The Bakehouse Chicago — Restaurant in Lake View Township

TLDR: I had a really poor experience (including a rat and disputed charges) and will not be back.

I despise writing negative reviews and will normally send feedback directly to a business, but I tried working with this store and now feel I should let others know. In November, I went in to treat myself to an avocado toast and a latte. I ordered both and sat down with a book to wait. A minute or two later the woman from the counter came over and said they were out of avocados. No problem. I asked them to refund the toast, and I ordered a lox and bagel instead and she rang me up again. I sat back down and waited. The latte was good (had a couple sips) and the bagel came out and looked great. I had 2 bites when all of a sudden other patrons jumped up and were yelling. Sure enough, a rat ran through the tables and ran under the display case. At this time, the two workers asked us all to leave and told us they would refund our orders. Ok, things happen. But they seemed to be taking care of it. They closed the door, and I walked down to another coffee shop. I stayed for a while and then walked back by Bakehouse about 45 minutes later and it was already back open. There is no way they could have gotten the rat out by then. They were more afraid of it then the rat was of them. But who knows maybe they did. Fast forward a couple weeks and my charges (both the avocado toast one and the bagel/lox one) were still on my statement. So, I disputed the charges and told the bank why. A couple weeks ago, I got a message that Bakehouse disputed and "showed proof" that I got the second order. They only reversed the avocado toast, and I paid for food and coffee I didn't get to eat or drink because of a rat.

Bakehouse - Please do better...teach your staff how to provide better customer service, clear out the rats, and actually refund stuff when you...

The atmosphere and service were excellent. But, I ordered a bagel with schmear and also a chocolate croissant. The bagel was warm, but I was expecting toasted and some crunch but it was too soft and chewy all around, not a typical bagel. Maybe people like those types of bagels, just not for me. The croissant was also disappointing, in comparison to a place like La Boulangerie, I’d say major improvements needed. The outside was as soft as the inside and I felt I was eating a donut, not a croissant. The chocolate inside was alright, but nothing high quality. It wasn’t bad food, just not what I would expect with those two menu items. And for $14, I would expect something...

Ordered the banana pudding off doordash. My go to is Sweet Mandy B's but I placed my oder too late and got a refund. I still had a craving for banana pudding so decided to give the bakehouse a shot. I ordered 3 because they're not very big. I won't lie the taste was pretty good. The consistency was lighter and more whipped than I usually like but I still enjoyed it. I wanted some more and as I'm pulling the lid off another container I see a black spec. I say that couldn't possibly be a bug... and then it started moving 😤. Never in my life have I had a live bug crawling around in my food but doing it so comfortably like the pudding was its home. Never ordering...