Our experience with Bittersweet Bakery was exceptional from beginning to end. We ordered our wedding cake from Bittersweet, and they made the entire process enjoyable and stress-free. The cake tasting was a wonderful experience, giving us plenty of delicious options to choose from while helping us create the perfect cake for our special day. Throughout the entire process, their communication was outstanding. They kept us informed every step of the way and worked directly with our wedding venue, "Firehouse Chicago", to coordinate the delivery and logistics. Everything was handled seamlessly, and our cake arrived exactly as planned without a single issue. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but Bittersweet's professionalism, organization, and proactive approach gave us one less thing to worry about. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellent customer service truly stood out. One feature we especially love is that they keep the recipe and design of your wedding cake on file. Every anniversary, they can recreate your wedding cake or a cake in any size you choose. We've continued this tradition, and each anniversary cake has been just as delicious as the original while bringing back wonderful memories of our wedding day. If you're looking for a bakery that is responsive, dependable, and delivers an outstanding product, I highly recommend Bittersweet Bakery for your wedding cake or any bakery needs. They responded promptly to our questions and requests, unlike some businesses that never replied to estimate inquiries. Their customer service and quality were truly exceptional. A heartfelt thank you to Samuel who conducted the Cake Tasting and the entire staff at Bittersweet Bakery for helping make our dream wedding a reality. We will always be grateful and look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with your incredible cakes. read more

The pastries at bittersweet will never disappoint. I grew up going to this bakery and the quality has never wavered. The quiche is always fantastic, and anything out of the pastry case is a must. Drinks are good as well! Such a cozy spot to grab coffee with a friend (or give in to the temptation of snagging a pastry on your way to the brown line) read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Quiche of the Day, Guava Danish, Kouign Amann - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in just to pick up a quick pastry. Went with their classic croissant. Service was friendly, was in and out and the croissant was pretty good. It was huge, buttery and little flaky. They don't have the biggest selection of pastries, but can definitely see myself returning to check out a few other items. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Classic croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just sad I didn't discover this pastry shop sooner! On a Friday afternoon, they were bustling! They had some different indoor seating options, most of which were occupied by either people working or friends chatting. It was a pleasant atmosphere and cute decor, but I ended up taking my goods to go. It was hard to decide between all the enticing options but the friendly woman working the register pointed me to their popular chocolate cake and it did not disappoint! More of a mousse than a cake but it was rich and utterly divine. I also tried their spinach feta croissant, which was ok but I'm not convinced the right vessel for that filling. I also appreciated some of their baked goods were reasonable prices so you could easily try something for under $5 or alternatively splurge for the finer pastries. read more

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First visit here, I got some yummy desserts to take home. We grabbed cheesecake, peanut butter tart, chocolate cake and some French Macarons. All desserts were delicious. My French Macarons were even good several days later. On the first occasion the attendant had already put stuff up and was rushing us to close. Even though we got there wit more than 30 minutes before closing time. We tried to come back a few days later as I really wanted that vanilla bean cheesecake again but they were closed. It was closed 30min prior to time advertised on website. We were bummed. While searching for nearby bakeries, we saw several other people try to patronize this business. So overall probably a 4 stars but knocking a star for not advertising the correct hours. Luckily we were already in the area but I would have been mad if made a venture up here and it was closed. I wouldn't bank on this for an after dinner treat. Get your stuff during the day as the hours are not dependable. read more

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My husband and I stopped by on Sunday around 11am, and I'm so glad we did. I ordered the spinach pastry (warmed), and the staff recommended the honey lavender latte to me, which was incredible. It's floral, smooth, and so soothing to smell. My husband ordered a black coffee with his guava pastry, and we both agreed the baked goods were excellent! The atmosphere was casual but comfy, and everyone we spoke with was friendly. There was plenty of seating, and we used the café's WiFi to finish up work and plan our next trip, and had no issues. There's a bathroom onsite, though we didn't use it. Paid parking was also easy to find right outside. Our total came to about $26 after tax and before tip. Not cheap, but absolutely worth it for delicious treats. This was our first visit, and we're already planning to make it a monthly stop. We definitely recommend visiting if you're in the area! read more

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After a disappointing experience at Seoul Taco a few doors away, my usual sweet craving kicked in. Yelp directed me to Bittersweet Pastry Shop, just a few doors down. I was very warmly greeted and told about a special they were running on some of the baked goods. I went for a slice of Opera cake and a Cortado. With the opera cake, I loved that it wasn't overly sweet and appreciated the delectable layers. However, my critique is that it was a smidge dry. I looked it up, and it seems a "proper" slice should be luscious and moist. This was the former, but not the latter. The Cortado was technically perfect! Too many places either make a macchiato or a latte, but Bittersweet appears to have hit the 1:1 espresso to milk ratio right on the head. The coffee quality was also excellent! It was well-balanced, not too sour or bitter. The vibe inside is light and airy - the kind of place where I'd love to spend some quality time enjoying coffee and croissants, or where I'd get caught up on my ever-growing backlog of Yelp reviews. Finally, considering the quality of the products, I feel as though the prices are reasonable. Final Verdict: While the opera cake was a little shy of perfection, Bittersweet Pastry Shop delivers on excellent coffee, friendly service, and a comfortable environment. While I'll likely branch out into other baked goods on my next visit, I can definitely see myself returning when I'm in the area. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Cortado - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stopped by randomly. Sooo many yummy looking pastries. We got an almond croissant and a chocolate croissant. They were so good. Flakey and perfectly sweet, not overly sweet. My only regret is not getting more. I'm not in Chicago often but I will definitely go back! read more

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I have been a loyal customer of Bittersweet for over 20 years, but unfortunately, the quality and service have noticeably declined under their new management. I recently ordered a custom birthday cake that cost well over $100. While the base cake itself was beautiful, the handwritten inscription was incredibly sloppy--crooked, uncentered, a lowercase "h" in happy, and the name "Gigi" was literally falling off the bottom edge of the cake. It looked like an afterthought from a grocery store bakery, not a high-end neighborhood patisserie. When I emailed the shop to express my disappointment, the response from management was even more frustrating. Instead of taking accountability for poor quality control, they essentially told me that because they have different decorators with different penmanship, the results will simply "vary each time." For a premium price, customers should expect consistent, professional quality--not a gamble on whether the decorator scheduled that day has basic piping skills. They offered a meager $20 gift card, which doesn't begin to cover the disappointment. This isn't an isolated incident, either; a few months back, staff members didn't even recognize classic menu items that Bittersweet was famous for making for years. It is incredibly sad to see a neighborhood staple lose its touch so completely, but after two decades, I will be taking my business elsewhere. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Custom birthday cake - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stooped at Bittersweet at 4pm on a Saturday and the place was packed. We wanted to have tea & snacks before seeing the Downton the Final movie. By 5:30pm when we left it was completely empty. Because of the size of our group and the lack of open tables, we asked and were granted a corner booth back near the kitchen door. It was perfect as the large table was necessary for all our teas & edibles. The spinach quiche was excellent, although it did not have a lot of egg -thus not as moist as others I've had. Nice light crust. The Guava pastry and the Vanilla bean cheesecake were both very tasty. without any qualifiers. Highly recommended. read more

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Disappointed. I called and emailed multiple times about our promised anniversary cake. I explained we could also pick it up if they weren't able to ship it to us. They never responded after their first email when they said they'd look into it, which was 17 days ago. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Cafe went above and beyond my expectations. Honestly the inside compared to the outside did the same. The staff was super friendly and patient. The croissants were so flaky, airy, and buttery. You could taste the butter in each bite. The actual food was fantastic too. If you are getting the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich then definitely go with the side of fruit, the salad was a little sad. - Ube White Chocolate Croissant 9/10 - Banana Chocolate Chip Twist 8/10 - Strawberry Matcha Latte 8/10 - Croissant Breakfast Sandwich 7/10 - Avocado Toast 9.5/10 Definitely coming back. read more

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If you like sweets, you must give this place a try! We tried their Ube Flan by celebrity chef Katsuji Tanabe and famous Ube white chocolate croissant. They were so beautiful and yummy. Highly recommend it. The staff and baristas were very friendly to us and our little toddler. The coffee tasted ok nothing special, but good enough to enjoy with the pastries. They also have a hunch of savory breakfast and brunch items on the menu! read more

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Suchhhh a pretty aesthetic - we took so many cute cafe photos. Love the variety and ambiance - definitely try the ube sweet treats. The savory items were also very good! Service was amazing as well. read more

I recently ordered my favorite go to cake ( strawberry almond brûlée) for birthdays and special events. I have been ordering this cake since it was $34. Now it is $67 which is fine. They changed an ingredient in the recipe. The almond tastes artificial with a cherry like flavor. It did not taste like that before and was part of the reason the cake was my favorite because of the almond flavor that paired well with the brûlée and strawberry. Now the new almond flavor is overpowering and I can not taste the strawberry. Sadly, I will not be ordering this cake anymore. I ordered the Cesar croissant sandwich to go and it was delicious. I would recommend sandwich with the lentil soup as a side. Service was friendly. read more

We did wedding cake tastings with multiple bakeries, but Bittersweet's quality blew the competition out of the water. All of the cakes, frostings, and fillings we tried were delicious, and the ones we chose for our cake came together perfectly! The cake was decorated beautifully and tasted amazing. If you want a custom cake that's a step above the rest, look no further than Bittersweet. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow... cherry pie, everything is special and yummy! Cakes, cookies ... mini tarts are exceptional!

I love this place! I've been here so many times I'm shocked I haven't left them a review. Food is good, pastries are beautiful and yummy, great coffee, cute place and great service. Some people may think the pastries are on the higher end, but honestly they're worth every penny. read more

I had a really nice experience here! I came in sad about something and wanted to treat myself. The cashier was really friendly and helped me pick between two of their massive filled croissants. I also brought a raspberry ganache tart home to share with my boyfriend, which we both loved. My latte preferences are pretty simple and hard to mess up but I still enjoyed my beverage. I really like the bar seats and thought they were comfortable and spacious. I will for sure return when I'm in Lakeview. read more

The shop is beautiful and the pastries look delicious . The staff was also polite . I picked up a birthday cake and while not the most tasty it's beautiful. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Cake - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was charged for a full price sandwhich at over $14 when I bought a premade one that was labeled at around $5.

Bittersweet is an adorable Chi-town store front. Upon entering everything is bright and welcoming. The display case is beautiful with a wide selection of pastries both savory and sweet. We opted for the: almond cream croissant, ham and cheese, spinach and Gruyère croissants and a cinnamon roll. I was concerned about the packaging as all of the savory and sweet items were packaged together and we had quite a walk back to our Airbnb before I'd be able to separate them. This didn't prove, however, to impact the taste but we did lose some quality frosting to the lid of the box and the sides of some of the savory croissants. Our favorites were the spinach and Gruyère croissant and the almond cream croissant. They both were full of flavor with the perfect flakiness! I do recommend warming the savory croissants for a bit prior to enjoying. read more

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I came here quickly grabbed a cinnamon roll and a pumpkin cheesecake to go. There weren't so many people dining inside or around this area during lunch time on weekends. The cinnamon roll was really amazing, with crispy caramel at the bottom of it. read more

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Have you ever just walked in and saw so many good treats and was like "oh I can't afford this" then look at the options and were like, oh terrifs have not hit this place. So good and oooompfy that chicken yasssss Salad mid pastries=if I could swear I could. Yass affordable lux. Workers quiet and good. People around here just vibe for vibes sake. Bad conversation snooping. read more

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My mother in law surprised me with a beautiful cake from Bittersweet for Mother's Day. The cake was gorgeous, but the flavors were what made it so special. It was a lemon blueberry made with vanilla cake, lemon custard and blueberry filling, and finished in Italian meringue vanilla buttercream. It was as delicious as it sounds, and we gobbled it up! I really liked how it wasn't overly sweet and how light the flavors were. The cake was delivered with instructions to remove from the refrigerator a few hours before serving, which worked out perfectly. I would definitely try more from Bittersweet's menu after this experience! read more

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Do not trust this place with your order. I ordered a gluten free cake with flowers on it and it showed up with 0 decorations on it. $72 is a joke for this small of a cake that doesn't even have decorations on it. THIS PLACE IS A JOKE. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Very expensive cake with no decorations - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I reached out for a custom cake for my boyfriends surprise birthday party. From start to finish, it was easy to work with Bittersweet on my order. We worked together on design and I was given clear dates on when I needed to have a final count/updates on design. I would absolutely use Bittersweet again for any important occasion. They care about their customers and they ensure the cake is exactly what you'd like. On top of it all, it was perfectly baked and tasted delicious. 10/10. Thank you, Bitt read more

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Delicious pastries! Everyday they do buy one get one free for their breakfast pastries. Lots of seating. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Almond croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've tried enough from Bittersweet's menu to confidently say that they excel at every category. Their drinks, savory dishes/entrees, pastries, and sweets are always phenomenal. I work nearby, so I end up coming in at least once a week. Between their daily specials and seasonal flavors, I can always try something new or stick with a favorite menu staple. I've never not loved something that I've ordered. The bread and pastries taste so fresh and you can just tell that everything was made by hand. The staff is always so friendly. Every person who works there just behaves like they love their job. And they all answer every question you could possibly have about the menu items. My favorite thing on their menu, by far, is their white chocolate ube croissant. The flavors are perfectly balanced and it's decadent without being sickly sweet. It's also HUGE. The whole place has a mid-century French patisserie theme to the decor that perfectly walks the line of being just enough without feeling too kitschy. I love that there is plenty of seating and natural light. It's a great atmosphere to actually enjoy your food. read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - White chocolate, ube croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Always delicious - If I have any complaint it's that it's pricey. I would say if you're stopping in for coffee and a treat, it's in line price wise with other spots in the area but for custom cakes and similar, it's on the expensive side. The cakes are gorgeous and delicious but very pricey. Inside is super cute - not a ton of space to sit but very bright and airy - tables aren't too tight on top of one another. Staff is friendly but efficient - they want to keep the line moving when there are a lot of people around. Pastries are wonderful! read more

The coziest morning vibes!!! Dining is airy and bright with the sweetest service. The pastry case is extensive, but it feels like time slows down as everyone is just browsing with no hurry to move along. I loved it. The honey lavender latte is my current obsession, and the savory scone was to die for! I also got a little cake slice to go and it was the perfect after dinner treat. So happy we stumbled upon the cutest pastry spot. I would happily return! read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I popped into Bittersweet yesterday solely because I'd passed by so many times on my walks around the neighborhood and never visited. I ordered the seasonal special "chaider" (chai cider) and the ham and gruyere quiche. Yall this is legitimately the best quiche I've ever had. Flaky, crispy, not soggy or wet, super cheesy and generous amounts of ham. I may start getting a slice weekly. The chai cider was lovely as well! Very spiced, warm and autumnal. Go get this quiche! read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Chaider (Chai cider) - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Such a cute cafe! Limited seating for dining in, but they have to go options. Variety on the menu with sandwiches, salads, quiches, and breakfast options. Heavy traffic there but the service was timely for coffees and food. Cinnamon roll was huge! Really tasty but I should have asked for it warmed. read more

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Terrific cocoanut cream pie and hot cross buns. This was a take out order. Everything was made fresh and ready on time.

Well known after features in multiple Chicago guides, Bittersweet absolutely lives up to its reputation as one of Chicago's best bakeries! I recently ordered a blind grab bag and received a lemon meringue tart, berry danish, and maple pecan roll. All were so flavorful and fresh with the perfect sweetness, but the danish may have been my favorite with a light yet buttery crust and tangy berry filling! The staff was friendly and helpful and packaged the pastries with care. I will absolutely plan to return ASAP and highly recommend swinging by Bittersweet the next time you're craving a sweet treat! read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Lemon Meringue, Danish, Pecan Roll - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I haven't come in a while and the menu definitely got a refresh! They have a chef from a season of Top Chef and even have mimosas now. We had such a pleasant breakfast here! Loved the decor and the staff was very friendly! read more

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I just moved in nearby and this place might be my favorite part of the neighborhood. Everything I've ever ordered here was beyond delicious. Their drinks are well made across the board. I never feel like I've been given a cup of ice with some syrup and milk in it. The coffee and espresso always has the perfect flavor. Then there's the food. There's sweet and savory options, little bites and perfectly portioned meals. You can tell everything is made fresh. The staff is also incredible; they always have great energy and each one can answer any question you have about anything on the menu. I'm glad to support this local small business instead of a soulless corporate chain every time I stop in. read more

Don't order the Griego salad. Portion is scsnter than it used to be and the tomatoes are anemic. Bittersweet: Either fork out the money to buy good tomatoes in the cold months or take them off the menu. When I complained, I got no reaction. read more

Cutest little cafe shop! They have a surprising amount of seating given the size of the shop, and great service. The plates and other dishes are all very cute, the ambiance of the cafe overall gives a European vibe. It's definitely a little pricey for the area but worth it if you're dining in and able to enjoy the experience. Everything is prepared in an aesthetically pleasing way, perfect for a cute brunch with friends. They have interesting and unique pastry options as well, which I recommend trying even if you're a picky eater. More of a coffee shop than a full brunch spot, know what you're going for! read more

Bittersweet Pastry Shop - Breakfast sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What was once my favorite, go-to Chicago bakery for cakes, cookies, and desserts, is now seems to be a shadow of its former self. The current owners, one the niece of the previous owner...a James Beard Award nominated pastry chef, made changes to the shop during the past year--reducing the size of baked goods area and increasing the size of the cafe. The baked goods are now much more simple, and require less labor--from what I understand, a change necessitated by difficulties finding qualified help and higher labor costs. As a home baker myself, I certainly can appreciate that there is a lot of labor involved with baking...especially the fancier baked items like cakes and other pastries. That said, I expect to find compelling, more complicated pastries and cakes in a professional bakery. Otherwise, I can make the baked goods myself. My past two visit left me underwhelmed, and in one instance, I looked, but walked out without purchasing anything. My second visit, I purchased two cookies as a Hanukkah gift. But they were basic, cut-out butter cookies with sugar sprinkles--something that I could have easily baked myself. They were not the beautifully-decorated, iced cookies from Bittersweet's glorious past. I have not tried the cafe since they reconfigured the shop...perhaps it's wonderful...and it looks busy. But the bakery area has left me disappointed and longing for the old Bittersweet that I used to love and rave about. I still think that Bittersweet is a wonderful bakery...and I will continue to visit. But I hope they tweak their bakery menu and continue to include some of the wonderful pastries that made Bittersweet a must visit destination for 23 years. read more