Chef, cookbook author and Milk Bar founder, Christina Tosi
Calling all sweet tooths: The cult-fave NYC-based dessert bar founded by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi is set to arrive in the Windy City. Opening Saturday, Feb. 8, Milk Bar brings tried-and-true favorites and Chicago-exclusive bites to the first floor of The Hoxton at 200 N. Green St. in Fulton Market District.
The buzzy dessert chain has joined forces with Boka Restaurant Group—the team behind institutions like Boka, Girl & The Goat, Itoko and more—to unveil the brand’s first Midwest location.
A Milk Bar bakery tray with rainbow-flecked Birthday Cake
Born and raised in Ohio, Tosi began her career at the French Culinary Institute’s pastry arts program. She later worked at Bouley, interned at Saveur, founded the pastry program at chef David Chang’s Momofuku and eventually opened the first Milk Bar location in 2008. Today, Tosi has expanded the brand’s reach to 12 bakery locations in NYC, L.A., Boston, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and now Chicago, while accumulating a cult following for appearing on MasterChef and MasterChef Junior as a judge, authoring nine bestselling books and creating iconic Milk Bar treats.
“A Midwesterner by birth, Chicago has long been one of my favorite cities to visit,” Tosi says. “Food, friendship, culture, sports and art—the city is teeming with real people doing real things their way: creatively, honestly and inspiringly,” Tosi says. “We are so excited to bring our passion, enthusiasm, care and dessert . . . yes, even in February! Chicago, we can’t wait to show up for you early morning 'till late night.”
On opening day, the first 50 customers to arrive will receive a signed copy of Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen, the latest cookbook from Tosi and Shannon Salzano. With a collection of over 100 sweet and savory recipes, the cookbook combines inventive renditions with fan favorites from Bake Club, Tosi’s virtual baking community.
The Portillo’s chocolate cake cookies
“We have been super pumped to bring our weekly online baking club to life through these pages and be a mainstay of killer basic recipes (biscuits, graham crackers, gummy bears, fudge, bagels, pretzels, frosted gingersnaps) and tabletop treats alike (chocolate mirror cake, pavlova, macarons, payday pie),” Tosi says.
At Milk Bar Chicago, the menu includes a lineup of premier Windy City specials, including a Portillo’s chocolate cake cookie and the “Hot Dog Bomb,” a bread-wrapped hot dog bite topped with mustard, tomato, onion, neon green relish, sport peppers, celery salt and a pickle spear.
The bread-wrapped Hot Dog Bomb
“We have a Hot Dog Bomb, dragged through the garden, obvi, that we’re coming in HOT with! Had to write a love letter to Chicago on our menu with one of our favorite savory bites of the city,” Tosi says.
Additionally, the eatery features an array of the brand’s “Greatest Hits,” from the Taylor Swift-approved birthday cake to fan-favorite cookie flavors like “Compost” (chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, butterscotch and coffee), blueberry and cream, cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow, confetti and more.
The signature cereal milk soft-serve
“We literally have a menu item called The Greatest Hits for great reason—cereal milk soft-serve with cornflake crunch, ‘Compost’ cookie, Milk Bar pie and b’day truffles. They are the icons; they have been my best friends for 16 years and counting,” Tosi says.
Cake truffles, soft-serve ice cream, cakes, pies, milkshakes, MilkQuakes and Milk Bar breads are also served, including offerings like cereal milk-favored soft-serve, cream-cheese filled Bagel Bombs and more. These are accompanied by Milk Bar’s recently released winter menu items, which include red velvet cheesecake cake, red velvet truffles and pancake soft-serve.
Cookie flavors, including “Compost,” cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow, blueberry and cream, confetti and more
“This is a labor of love. It is the hospitality industry, and we show up to serve each and every day. To be of service, to delight, to bring light and care and nourishment to folks’ lives. It is never-ending and always fulfilling,” Tosi says. “We are on a mission to make people happy with dessert. We want to make you feel seen. To energize you, to excite, engage…to feed you! It will be an honor to be one of the big and little celebrations of a day, or week, or year. We plan to show up and mean it.”
See also: The Hottest New Restaurants In Chicago
Photography by: Photography courtesy of Milk Bar
