West Town Bakery — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Where do we begin? We went with West Town Bakery for our wedding cake because my wife has a dairy allergy, so we needed a vegan cake. We are excited to find West Town because there are very few places in Chicago with vegan wedding cake options that aren't also gluten-free. However, working with West Town was very disappointing.

First off, when we went to taste test the cake options, not all of the promised vegan options were available (despite ordering these options in advanced). However, we were able to make a selection we liked based on what they had available at the time. Second, when we decided on our flavor options and wanted to learn more about their wedding cake ordering process, we had the unfortunate experience of working with the most inept employee we'd ever encountered. He didn't know half the answers to our basic questions like how far in advance should we pay and if sheet cakes were an option (despite supposedly working in the cake department) and then sent us a invoice that had our cake and payment details totally wrong. We had to send him a corrected invoice before we were comfortable paying the reservation fee. If we had any other options for a vegan wedding cake, we would have changed cake vendors at this point, trust us.

Thankfully, a few days later, that employee left West Town Bakery, and we were paired with a far more competent employee. And we naively thought things would improve. Unfortunately, when we went to update our cake order based on our final guest count (before the final changes deadline in our contract with West Town) they again sent us a contract/invoice with incorrect wedding cake details (no note about the cake needing to be vegan) and wildly incorrect payment due dates. We again sent them a corrected invoice and got assurances that the cake order was updated and would be correct!

Then comes the wedding day. Not only was the cake delivered one hour late, but they also delivered the wrong order. They did not update our wedding cake order for the accurate number of guests despite having confirmed that they would. This resulted in us having a much smaller display cake than we requested and paid for and much more sheet cake that we did not need!

The only reason they are getting 2 stars is because the cake actually tasted good and my wife didn't have an allergic reaction, so we guess it was at...

Tasty, Vegan AND NUT FREE!

I would give this bakery 5+ if I could.

Finding a tasty and pretty vegan cake is difficult; top that with finding a nut free cake with those qualities....nearly impossible.

A recent birthday celebration of my son in Chicago enabled us to enjoy this beautiful and tasty cake. I have been baking birthdays cakes for over a decade since my son was diagnosed with nut/peanut allergies. I have decorated these cakes (I'm a busy professional woman and decorating is not my strong skillset...but we do what we have to).

My daughter found out that there is a bakery that not only offers vegan cakes (I avoid dairy) but it's also nut free. Finding nut free baked goods is a challenge. While you can often find cakes that do not contain nuts, most bakeries warn you about cross contamination because the cakes are made on shared equipment.

Being vigilant about nut free, I decided to call the bakery since I saw they have some products with nuts. I was assured that the cake will be safe for my son (not cross contaminated), plus I won't have to deal with the dairy frosting. So my daughter ordered a custom cake, stating again, it needs to be nut free, and not cross contaminated.

This cake was moist, rich, aesthetically pleasing and delicious. Having carefree celebrations with a baked cake is a rare for us, yet we didn't even have to compromise on flavor. I'm from Europe and do not like overly sweetened cakes. The cake had the optimal amount of sweetness. Also, we at the cake for days and there was no loss in quality.

I don't live in Chicago, but will definitely publicize this bakery in the food allergy community. A rare and unique find. Carefree eating for people with food allergies is a...

My son recently moved to the Ukrainian Village which is located just west of the Chicago Loop. I make excuses to visit my son (laundry, home made cookies, it's my Birthday, whatever) but, it's mostly to experience the culture of Ukrainian Village. So, it's a Sunday AM and my hubby & I decide to visit our 2 boys in Chicago, I think I was bringing son #1 a most needed vacuum cleaner. After delivering the vacuum, it's time for Brunch! We started walking east on Chicago Ave and came upon West Town Bakery & Diner. OMG! It's like entering the set of Happy Days (the sitcom) but, it's real and it's 2014. Very casual atmosphere, seat yourself...ok and get ready to experience a menu filled with 1950 fav's but with a 21st Century epicurean twist. My son ordered the Morning Poutine, a bowl filled with french fries covered in meat and cheese. Usually #1 son eats super fast but, this Poutine was so large, it slowed him down. He did finish the entire Poutine, and he found it to be very gratifying. I tried the Short Rib Eggs Benedict. WOW! This is a dish you would never make for yourself at home due to all the work & ingredients, but it was divine! #2 son ordered the chicken and waffles, hubby had the regular Eggs Benedict and there were no left overs today! Waiting to pay our bill, I sauntered over to the Bakery counter and ordered some cupcakes (marvelous) and macaroons (french cookies). We have been to Paris & have indulged in Paris' macaroons and West Town Bakery delivers the crisp, melt in your mouth cream macaroon the same as Paris. Great food, great $'s! Can't wait to find another excuse to visit my 2 sons & experience West Town for another...