Family-owned bakery in Elmwood Park · Fresh bread & pastries every morning from 7am · Now taking cake pre-orders for the holidays

Baked Fresh Every Morning

Your neighborhood
bakery, still going
strong since 1987.

Sourdough, croissants, layer cakes, and a good cup of coffee — made the same way Grandma Kowalski taught us. Walk in any morning and find something worth eating.

See Today's Menu Open now · 7am–3pm
Fresh pastries and bread at Morningsong Bakery counter
Fresh country sourdough loaf at Morningsong Bakery
Country Sourdough Out by 8am daily
Butter croissants fresh from the oven
Butter Croissants Made from scratch every morning
Helena's cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze
Layer Cakes Pre-order for pickup
Baker at work at Morningsong Bakery
37 Years baking
Our Story

We're the Kowalski family.
This is our bakery.

Morningsong opened in 1987 when my grandmother, Helena Kowalski, converted the front room of her Elmwood Park home into a small bread bakery. She sold loaves from the window. The line got longer every week.

We moved into our current space in 1994. My mother ran it through the nineties. My brother and I took over in 2018. The recipes haven't changed — we still use the same starter Helena brought from Poland in 1974. The bread is the same bread. The cinnamon rolls are the same rolls. The only thing that's different is the line goes around the corner on Saturday mornings now.

Everything is made here, by us, before you arrive. No freezers. No premixes. Just flour, water, time, and whatever our grandmother taught us to do with them.

— Marta & Tomasz Kowalski
Today's Menu

Fresh From the Oven

What we make, when we make it — no fluff, just what's worth ordering.

Fresh today · Updated every morning
Country sourdough loaf Daily

Country Sourdough Loaf

Our flagship. Open crumb, crackly crust, 36-hour ferment. Made with our 50-year-old starter. Sells out by 10am most days.

$9
Butter croissants Daily

Butter Croissant

72-hour laminated dough. Shatters when you bite it. We make them every morning before 5am. Plain, almond, or ham & gruyère.

$4 – $5.50
Helena's cinnamon rolls Weekends

Helena's Cinnamon Rolls

Grandma's recipe, unchanged since 1987. Soft brioche dough, brown sugar and cinnamon, cream cheese glaze. Saturday and Sunday only — we never have leftovers.

$4.50 each
Polish dark rye bread Tue · Thu · Sat

Polish Dark Rye

Dense, slightly sour, loaded with caraway. Helena's other recipe. Perfect with butter and nothing else. Available Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

$10
Celebration layer cake Pre-order

Celebration Layer Cakes

Custom layer cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, or no reason at all. Flavors rotate seasonally. 48-hour pre-order required. Call or use the form below.

From $68
Coffee and pastry at Morningsong Bakery Daily

Coffee & Drinks

Single-origin drip from Dark Matter Coffee. Espresso drinks. Matcha. Fresh-squeezed orange juice on weekends. Everything pairs with everything.

$3 – $6
Find Us

Come Say Hello

🕐 Hours
Mon – Fri7:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday7:00am – 2:00pm
Sunday8:00am – 1:00pm
HolidaysCheck Instagram
We sell out of sourdough and cinnamon rolls early on weekends. Come before 9am to guarantee yours, or pre-order by Thursday.
📍 Location
Morningsong Bakery 2214 N. Harlem Ave
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
Street parking on Harlem and side streets. We're half a block from the Harlem Ave Blue Line bus stop. Look for the green awning.
Get Directions →
🗺 Map
Replace this with an OpenStreetMap embed centered on 2214 N. Harlem Ave, Elmwood Park, IL
Pre-Orders & Catering

Want something
made just for you?

We take pre-orders for celebration cakes, large bread orders, and small catering for events, meetings, and parties. Just tell us what you need and when.

🎂
Celebration Cakes Custom layer cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, showers. 48-hour minimum notice. Feeds 8–24.
🥐
Pastry Boxes & Catering Assorted pastry boxes, bread for events, croissant & sandwich platters. Minimum 24 hours notice.
🍞
Large Bread Orders Need 6+ loaves? Reserve your order by Thursday for Saturday pickup.
Prefer to call? (708) 555-4823 Mon–Fri 8am–2pm · We love to talk about cake
Send Us a Pre-Order Request

We'll call or email you back within one business day to confirm details and availability.