The Bleeding Heart Bakery

The Bleeding Heart is the best choice for anyone looking for some hearty baked goods. And it’s the tops if you have a loved one or friend who needs something gluten free or vegan.
I was heartbroken when The Bleeding Heart moved from Chicago Avenue. But then it showed up in Oak Park!
I always have a nice time when I go there. The staff are all super cool and nice. My sister and I are always greeted and we sometimes spend ten minutes talking to the cashier about what to pick because there are so many things and the selection changes all the time.
Let me tell you, their baked goods are really great. I love the cake balls they have. They are three times as big as the ones from Starbucks, and taste loads better as well for the same price. Their prices are affordable, moreso than other bakeries. And you get a hearty brownie or cookie that’s more than worth the price.
Their cakes are beautiful and reflect the punk rock atmosphere, which I like. And the trivia questions are always great and will win you a cup of coffee if you know your music!
I wish they were open on Monday, but oh well. I can go Tuesday. :)

I REALLY want to like BHB, but after four separate experiences there I have to admit to myself that it’s just not good.
The service is slow and at times brusque. Both times I ordered lattes they tasted bad. (Seems like not enough barista training.)
I could overlook all of that if the food was good. I applaud them for being creative. But as far as the finished product goes, it doesn’t rate. The cupcakes are on the dry side. The filling for the whoopie pies was oily. I sadly decides to buy a cake at BHB for my husband’s birthday. It looked gorgeous, but once we cut into it we found that the frosting was gritty, the cake itself was dry and heavy and the «raspberry filling» might as well of been Smuckers. After each taking a bite, we threw it in the trash.
Save your money.

I came here for the vegan variety pack and found the store to be super clean and cute! the pack came with
cupcakes — good, they are just right
brownies — good
apricot bar — good, too sweet
scones — so hard that we couldn’t even bite into it!
the goodies are ok, but they are too sweet!!!

The first time I came here it was in the late afternoon (maybe 4ish) and almost everything was sold out save some cake balls. Blech. Totally disappointing. However, today was a different story. I ended up getting here around 3 and there was still a ton of cupcakes, pastries, cake balls (still not a fan), and other baked goods. I ended up getting an Irish Carbomb cupcake (in honor of the Forest Park Parade Day which made the traffic around Oak Park unbearable, beware!) and it was freaking delicious. The cake was perfectly chocolatey with a hint of stout, there was a sweet chocolate ganache middle layer, and then a chocolate whiskey buttercream on top that was amazing. Y. U. M. I LOVE everything about Bleeding Heart Bakery (from its Alterra coffee to its little jewelry section) and will definitely come back again and again (I’ll just make sure it’s early!).

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time now and seized the opportunity with a groupon for «cake bombs.» I must say… the presentation for the cake bombs was very thoughtful and well executed (e.g., gift wrapped, little card describing the flavors). This was very impressive considering some businesses treat customers with substandard service if they have a groupon (doesn’t make sense to me but it happens).
Anyway, 4 stars for the care but daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, the cake bombs are SWEET and RICH. A bit too much for my palate. I shared A (singular) cake bomb with my fiancé and my half was still too much for my taste buds. I can’t imagine eating one by myself without a tall glass of water. Delicious but whew… I felt my heart beating faster trying to digest that sugar.
With that said… I probably won’t buy those again unless I’m jonzing for a sugar fix during «that time.» Definitely will go back and try something different.

Went there in hopes to get cupcakes with the bf. There are a couple other bakeries right in the downtown oak park area. Sugar fixe was a let down, crumbs was good, but bleeding heart looked very intriguing from the outside.
There was not a darn cupcake in sight!!! They had brownies with weird heavy toppings, and «tarts».
The showcase for the desserts was so tiny. I think they should focus more on baked goods rather than all the punk rocker décor. Seriously disappointed!

I tried not to love you, Bleeding Heart.
I thought you might be sub-​par, with unfriendly employees and stale, dry, and crusty baked goods. I thought you might be overpriced garbage in cutesy wrappers.
I was wrong. I have seen the error of my ways. I have seen the light.
In the quest for a perfect vegan dessert for our big bash in fall of 2012, you were on the list as a contender. Today, we bought a HUGE variety of vegan deliciousness from your Oak Park location.
In the name of scientific research for our big event, we quartered all the cupcakes and halved the cake balls to sample for two reasons: A.) to avoid gaining six pounds apiece and B.) to get an idea of all of the items purchased. We selected five flavors of vegan cupcakes and two flavors of vegan cake balls. Here you have our open and honest review of each item:
The Cake Balls
Chocolate Sprinkle: This is the only one we didn’t really dig; as some of the other reviewers have stated, the cake itself was great, but the coating didn’t do it for either of us. We wouldn’t get this particular flavor/​combo again.
Chocolate Peanut: Fantastic! My husband is not a huge fan of peanuts in general, but he loved it just as much as I did. Generously sized and perfect in moisture, texture, and flavor.
The Cupcakes:
Chocolate Raspberry: In fairness, neither of us are really crazy about raspberry, but even that being said… it was great (all things being considered equal). I wouldn’t seek it out only on the grounds of the fact that I’m not raspberry crazy, but if someone dropped off a dozen of these gems on my doorstep, I certainly wouldn’t refuse one, either.
Caramel Apple: I had it set in my mind this would be a dud. It just seemed like a poor idea. I was wrong. It’s fantastic. You can taste both the caramel and apple notes beautifully. Perfection.
Chocolate vanilla: Another solid choice. This one didn’t floor us, but that’s not to say it wasn’t delicious (it was). We both agreed we’d get it again.
Chocolate chocolate: I tend to think – contrary to my husband – that there’s such a thing as «too much chocolate». That said, I was skeptical about this one and proven wrong with the very first nibble. It was double chocolate deliciousness. Win.
Chocolate peanut: Every bit amazing as the cake ball. Perfect peanut butter to chocolate ratio. Excellent.
Nothing was dry or stale or «old tasting». Every item we tried – cake balls and cupcakes alike – was moist and tender (but not soggy, gummy, or gross). The frosting was airy but full of flavor. All things being considered equal, I didn’t find the prices outrageous, either.
This is our fourth stop on the-​best-​vegan-​cupcake-​in-​Chicago quest and it is absolutely and unequivocally the leader of the pack. I’m curious if anyone will be able to top the perfection that is BHB.
Bleeding Heart, I love you. It’s that simple.

Had one of each cake ball available:
French Toast — In combination with the white chocolate coating, sweet like candy. I see how people can like this but not my preference.
Chocolate Peanut — Very good. Vegan
Oaxaca Chocolate — Vegan. I braced myself for the heat but found that it wasn’t too spicy. It was really good!
Red Velvet with the White Chocolate Coat was very very good. Ended up getting two more.
Chocolate Sprinkle Cake Ball — Vegan. The cake is very good but I didn’t care for the coating.
Vanilla Sprinkle — OK
Spinach Quiche was really good even though it wasn’t warmed.
The Made strawberry lemon green tea real good not too sweet.
Mocha coffee was very good. Hours later and no tingling in the mouth.
The place is beautiful. Everywhere you point the camera, the photos come out beautiful. I’ll post them up soon.
There was a cup of crayons and a couple of coloring books to occupy the kids.
Magazines that featured them are on display on a bookshelf.
Another shelf with apparel and others are on display.
The place is small and they made the most out of the bay windows by converting them in to seating.

I discovered this place thanks to Groupon. Got the cake balls and some extras for a meeting I was going to, and everyone raved about them. Its a neat little café/​bakery and you can be sure I’ll be going back here in the future…
I got the cake balls, a few of each… wow talk about a taste explosion… you have to bite into these and the dough inside, though chewy, is very very good. I especially enjoyed the French Toast and the Red Velvet balls although the chocolate ones were great too.
So if you are looking for a local place (although a bit pricey so watch out!) thats dairy and vegan friendly, this is it…

Traveled from Charlotte and love goodies!
The place was closed on Labor Day so I popped back a few days later… told them… tried to talk them up… loved the décor… VERY unfriendly. Could not get a smile out of either gal. But, ok… moving on… Got a blueberry scone that was pretty tasteless (Panera’s are better) and a cake ball that was just ok. (Starbucks cake pops are better) was disappointed because I will pay a lot if it is good stuff. I won’t be back, there is just too much competition to waste time and $$ for so so product. I was shocked they have no vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frost… ever…unless you special order a dozen or more.:(

Absolutely love this hidden bakery! Organic and vegan products that sweetened your life just a little more? Awesome! I am so glad that I found this place after my relocation to Oak Park, IL. I was actullay looking for another coffee place but bumped into this one.
I ordered the tofu chocolate cheesecake. The taste was perfect! Smooth, silky, rich and dense and the crust was wonderfully buttery and had that perfect melt-​in-​your mouth-​feel. It’s amazing how much you get too. I had to split my brownie in ¹⁄₃ rds in order to finish it all. I ordered a small macchiatto to go along with my brownie and it was very aromatic and good flavor.
The owner is super sweet too!
Make sure to bring cash.

DID NOT no was in Oak Park! But anywho… the gals working there are pretty swell… I did not ask to many questions but they all gave a great smile and amazing vibes.
Got the Cake Balls vanilla w/​sprinkles and tried the red velvet cake balls WAS DELICIOUS
so the question (?) will i return or go out the way to visit the swell girls at The Bleeding Heart Bakery
I say YES to Bleeding Heart Bakery in Oak Park!

Not impressed. Purchased a 12 cake ball Groupon for $ 10 because I checked out the website with all their cool flavors like Veruca Salt, Bananas Foster, etc. Website has NOT been updated in a LONG time. They did not even have red velvet which seems like it is one of their staple flavors. FYI… with this Groupon, you also have to pay an additional $ 2 tax at the store.
Unable to provide basic directions to your store… UNACCEPTABLE. The person that answered the phone stated they were across the street from the train tracks, but otherwise could not provide further directions because they were not from Oak Park. FYI, they are near the Pumpkin Moon store on the same side of Harlem/​North Blvd as Gap, Old Navy, etc…
The chocolate mint cake ball and chocolate raspberry cake balls were good! Bakery is tidy and décor is pretty cool.

I have tried this place three times. Colorful, with friendly staff.
The first time I got a cupcake, it was the end of the day and the cupcake was dry. I don’t understand why they have the cupcakes sitting on a plate on the counter top in the open air.
Then I went in with a friend and tried a cheesecake-​free cheesecake and a cake ball. The cake ball was pretty good, but the non-​cheesecake was super bland.
Third try, I got a cupcake that was supposed to replicate a cadbury egg, but the chocolate cake had absolutely no chocolate flavor and the cupcake was not moist. My husband got of apricot bar, which was good.
I’d give this place a try again because I like the people there.

If Avril Lavigne were a baked good, she’d probably be the chocolate strawberry cupcake. Sugary, sweet, pop-​princess pink creamy icing on top of a chocolate cuppy so bold that I’m pretty sure it would come up to you in a bar, steal your drink, punch you in the face and then shove its tongue down your throat. And you’d like it and ask for seconds. Yes, it was that good.
In fact, I saw this bakery on my way to a 5K and made a point to drop in on my way back home. The girl working the counter stopped in the middle of helping me out and said, «Wait, are you running a marathon or something?», in regard to the bib number I still had on. I told her I just finished a race, but nothing that epic, and I was ready to refuel. However, if you were running a marathon and anywhere near this place, I totally wouldn’t judge you if you took a little detour to buy one of their goodies on your way to the finish line. It would be worth it. But I digress…
OK, so maybe a crossover Canadian artist isn’t the best example to use for BHB, because they were actually playing honest to goodness real punk rock music in the background. Unfortunately, the cost reflected a mainstream glamorized price tag: $ 3.01 for a single cupcake. It was well worth it for a special treat, and luckily too expensive to make a daily diet disaster out of it.
Perhaps Billy Idol would be a better icon to compare their cakes to. I might have had better, but they’ve been few and far between and I couldn’t even remember where I got them from. This place will go down in history. You’d be deaf if you couldn’t hear their rebel yell of deliciousness that left me dancing with myself.

Like other reviewers have said, I really wanted to like this place, but I just didn’t.
BOTTOM LINE: Cupcakes were dry; for the most part, the frosting is what differentiated the different flavors (not the cake); the service was friendly.
I went in to get 6 cupcakes for my husband’s birthday – green velvet (red velvet died green for St. Patty’s), apple bacon, chocolate, double chocolate, mint chocolate and chocolate peanut butter. I arrived around 4:30, so I pretty much just got one of each that they had left.
I was disappointed. The chocolate, double chocolate, chocolate peanut butter and chocolate mint all had the exact same cake flavor – chocolate. The frosting is what made them different from each other. I’ve had cupcakes elsewhere, and usually it’s both the cake and the frosting that create one unique cupcake.
Additionally the cake was very dry – particularly the green velvet. Finally, the apple-​bacon one tasted like bacon. That seems appealing, but it just didn’t work. It was way too overpowering and not balanced well with the sweet frosting.
The 6 cupcakes were just over $ 18 and we ended up pitching half of each one (my husband and I tried a quarter of each cupcake). Neither of us wanted seconds.
I had considering ordering my son’s next birthday cake here (they do cool, creative cakes including Yo Gabba Gabba), but if the cupcake quality is any indicator of the cake quality, no thank you.

I was immediately drawn to this bakery after seeing the website — badass baked goods, who wouldn’t love that? I definitely give the punk rock style of the store front and even the baked goods (wrappers, design, etc) a ten! Onto the actual pastries though…
Good selection of items, well-​paired and interesting array of flavors (pumpkin with fig jam and cinnamon frosting, spiced pear with ginger, salted caramel), and generally pretty. I got six but only tried one so far — the elvis — which has banana cake, peanut butter frosting, and bacon. While I“m not a huge bacon fan, the frosting was exactly what I wanted it to be — thick, flavorful, sweet. Moist cake. Dig it, and looking forward to eating more.
We also ordered two «cake balls.» THey had a good selection that were all fun looking, round, and rolled in different decorative touches. The red velvet was killer good — crunchy outside, moist and flavorful inside (the red velvet actually had flavor which is so hard to come by) and had a nice white chocolate shell. The chocolate peanut butter was a little less good… seemed like an off mix of peanutty dark chocolate. Meh, oh well.
As for the service? Pretty bad, actually. The guy behind the counter seemed indifferent to us and our questions — most of which he couldn’t answer. I got a shirt because they were so cute, but I almost didn’t because he had such a hard time selling to me. But I guess what do you expect from an «F-​U» style bakery?

Came here after buying the recent groupon. The groupon package was impressive in of itself. I believe it came with a couple of scones, cake balls, brownies, cupcakes and lemon bars. The scones are hearty, a bit dry but very tasty. Cupcakes are very good. Red Velvet were certainly great. Lemon Bars (which are normally not my favorite) are excellent. Cake Balls are interesting creations. They were not consistent from item to item IMO.
They had a great selection of gluten free items here and the story behind it is great — ask the staff about it.
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars here and a 3.5 stars.

Truth: I came here after reading about Bleeding Heart’s lemon bars. Verdict? They’re totally terrific!
I’ve never been to the Chicago location so I can’t compare, but this bakery is as cute as its baked goods.
Lots of gluten-​free choices (I hear they have this gluten-​free stuff down to a delicious science) and they’re less than a block from the Harlem Green Line stop. What’s not to love?
I’ll be back for a sugar fix soon. Yummers!

I already love Oak Park, and I really didn’t need another reason to visit, so Bleeding Heart Bakery is just extra icing on the cake. I have never visited the first location so I really didn’t know what to expect with the baked goods. And in a nutshell, they were pretty amazing. Good coffee to boot!
I picked up an assortment of goodies for a group of us to share. Oohs and Yums all around! I got a few cake balls to try since I had no idea what a cake ball was. I didn’t find anything great about the sweet potato cake but really liked the red velvet.
The Strawberry Shortcake cupcake was shared between two of us and it was very good. I loved the icing – not too sweet. And a fresh strawberry taste all throughout. There was a chocolate/​beer cupcake, and even though the server behind the counter had never tasted it and couldn’t give me their take, I got it anyway. So let me share – it was really good! Good chocolate flavor, not at all «beer-​y» but was very moist.
What I loved the most were the bars. First, they are HUGE, not good-​serving-​huge, but share-​with-​a-​friend-​or-​two-​or-​save-​some-​for-​later-​huge. Second, they taste amazing. I tried the lemon bar and the raspberry bar and even though I am a cupcake fanatic, the bars would be my go-​to here. Third, go get some, yes, go try them or go back and get some.
Service was very friendly and so patient with a newbie liked me who couldn’t decide what I wanted. Smiles, coffee and bakery goods in the morning? That’s the way to start the day!