Review: Bittersweet Pastry Shop
Hello friends!
Today's review is of an older experience that occurred this past summer, and I was able to enjoy it with one of my close friends.
Please enjoy!
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I pass by Bittersweet Pastry Shop QUITE frequently as it's on one of my main travel routes; it's about 30 minutes bus ride from my home, which is very reasonable I think for such a lovely establishment. However I usually didn't have time or the spare money to stop in and treat myself, and to be honest nine times out of ten when I do have the spare money I'm usually browsing online sales for things to stuff into my lolita wardrobe rather than thinking about nice food.
I'd been super inspired by some of the other Instagram lolitas' posts over the summer of cute places they were going with their friends, so I invited one of my besties from the suburbs to have a sleepover at my place so we could go get some fancy pastries.
It's quite easily locatable, with a large storefront that's ornately decorated and changes with the seasons, and a very large sign with their name on it, you honestly can't miss it. Not only do they offer a dine-in experience, but they also take reservations for pastries and of course, some really fancy cakes.
My friend and I went in on a pretty quiet Sunday afternoon for brunch; I guess because it was the middle of summer everyone else was outside and not thinking of pastries.
My coord was casual sweet and sax with Angelic Pretty's Topping Sugar JSK and headbow, and a sax AP cutsew.
My friend was wearing himekaji with a Liz Lisa dress, and obviously the pair of us looked a bit odd ccompared to the other people coming in in t-shirts and jeans, blah blah you get it. Despite that the employees smiled at us and a gentleman let us pick our table and was quick to get us waters and menus. It was pretty quiet so the other employees couldn't really be bothered with us and seemed to just hang out amongst themselves.
They actually have Harney & Sons tea which I've quickly learned is some g o o d s t u f f. In fact when we asked if we could have tea the waiter came back with a laaaaarge tin supported on his forearm while he held the lid open so we could pick our individual packets. So nothing loose leaf, unfortunately, but there was still a decent variety. I was surprised when he came back with two individual white ceramic tea pots and matching cups and saucers. Nothing super fancy but the fact that we got tea pots and tea cups made me feel extra warm and fuzzy.
I was dying for a reuben so that's what I got; you can see my tea in the back there, and a bit of my friend's salad.
For how quiet it was I was pretty surprised at how quickly our food was brought out once we ordered, but nothing really had to be cooked for either of us so that might have played a part in it.
It was delicious.
Of course we couldn't come to Bittersweet Pastry Shop without trying... Some pastries. Duh.
We were absolutely not disappointed.
Mine was very chocolatey and rich. Not a cake but rather some type of fudge? I don't remember what it was called but it tasted beautiful.
We just told our waiter after he got our plates that we'd like a dessert and he politely told us we could just have our pick from the temperature controlled display case by the register. We each picked a treat, though man it was so hard because literally every single one looked like a work of art, and he set them on these cute vintage saucers for us to take back to our seats and enjoy. From what I remember there was a good range of pieces like mine, mini tarts, cheesecake slices, cookies and of course full pies, tarts and cakes to choose from.
I don't remember what my bestie had but we were both in heaven and you'll just have to take my word for it. To give you an idea, I STILL remember what mine tasted like and now I'm hungry and I wish it wasn't midnight so I could go there right now and get some.
When our dessert plates were done the waiter took our dishes and let us know our bills were ready at the register so we could take our time packing up. There was absolutely no rush, and the bill wasn't too bad either, I would definitely consider this place affordable or around the $$ rating.
The overall atmosphere was very soft and relaxed, none of the employees harassed us and even though we sat by the window, we were far enough away from it that passerby didn't do doubletakes and come in to start asking questions. Although in that neighborhood of Chicago, "weird" outfits are pretty common and trendy, and I'm sure that plays a huge part as well.
I really really want to go back and I hope I get the chance to later this winter or upcoming spring.
TLDR:
-Super chill and very relaxing.
-FANTASTIC food, and INCREDIBLE desserts.
-Nice location, easy to get to in an upbeat neighborhood.
-Gentle cafe style makes for a good backdrop for photos.
-Great for the price.
Thank you for reading my review, and I'll catch y'all on the next one.