A new weekend bakery is coming to Randolph Street. Susu (652 W. Randolph St.) will launch its new bakery service Saturday, Oct. 17, offering a limited menu of breakfast sandwiches and pastries from Executive Chef/Partner Alexander Willis for preorder and pickup through Susu’s back entrance.
Open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon, Susu’s bakery service will operate around limited quantities each weekend, with a menu that blends French pastry technique, Middle Eastern flavors and Willis’ Midwestern roots.
“We wanted to create something that feels special to the weekend—a small menu, limited quantities and food that people are genuinely excited to come pick up,” says owner Paul Alqas. “Serving it through the back door gives the bakery its own identity while still feeling completely connected to Susu.”
At the center of the menu is Willis’ Wagyu sujuk breakfast sandwich, made with housemade Wagyu beef sujuk sausage, French scrambled eggs, American cheese, red shatta aioli and green chermoula on hand-rolled sourdough pita. Willis calls the bread “Wonder Bread meets pita,” a nod to his Midwestern upbringing and Lebanese heritage. Fenugreek in the sujuk gives the sausage a naturally maple-like aroma that lends itself to breakfast.
“I wanted it to feel like a breakfast sandwich first with things I love like creamy eggs and American cheese and then build on that with the flavors I grew up with,” says Willis. “It’s familiar, but there’s a lot more happening once you bite into it.”
The opening pastry menu will include croissants; Tea Tea Cheesecake (chai); Shakshuka Danish; Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies; and Tahini Canelé, with an occasional mystery item giving Willis room to introduce something unexpected.
“I’ve always wanted to take French pastry techniques and combine them with flavors that are personal to me,” Willis said. “This gives us a chance to keep the menu focused while continuing to experiment and introduce new things.”
Unlike a traditional bakery or café, Susu’s new service is designed around preordering, limited production and weekend pickup. There will be no coffee program, keeping the focus squarely on Willis’ pastries and breakfast sandwich.
Preorders will open on Susu’s website every Monday at 3 p.m. for the following weekend and close Thursday evening, with limited quantities available. The first drop goes live Monday, Oct. 12, ahead of the bakery’s Oct. 17 launch. Susu’s bakery will operate Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon at 652 W. Randolph St.
What's Happening
A new weekend bakery is coming to Randolph Street. Susu (652 W. Randolph St.) will launch its new bakery service Saturday, Oct. 17, offering a limited menu of breakfast sandwiches and pastries from Executive Chef/Partner Alexander Willis for preorder and pickup through Susu’s back entrance.
Open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon, Susu’s bakery service will operate around limited quantities each weekend, with a menu that blends French pastry technique, Middle Eastern flavors and Willis’ Midwestern roots.
“We wanted to create something that feels special to the weekend—a small menu, limited quantities and food that people are genuinely excited to come pick up,” says owner Paul Alqas. “Serving it through the back door gives the bakery its own identity while still feeling completely connected to Susu.”
At the center of the menu is Willis’ Wagyu sujuk breakfast sandwich, made with housemade Wagyu beef sujuk sausage, French scrambled eggs, American cheese, red shatta aioli and green chermoula on hand-rolled sourdough pita. Willis calls the bread “Wonder Bread meets pita,” a nod to his Midwestern upbringing and Lebanese heritage. Fenugreek in the sujuk gives the sausage a naturally maple-like aroma that lends itself to breakfast.
“I wanted it to feel like a breakfast sandwich first with things I love like creamy eggs and American cheese and then build on that with the flavors I grew up with,” says Willis. “It’s familiar, but there’s a lot more happening once you bite into it.”
The opening pastry menu will include croissants; Tea Tea Cheesecake (chai); Shakshuka Danish; Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies; and Tahini Canelé, with an occasional mystery item giving Willis room to introduce something unexpected.
“I’ve always wanted to take French pastry techniques and combine them with flavors that are personal to me,” Willis said. “This gives us a chance to keep the menu focused while continuing to experiment and introduce new things.”
Unlike a traditional bakery or café, Susu’s new service is designed around preordering, limited production and weekend pickup. There will be no coffee program, keeping the focus squarely on Willis’ pastries and breakfast sandwich.
Preorders will open on Susu’s website every Monday at 3 p.m. for the following weekend and close Thursday evening, with limited quantities available. The first drop goes live Monday, Oct. 12, ahead of the bakery’s Oct. 17 launch. Susu’s bakery will operate Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon at 652 W. Randolph St.
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Location
652 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
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