Baker Miller Bakery & Millhouse

Hands-​down favorite breakfast spot in the entire city. Cinnamon rolls to die for. Incredible breads, oatmeal, grits, etc. I wish they’d open more locations.

I forgot to mention on my previous post, their breakfast items can get a bit pricey. a sandwich ran me close to 10 bucks. Wish it came with a side so it would hurt less once you see the portions.

I have mixed feelings about Baker Miller. In general, the food is outstanding and service is usually good. However, the thing that bugs me the most is this place is just unfocused and constantly changing. The owners frequently post on Instagram and Facebook that Baker Miller are going through major transformations, changes in vision, changes in food, etc. Sometimes simple is better. the original menu BM had was great and not overly complicated. I liked the toast bar they had set up with the jams and butters. Now that’s gone. The arrangement inside BM is constantly moving around and gets confusing. A few months ago there was this big proclamation about making changes for the better and BM brought in a new partner from New York they knew from a place this guy used to own in Brooklyn. Food changed a lot in the months following, some things went back to the way they were below but overall things were confusing and some of the food just wasn’t as good.
I’ve been here a lot and have come less in the last few months. The food is generally good and seasonal changes seem right. However, recently, the awesome biscuits they have seem different. Kind of bland and really really bready. They just don’t have the same texture and taste as they used to. I had the grits this morning and while they were really good, the menu said beef chorizo sausage, but inside was just a huge link of bacon sausage. I ordered an ice coffee but the draft iced coffee thing wasn’t working and the employee didn’t tell me, just filled up a cup full of ice with hot coffee, which I hate. That’s not iced coffee. By the way, the loafs of bread are awesome! Very pricey at $ 8 a loaf, but worth it for the quality once in a while when you want premium bread.
What I liked about BM at first was their dedication to pies. Then they just disappeared. Then recently reappeared but slices are never on the menu. Myself and a lot of people would come in for a slice of pie, but when they are available and how you can order them are not clear.
I really think the opening of Hot Bar has taken the focus away from BM. Even Hot Bar was all over the place, first going to be a general store and then a coffee spot in the morning and the offerings were all over the place. The stuffle was their «thing» but flamed otu quickly. Original sandwich offers were good, but not great. Now the sandwiches are underwhelming but coffee is great.
Back to BM, as I said the menus are constantly changing to a point that you just don’t know what their staples are anymore. The designs of the menus change constantly and often they are hard to read (fonts are small). I would prefer a standard menu with daily specials. Overall, just refocus and straighten out the customer service a bit. Communication is key when food or drink will be different when ordered. Also, for some reason, the chefs never think to give you a bag when you have to go orders. They always stack the containers on the ledge and it doesn’t occur to them with your drinks and everything else that oyu can’t balance a bunch of plastic containers. Little things like this go a long way.

Brunch is a meal sandwiched between breakfast and lunch — two glorious times to eat. This place on Western Avenue sandwiched between the «Chinese KungFu Institute» and the «Spoon Thai Restaurant» — potentially two glorious institutions to partake in. Mr GPS led the gurlie and I to an alley, so don’t be fooled!
Inside, this place gives off the vibe «small business» which I really dig. I would say «homely», but someone told me that the word“homely” means something bad, and that’s not the case at all — what I really mean, is it gives me this sense of home, google tells me the right word is «homelike», so we’ll go with that. The dining area is smallish, so finding a seat/​table can be tricky, but not impossible. Each table has a little toaster, which I thought was pretty cool.
The people here are super nice and friendly, and your name is yelled out when your food is ready after the cooks have painstakingly assembled your dish. I ordered the Chorizo & Grits Bowl with salsa verde & a soft egg. The chorizo gave the dish the perfect level of spice and the egg was nice and runny — it reminds me of the soft eggs that come with your ramen. Money. It also came with sour cream, which personally I never had with grits, but it was absolutely phenomenal. I also had a sip of the apple cider which was delish as well.
Overall, nice place for brunch. They also have their grits packaged up in sacks in case you want to take one or two for the road.

Mighty delicious and very chill spot for some good breakfast and lunch! Baker Miller is a quaint breakfast spot that sure gets packed during crunch time!
My boyfriend and I had a lovely brunch here this weekend and it was poppin’! We snagged a table just as the group sitting there were leaving but that was the only seat in the place. Each table comes equip with a toaster and fun artwork which you can purchase.
Service was very friendly but orders can sometimes take a bit of time to come out. When yours is ready, they yell your name so don’t meander too far!
We are beasts that wanted to try a variety of things so we had~~~
Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie $ 3
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pie $ 5
Smoked Salmon, capers, cream cheese, shallots, dill & cucumber on their homemade bread $ 9.75
Chorizo & Grits Bowl with salsa verde & a soft egg $ 10
Apple Cider $ 4
Coffee $ 2.27
Across the board, everything we had was very solid with beautifully fresh presentation on our main dishes. I was quite pleased with the baked goods as well with the peanut butter & chocolate pie being incredibly unique and indulgent. It seemed a bit pricey to me for a slice but it was well worth the cost! Even the apple cider was wonderful — not too spicy, not too sweet, Goldilocks bear just right!
I had been wanting to come to Baker Miller for quite some time and I can’t believe I waited as long as I did. I didn’t know what I was missing! Fabulous Ravenswood/​Lincoln Square spot for a light brunch.

I have a serious sweet tooth, and I think the desserts here are subpar — we tried the PB&J hand pie (weird filling, though crust was delish), chocolate chip cookie (tasted fig-​newton-​esque w/​a strange texture to boot), the cinnamon roll that came highly recommended by the cashier (dry, not that cinnamony, but frosting was delish).
For the salty dishes, we picked up the Southern breakfast sandwich which featured collared greens and bacon with a Cajun alfredo — super delicious, the biscuit/​bun-​type deal that it came on was world class, and we also grabbed a slice of five-​dollar avocado toast topped with radish, a super fresh and tasty salsa verde. Cajun biscuit was amazing, but I think the avocado toast was slightly under salted. I also grabbed the savory handp ie of the day which was described to me as a sort of pizza pocket, but I felt the filling was more reminiscent of French Onion soup. It pains me to say this, but skip the sweet dishes, and focus on a very solid breakfast.

This is my second review and my second visit. Service was very nice. I ordered avocado toast and husband had grits and an egg. My avocado toast looked pretty but wasn’t very flavorful. The grits were just barely warm.
We brought home cookies that also had no flavor. Boston cream cupcake had about a drop of cream inside. Worst thing, they told me they won’t have pies for while. Told me to call back in a couple weeks. A very big disappointment all the way around.

So much is happening since my last visit. If you haven’t been in here for a while… schedule a visit soon. Make it a destination for alfresco dining too. I need to revisit their Hot Bar to see all the changes there too.

I know I am not an adventurous eater so I like breakfast basics. I just didn’t find anything here worthy of the calories. The savory hand pie was just not appetizing-​a mish mash of mediocre favors but the crust was amazing in texture.
I am not a fan of sous vide and that is how they cook their egg leaving you with a pile of soggy stuff. The bacon was a little undercooked leaving a lot of chewy fat.
The cinnamon roll was the saving grace, it was tender and had a good cinnamon taste.
My biggest knock is the food was not hot and the manner that a woman was doing dishes was like she was at home and probably not the safest for a restaurant to ensure up to code cleaning.
It just was not good!

Spacious café with cool tunes and delicious food. I got the biscuits and gravy — don’t recall seeing any hot fried capers on top, but the gravy was rich and peppery over chunks of soft biscuit that more resembled the awesome cobblestone chunks over a King Ranch casserole or fruit cobbler than the discs y’all might have been expecting. I put some Co-​op Honey Butter Hot Sauce all over it and lunch was gggreeeaaattt!
Mint iced tea was a bit on the weak side but it was the end of the day for them on Saturday.

Food was pretty good but not really hot. We ordered a sandwich and biscuits and gravy. The sandwich was good but really cold with the fresh greens added in it. The biscuits and gravy and I added an egg had good flavor. The biscuits were nice and fluffy, gravy nice and flavorful. Overall it was pretty good but it just didn’t seem like a place that we would go very often. I like the idea of fresh and healthy food but I thought it was over priced for what I got.

I tried the cinnamon rolls a second time and I guess I am just not a fan (my husband, however, thought they were good, so it’s clearly just my preference). Also– the response I got to my last review made me feel like a jerk, so I did take the time to email Baker Miller per the suggestion from the owner… and I got no response to what I thought was a nice and heartfelt message (I apologized if I was unduly harsh with my hipster remark, and I said thanks for the follow up, etc etc). My 3 stars stands for the cinnamon rolls but I would go back to try something else.

This review is based upon my visit to Baker Miller months ago when it just opened and I haven’t been back, so some of these issues might have been addressed.
That being said, I was disappointed with my visit and I wish I liked it more. One problem was logistics, there was no overhead menu which is not very customer friendly, especially when it’s unclear whether this is a restaurant, a café, counter service, etc. I was trying to figure out all this information and had like 20 seconds to make a blind decision with the paper menus they had at the register. Of course I felt rushed considering there was a line forming behind me, and all of this could have been avoided if there was an overhead menu or if the paper menu were more prominent as you walked in.
The second issue, and the main issue, is that the food wasn’t that good. My wife and I ordered oatmeal, grits, and a cinnamon roll. The oatmeal was ok. Nothing phenomenal and nothing one can’t make overnight at home with oats, milk, sugar and fruit. The grits were especially confusing. I’ve lived in the south so I have had some tasty grits in my day and they weren’t executed well at Baker Miller. The grits were under-​flavored as you ate them, but then all of the sudden at the very end of the bite there was this spicy kick that came from nowhere. Confused? So was I. But was it good or enjoyable? Nope.
The best thing was the cinnamon roll, so if I ever get back to Baker Miller I would just order a pastry. But tellingly, I haven’t been back after that one time and I’m unsure whether I will get back.

Best oatmeal I’ve ever had. The maple pie was excellent. The top crust worked well with the filling. The cinnamon roll was HUGE! The outside of it was a tad dry, but overall it wasn’t overly sweet like other places. Everything was of great quality, texture and taste.
Small, cute and homey place. Planning to go back and try their toast with their different spreads.

Good coffee and one of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had. The density assures that you’re getting substance, and the roll itself is sticky without being too messy. The highlight for me was the controlled sweetness of the icing.
The layout of the restaurant is pretty basic with the added convenience of a toaster placed at each table. The patio at the back is worth checking out when the weather cooperates.

Stopped by on a Saturday morning and got the oatmeal out of curiosity after reading all these raving reviews about it. Very happy with my choice – while I thought it was a bit on the pricier side, the portion size and the taste definitely made it worth it (and I don’t even like oatmeal!). Absolutely loved the cherry jam that topped it; combined with the crushed pecans, it added the necessary balance of sweet and sour to the creaminess of the oatmeal.
The shop itself is bright and welcoming, making it a fantastic place to start the day with delicious food.

Grain hasn’t tasted so good since well. Whiskey.
I can’t decide what I like best about this place:
Everything is fresh and made from scratch on site. (If you are «organic, non-​GMO etc» interested, read more on their website) and as the owners, Dave & Megan Miller describe, this is «Chicago’s first grain-​centric, sweet and savory bake house.»
The grits were… don’t laugh at me…“exquisite.” I usually think grits are nasty — runny or clumpy. I also don’t like corn beef and cabbage (yeah, Irish n all). Something — probably the cilantro mayo — informed me to get this concoction and I was rewarded. The slightly sweet cabbage, the smooth and buttery (I added a swab of their creamy butter) grits, the egg and cilantro. Oh man — texture and flavor. Exquisite.
If I forgot my toaster at home… not to worry, one at every table! What this also means is you have outlets fairly handy. What this also means is you order up the toast sampler.
The toast sampler is required so you can taste their homemade spreads! See those bell jar photos.
The staff is friendly, fun and knowledgeable.
The radiators are kickin’! «Chilly» no more. I love the interior — brick and wood booths in the back, bright windows and chairs in the front. Patio out back. (Popular with the stroller crowd.)
Fresh squeezed juices from a local store.
PB pie!!! I’ve said all this and haven’t even mentioned it. It’s like the best buckeye you’ve ever eaten with a slightly unexpected light «crunchy» in the center. (Note: the Millers formerly part-​owners of a local pie shop.)
I haven’t even yet gone nuts over this sourdough cinnamon roll.
Prices are reasonable! $ 10 on that grit bowl I mentioned. Grain, meat, egg, herb, veggie.
I was already inclined to campin out here, but was lured even deeper by print material like this new foodie/​literary magazine on the back shelf, «Lucky Peach» where I found myself reading about a «grain junkie» and also an Arizona girl doing burlesque in a big city– which ended up a freaky harbinger of where we’d find ourselves later in the week. It brings me to my next review… and, coincidentally, but probably not unexpectedly, back to food and alcohol.
Ever been in a corn maze? At Baker Miller, I felt happily adrift in a moment… eating, reading, thinking… totally lost in a virtual maze of grain. Loved it!
PS — Grains can be ordered on Baker Miller’s website and are milled to order. They’ve recently launched Chicago’s first artisan flour company…“Baker Miller Flour and Grain.”

I’ve always been a sucker for cinnamon rolls — the gooey-​er, the better. Baker Miller’s oversized Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are neatly swirled and generously slathered with icing. When warmed, they still retain that perfect level of gooey-​ness (it’s a sad day when sub-​par icing runs everywhere, but of course, this does not happen at Baker Miller). So many good things can be said about this cinnamon roll, but realistically, every carb creation at Baker Miller is special.
You know you’ve got a good thing going on when a side — or really, a flight — of toast is a treat. Three slices of the daily bread each have their own delicious crumb, making them the perfect vehicles for the assortment of self-​serve spreads. Heaping scoops of everything is the way to go, and if you mix-​and-​match butters with jams, all the better. The selection varies, but you can’t go wrong with something spicy and something sweet: black pepper sage butter + blueberry jam and spiced sorghum butter + apple cider jelly.
Seating is hard to come by indoors, but on a warm day, the back patio is where you want to be when you’re inhaling all of the grain creations at Baker Miller.

Pros:
— Blue cheese and caramelized onion hand pie… DAMN
— Breakfast sausage
— Toaster oven at every table? SURE.
— Variety of jams and sauces to try
Cons:
— Felt like the least cool/​hipster person there

Baker Miller is a quizzical new business to rank, because its concept is so thoroughly five star, but its output wasn’t overtly impressive.
Baker Miller spun off as an amicable split from one of my sweet tooth Chicago favorites, Logan Square’s Bang Bang Pie Shop. According to the Internets, the husband-​wife team, named Miller (natch) wanted to focus on craft and work closer to home. I respect that. The grain is milled in house, then baked into delicious sweets and snacks.
I needed a coffee break and the wife wanted to try this new venture, so away we went. We snagged a couple pie slices – butterscotch for me and pumpkin for her – as a snack for a table of four. Two pie slices is plenty as a nibble, but if you want your own, I don’t blame you. After seating, we noticed the jam and butter bar, as well as the toasters located on each table. That’s also how we ended up ordering really good toast bread for $ 2 apiece. I mean, the in-​store toasting a la Hampton Inn is worth the price of admission.
The pies are, well, not as good as Bang Bang. Sorry, but I feel it to be true. They’re certainly interesting. Butterscotch chip cookies from Tiff’s Treats in Austin might be my favorite U.S. sweet dessert of all time (close tie with Goode Company’s Pecan Pie). The pie filling isn’t quite that good, but it was certainly tasty. My palette questioned the crust. I feel bad about it, since there was troublesome lengths to mill the grain in house. I mean, that’s impressive. But it tasted, well, grainy. I want my crust to crumble well, stick a little, and meld into my pie. I don’t want it to taste like I’m eating a whole wheat bun that tastes like toasted quinoa while I’m gorging myself on something that could cause the diabetus with one bite.
Mini-​rant aside, the place is über-​cute and will score you brownie points with a significant other. Or with the in-​laws when you bring a pie back for Christmas dinner and get to tell the story of the husband-​wife team making good. Or you could just have a great time toasting your own bread and spreading on some jammie jams.