Red Hen Bread

Would love this place if they only had almond milk for the coffee drinks. Because they don’t I usually opt for Buzz café or Addis. But otherwise the space is nice and food is good!

I have always loved the bread, cookies, and pastries here but came by for lunch twice this week (once dine in and once carry out). The butternut squash soup was very dull and disappointing… but the chicken chili was VERy, very good. What a lovely creation!

Great bread, absolutely terrible coffee. Americano tastes like water with a coffee bean thrown in.

I have been coming to Red Hen for many years. In fact I used to go to their other locations and was thrilled when they open this location across the street from my apartment some years ago. Most of the breads are great, and so are the soups, salads, and drinks. However, the service is not as good as it used to be. The people at the counter barely look you in the eye and when they do, they looked bother or disinterested in helping or providing decent customer service. I wish I could go there more often but I refused to be treated as a burden. I wish I could give them 5 stars. I would have when the store open but it has gone down hill. There are other options even if you travel further to get good bread and good customer service.

I want to love this place. Their bread is amazing. But I’ve been coming here 1 – 3 times a week (same time) for a year and a half (in an attempt to support local businesses). Same coffee order the entire time albeit my breakfast order changes from time to time. They still have no clue who I am or what my order is… and they are never busy when I order. There are only 2 people at the counter. I’ve said hello and thank you every time. When I last joked «the usual» and they responded with a blanks stare I thought «Maybe I’m expecting too much?» They recently had staff turn over so maybe in the future it will be different… just not the warm feeling I was expecting from a local business that could use more customers…

Great breads. Have been coming to Red Hen since they first opened on Milwaukee Avenue and would fancily wrap each loaf. I also love the coffee here. Wish it were open a little earlier in the morning.

Cozy spot and great chicken pesto sandwich.

This is my first time in Oak Park, and I actually was interested in trying Fresko across the street. I parked in front of Red Hen so I decided to give it a try.
The service was very quick, which was impressive since it was the morning rush and the store was very busy. I ordered a regular coffee which had just been freshly brewed and a lemon muffin. The man behind the counter was helpful and offered other options as well.
The product is great, the service is quick and friendly, and the atmosphere is very welcoming. It was apparent the employees here enjoy their job. Too bad I don’t live in Oak Park, this place would certainly become a favorite of mine!

Overall, my experience was good. First time at Red Hen Bread, needed something fast and convenient. I had the Ham & Cheese with an Iced Coffee-​Carmel flavored. Didn’t have to wait long for service. Staff was welcoming. No complaints on the sandwich. I will go back.

Third and last time here. Basically one star per visit. On my first visit I got coffee and a scone. Coffee was overly bitter, very acidic and the scone was dry dry dry.
I really really want to like this place, and had heard good things so I thought I’d try again.
Second visit I got a lemon poppy seed muffin top. I LOVED that they had «muffin tops» it reminded me of the episode of Seinfeld, so I of course had to get it. I wish I hadn’t, it LOOKED picture prefect, golden top with big sugar crystals, it tasted very bland and was very dry. Would not get again.
Which brings me to today’s visit, the visit that made up my mind. I got an iced coffee and a chocolate croissant. Almost 8 dollars a little steep for an afternoon snack. Iced coffee needed more ice, I asked for no room and they gave me a lot of room. The croissant didn’t have an equal distribution of chocolate. The side that did have chocolate was filled with a thick frosting like filling, too sweet for me. The side that didn’t have any was dry and lacking in the butter flavor you expect.
Service is always okay, some workers nicer than others.
Overall won’t be back, wouldn’t recommend.

Went to the Red Hen this morning. The coffee was great, no complaints there. I got a $ 3 cranberry muffin and was quite disappointed. It was cold (muffins should NEVER be cold) and it was quite bland. Yes, there were some tasty cranberries sprinkled on the top of the muffin, but one you were past the first cenfmeter of muffin at the top, there was only plan vanilla muffin. not a single piece of fruit or spice to let you know it was not just vanilla muffin. The muffin was also quite dense, I usually prefer fluffy and light muffins.
The location is nice, overlooking the park. I would go back for coffee, but would pass on the muffin. Might be tempted to try a different pastry, but it would have to be an amazing pasty for that…

One of the worst mocha lattes I have had. It took a long time to make, then I could barely taste the coffee or the chocolate. It just tastes like luke warm milk.
Haven’t tried anything else here. The pastries look good, but I would never come back for the coffee

Cute little sandwich place. Not pretentious, casual, quick sandwich bites. It’s a little expensive for just ordering one sandwich without other sides such as chips or salad or fruit like you would get a panera for the same amount of money.
I did like the bread, and the portion of my sandwich. I wasn’t full all day by any means as it is a pretty basic sandwich, but the flavors where delicious!
I got the chicken challah sandwich. The chicken was good, it’s thinly sliced chicken how they use at the deli. The sauce they use as the dressing is delicious! That’s what makes this sandwich stand out. That sauce is its greatest compliment. The sandwich also had tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce.
My cousin got the chicken chilli soup which she kept saying was super duper salty. She didn’t appreciate that. She couldn’t even taste the flavors of the chicken or the beans because there was so much salt. She got the chicken salad sandwich which she said she loved.
Overall I would say, come down on your price or add a variety of sides to your sandwiches, because sandwich place competitors add quite a bit to make your experience a filling and affordable one. Paying over $ 9 for just a sandwich no drink or no sides does not justify going back.

Chocolate cherry scone and maple scone are good. More looks than flavor tho.
Umbria coffee was good, not great.
Street parking was a MAJOR challenge! Metered at 25 cents for 15 minutes. Limit is a maximum of 15 minutes at a time!!! Yikes! You have to get there right in time every 15 minutes to be legal while in Red Hen Bread! This is a MAJOR problem because you can’t enjoy your meal or snack in peace! Therefore, I’m deducting 1 star-​it really is a pain!
We ordered dinner rolls over the phone for pickup at the bakery for our Christmas Day dinner. Due to their limited hours on Christmas Eve, we had to pick up our order 2 days before Christmas.
The inconvenience and extra gasoline and time were totally worth it to be able to enjoy Red Hen pumpernickel onion rolls, and seeded multigrain rolls at our special holiday dinner.
For years, we have ordered and picked up the holiday dinner rolls we need at the Red Hen Bread Store on Milwaukee inside the Chicago city limits. Since that store closed just in time to in convince its regulars, and holiday customers we were forced to go to Oak Park to satisfy our Red Hen addiction!
Do it! It’s worth the effort. Just bring plenty of quarters for parking and include at least 2 people in your trek to Oak Park — one to take care of business, waiting in line, paying, etc. etc. inside Red Hen, and the other to feed the parking meter!

Overpriced and poor customer service. Decided to give them a try again today. Arrived at 3:20PM to find the door locked and the employees cleaning. The man behind the counter pointed to his watch and shook his head. Funny that their «winter hours» posted on door states they’re open until 4PM on Sundays, and no there wasn’t an effective date listed, so I assume them to be valid hours.
Live Fresko was rewarded with our business today. If the poor service keeps up Live Fresko looks to benefit as they were packed with customers.

Went in today for lunch. Had the chkn cranberry sand and a soy hot chocolate. Sandwich was really tasty and big! Im still full from it. :) also tried the spiced apple cider… soooo good! Plus free wifi this place is much better than prarie bread on marion. Keep up the great wrk guys.

Review is for coffee, bagel and service. Best part about this place is probably service. The guy that took my order is super friendly and brought my order to my table even though its a order at the counter and pick up at the end of the counter kind of place. The coffee was dark roast, but under extracted and the bagel was just okay. It’s a cute spot with good amount of space to study.

Red Hen has all the things you like about Panera – fresh-​baked loaves of bread, tasty sandwiches, coffee and tea drinks, and pastries – but none of the things you don’t – smooth jazz, long lines, and constant attempts to get your email for a spam list.
While the chocolate croissants are pretty inconsistent, the sandwiches are always amazing. The veggie pear sandwich on rosemary baguette may have changed my life. They serve PB&J on challah! (Challah makes me holla.) They have seasonal items too.
Another nice thing about this place is that some tables are big enough for groups. If you and four friends are looking for a lunch spot, finding room here is usually a breeze.
Also: clean bathrooms!

I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Pros: The employees are nice. The environment is cute and quaint. The customers are cordial and seem like regulars.
Cons: The food is just O.K. I was rather disappointed to pay $ 7 for a slice of spinach quiche and a medium tea. The quiche was… blah. Edible but not good. My thought was, I could’ve saved my money and cooked breakfast at home.

For a sandwich that costs almost $ 9, I’d expect a little more than a scroogey smidgin’ of tuna slapped between 2 thin slices of bread, no chips or sides included. I spent a summer helping to make sandwiches for 1000+ Russians in Moscow every morning shortly after the iron curtain fell and our sandwiches had more filler and tasted better than these.
Also, I asked for mustard and got a very loooong, 5 second pause in which they stared at me like I’d gone out of my mind.
Yay to democracy and condiments!