Bittersweet Pastry Shop and Cafe
1114 W Belmont Ave
(between Clifton Ave & Seminary Ave)
Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 929-1100
- Nearest Transit:
Belmont (Purple Express, Brown, Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
4 reviews
Neighborhood: Montclare
"Checked out this place for our wedding cake after receiving a tip from one of our Polish friends. All in all, I was flexible with cake and…" read more »
107 Reviews for Bittersweet Pastry Shop and Cafe
This is my favorite place to get French macaroons. They offer several flavors, but I love their chocolate with ganache filling, almond with apricot buttercream, and pistachio with buttercream. I also recommend their creme brulee and mocha mousse tart. You can't go wrong with a classic dessert like creme brulee. I used to go to Bittersweet before they expanded to a cafe, so I still have to try their savory items. But I'll definitely be back to try their new menu.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
The is one of my first bad reviews, and I could think of nowhere where I had the nastiest cupcake of my life. I went here while looking for something sweet to eat, the woman at the front recommended the lavender cupcake, which should have been a red flag to me in the first place, lavender should not be a flavor for anything, it's for smelling not eating!
Anyway, I bit into it, and it's the first time since I tried Spam that I split out food because it tasted so bad, it was the worse cupcake ever and the frosting was more like whipped cream than real frosting, I tried some samples of other cupcakes and they were bad too. Yuck!!
I only had their cupcakes and haven't been back since, and I doubt I'll ever go back there either, sorry if you can't even do cupcakes right, then you don't deserve any one's business.
I did get a cute cupcake journal there though, but it's not a bookstore it's a pastry shop.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
I really enjoyed my visit to BitterSweet, but the desserts where just okay and a bit pricey. For presentation, I give them 5 stars. Everything was beautifully crafted. I spent 10 minutes walking back and forth in front of the goodies trying to decide which ones to try (while drooling just a little bit).
I finally settled on the mini crème brulee pastry, a lemon macaroon, an almond macaroon, a ginger shortbread cookie, and a molasses cookie. My reviews of these items are listed below:
1) Crème Brulee pastry: I told the server that I could not have any chocolate or caffeine. I had given up caffeine 4 days prior to my visit and did not want to have a relapse. She recommended the mini crème brulee pastry. Image my surprise when I discovered a thin layer of chocolate sauce separating the crème from the crust. Not good! They replaced this item with a raspberry topped pastry that was good. All 6-7 raspberries on top of it were sweet. The pastry underneath was well sweetened, but it didn't taste like anything other than a sugar paste. I'm a big fan of both sugar and butter, which is why I have well-padded hips, but I need to taste a little something extra like vanilla or almonds or something more than just sweetness.
2) Lemon Macaroon: It's was so cute I almost didn't want to eat it. It smelled as if it had been made with fresh lemons. The texture was perfect. Sadly, the lemon flavoring was very mild and easy to miss if you did not chew this dessert very, very slowly.
3) Almond Macaroon: This dessert smelled like almonds and had a crème filling sandwiched between two macaroon cookies. The texture was a bit gummy as if the cookies were not quite done. Also, the taste was high on sugar and low on almond flavoring.
4) Ginger Shortbread Cookie: I could not smell or taste the ginger in this cookie so either she brought me the wrong one or the ginger flavoring was overpowered by the sugar. If it was the latter, skip this version of the shortbread cookie unless you need to consume extra ginger for medicinal purposes.
5) Molasses Cookie: This one was actually my favorite of all of the desserts mostly because I could actually taste the molasses. This cookie was the only one that was big enough to hold with all 5 fingers unlike the other cookies which were only 2-fingers big. The texture can best be described as crun-chewy, which is the state of existence between crunchy and chewy. If this cookie had been a tiny bit sweeter, it would have been great.
I would not make a special trip to Bitter Sweet, but if I were in the neighborhood and my sweet tooth flared up I would definitely stop by for another molasses cookie or two.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
If you like cupcakes but hate super-sweet frosting, give Bittersweet a try. I stopped here on my continued quest to find the ultimate bakery in Chicago and I was very impressed with what I sampled. The clear winner of the day was a cupcake (yellow cake) with hazelnut buttercream frosting and chocolate filling. I have to say this is the first time I've ever had buttercream that didn't make me gag from the sweetness - it was light and airy and I will spend the rest of my life trying to replicate it. Yum. I also sampled what can only be described as a large oreo and a bite-sized hazelnut something or other coated in powdered sugar. Both were pretty tasty.
The treats were delicious but I do have a few complaints about my experience there. To say that the woman behind the counter was disinterested would be an understatement. When I asked what was in one of the (unlabeled) cupcakes she replied, "it's got hazelnut frosting... and I think there might be chocolate inside." You think? I know there are a lot of pastries back there but I don't think it's too much to ask to know what's in your featured cupcake of the day. Also, everything there was a bit expensive but the hazelnut cupcake was so good that I'm willing to overlook the prices.
Overall, the pastries are tasty and if I'm in the area I will definitely stop by again. They have table service but the atmosphere is a bit too sterile and library-ish for my tastes - I felt like I was being disruptive just speaking my order aloud. I'd recommend it for the grab-and-go pastry cravings, unless you enjoy sitting across from someone and awkwardly staring at them in silence, in which case you should most definitely eat your snacks there.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
I can't quit thinking about the cake sampler we had here on our search for a wedding cake vendor! Our search abruptly ended when I took my first bite of many that followed! I am anticipating our wedding day mostly to marry my great and wonderful fiance, but partially so I can devour that wedding cake! Can't wait to see the pictures of that.....hehehehe. I'll have to edit my review and give it a fifth star, assuming the cake makes it there in one piece.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
This review is not really for eating in.
We picked up a gorgeous, decadent, death-by-chocolate chocolate fudge mousse heart-shaped cake here, and it was amazing. I'm not even a huge sweets or chocolate person! (I mean, I am, but not the way some people are...)
I have also heard on good authority (from someone who really knows her scones) that they have really good scones here.
This is what chocolate mousse cakes dream of being when they grow up. Absolutely delicious. The cheery, stylish store front and tasty salad/sandwich options make waiting for dessert more bearable. Wish this place were closer to home!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (2)
Fantastic pasteries. They have great cookie designs. From classic birthday and weddings, to local favorites: cubs and sox. Also the cookie designs change based on the season: gotta love the Bears cookies. Also the cakes are delicious. Custom ordering makes it even better and they only need two days notice!
Ordered a cake here ages ago for my friend's bridal shower. It was so lovely I gasped when I picked it up. Beautiful and elegant design...and guess what? It actually tasted good too!
Good thing I don't live near this establishment because I'd end up being one of those people who needs to be transported via a crane and a team of firemen.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (2)
Follow this protocol as soon as you enter:
- Turn left where the seating area is.
- Scan the area.
- If someone's already in line for a table:
* Stand behind them.
* Make yourself visible.
* Stay alert.
- If you're first in line:
* Proceed to the middle of the seating area by the discount bread.
* Stay alert.
- As soon as someone gets up, gesture to get yourself noticed by:
* Clearing your throat.
* Taking a step forward.
* Taking off your coat.
* Twirling.
* Combinations.
When you're seated, ignore the line behind you and enjoy your space. And a hot chocolate. And quiche. And apple streusel tart.
When you're done, pay at the counter, but by all means avoid eye contact with the hungry people in line.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (11)
Cool (1)
Good thing I got there early to beat the lunch rush - there was quite the line when I was leaving at 1 pm. I love the feel of the place, very cute. The coffee was hot and tasty and frequently refilled. The spinach salad with lemon vinaigrette was light, needed a few more pieces of crumbly blue though. The half turkey sandwich with Havarti cheese and caramelized onion was great, especially since the bread was so fresh.
I would get chicken on your salad if you were to order it as a meal - give it a little more bulk.
My "treat" for the day was a white chocolate dipped rice crispie treat - oh my god I love rice crispie treats! It was soft marshmallowy goodness.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
I'm a pastry freak, no doubt about it. I love bakeries, patissires, grocery stores... I love all pastries whether fancy or simple. I've been in Bittersweet a time or two before for a cookie or a coffee. Yesterday I stopped in to celebrate my two days of temp work by blowing my soon to be earned money! Actually, I had an appointment in the area and had some time to kill and I couldn't resist the urge to have a cup of coffee and a sweet.
I've been craving a lemon bar. I'm not sure why, as I'm traditionally more of a chocolate kind of girl. Lo and behold, what did they have in their case? A gorgeous little slice of lemon bar. I had a lemon bar, a chocolate covered coconut macaroon (much preferable, in my opinion, to the french cousin - the almond macaroon) and a mocha.
YUM. YUM. YUM.
The coconut macaroon was ok. It was kind of cold and that made it chewy. The lemon bar though, oh the lemon bar was to die for. I want to make some on my own, but I'm afraid that not only will I eat the whole pan, but I'll eat the whole pan in one sitting. Dilemmas, dilemmas.
The mocha was tasty and the service was nice. I wanted to eat in so they had me sit down and brought everything to me, but I wasn't really looking for table service. It would be nice, sometimes, to just be able to sit without worrying about tip, etc, ala Starbucks, but what are you going to do? The service was excellent and my treats were served on a china plate with real, SILVERware. Wow!
On my way out I picked up a Fruity Pebbles Treat (think rice krispie treat with fruity pebbles) for the boy, as he LOVES him some fruity pebbles. We ate it for dessert last night. It was good, but a fruity pebbles overload, even for us.
I have not been for lunch yet, but once I have disposable income again I'd love to go. Everything looks great.
When I left, it was just before 5 and the place was getting packed. I know they do a good business, so don't be surprised if you run into a crowd.
Overall, I think Bittersweet is an awesome place with great service and great pastries. If I wasn't on such a limited budget I definitely would have tried some tarts or maybe even a cake. Who knows!
Its worth a visit. You won't regret it, I promise!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
Bittersweet by far has the best baguettes in the city. FANTASTIC. I just wish there staff was more helpful. Sometimes there will be three people behind the counter all not helping me - and i am standing there alone. Also, you ask for ingredients ("Does this brownie have nuts?") and you get an answer like "I don't know." Come on.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
I lived very close to this place for over two years and never stopped in. I wish I had. The ambiance is very cute (although a tad cramped in the seating area) and I really wished I had more time to look around. All I got was a few mini cupcakes to go (I'm on a mission to find my wedding cupcakes), but I can say the service was friendly, and the place was very inviting. Perhaps I'll stop in again sometime.
As to the cupcakes, one word comes to mind: forgettable. I finished mine not 30 minutes ago, and I honestly don't know what to write right now. Mine wasn't that bad, I guess. I asked the boy if he liked his creme brulee cupcake, and all he said was "meh."
I may have to rewrite my review some other time, since all those cookies and pastries looked AWESOME. I'll have to stop by again, but not for cupcakes.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I love coming here and getting a little treat for myself. My old boss bought me their macaroons and I was hooked! Sometimes I pick some up to give to my friends as little gifts. The packaging that they come in is very cute.
I came here once to pick up my boss's birthday cake for her daughter. It looked so perfect and yummy... I just wanted to paw at it and shove it in my mouth.
The only thing that would make these visits sweeter is if they hired friendlier people. I don't know why they always look so grumpy... maybe it's because they're tortured by all the yummy treats that they're not allowed to eat.
I've only been here on weekdays, so I've never had to wait for a table. In fact, my experiences here have been peaceful and relaxing. That's partly because I come here after gettting a massage at Thousand Waves spa down the street, but still...
I came here once with a friend, and then after that by myself a few times. I like to bask in the light from the big windows while I read a book and eat something delectable like the spinach salad with the lemon dressing and the perfect amount of garlickiness.
I've always found the service to be friendly and prompt, but as I mentioned, I've never been here when it's crowded. One time, the server told me she liked my haircut. Was she flattering me to get a better tip? Who cares!
I haven't had many dessert items from here, preferring as I do the savory side of life. It all looks lovely, but I save myself for bread, butter, and salt.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I worked here when I was in my early 20s and this is where I picked up my table-waiting experience. The owner Judy is a total Nazi-control freak about a lot of things and she was the one who scolded and nagged proper table-waiting etiquette into me. While I hated it so much at the time, I am thankful I started there. I never had any problems getting any other waiting/food service jobs after I left Bittersweet because the owners of the places I applied at knew how Judy was and how she ran her business. Back in the kitchen, everything was really clean and strictly managed so now when I go there and see Judy running around like a madwoman shouting orders, I am assured that the quality has not changed since.
My absolute favorites are the cherry muffins. Sometimes on early weekend mornings, I'll go there and buy all 15-16 of them and leave none for the dissapointed cherry muffin patrons for that day. Yes, I'm the randomly guilty party. They're that good.
Any of the tarts at Bitterseet are yummy! The espresso and anything with a creme brulee filling are my favorites.
Sometimes, in the summer, they serve gazpacho--not too chunky and not too thin and wonderfully garlicy and flavorful without being too much. By far, it's the best gazpacho I've ever had. Come to think of it, there are a lot of things here that have been the BEST I've ever had.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
They do have nice pastries, and that's great. It looks very adorable and bakery-like here, and smells good. But they don't seem to have mastered the art of being a bakery and also serving food to sit-down customers. We were ignored for about 15-20 minutes after being told to sit down. Then our sandwiches took 25 minutes to come out. This seemed excessive for sandwiches at a non-busy time of day. Finally, we had to stand in line (only for a little while, to be fair) at the cash register behind a bunch of counter customers to pay for our meal. The food was fine, but nothing to write home about. There was an air of snootiness that I wasn't too fond of. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, and I'm definitely not inclined to go back for lunch. Maybe for a pastry run, though.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I haven't had much from this bakery--some Halloween sugar cookies, a turkey sandwich--so I can't really speak to the excellence of the entire menu.
However, I can attest that this place has the best hot chocolate in Chicago. The Bittersweet Hot Chocolate is a bit spicy, like Mexican hot chocolate, with a hint of orange. Yummy, delicious, and not too thick like some hot chocolates.
It's Saturday morning, you've slept until 11, and your head is pounding. A "one-drink-and-home" evening turned into an epic romp through bars, clubs and possibly a White Castle. The wee hours are fuzzy.
So now you need some peace, some coffee, and food that will make your weary body happy. Well, friend, Bittersweet is the place for you.
You may have to wait a little while for a table, as this place has become quite popular with couples, hipsters with visiting parents, book clubs, new parents, on and on. So, spend some time admiring the pastry case and make notes on what you'll buy on the way out. Then look right of the entrance and grab a cake and/or cookie sample - it will be delicious. Next look to the far wall past the tables for the short list of menu options. There will be a soup, a quiche, salad and sandwich. Everything I've ever had there has been good, and their sides of green beans are especially tasty. I'd also recommend their bowl of cafe au lait - I'm not a coffee drinker and yet this still is one of my favorite morning beverages.
Now, watch the passers-by on Belmont Ave, enjoy the sun through the windows, order a pastry as a breakfast dessert, and feel yourself revive and get ready for the day.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Bittersweet is one of my favorites of the city. It's sweet and quaint, with both their food/drinks and decor. It's a perfect place for lunch or dessert and coffee with girlfriends. The menu is limited to a couple options for sandwiches, salads, soup, and quiches but they are all delicious and reasonably priced. Also, their berry lemonade is amazing!
i hate this place.
OVER PRICED.
the swedish bakery is much better than this place.
i bought i cake for my birthday and the inside was dry.
the cookies are cute visually, but the prices for them can be steep.
their coffee is awful-yr better off going to the 7 eleven or the gas station, which are up the street.
the food is alright-nothing special.
the best thing that they have is peppermint chocolate chip ice cream. delissh.
don't get the cone, get it in the cup with the chocolate inside.
Went there this past Saturday afternoon with the hubby. It was pretty rowdy in there. We ended up just getting our dessert to go. It was wow. It has like an aroma to it when you eat it that made me want more.
It was a small little tart type dessert with a strawberry on top. Good stuff. About 3 bucks each too so not the cheapest dessert..
Went here with some friends after seeing a show downtown. I wasn't sure if it would measure up to the Swedish Bakery, but I was pleasantly surprised! There is a cute seating area that is great to sit and relax while you eat your goodies. The sweets were very good, I even ended up taking home a box full of truffles & cookies to enjoy later. I would definitely recommend this place - especially if you need a fun, low key place to hang out, chat, and enjoy some sweets!
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
I wish I liked sweets more, this would definitely be Nirvana. What it is, is a cute, charming European style cafe. The salads looked delicious and HUGE - would definitely be worth going back for that. The desserts . . . works of art.
What was weird, was the servers were sort of tentative, awkward and shy. Esp. about putting plates on small, overloaded tables. Seems if they're going to work in a place like this, they should be facile with this sort of thing.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Cool (2)
Very pretty place, good sandwiches, great desserts. The chocolate chip cookies are super crispy and delicious. I heard the soups are good too.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Crazy wonderful treats and such a cozy and comfortable bit of Europe here in Chicago. And of course the pastries are to die for but the daily quiches,soups and sandwiches are to die for!
Great for everything to a wedding cake to a lunch or light snack!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Um... I saw the employee drop 2 croissants on the floor. She slyly put them back with the others when she thought no one was watching.
No way, man.
No way!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I went to Bittersweet for a special dessert tasting for an event we were doing at the InterContinental. The lunch we had was good, the desserts we tried were outstanding and the service was great. I'm not quite sure if I would go back for real food, but I'll definitely go back for the desserts and there coffee drinks.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
I haven't been to Zurich in a while (per the other review), but I consider a lot of their food to be top caliber. They serve some, if not THE best tortes in the city!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Wonderful pecan buns!!!
Best ever.
Melt in your mouth delicious.
Heaven in your mouth.
Flakey and caramelized.
A little messy, but deal with it.
I've had a lot of their breakfast pastries, but have never tried their cakes.
They have a beautiful holiday cookie assortment - not sure how they taste though.
Their scones looks good too.
I heart bakeries.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
We used this place for our wedding cake. We decided to go a little untraditional and do a carrot cake with cream cheese. The cake was beautiful and was ready on time. The staff there was very helpful with deciding on which designs suited me and my fiancee. I would definately reccommend this place for anyone having a Chicago wedding!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
This was our second bakery tour stop of the day. With so many great reviews I expected to be blown away. Unfortunately, I have to say, it was just OK. Not bad, not great, just OK. I got a real snobby feeling from the employees. I know that kids can be troublesome, but you really should judge each separately, not when they walk in the door (quietly)! We has a croissant (flaky, but dry) and a creme brulee tart. The tart tasted good, but I had to scrape dirt off from the strawberry. Sorry Bittersweet, but we will not be back.
This is why people live in large cities, for small place like this. it has a rotating lunch menu, delicious food, inexpensive and AMAZZING pastries and desserts. mmmm yummy! stop in for some free samples! Try the carrot jalapeo soup if they have it ! Its a small place though as far as seating so get there early!
Uh oh, why didn't I have a heavenly experience here?!?! I popped in on Sunday to pick up holiday cookies for friends coming over last night. My favorite holiday cookies are the crazy decorated sugar cookies with icing or sprinkly sugar on top. Well, I zipped out w/ one dozen cookies to the tune of $36 dollars (hello?) and that same night, we bit into these ROCK HARD cookies. They were not even pleasant to eat, my friends and I were wiggling our teef w/ our tongues all night to make sure none of our choppers broke off and the rest of the cookies are going in the garbage. For $36 dollars a dozen, please make the cookies edible. I won't go back, if they cannot get a basic/staple like sugar cookies right. Part One of "The Nightmare Before Xmas - Cookie Style".
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
After being in Zurich for two weeks and being spoiled with Spruenglie there, I was craving pastry.....I went to Bittersweet and gave them a shot. Nope...and I don't say this to be mean. They have some wonderful pieces and selections in their shop that does remind me of Europe, however, the pastry's no. I had ordered what I thought was an apple tart but it was Pear. wonderful! I love Pear to. When I bit into it, I would have had no idea it was Pear though. They had so much glaze on it, they didn't allow for the sweet fruit flavor to come out. Which is really sad. Pastry's are delicate and full of flavor. We as Americans make the mistake that sweet is whats its all about, it should only be a little sweet with loads of natural flavor to it. The crust is sweet to. To much is sometimes to much.
It was ok. Had I not known better I would have liked it more.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
I always walk by this place and have heard many good things about it, so I decided to stop in on a Saturday morning to pick up something for my mom's birthday.
It was very busy, with people eating brunch/breakfast and then with other customers waiting to order or pick up cakes. It browsed around the shop and saw cute stationary products intermingled with decorated cookies to match the occasions (i.e. birthdays, baby shower, thank you, etc.) which is a really cute idea. The cookies also give you ideas on designs you might want on a cake.
They had cheesecakes in the glass case, so I decided to purchase one of those. To my surprise, the woman who took my order didn't just pull out the one in the case (like they do at many bakeries), instead she said it would be just a couple minutes while they put the fresh berries on top.
While I was waiting I sampled a piece of brownie that they had out, and drooled over the delicious looking bakery cookies. I will definitly come back here to order a cake for other occasions. I have tried a banana cream cake also, that a co-worker brought in, and it was good.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
Lemon bars are awesome - shortbread crust, eeeyuuummm! On the second bite your mouth will start to water and pucker, just like when you anticipate the first moment of a sour ball.
But there are 2 things which earns this place only 3 stars:
1. I feel like I walked in to some funky old lady boutique. I think its best food places stick to food and chill on the merchandizing.
And 2. They seem to only make super sweet, rich cakes - they're not so big on pastries and I'm not so in to mega sweet desserts.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
The white chocolate tartlet I ate here was so good I actually had a dream about it later. I don't even like white chocolate that much, but damn. Perfect buttery crust and smooth, creamy filling.
They also have New Mexico style biscochitos- anise seed cookies, which were a pleasant surprise.
I was also a devotee to the chocolate and orange zest flavore Cafe Chocolat- but the last time I ordered it the girl just squirted chocolate syrup in my coffee- what changed?!!
I happened across them while searching for custom cakes. When I called we came up with one of the best ones I've ever had in my life, chocolate with creme brulee & sour cherry filling and dark chocolate ganache top. Completely to die for. Anything else I've picked up from them on the off chance I'm around has also been soooo tasty (worth the lines, no question.)
