03/01/08

Avoid the French Macaroons!

by Edluv

After spending the last few years living in London and becoming addicted to the macaroons in the London branches of Laduree and La Maison du Chocolat and the numerous patisseries that sell them in Paris, I decided to look for them upon my move to Chicago. I tried them at Bittersweet and they were the WORST macaroons I have ever had. I also tried some of their tarts. awful! They need to send their pastry chefs to France to truly learn the art of making this extremely difficult pastries. However, there is a silver lining for Chicago, I then went to Vanille Patisserie on Clyborne and tried them there. They were phenomenal!! The chef is french and has brought the art of french pastries to Chicago. I wish this store had a more visible location and seating like Bittersweet, because it would then have the atmosphere that Bittersweet has but would have the wonderful pastries that Bittersweet lacks.

• Pros: European style seating and atmosphere
• Cons: The pastries

09/26/07

NOT recommended for cakes

by muangel83

I ordered a birthday cake here and I agree while the cake was very pretty on the outside, it was very dry and tasteless on the inside. The icing tasted like paste, it had no flavor. The chocolate cake was dry and not enjoyable. I asked for fresh strawberries on the inside of the cake and I was disappointed when I got little chunks of strawberries in the strawberry gel, exactly what I didn't want. We ended up throwing most of this cake away and eating a deliciously moist cake from Jewel. Very disappointed and I would not go back here.

• Pros: friendly, pretty cake
• Cons: dry and tasteless

08/30/07

, florist, etc.) but when we received a peach tart from Bittersweet, i found my new sweet supplier...since then have ordered cakes for special

by thjm

Suburb to city without recommended sources, (dry cleaner, florist, etc.) but when we received a peach tart from Bittersweet..i found my new sweet supplier...since that first tart, i have ordered over the phone and in person , pastries for all occasions...the wait staff is very knowledgeble and always come up (patiently) with good ideas when i start to hem and haw over decisions...to my great joy they even serve in a lovely cafe, wonderful tasting and creative meals....no more suburbs..hello Bittersweet

• Pros: all thumbs up

08/07/07

Dissappointing

by ta_baker

Cake was beautiful at first glance but after specifiying that I was looking for a dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting, I learned that they have to coat the cake with some gooey white stuff in before adding the dark chocolate ganache icing and the white showed through the icing. Plus the cake was very dry and tasteless. The dark chocolate filling between the layers was pretty good but not worth the effort to maul a piece of cake just to get to the small sliver of "good stuff." It was dissappointing. to say the least, to pay $130 for a cake with the bulk of it ending up in the trash.

• Pros: Person taking my order was very nice

08/01/07

Numerous guests said it was the best cake they?ve ever had

by mmoy21

Everything from the tasting to the last bite went really well. We had a quick scare when they called us to tell us the original icing we had was having a problem, but they sorted things out and it looked perfect when it arrived. We requested a slightly different cake with a light yellow (I forget the name?wife would know) cake on top and a cheese cake layered under. We had numerous people tell us it was the best cake they?ve ever had. Thank you VERY much!

06/09/07

Delicious

by elizabethbowman

I decided to visit Bittersweet (it's close to where I'm visiting friends) after a good review in Chicago magazine. I was a little concerned by some bad reviews I read here, but actually I had a really nice experience. I was there around 2 pm, when there were about five others at the counter also. It's a nice shop, though not in the most upscale neighborhood (for example, I passed a lot of ummmm . . . "adult" shops and "We Call the Police" signs in store windows on the way there). I spent a few minutes looking around -- lots of delicious pastries. They have a system where you can take numbers and wait your turn, but no one was doing that as there were (as I said) only a few of us in line. A previous reviewer here mentioned the tables being close together. I'd estimate (eyeball) the table spacing as being almost two feet apart. It didn't seem cramped to me. My server was excellent: pleasant, patient with me the newbie, and friendly. In fact she seemed like she'd just read a nasty review on here about service and was DETERMINED to prove it wrong. She even brought up the weather (it was a lovely day) when there was a slight lull in my asking her questions about the food (which I did a lot of, though a little worried I was taking too much of her time). I got the pistachio French macaroon and a burned baked butter custard with incredibly fresh raspberries on top -- both absolutely delicious. The ice cream wasn't particularly outstanding (they had a roasted banana ice cream and then just ordinary flavors). Here's my recommendation: get pastries to go, and definitely sample the fruit tarts. Also, don't go during peak times. There are tables inside, but also benches outside (though again, not the nicest neighborhood). The #77 Belmont bus stops almost right outside Bittersweet. This is not the best bakery I've ever been to, nor is it an indispensible "Chicago experience," but I certainly recommend going if you're nearby and looking for something sweet.

• Pros: Yummy treats, good service
• Cons: Not all prices listed for bakery items; unsavory neighborhood

06/03/07

Bad tasting experience

by kmkochdu

I had high expectations from Bittersweet, after reading glowing review upon glowing review about their wedding cakes. After going in for a tasting, I feel fairly disappointed. I think perhaps they are getting to the point of having so much business that they don't need to provide friendly and helpful customer service anymore? It seemed to me that they really didn't want our business. Upon being greeted by the woman who was facilitating our cake tasting, we were told (AWKWARDLY) that I was the first pregnant bride she had ever dealt with. Nice opening, huh? With little fanfare, we were left with a pile of photo albums of cakes, a couple plates of plain cake squares, a platter of fillings, and instructions to taste different combinations and decide what we liked. Now, I'm not one for sales pitch, but the assumption seemed to be that we were there, therefore we had already decided we wanted a cake from Bittersweet, therefore we could be processed like cattle (and sure enough, there were two other tables of cattle going through the same experience while we were there). No discussion of the bakery, what they felt distinguished them from other bakeries, what made their cakes special or unique... And when we took more than 10 minutes to discuss the combinations of flavors that we liked, we felt very much like we were wearing on the woman's patience. Now, in her defense, we had shown up 10-15 minutes late (we called ahead to warn them), and perhaps by doing so, we really threw off their schedule; however, we feel we gave a consistent impression that we were willing to wait as long as was needed for service, in order to avoid inconveniencing others by our lateness. There was no mention of free delivery of the cake, which was quoted at more than $400 (for a cake to serve 70) plus tax and $35 delivery. I don't know, though the cake and fillings were good, and some of the example photographs were stunning, the whole experience really left a bad taste in our mouths.

05/22/07

Worst Service, Over-rated food

by twiluz

If you are looking for a nice, cozy, neighborhood bakery with tasty pastries and at least decent waitstaff, this is not the place for you. I have repeatedly tried to like to like Bittersweet and I have been there on three different occassions. The only redeeming thing about this place is the cuteness of the store. It is very small with tables pushed tightly together. The staff is usually too busy talking to each other to tend to customers who are seated or trying to get some bakery item to go. The last time I went, the girl was very rude. I ordered an italian soda and she filled the entire cup with ice so there was barely any drink in it; a total rip-off with no regard for the customer. She even wrapped my cafe in the same box as a few short bread cookies I ordered and the cookies inevitably got pressed up against the cake and both items were ruined. If it was so important to save money, I would have wrapped the cookies in a napkin, but she chose to mush them together in one box. There are many other bakeries in the city that are more worth your money and will actually please your tastebuds. This is not the place for anyone who knows food or wants to be treated well. To be honest, the previous reviews were mostl iikely written by the store staff or owners. Avoid this place at all costs!!!!

• Pros: People having the ability to work
• Cons: The service and food is outrageously poor

09/25/06

Absolutely perfect Wedding Cake!!!!

by kdaubenberger

We just got married and we couldn't have been happier with our cake from Bittersweet. They were a joy to work with from beginning to end. They have a wonderful tasting process that allows you to combine their cakes with their fillings. They provided a tasting cake prior to the wedding to ensure we got the cake we expected (the cost of the tasting cake was deducted from our final bill, so it was essentially free). They will give us a free one year anniversary cake if we bring in a photo of the cake from our photographer, so we don't have to eat yucky freezer burned cake on our anniversary. Finally the excecution of the cake on our wedding day was flawless. We got a chocolate cake with chocolate and mocha mousse filling, with buttercream frosting and a chocolate pour over the top of the buttercream. The cake was beautiful and delicious. The serving size were perfect as well. I hate going to weddings where you barely get a piece of cake. All in all, I would recommend them to any bride to be!!

• Pros: To die for sweets and cakes

09/04/06

Dreamy wedding cakes

by loovering

Bittersweet is one the things I miss most about moving out of Chicago. I used to go there almost every day for coffee and delicacies, and on Sunday mornings I would treat myself to an egg salad sandwich that I still dream about. When I got married in Chicago in 2000, my husband and I knew that our cake had to be from Bittersweet, and we were thrilled with it. It was the prettiest and most elegant cake I had ever seen or tasted, and was worth every penny. I highly recommend their wedding cakes. Yummy!

• Pros: Best bakery in Chicago, location is great
• Cons: Parking can be difficult, can be crowded