I've tried the matcha coffee cake and engine coffee and been obsessed since. I finally made a plan to stop and get some goodies, so I ordered ahead for pickup. When I arrived my order was no where to be found and 2 of the 4 items were out of stock. They offered to bake me a fresh batch for the inconvenience. Everything was delicious and got to try some items I didn't initially think of. They were super kind and amazing service.

cake only- I was desperately looking for a cake for my birthday and I called here on my way to brunch. They only had one cake left for the day which was the coconut pineapple cake. They were super sweet to put it on hold for me and I rushed in to buy it. It's great that they have a parking lot! The cake itself was $55 and very reasonable. It had layers of a thick sweet cheese type filling and a layer of pineapple preserve or jam in the middle. The outside was covered in shredded coconut. It was a delightful cake and nothing like I'd tried before. All my family enjoyed the cake, even my children!

This was stop #3 of the day for our own personal bakery tour and it did not disappoint! We asked for a recommendation and we were directed to the ube croissant and the Samoa cake. Excellent advice from the employees and now I'm passing it along! We'll definitely be returning to try more pastries!

I have been meaning to try this place and Aya is the place to be. I got an almond croissant and was surprised how light it was but also how much almond there was. There was almond on the inside and on top with almond slices! I would definitely come back. The service was quick and friendly but be warned that there are not that many seats within the place. This is a cute place to stop by and get a drink or two. I am definitely coming back!

I was drawn in by the reviews of the samoas cookie type pastry! Cute little shop, not a ton of seating so definitely more a pick up and take somewhere else to eat which is what I ended up doing. I love ham and cheese croissants so I picked one up as well to try. Unfortunately they aren't able to warm anything up for you in store. I got: - Samoas pastry - Ham and cheese croissant The samoas cake like pastry was so good!!! It had a cake like texture but was surprisingly quite light to eat. The it was definitely reminiscent of the Girl Scout cookie of the same name, except less sweet actually since it's more of a coconut with chocolate and caramel, vs the cookie ratio feels more caramel with coconut and chocolate. When I was able to go back and warm the croissant, it was pretty decent with some nice flaky buttery layers. It did seem to be one of the sweet leaning Ham & cheese, which I don't love as much as the really savory/salty ones. Looking forward to visiting again when I'm back in the area!

I came here for one thing and one thing only. The scallion cheddar biscuit lol. As soon as the lady and I saw it on the menu, we knew we needed to have it lol. It was delicious. It's even more delicious warmed up. If you really want to take it a step further, buy a couple, bring them home, and make breakfast sandwiches out of them. The service was quick. We were the only ones there. And the vibes here are very cute. You can tell a lot of thought was taken when the owner designed the interior.

Cute bakery just outside of downtown Chicago. They've got some interesting options for pastries. Not too much seating inside though.

Aya Pastry was mentioned to me by a yelper I follow by the name of Melanie B, a black badge yelper out of Chicago, and the culprit as of late in my discoveries of dessert places throughout Chicago. Aya became an instant bookmark for a future visit once I saw their Samoa cake. The location of Aya itself sits along a highly trafficked W Grand Ave. The parking lot is privately owned which I found after doing a loop in the area in order to get an open spot outside of the bakery. During this visit, the mood inside was set with a song by Drake ft. Rihanna 'Take care of' played in the background. And the bakery itself appeared bright with very nice antique decoration. Atmosphere: 5 (Great) Once I walked in the door and up to the display to see what was offered, I was greeted by the employee. As visited for, I ordered the Samoa Cake, and a PB&J Dino Mac after nearly considering two Samoa Cakes. Being that I love peanut butter & jelly, the PB&J Dino Mac was very hard to pass up after browsing the display. Along with the Samoa Cake, and the PB&J Dino Mac, I ordered a Hibiscus Tea out of both the Hibiscus, and Jasmin Green which were mentioned by the employee as the tea options. Service: 5 (Great) I had a smirk on my face prior to opening the box in anticipation of something delicious. My mouth salivated in-between each bite of the PB&J Dino Mac, which appeared like a moon pie and had a slightly crunchy taste. And my oh my it was filled with peanut butter & jelly! It will surely be an option I purchase again on a future return to Aya. The soft feel of the Samoa cake made for a light approach, a light touch! Each flavorful bite felt as though it was melting in my mouth, tehehe. It was like a much softer, yet larger version of the Girl Scout - Samoas cookie! And I kid you not, I had the biggest smirk on my face after taking the last bite of it, wishing that I went on and purchased two along with the PB&J Dino Mac. Food: 5 (Great) Being that I had a great experience, I would surely re-visit and order from Aya Pastry again. Tehehe, I would say when in the Noble Square (West Town) area, but I know darn well that I will drive out solely for it. Atmosphere: 5 | Service: 5 | Food: 5 Recommendations: Hibiscus Tea, Samoa Cake, Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice, or PB&J Dino Mac ~ Oh darling, let's be adventurers ~ Thomas G

Favorite Aya tastes: traditional butter croissant and the Kouign-amann. These two are NOT to be missed if you're in the area! Chocolate croissant is delicious too and the chocolate bar inside is high quality which deep dark chocolate flavor. Least favorite is the weekend special, Apple Galette. The crisp, flakey texture was the best thing about it, but the apples lacked sweetneas, tartness and some spice. The dough also lacked flavor - I wonder if sugar and salt was forgotten? The employees were warm, welcoming and helpful. Definitely will pick up more pastries and try the cakes next time I'm in the area!