My gluten free heaven! This has been a mainstay since they had their original location with a dine-in option. They are now located near Clark and Diversey (in Lakeview still) and carry-out only. There is street parking and is located by plenty of restaurants, bars, and other shops. When waiting for your order, there are some window seats to hang out in. Interior is very clean and organized. Staff super super nice and helpful. I got a latte and the smashed avocado toast with a poached egg. It came with a side salad. It was all VERY good. The toast was perfection - can't believe it was gluten-free. I highly recommend any of their items - you won't be disappointed. read more

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BLUF: Dine-in prices and take-out only! Gluten Free. Food (1/5): The lemon poppyseed donut was their only redeeming item. The spicy chicken sandwich $21 was extremely soggy and chewy, and their "spicy" part is just hot sauce. It had no flavor. It was such a disappointment. And the "side salad" wow. ok. drowned in vinaigrette. The Wheat's End Skillet $22 was mid. Not spicy, bread wasn't good, and their veggies were mush. Service (1/5): There was a guy and a girl working and the girl was on coffee duty, while the guy was just taking orders and talking about lotion and soft hands. It was so weird. Ambiance (2/5): At least there's like 3 seats to sit on while you wait for your food. Other than that, it's just an "order, wait 25 mins, and take your soggy food home" place. They are a gluten free place too. Everything is put into Styrofoam take-out boxes. The prices are dine-in prices for soggy, flavorless food. I understand gluten free ingredients are expensive, but $22 for a skillet where 3 (eggs, bacon, and veggies) out of the 4 items (eggs, bacon, veggies, and bread) are already naturally gluten free is disappointing. I felt ripped off. @meni - Thanks for the comment! Cute business name! ;) read more

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For the most part- I really really love this place. As a celiac girl it's amazing to have a place where I can order anything safely. I think their lunch/brunch items are great! I've ordered the rueben so many times, it is delish! I also have a great affinity towards their chocolate chip pancakes- so yum! Other menu highlights for me are their bread (and bagels) which are so delish and I love you can buy it frozen to use at home. Their sausage gravy is SO good! And I love their open face breakfast sandwich with their delish bagels. I LOVE their sweet potato fries and the spicy mayo! All these things keep me ordering over and over again! However, some things that I am not in love with: - Unfortunately I find that I do not really like any of their cafe treats :(. I was really excited to see a cinnamon roll but in my opinion, it's a weird texture and not at all like a cinnamon roll. It has a weird spongy texture instead of a yeasted doughy lightness. Their donuts are more like cake rings IMO. Even if they are supposed to be like a cake donut they just aren't donut-y at all to me except the fact they are shaped like that. I've tried quite a few of the cafe treats and never wanted to reorder them- so that's one major bummer. I stick to the lunch/brunch items and if I am craving something sweet I usually go for the chocolate chip pancakes. Some logistical things I would love to see change in the future: - I would really really love if they could do dine in one day :/ Since having to go gluten free, eating out is just so hard and I would love for this place to be somewhere I could actually go out to eat. - I wish their hours were a little more extended too, sometimes I find myself wishing I could order for dinner! read more

This was out first time trying this restaurant and it was amazing! The food was excellent and great customer service. We will definitely be back. read more

Was so excited our airbnb was so close to cafe! My friend has a gluten free diet and so it is very fun to go places where we can split meals and try each others food! The menu has a variety of brunch options and pastries! Workers were helpful in giving recommendations. I tried the Old World Panini, Falafel Pita, and Popover with honey butter. I thought they were all pretty good. I loved the brie and fig hazelnut jam on the old world panini and i thought the bread was pretty good! When we ordered, we had to wait about 15-20 minutes for the food to be ready and there were a couple chairs in the small building for us to wait on. The popover was very good with the honey butter. Portions were big and left very full Prices maybe a little high but but seemed okay for Chicago. Happy to try it! read more

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After walking by about 500 times I finally came here for lunch on a Sunday with some of my gluten free friends, and although I am not GF, I was extremely impressed and wish I had visited sooner! First of all, the menu has so many options. Brunch and lunch and a variety of types of food. Not to mention delicious looking baked goods! They also have some special take home things like pancake mix (GF and vegan) and a little freezer with biscuits, etc. I got the turkey cranberry panini which came with delicious sweet potato fries and a yummy fry sauce. Reminded me of Thanksgiving in the best way! Super unique from other sandwiches in the area. I would totally order this again, I loved it! Highly recommend if you are gluten free or even if you are not. They don't have indoor seating and the space is pretty small - it's all takeout, but the staff were super nice and the food was prepared quickly. read more

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pricy, but quality. having celiac and few options in general, the lady put in a fat order for the two of us to split over several meals: vegan lemon poppyseed pancakes, falafel pita with fries, a brownie, a cinnamon roll, an orange spice doughnut, vegan taquitos, the buffalo cauliflower, and a side of breakfast potatos. i'll just go in order: vegan lemon poppyseed pancakes: excellent. not dense, and they even held up great even microwaved for a bit the next morning. i'm not a sweets guy generally but objectively these were awesome. A+ falafel pita w/ fries: falafel is pretty good, and the sauce isn't too bad either. their pita isn't the greatest though -- a little too thick, dense, and dry, and doesn't hold up well. i've had much better luck at home using elavegan's recipe online. the fries are generic crinkle cuts from a freezer bag.. nothing special there. C+ brownie: in the best way, it gives Hungry Man brownie -- without the pieces of corn. nicely fudgey and chewy. B+ cinnamon roll: outside seemed a bit dense but the inside was perfectly soft. most importantly, not too sweet. B+ orange spice doughnut: i've yet to find a gluten free doughnut that hits like a gluten doughnut and wheat's end is no exception. the flavor is great, but it crumbles and eats like a doughnut shaped cake more than anything. as a doughnut, C-, but as a cake, A-. vegan taquitos: these were a surprise -- even in styrofoam and a bunch of toppings they remained crispy. the salsa is also slightly spicy and tastes great which i didn't expect. my criticism here is that they just throw vegan shreds on top rather than a sort of vegan crema. even just using kite hill sour cream or an almond yogurt would be crema-esque. the shreds were just... odd. still, B+ buffalo cauliflower: interesting to offer these considering the place is takeout only and breaded items tend to not hold up to travel -- especially in styrofoam. thankfully, they still taste great. i don't recommend these to anyone who *needs* crispy fried cauliflower though because you most likely won't get that by the time it gets delivered. the sambal is a great touch i'll steal for future use. my biggest critique here is that they should cut the florets a bit smaller so it's more practical to eat. B+ breakfast potatoes: the sambal pops off again! like the cauliflower, these will probably arrive to you steamed quite a bit, but the flavor is so good i can't really complain too much -- it also helps a bit that these come in a paper container with a vent. B overall i'm glad all this food wound up being worth $120 (that's with a tip, to be fair) and ended up getting about two and a half meals each out of it all. their decision to go with styrofoam as a pick up and delivery only business is a huge bummer though just because anything hot going into it just sweats and soggies up everything inside more than some other (more expensive) alternatives. uh so, basically, if you have issues with gluten and/or are at your wits' end looking for a quality vegan meal in chicago, you'd be remiss to dismiss Wheat's End. read more

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I'm sick right now and desperately needed some soup, so when I saw that pumpkin soup on their menu I knew I had to have it. I decided to try to spicy chicken sandwich too since I haven't had one since getting diagnosed with celiac and oh my god. I am not even done with the meal but almost in tears because of how great it is that there are places like this serving delicious gluten free food! I ordered via GrubHub and it came very quickly and piping hot. The pumpkin soup was perfectly comforting and the sandwich had such a great spice, that chipotle mayo is no joke. Thank you for existing Wheats End! I've gotten bagels from here and even with the hefty price tag, they're also delicious. A celiac's dream! read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Spicy Chicken Sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered the pancakes, an Americano, and the frozen sourdough bread. The pancakes were awful. Very dry, had no taste, and would crumble whenever I picked up a bite. The americano is decent. Will update my review once I try the sourdough. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in again and tried their S'mores Latte. It was on the sweeter side but was good. I was also able to order a Flannel Latte even though it wasn't on a menu, so that was a plus! I will be coming back next time in the neighborhood for sure. read more

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This takeout only spot is a godsend to a family who is looking for gluten free options for a family member with an allergy. You can get items like biscuits and waffles and they are very close to the real deal (but ever-so-slightly off, as is the case with most gluten free items). read more

Great fix for gluten free folks. Food was good and service was decent. Would recommend if you're in the area.

Good experience- friendly staff! The cinnamon roll was great! So was the bagel! Not my favorite gluten free muffin or donut :( Also, takeout only, no dine-in seating. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Muffin, Doughnuts, Cinnamon Roll - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Wheat's End is completely gluten-free and they do it well. They have plenty of delicious options whether you want a pastry or a sandwich or maybe just some bagels or biscuits to take home and chef up later. There's not any seating inside to dine in, but they're close enough to the lake that on a nice day you can grab a gyro and soak up some sun. read more

Stopped in at Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery and treated myself to an oat milk latte and their gluten-free, vegan pumpkin donut--dropped about $10 for the duo. The latte was smooth and creamy, perfect midday pick-me-up, with no weird aftertaste. The pumpkin donut? Legit one of the best I've had--light, fluffy, and that warm cinnamon‑pumpkin flavor really hits right. The staff were super friendly--gave me the low-down on everything vegan and GF, made me feel like a regular, even though it was my first visit. Only reason I'm holding at four stars is seating's grab‑and‑go--no place to hang if you wanna chill. Still, glad to have a spot nearby with solid vegan GF baked goods and a top-tier latte. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing food and all gluten free. It's so exciting to be able to order anything on the menu and not have to worry. Bought some frozen biscuits to go and they were delicious. read more

The popovers are from the heavens above, and oh my god the shrimp n grits was so freaking good. I hope they keep it on their menu forever!

So happy to come here because it's hard to find places dedicated to gluten allergies. Food was expensive for me, but I also am a broke college student so I'm sure for other people it's reasonable. The service was good and so was the food! read more

Stopped in for a latte & vegan coconut donut. The donut was amazing one of the best I've ever had. The location is cute, the service was great. read more

CARRY OUT/DELIVERY ONLY I'm really torn about this review. First, the food. The pancakes are exceptionally good - really thick and filling. I believe they even put cinnamon in it. The bacon was good and my son inhaled the popover. I had the chorizo omelet which was average. The potatoes that come with it had some good spice. I wasn't inspired by the meal but please to be able to go somewhere safe to eat. As a family that has celiac, we really want to support those restaurants that are dedicated gluten free. It is extremely tough to eat out at all. So when we find a dedicated place, we feel safe to be able to eat there. We happen to be downtown and had a chance to go out for lunch. I saw that this was a dedicated gluten free place and decided to try it - even driving out of our way to go there. At the time I did not realize that it was carry out/delivery only. The person working behind the counter - who seemed to be in charge and I presumed the owner - could have politely let us know it was carry out only. Instead he tried to make me feel stupid with some snarky comments, while claiming they had been carry out for 2.5 years (although the pandemic just reached its 2 year mark). Is it common for this establishment to belittle its customers? So again, I'm torn. Gf dedicated places are hard to find. And yet, I don't see myself returning here. I'd rather just eat a protein bar and an apple. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Counter - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was SO delicious, and the coffee, service and atmosphere were friendly and efficient. Loved it!

Got carry out from this place for Father's Day, since my son in law has Celiac disease. It was overall very good- and my husband and I are not gluten free. We got the spicy chicken and waffles and it was very tasty- would not have know it was gluten free had we not been told. Waffles were maybe a little denser than expected but very tarty and crispy, and chicken was delicious and just spicy enough. Tasted what my daughter and son in law ordered as well- choc chip pancakes were delicious and light, biscuit and sausage gravy was good, popover was good as well, and avocado toast was fine- toast was a bit hard but avocado was nice. Food was ready when promised and packed well. Sorry, forgot to take photos. Would recommend to anyone with gluten intolerance/celiac disease. read more

Wheat's End is such a special spot! If you, a family member, or your best brunch pal (my case) are looking for a gluten free spot you can all enjoy, look no further! One of my greatest friends has celiac, and I always felt a little guilty when we'd go to brunch and I would be shoving my face with a breakfast bagel. Well, we can finally both shove our faces! Wheat's End has a phenomenal 100% gluten free brunch & lunch menu. All in-person dining is currently closed (both indoor and outdoor) so we placed an order for pickup and walked the few blocks over to the lake for a little picnic. We both went with the open-faced egg sandwich, but I got mine on an english muffin and she went with the bagel. Everything was so tasty and would make any gluten lover question if it was actually GF. I also got the chocolate chip pancakes and they were fluffy, delicious and had a touch of cinnamon which I liked. I will definitely be back to Wheat's End, with or without my gluten free friends! The menu is full of healthier breakfast and lunch options I'm dying to try. They also have frozen GF items available to take home like bagels, sourdough bread, and pizza crust. It makes me happy to know this is available for so many GF folks who love to enjoy quality treats. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been gluten free (Celiac) for years so want to start off saying I've tried many brands of bread/baked goods etc and am very tolerant and aware of what gluten free food is like. I appreciate the sentiment of having a fully gluten free, safe restaurant to dine with with any option you desire! Maybe their restaurant food is better than the baked goods I ordered but I'm beyond baffled by the good reviews of their bread here. It tastes nothing like normal bread. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch. I usually order bagels online to be shipped, on occasion, as a treat. This weekend I didn't want to wait and decided to try Wheat's End as it's local. I ordered bread, bagels, a cookie and a brownie for my freezer. The brownie and cookie were tiny for the price and not good at all! The brownie was dense, gummy and tasted like some sort of packaged "diet" treat. The cookie also had a weird texture and despite being chocolate chip tasted like cinnamon. With bakeries like defloured around and literally ANYTHING else at the grocery store I honestly do not know how they stay afloat. The bread was equally terrible, with a super strange, bad after taste. I do not know how I'm going to finish it. I haven't tried the bagels yet. I hate to write a bad review but this is the biggest waste of money I've ever spent on gluten free goods and people should be aware when ordering. Absolutely terrible! buyers remorse 100%! read more

Gluten Free & Vegan options So thankful we found this spot on our 2 hour drive back home from the airport!!! The food presentation was nice! And the one who took our order was very kind, knowledgeable and helpful. We needed dairy and wheat free meals and they had so many options to choose from! The BBQ beyond burger was delicious and don't get me started on the buffalo cauliflower So GOOOOD!! Worth the stop if you need an allergy friendly restaurant. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Greek Noodles, Black Bean Tortillas Soup, Buffalo Cauliflower - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My first time at the Cafe and I bought 3 donuts they tasted awful i don't know why they put them in microwave to heat them up, the coconut was Gummy, the Pumpkin to grainy, and the lemon Poppy wasn't good at all. Paid to much money for what it's worth. read more

Love feeling completely safe eating at a dedicated gluten free kitchen!! I had very friendly and quick service. Just to note that there is NO dine-in service although I wish there was. We grabbed breakfast at a different spot but stopped here for some baked goods after. I had the popover with honey butter and it is SO good. Super soft and airy. I am looking forward to coming back and trying everything else! read more

First things first I am not gluten free, just wanted to check out a local spot. We got a popover and breakfast tacos, as well as a latte. It seemed like we must've hit the mobile order rush because it took about 25 minutes to get our food on a Sunday at 9am. They also don't have seating, everything is carry out. The tacos were very good, and came with a generous side salad. The popover was great too, and you couldn't even really tell that it was gluten free (as someone who eats gluten daily) Overall, I would return but would be sure to order ahead for pickup and have an understanding that the food will take some time. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Breakfast Tacos - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is amazing. The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. The real star is the food. I ordered a ton of food and nothing disappointed. Flavors are delicious and portions are generous. The coffee is great too. I also bought some frozen goodies to keep in the freezer for a later use. The only negative is that they don't have dine in. Definitely worth the trip and price. read more

The food was ok, but I haven't tried a ton of gluten free restaurants. Maybe it's better relative to their direct competition. Each item needed a little more love, herbs and spice. The service was my main issue. Our waiter was tough to track down and the other waiters seemed annoyed when requests were made. I'm sorry. ..I understand this isn't your table, but what should I do when my designated waiter disappears? I'd consider revisiting only if dining with a gluten free companion. Maybe my experience was a one off. read more

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Amazing tastes like real bread!!! Such a cute place too very clean & pretty inside. friendly caring people. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Belgian Waffle - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The biscuits, scones and English muffins are all shaped like hockey pucks in varying sizes. I was expecting them to be more substantial, but they feel kind of airy and crumbly. Not much to them. Disappointed. read more

They do NOT have dine in as of 11/16/23. Please consider this if you've never been there before and make a long drive for the AMAZING GF menu! Call before to confirm if it has changed. There is outdoor seating outside, ask permission to sit there from other restaurant. My friend and I walked down the street and found a table at Starbucks and ate there. Otherwise Mariano's is close by. I was so happy to an ALL gluten free menu- includes vegan/vegetarian options. I ordered several things off the menu and was not disappointed with anything! I even took home frozen goodies. All bakery items are hand made there and everything they make. Very friendly environment and friendly people! It was worth the hour+ drive! Soooo many options for food! read more

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The overall value prop sadly makes this a place we will limit coming back to. I am willing to fork over $18 for a falafel sandwich and $19 spicy chicken and waffles for lunch if I am sitting in a nice restaurant and someone is serving me. Falafel was smothered in lots more of tahini, cucumber, tomato salad; spicy chicken is delish but waffles are a hard pass. No flavor and terrible texture, really only suitable as a syrup delivery device. Since moving locations, they jacked up the prices and are only carry out. While I just love that the entire menu is gluten free, I can get similar options at other restaurants that cost less and don't require me to find a park bench to eat at when it's 84 outside. read more

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THE AMBIENCE It's pretty packed...expect to wait for 15-20 minutes to get seated. But they do have a nice bench to wait on. The noise level is medium-to-high. Seating is pretty tight as well. The first time I was here I sat on one of the benches in the middle of the restaurant and it was pretty cold. I'd expect that seated by the door (which I was the second time) but not further away from the door. That made the experience less enjoyable. THE FOOD I love that the meals are gluten free and most can be made dairy free! The first time I visited here, I tried the chocolate chip & banana waffles, bacon, orange mimosa and iced almond latte. I wasn't impressed with the waffles...they could have added more chocolate chips and bananas. The bacon was too crispy for my liking. The orange mimosa and iced almond latte were fine. Overall, the meal did not meet my expectations The second time I visited here, I tried the avocado toast (with a poached egg), iced mocha, and fruit. I did enjoy the toast and the iced mocha. I was still hungry after eating so that's why I ordered a side of fruit but I would not order that again. I'd definitely return to try a few more items that looked good or just have them deliver one time. THE SERVICE The first time, service was quite slow and the waitress forgot my friend's side order and took forever to return with a second Bloody Mary. Due to the slow service, she did give my friend his second Bloody Mary for free. The second time, service was much quicker, so it may have just been that particular waitress or too many variables out of the waitress's control. GETTING THE CHECK They use Clover which is awesome! They print out the bill, you review it, then if all looks correct, you pay right then and there. Quick and painless. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Poached eggs, grits and biscuit - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I could cry. My first fried chicken sandwich in years and it was the meal of my dreams. After reading all the comments about there being no indoor seating I truly contemplated if the trip would be worth it but I'm happy to report that the chicken sandwich was 100% worth any drive just to try it. The flavor was packed and seasoned and the textures were so balanced. Granted I had to walk a mile to find a table to eat at after I got my food so even though the sandwich wasnt perfectly warm when I opened it up, the first bite melted all my negative thoughts away. I found deep joy in my soul again. The spicy mayo, the red onions, the deeply seasoned batter and the beautifully complementing focaccia bun was everything I could've asked for. I used to be a chikfila lover, a hot fried chicken sandwich eater, raising canes, Popeyes sandwiches, church's chicken regular, and howlin rays hot chicken in Los Angeles admirer. I miss these so much but my body can't take the gluten anymore and it makes me so sad. But this fried chicken sandwich was the first sign of hope in this world. That someone could finally get it right. I must say, the price is so steep at over $20 bucks just for this sandwich and some average fries and no drink, but my belly was so happy to taste a fried chicken sandwich again so maybe this is a good meal for a celebration. Separately, I'm always looking for a GF Cinnabon replacement and not a vegan version so the vegan cinnamon roll was Just ok to me, very sweet, but not for me who would prefer a more rich dairy based frosting. I plan to come back in the future to try their other items in hopes for more surprising delight. read more

OMG You MUST try the spicy chicken & waffles. Worth the 1 hr drive from the burbs x1000000 read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had the Reuben and it was excellent! So good to have a Reuben on GF pumpernickel bread. I also got the raisin challah. It was good but missing raisins (thus the 4 rather than 5 stars). I could probably count the number of raisins in the whole loaf on one hand. If it had more raisins this loaf would be a regular purchase for me. read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I haven't been able to have good fried chicken since being diagnosed celiac 10 years ago, let alone Focaccia! Wheat's End Spicy Chicken Sandwich was so delicious and prepared on their own bread made in house! You don't see that anywhere else! So glad to have such an allergy friendly place with knowledgeable staff here in Chicago read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Spicy Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

100% gluten-free hidden gem in Chicago! They're currently offering take-out and delivery only due to Covid. We made a point to visit during our trip to Chicago this year since I have celiac and am always on the hunt for good gluten-free food where I feel safe eating. The menu is great, offering a variety of breakfast, brunch and lunch foods. It was hard to choose what to order! I ended up with the spicy chicken and waffle, because when else can I find that dish made gluten-free?! It was so good with just the right amount of spice and sweet. My husband got the spicy chicken sandwich on focaccia bread, a weekend special, with sweet potato fries. I tried a bite (or three) of the sandwich and it was amazing. We couldn't leave without getting some baked goods for later on. We opted for the cinnamon bun, brownie and an orange cranberry scone. All were delicious. This will be a go-to spot each time we visit Chicago for sure. The menu also had a lot of items marked vegan, FYI! read more

Wheat's End Cafe & Bakery - Wheats End Cafe store front. - Bakeries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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