Hewn — Restaurant in Evanston Township

I live in Los Angeles, and I visit Chicago various times a year. Over the last 12 years, I have made a point to visit Hewn Bakery with family and friends during my visits. Despite the expensive price of their goods, I used to recommend the bakery to all my friends and family. On my last visit on June 25th, 2025, I visited the bakery with a few friends at around 2 pm. Unfortunately, the service was terrible. While selecting my baked goods, a female employee with short hair and red lipstick who works at the bakery, served my coffee and without letting me know, placed it on the counter next to a customer who was coughing, breathing, and talking over my coffee. I waited some time, when I asked the woman employee where my coffee was, with an unpleasant disposition she responded “I called you and you did not respond, there is your coffee” pointing at the cup of coffee next to the customer who had been coughing and talking over my coffee for already sometime. Although I spent a considerable amount of money and tipped well, this female employee did not apologize and instead became defensive and demonstrated defiant behavior. I demanded a fresh cup of coffee and with an unpleasant disposition, my cup of coffee was replaced. I feel sad to say that despite the high prices of their goods, I have been a loyal customer for over 12 years. I will never go back to Hewn Bakery, nor my family, nor my friends. No customer should be treated so disrespectfully. Also, I just realized that in the last 12 years, I have never seen an employee of any other race but Caucasian, working at Hewn Bakery. Where is your diversity and inclusion Hewn Bakery? That further confirms my decision to eliminate...

I've been visiting Hewn for years and it's hands down the best bakery in the Midwest. I grew up in Europe with great bread, and Hewn is as close as you can get. Their breads are fantastic and I don't understand how I ever survived without it!

Their lunch sandwiches, while quite expensive, are delicious too, as are their pastries. Heck, even their coffee and tea drinks are delicious and worth getting.

Unfortunately I have grown less fond of Hewn lately, despite having visited them for years. It seems as if a lot of things have gotten worse since the pandemic, but it could be a coincidence.

They stopped selling wholesale bread, so getting their bread in many restaurants etc in the area is no longer an option.

They also stopped making my favorite bread, coincidentally the same one they mostly sold wholesale. The same applies to other good things they had, like garlic knots. They are just gone.

If you want a baguette at 8am you are told that they aren't ready until 9 or 10, but when you get there at 2pm they are out.

I'm also not too fond of their croissants anymore, they are not flaky and crispy enough, compared with those from Backlot (and Europe).

On the upside I am glad they are open 6 days a week again, and their staff is usually friendly too.

But the hit and miss with getting actual bread, them discontinuing my favorite bread and the high prices resulted in me visiting much less often than I used to, despite living fairly close by now.

But of course I still love...

My sister introduced me to Hewn when they opened years ago, as she happened to live nearby. It was okay. It was nice to have a local shop at which to purchase laminated pastry.

Since then, I’ve been a handful more times when visiting family. I always want to like it, but their customer service is horrible. Whether it’s a rude barista who slowly remakes a drink they screwed up, or the employee who demonstrates zero warmth or patience, they need a serious hospitality makeover.

On my most recent visit with my kid, I had ordered several items (7 + a loaf), only to discover he had placed them in a small bag. When I requested a box, he was visibly annoyed, then proceeded to box the items carelessly and told me I could ask for a box first next time. I wish I took a photo of how he boxed the pastries; the cinnamon brioche was upside down so the cream cheese frosting was smashed, the croissants were overturned. You would think he’d treat the fruits of his co-workers labor with more love and care. I thought my experiences were isolated, but my husband also had a sub-par experience there when he shopped for some items separately.

We live and work in NYC, in hospitality no less, where there is an abundance of exceedingly delicious pastry shops worth your time and money. Not to mention, many are employed with professionals sometimes half his (the Hewn employee’s) age. Just because they’re the only ones in the area making breads and laminated pastry does not mean what they are...