Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe

Can’t get much better than blue sky bakery!
Coffee, treats and breakfast sandwiches that rock. All that and they are coffee shop that donates time and money to those in need.
Just remember they do private events too so they aren’t always open. If you’re in a rush call ahead otherwise just stop by for a coffee and a tasty baked goody.

My baby shower was here and it was wonderful! The space is adorable and they did a great job matching the flowers (provided by the bakery) to the theme my sister and mother had selected. The food was very good, we had scones, quiche and salad. Later there were mini cupcakes for dessert. I am very picky with scones and I have to say that Blue Sky’s are some of the best — especially the chive and cheese!
I will definitely come back to Blue Sky in the future, and would host an event there as well. Lisa, the owner, was incredibly accommodating and wonderful. The mission is icing on the cake!

This review is for a semi-​private event. I have devoured the perfect, crumbly cheddar-​chive scones and ordered many a delicious coffee from Blue Sky Bakery, so I inquired about hosting a small birthday lunch for my sister. Over the phone, one of the employees – Emily – was SO kind and polite. She found answers to my questions and called me back. She gave the business an EXCELLENT first impression. Together with the owner, we built a menu for the event. I was able to come in early and decorate. She allowed me to bring in waffles, as they don’t make waffles, but that food item fit with my party theme. That was so nice.
Unfortunately, upon arrival, I found out that the rosemary donuts we had discussed would not be made for the event. She couldn’t get to them. Understandable, since it was a busy week with Thanksgiving pies, but definitely disappointing to find this out 20 minutes before the party. I could have supplemented with another item from home if I’d known (I chose not to add a dessert array, as offered).
After LOVING the cheddar-​chive scones here, I am sad to report that our food spread was not great. The deviled eggs were over-​salted, the charcutrie tray was more like lunchmeat than any meat tray I’ve ever had, and the crostini left much to be desired. The fresh tomato crostini was just tomatoes piled on toast – I expected some sort of spread, or something to bring the dish together. The bacon was awesome, but they do not make/​cure it in house… I don’t know where it’s from. Additionally, I had paid $ 17 per person for 8 people and there was not a lot of food put out for us. A total of 12 crostini were presented, I believe (two varieties), and all the «extra» food was removed when we seemed to be done. I wasn’t expecting to take a pile of food home or anything, but all and all, it seemed meager to me. If you’ve worked or eaten in a lot of restaurants, they just didn’t give that welcoming at-​your-​service feel.
I wouldn’t walk past Blue Sky Bakery if I’m in the neighborhood, but I wouldn’t host another event there, or recommend it to friends, which makes me sad, because I believe in their mission.

This review is for private events–
The venue is very cute and love the mission of this café. So I booked a shower here because I wanted to support the cause and there were great reviews about hosting a party here. However, the food was lacking and certainly not worth the money we paid. We had about two dozen people but the food prepared seemed like it could feed a dozen.
The owner was only there for a few minutes so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with my experience being different from others for the private party. After I’ve sent the owner a note, she offered to give me a small discount but that is after the fact and that doesn’t change the lacking experience for the guests.
Not sure if I had a one off experience but be warned before you book your event.

The baked goods are heavenly, especially the scones. I also come here to support the owner’s efforts to work with youngsters that need professional training.

My sisters hosted my bridal shower here, and it was awesome. I already really liked this place, because the work is meaningful and the food is good. I was really pleased at how great the food and space was for a larger event like this was though. Highly recommended.

My Aunt hosted my bridal shower here and it was AMAZING. The food was great, the service was great and it was such a cute location. There was plenty of space (20 guests) and we were able to walk around and mingle. I highly recommend it!

I’ve heard about this place. My education background is criminal justice and has written some articles on the topics of social justice and social reforms. My hubby and I were in North Center and he wanted to grab a quick bite.
There is free parking available. The café itself was bright and homy, with about five (5) large tables on site. We didn’t order any drinks, as we both have had our morning coffee. We chose the mixed berry and pear ginger almond scones. Checked in at Unilocal and got $ 1off $ 5, so the total came in a little more than $ 4.
I liked the mixed berry scones; I especially liked the berries because I can taste the essence of what fresh berries. In other words, those berries were the real deal! However, the pear ginger almond scone was very unique, in a positive way. The ginger seemed to «transform» to have a sweeter taste, but this transformation was subtle because the ginger and sugar created harmony so that the scone was not overly sweet. The almond then provided just enough kick to it. Well done!
As some of you already knew, Blue Sky Bakery employs at-​risk youth between ages of 18 to 24. What they learn from working at Blue Sky during the 12-​week training helps them build resume so that they can move on and find other employments in the future. Instead of providing unlimited resources and giving them out for «free» like what government does with out faithful taxpayer’s money, Blue Sky emphasizes on the mission to have those kids to be «self-​sufficient» through the opportunities that were given. See the difference?

I hosted a bridal shower brunch at Blue Sky Bakery a couple months ago in August. Not only do they have a great social mission, a shabby chic relaxed environment, and out-​of-​this world blueberry scones — they are incredibly affordable. It’s perfect for a small intimate event (you have the entire place to yourselves!!).

I really like what i see about this bakery. Yes, the food looks amazing and I had the spinach and goat cheese quiche (so good and fluffy and creamy, though could’ve been warmed a bit more). But what I like most is the purpose of this place. I think more businesses should do what they’re doing for community by helping empower the youth as homeless. If I cater for an event, I’ll definitely put them in top consideration.

Hosted my sister-in-law’s bridal shower here and everything was perfect! The space is adorable and food was delicious. Lisa was very accommodating and quick to answer all of my questions leading up to the event. I would highly recommend hosting an event here. Such a great value for what you get!

I would not recommend having a private event here, Blue Sky Bakery has a beautiful space and serves a wonderful cause, but has a not so accommodating staff when it comes to planning special events. We started a business agreement that got pretty ugly and therefore needed to be severed. Even though we couldn’t come to a common ground on the private event arrangement that I made, I still recommended them to another friend. Even though I told her about my experience, I still spoke highly of the venue. She booked an event for the following month. They double booked her date, and therefore had to move it (which messed up my friend’s invitations and guest schedules). They were pretty rude about fixing the situation also. At the end of the day, the event turned out well, the food was good and the space was bright and airy. The service just left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.

Fantastic social mission and friendly staff.
Ample lighting and spacious tables– great for studying and meetings.

As usual I came to Unilocal to find a good place to find some cupcakes for V Day. I was originally looking for a Sprinkles or something like that. Luckily Blue Sky Bakery popped up and is MUCH closer to me than a sprinkles or something of the like.
I decided to drop on in. It was super easy to find and street parking right there. I walked in and immediately warmly greeted. I will say that their cupcake selection was a little limited. I went with 2 red velvets and a oversized chocolate peanut butter one. All 3 came to under 8 bucks which I can’t complain about at all. They look equally as delicious as they taste! I LOVE the fact that they use cream cheese frosting along with buttercream (depending on the cupcake as I prefer cream cheese frosting over buttercream any day).
The deserts are great and all, but I really like the fact they help out at-​risk youth and teens. Finally a business (and a local one!) that takes a proactive approach at helping people out that need it. Couple this along with delicious food and it is guaranteed that I will be returning, next time to try some of those delicious scones and breakfast/​lunch items.

The white cheddar chive scones are ahhmazing. I could have ate three in one sitting. The spinach quiche was tasty too.
Since the breakfast sandwich was only $ 4.75 I was expecting an egg patty and pre-​cooked bacon thrown on some bread and reheated, therefore, I was pleasantly surprised that it all seemed fresh.

I came to this café last October and had a lemon coconut cupcake that was delicious. I also had a pumpkin squash soup that was so good. I really felt good supporting this place due to their cause of helping at risk youth. The cupcakes are a bit cold and frosting was set due to being chilled but I asked if they would warm it for a few seconds. They did and were so darn nice.
I had their brownies in the past and omg they are dark, rich and fudgy! So deliciously rich.
Now to the present: Went today to have their cheddar and chive scone. I love scones but hate those that are a bit too dry. This scone was delectable. Cheddary, so darn moist and such a good savory breakfast option (although I was carb craving so I had this at 1pm… lolol shhhh!!).
Haven’t been disappointed at all. Go its a lovely café and reasonably priced.

I got to work for my usual toast and yogurt, and my bread was moldy. It was a nice day out so I decided to walk over to Blue Sky Bakery & Café for breakfast since it is so close. My coworkers have been in there, I knew they had quiche, that’s what I really wanted… but they also have a savory scone on the menu, that would do. I also really love that they are a nonprofit café employing homeless and at-​risk youth. Win-​win, right?
I walked over and into Blue Sky. There was no one inside. The one person working was on the phone. I walked further in, looking at the offerings. The sign read «Today’s Quiche:______ «. I didn’t see any savory scones, only 4 sweet ones. The person working there was still on the phone. I start to give her the «please help me glare». Then I hear her say «Well, I have a customer, so I suppose I should go». She finally acknowledges me. I ask if they have quiche, she replies «I was just about to put one in the oven». I asked if they had any savory scones left– nope. They had maybe 1 – 2 other pastries and 1 – 2 varieties of muffins. I pick out a triple berry scone for $ 2 and some change and leave… with a bad taste in my mouth before I even try the scone.
True, the scone was pretty cheap, and yes-​it was tasty. Buttery and rich. Not the best scone ever, but not awful. I was really upset with the customer service though. :-/

As suspected, Blue Sky was worthy of a booty bump to 5 stars! Why?
*friendly, laid-​back staff
*plenty of seating for customers to study, read, or just kick back and relax
*white. cheddar. chive. scone. aka CRACK! I fruckin’ LOVE these thangs.
*cheaper than Starbucks (e.g. $ 2 for a scone, $ 3 for a small latte)
*cute ambience, with antiques along the walls, inc. an awesome vintage bike)
*HALF OFF of 1-​day-​old pastries! (they’re hiding off to the far right of the counter)
Oh and one last thing… white. cheddar. chive. scone. (seriously, you need to try it!)

5 stars for good samaritans and damn good cookies!
For those of you who don’t know, Blue Sky is not your typical bakery. While they still sell scrumptious baked goods, sandwiches, pies, cakes, tea & coffee galore, they also run a community employment program for at-​risk youth by offering employment at the bakery in addition to other support & employment services. What a fantastic idea and way for Blue Sky to get involved and contribute to the community. Bravo!
Now to the food…
Through a couple visits on my own, and a couple Groupon purchases, I’ve sampled an array of goods from Blue Sky:
–Cupcakes: Big. Not the best cupcake I’ve ever had, but a solid, good one. (red velvet was my fave.)
–Cookies: Awesome. Chewy chocolate chip — these things are gigantic and some of the best bakery cookies I’ve ever had (size of my spread out hand, or face…)
–Sandwiches: Pretty good. Got a couple chicken sandwiches to-​go (sliced chx breast, bacon + tomato & blue cheese on fresh roll), and heat them up on my sandwich press at home — made the cheese melty and the bread crunchy. (Maybe they’d be hot and crunchy like that if you ordered & ate at the café? If not, I recommend heating up at home.)
–Brownies & cheesecake brownies: Good, moist & chewy. Can a brownie be bad? These weren’t…
–Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins: As good as they sound, with big fresh blueberries. Wish they were a tad (or a lot) bigger.
Yet to try:
* Their quiche looks amazing… I think that will be my next purchase.

TGFY! (Thank God For Unilocal!) I had kept eyeing Blue Sky Bakery on my Bookmarks ‘To Try’ list for months. Being Father’s Day today, I figured being away from home and «fatherless» I’d explore a café to relax in while eating breakfast and writing reviews that are well overdue.
Little did I know that BSB had RELOCATED from Albany Park to a store front in North Center along Lincoln Avenue (a block north-​west from the Addison Brown Line stop). I travelled towards the Loop instead of towards Kimball and set off on my excursion.
I arrived at the bakery and my «food-​hound» nose led my way. As I stepped in the door, I heard the constant beating of the mixers spinning up the soon-​to-​be focaccia bread. The prior Albany Park space has been maintained with the same antique tables and chairs that seem as if they were transplanted from an abandoned schoolhouse. Local art continues to cover the [no longer robin egg blue] walls with adorable chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The menu takes care of your Thirst and Hunger. Fresh pastries cover the counters ranging from scones, to muffins, to quiche. Don’t leave out the Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies or full-​o-​frosting cupcakes. I personally wanted to take on their homemade granola which is full of cashews and bits of coconut (after experiencing the taster cookie and bread bits). Don’t fret, the granola is light enough where you don’t have to chew too hard like normal granola. They also have soy milk for us pickier ones. Of course they offer a variety of coffee and tea products from The Coffee and Tea Exchange – it IS a café after all. So grab a cup and your laptop and pass some time online while taking advantage of their free Wi-​Fi (ID: BlueSkyCafe) and enjoy!
Wait, hold up… I wrote this much without mentioning the mission?! Blue Sky educates and employs homeless and at-​risk youth from all over the ChiTown. What does at-​risk mean? Well anyone who has an incomplete education past, lack of work experience and references, unclear career direction, criminal records, and unstable housing which all prohibit the individual from seeking employment and experience. Being a not-​for-​profit employee myself, I’m all about causing change by carefully choosing where I eat and shop. Not only do you find the bakery busy cooking away, but you can also find them selling their products at two neighborhood farmers markets in Wicker Park and Printers Row.
Best of luck BSB! I overheard that during the two-​weeks in the new location you’re already busier than your old space. YAY!