Ivonnie S.
Yelp
3.5 stars.
Goddess and the Baker seems to be quite a popular spot for coffee, pastries, and hang-outs. I enjoyed the drinks more than the pastries that I tried.
FOOD + DRINKS //
+ Chagaccino (thumbs-up!): this comes with espresso, steamed oat milk, wild foraged chaga, organic cacao, cinnamon, and vanilla. Chaga supposedly has a variety of health benefits, so you can feel extra healthy while drinking it! Plus, it tasted pretty good. I'd get this again.
+ Apple butter latte (mixed feelings about this drink): this has espresso, apple butter, and oat milk. It reminded me of Starbucks' Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, but less sweet. If you like apple butter or apple pie, it's worth giving this a shot.
~ Cappuccino croissant (pass): I got my croissant warmed, per recommendation from the staff, but I'm not sure if it made the croissant any better. The croissant itself was dense/doughy, not flaky or crisp, which gave me the impression it had been sitting around for a while. The coffee cream inside tasted good and helped with the dryness of the croissant, but there was only a small dollop of it on one end.
~ Cinnamon roll cruffin (pass): this looked better than it tasted. Again, the croissant texture was bready, a combination of soft and dense, and I didn't particularly enjoy it.
SERVICE + AMBIANCE //
I stopped by here on several weekday mornings, and it was packed every time with people grabbing things to-go and sitting around chatting. There's often a short line, but it moves quickly and is still shorter than Starbucks (and the coffee is arguably better).
Plenty of available seating inside. There were a few outdoor tables and chairs on the non-rainy days. Hip aesthetic. The tables aren't always the cleanest due to the high turnover of people, but people should also clean up after themselves more :)
Also, I love the designs on their printed paper coffee cups. The ones I got had cute art of Chicago's elevated rail lines and a representation of their coffee shop.
OVERALL //
I'd come back to Goddess and the Baker for coffee drinks any day. I'm less sure about the pastries, which so far have been a 0/2 hit for me; but they do all look so good, so I'd probably be tempted into trying another different pastry next time.