Bittersweet Cafe

I’m giving it 3 stars for service because I don’t really enjoy the whole self serve thing. The food took a sec to show up as well but it was delicious and had great quality. Of course the coffee was fire as well. Hope they rethink the self serve thing. It really takes away from the experience.

Lulu & Po is now Bittersweet Cafe, and is more or less the same. The menu is a bit cut back, though. The fantastic pancakes make a return, though, and I think the price even went down a tiny bit at $5 each. The BEC is still good, though it’s missing the hashbrown that Lulu & Po included. Overall it’s good, but I think the menu could benefit from one heartier item like a burger. It’s just missing that one touch.

Great new local joint. Casual, diner atmosphere. Staff is very nice. Food was good just expensive. BEC was divine, pancakes were pretty good. We’ll be back!

I love Bittersweet on Dekalb, so I was excited to see them open up a bigger spot on Hall st across from Pratt. They are in the old Rosalu/Lulu & Po spot which had always been a self-service thing so I wasn’t surprised they kept that going. I actually like this self-service style. I feel like it makes sense and is what makes this spot unique, and they have great attentive counter service, so not a big deal for me. They have La Colombe coffee beans and the drinks are fairly priced. Actually pretty great prices in comparison to some other local cafes. Food came out fast but I thought it was just good - nothing exceptional. Just good buttery diner food. Thiccc toast. If i knew they had some butter in the back by the ketchup I would have spread it on the toast to help how dense it was :)

Great addition to the neighborhood and way more kid friendly and community oriented than the place before. Coffee and food were great and service was very kind. Recommend the yogurt (see picture) !

There are a lot of things to love about this place - the vibe, casual options, nice staff, but there are some serious areas that need to improve. I find the portions super skimpy. For what you’re charging, it’s just not worth it. Increase portions by 15% even and I’m sold. It just feels wrong the way it is. For a diner to not even have home fries/potatoes is also just odd. The avocado toast is expensive and comes on a small single slice of bread for $14. It’s not like it’s real table service either. It was almost comical. Just improve the value of the food please and I’ll be a regular. Otherwise, I’ll be sticking to Calyer down the street - cheaper, tastier, bigger portions. Your kitchen closes at 3? So early. I came multiple times just around then and was turned away. This business is more afraid of incurring costs and averting risk than attracting a strong, consistent clientele.

My family and I have been here about 4 times since they have opened. We have dined in and done take out and sat across the street at the Pratt campus. We love it!! The food is so great --- we love the vegan feta baguette and the egg sandwiches, and best cold brew anywhere ! The people that work there are so kind and it has a great vibe. Even when it has been really busy the tables turn over fast enough for everyone to get a spot and the food came out fast. It is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. We have been going to Bittersweet on Dekalb for coffee and the best chocolate chip cookies forever and now we have more food options at Bittersweet Cafe. Thanks Gemma and Lucien!

Overall breakfast was solid (got the egg, bacon, toast, potato combo) + a pancake (5/5). They don’t offer refills on coffee which is a major miss as it it a coffee shop/cafe/diner vibe. Also all self service which felt a little confusing. They should consider doing refills on the coffee and do table service to get the extra star!

Have been anxiously awaiting this newest branch of Bittersweet opening in the old, lamented Lulu & Po spot, and finally got to pop in this afternoon to try out a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich was on point--I ordered the egg over easy, and it was somewhere between easy and medium... would have enjoyed a little more yolk runnage, but overall quite good. Sandwich was substantial and filling and tasty--nice, thick slices of bacon. It had a few drops of red chili oil (I think) which added a slight sweet spice to the mix. It was interesting and subtle enough, though probably not something I would have opted to add myself. The coffee was fresh (even at 2pm) and excellent, and the pastry selection looked impressive, including a beautiful looking blackberry scone. The space itself looks nice--if it wasn't for the new color scheme, you might forget you were in a new spot. Decent amount of seating, though I could see it becoming crowded and a wait if this becomes a hot weekend brunch destination. They will be open until 3pm (4 on weekends) and the menu seemed pretty breakfast-exclusive, as far as I could see. Feels like an overall fine addition to the neighborhood!

They claim to have Lulu and Po pancakes. Unfortunately, what we had was not that. Lulu and Po's pancakes were buttery, crispy and not dried out. These pancakes were dry, too thick, and flavorless. To add to that, the bacon wasn't cooked well. Neither were the eggs - they were very salty. If you're a fan of Bittersweet for their location on DeKalb, then perhaps you won't be disappointed. I paid $55 to get a bacon, egg and cheese, pancakes, a side of eggs, and bacon, and 2 glasses of juice. Mike's Coffee Shop is right across the street and is half to 1/3 of the price. They're just as good, if not better. And you don't have to bus your own table. If you're coming here for what Bittersweet advertises as Lulu and Po pancakes, I would not recommend. Just go to Mike's instead.