A new sweets shop has landed on Beverly's busy 95th Street corridor, and it's already trying to be two things at once: a health-conscious morning stop for commuters and a K-pop-blasting evening hangout for neighborhood kids. Chitown Sweets opened in August 2026 at 1803 W. 95th St., serving Dubai chocolate-covered strawberries, mini pancakes, smoothies, fresh lemonade, and elotes made with corn, cotija cheese, mayonnaise and butter.
The shop is owned by Maddy Taylor, a former Blue Island resident who now lives in Burbank and brings 15 years of restaurant-industry experience to the venture, according to Block Club Chicago. Taylor started working as a restaurant server at age 16 and later worked as a general manager at a breakfast restaurant before deciding to open her own place. She found the 95th Street storefront in August 2025 and then spent a year developing the concept and building out the space, per the same report.
Before Chitown Sweets moved in, the address was home to Munchiez, a novelty candy store and cereal bar known for cereal bowls and dessert shakes, according to EatOkra. Chitown Sweets' most recent listed inspection was on November 7, 2025, according to GUTCHECK. The shop opened in August 2026.
A Morning Smoothie Bar That Turns Into a Teen Hangout
Taylor's business model splits the day in two. “In the morning, I want to give people their smoothies and their protein shakes … I want to be the morning spot, and then at night, it's for the kids,” Taylor told the same outlet. The shop's sweet-and-healthy side includes protein shakes, energy teas, herbal teas and protein waffles, alongside specialized “Lit Teas” infused with vitamins B12 and B6, herbal tea, and ginseng, and “Protein Bites” waffles packing 30 grams of protein at between 250 and 300 calories per serving, per Uber Eats.
At night, the vibe shifts toward the shop's younger crowd, complete with an art wall inside the space. “A lot of the kids like KATSEYE, K-pop and other stuff. [I want to] make it fun in here,” Taylor said. Taylor plans to host parties and events for the neighborhood going forward, and she said her eldest daughter inspired the menu.
Building the Business With Her Daughters in Mind
Taylor has three daughters, ages 18, 12 and 10, and she said the business is as much about them as it is about the neighborhood. “I do it for them. I just want to inspire them that, we can do it. Women can do it,” she said. Chitown Sweets is open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, with more details available on the shop's website.
Riding a Viral Dessert Wave Into a Transit-Anchored Corridor
Chitown Sweets' Dubai chocolate offerings tap into a dessert that has become a genuine global phenomenon. The confection, made with chocolate, pistachio-tahini cream, and crispy kadayif pastry, garnered nearly 14 billion views on TikTok between January and March 2025 alone, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Major manufacturers chased the same craze; Hershey released a limited run of 10,000 pistachio-kadayif bars across Chicago, New York and Philadelphia in December 2025, per Food Dive.
The shop is located steps from the 95th Street-Beverly Hills Metra station, which sits on the Rock Island Line and connects the commercial strip to downtown Chicago's LaSalle Street Station in roughly 25 to 30 minutes, according to Metra. The storefront is also close to the 95th Street Farmers Market, which runs every Sunday morning from May through October in the city-owned Metra commuter parking lot at 1835 W. 95th St., bringing produce and food vendors within walking distance on weekends.
The corridor's commercial backbone is the 95th Street Beverly Hills Business Association, which represents merchants between Ashland and Western avenues and coordinates streetscape maintenance and Special Service Area #4. That group's former executive director, Erin Ross, spent over a decade managing commercial corridor revitalization for the association before becoming 19th Ward Alderman Matt O'Shea's chief of staff. O'Shea recently announced he won't seek reelection in 2027 and endorsed Ross as his successor.
Chitown Sweets enters a Beverly dining scene that balances sweet indulgences against healthier options for local diners.
