Review: BitterSweet Gluten Free Bakery in Eagan, MN

After a lengthy absence I have decided to break the silence with a review that is just a bit different from the previous ones.  For starters, BitterSweet is a bakery and therefore cannot be held to the same accountabilities as a restaurant.  Because of this I will concentrate on three categories:

1) Customer Service
2) Food Quality
3) Catering to Dietary Needs

Customer Service
Since discovering BitterSweet, my wife and I have yet to have a negative experience when it comes to the employees and how they interact with their customers.  On our first visit, upon stepping up to the counter we were greeted by an enthusiastic and very helpful employee that gladly answered any questions we had.  She presented a very welcome empathy as well, having revealed her lactose intolerance while she helped point out what baked goods were also dairy-free (my wife is allergic to both gluten and dairy).  While I have not been back to the bakery in person as of this writing, I did call to get an estimate for getting five dozen cupcakes for our wedding and the person I spoke with was very friendly and professional in answering all of my questions.

Taking my personal interactions with them and my wife's on different occasions into consideration, I have nothing bad to say about any of the customer service here.  Everyone is entitled to have a bad day, but I have yet to experience one at BitterSweet.
RATING: 10 / 10

Food Quality
When most people hear "gluten-free" or "dairy-free" they likely envision dry, grainy food that tastes and smells nothing like what they are supposed to be.  In many cases, this is true.  Mainly on account of the fact that ingredients must be utilized that may be completely foreign to many people.  When the recipe is just right and the baker knows what he/she is doing however, it is a much different story.

Their products include bars, breads, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, pies & pie crust, pizzas (take and bake) & pizza crust, and more!  If you find it hard to believe that all of these are without gluten (and dairy for many), then you won't believe how good they taste!  I was blown away from the very first bite.

As of this writing I have eaten or tried their lemon bar, various cookies (chocolate chip, sugar, etc.), various muffins (blueberry, lemon poppy seed, etc), and a variety of cupcakes with non-dairy frosting (an alternative to their dairy-based frosting).  To put it simply: they were all amazingly delicious.  If you enjoy any of these baked goods from a typical bakery, store, or even from home you will not be disappointed at all.  No grainy texture, very moist, and no taste sacrificed because of alternate ingredients.  I have a huge sweet tooth (just ask my wife) so I make no qualms about letting it be known when I don't approve of how something tastes.  Or to put it more succinctly, "I'll tell you if it sucks."

In all honesty you would be hard pressed to find gluten and dairy-free sweets that taste this good anywhere in the Twin Cities.  Of course in my opinion, these are even better than many of your typical baked goods; sweet and delicious without feeling like you've just swallowed a pound of sugar.
RATING: 10 / 10

Catering to Dietary Needs
Unless you skipped to this part of the review it should be obvious as to where BitterSweet Bakery stands in this category.  That is, unless you have extremely bad short-term memory, in which case I apologize.  First of all they cater exclusively to people that have celiac disease and gluten allergies, plus many of their products are dairy-free for the lactose intolerant!  Then for those with other food allergy concerns there is a listing of the ingredients for each baked good on their website.  As an added bonus, they even have a listing of restaurants around the Twin Cities that cater to people requiring gluten-free meals.

All things considered, they are top notch in considering the dietary needs of their customers!
RATING: 10 / 10

As you can tell from the ratings above, this place is awesome.  If you want something super sweet and full of sugar with no actual taste...well you may want to look elsewhere.  But if you want delicious baked goods that you can eat with your lactose intolerant child, or a friend with celiac disease, or even if you're the person with food allergies you can not go wrong with BitterSweet Bakery.  In fact, just give this place a try even if you don't have or know anyone with food allergies!  I know I wasn't disappointed, and you won't be either!

In Short: EAT HERE!
*** OVERALL RATING: 10 / 10


BitterSweet Gluten Free Bakery
2105 Cliff Road
Eagan, MN 55122
(651) 686-0112
http://bittersweetgf.com/