Sophie’s Great Food

This place is wheat free heaven. Food was hit or miss… bread rolls and bagel were ok not great, vesuvio potatoes were amazing, cupcakes were frozen which was a disappointment, crescent cookies were delicious, cream of chicken rice soup was not very good. Lots of vegan options too. Really great place overall. Hope they stay on business. Love love the hummus and gf pita! My new favorite item is the gf vegan falafel pita wrap… amazing! Veggie burger is good too on pita bread. Pizza was really yummy too. I could eat here every day.

I went to Sophie’s today to stock up on pita, which is a staple for me. The awnings were down and the windows were papered over. What’s up? Permanently closed or another rebranding?

Sophie’s Great Food sadly doesn’t do what it says on the tin — the food is patchy at best, ranging from «not bad for gluten free» to «frankly inedible». The cupcakes went down well with our kids, and the cookies were fine if a bit stale; a rice pudding, however, was grey, crumbly and flavorless. If I’d made it myself I’d have thrown it away, not tried to charge people to eat it.
The kitchen is gluten and peanut free; unfortunately and somewhat mystifyingly, though, nut allergies apparently aren’t taken too seriously. We asked about tree nuts and were told the bakery only used almonds; it was only after we pointed out items containing hazelnuts, cashews and pistachios on display that the waitress said «oh yeah, those too». We wound up ordering a cookie that we were told contained only almonds, and had been prepared in strict segregation from other nuts, only to find that it was actually studded with big chunks of pecan.
The Chicagoland area doesn’t have much in the way of gluten and peanut free offerings, so Sophie’s is good to have around. Still, don’t expect too much, and be very cautious if you have dietary restrictions other than peanut & gluten.

Sad to have to write this update.
Rose’s apparently no longer involves Rose and as a result the place is pretty disappointing now. Gone are all of the pastries that I actually crave and that are hard to find — the croissants, for example. Instead you have mostly empty display cases, staff who doesn’t really seem too involved or interested in your business, and a very streamlined menu.
Very disappointed.

Sad to say that I think that this place has gone significantly downhill since the name and menu change. Since going gluten free two and a half years ago, this was my go-​to place. We recently went in for lunch for the first time since the change, and I’m not sure we will be back. We ordered the same things we usually did (hot dogs for the kids, garden burger for my mother in law — I tried the new burger on the menu), but all of us, including my 8 year old, noticed a decline in the quality of the bread. Rose’s provided a nice alternative to regular bread — the bread now was very dry and mealy. Same problem with the cookies. Variety of cookies is down too — there are only a few choices now — several old favorites seem to have been eliminated. Sad to see a really wonderful place go down in quality like this.

Today was my first time there under the new name Sophie’s. The deserts were awful. cheesecake was dry and hard and the blueberry crumb wasn’t very flavorful. super disappointed since I’m celiac and love deserts and I loved Rose’s. hopefully they go back to the recipes and ingredients Rose’s would use :/

I remember when this place was under the Roses moniker, and wasn’t very good. Fast forward a few years and I found myself at Shophies… change is a good.
Seeing as I have Celiac disease, this place is tailored to me and my kind. They have mainly baked sugary goods that we miss out on. Sadly, As with all gf bakeries, No freaking donuts. They mainly have breads/​bagels, muffins, cupcakes, and cake/​coffeecake. Everything is fine, nothing mind melting though.
I had a Monte cristo sandwich for the first time in like 18 years, which was a win. Also had a BLT which, ya know, is impossible to screw up. Coffee was mediocre typical café style.
I would definitely revisit and recommend.

Love this place even more now with the updated menu. It is so nice to have a place for my son and I need to eat without any worry of cross-​contamination or explanation of what celiac disease is. not only do they have an extensive gluten-​free menu, but they also have one for kids. The only thing they’re missing is a fryer so they can make some gluten-​free french fries or potato chips. There is a definite lack of sides for your meal. The upside is the meals are a decent size portion and delicious so they’re always finished.

My husband got me a Chicken avocado wrap from Sophie’s in Highland Park today and it was disappointing. The chicken was very thin and hard/​overcooked and the avocado slices were black. I’m not kidding. We also tried a chocolate cake since we were celebrating a birthday. The cake itself was very good but the decoration was very amateurish. Come on guys, you can do better than this… I hope.

Rose’s is now called Sophie’s. My first time there. Unimpressed. My falafel pita has two smallish, flat falafels inside, a little lettuce and a thin slice of tomato with some dressing. The outside of the pita was covered in something oily. My wife’s goat cheese and spinach pizza was tough (probably rice dough since Sophie’s is gluten free); and also overly oily. I wished for more but was disappointed. My wife and her office had been coming here for quite some time, ever since it was called Rose’s. There’s been a change in ownership … and building color (now green).
We had a marble brownie for dessert, but that too was nothing much to speak of; mostly dry. Bottom line: expensive and virtually tasteless.
Sorry to say, I won’t be back.

Pizza was good, actually thought it was better leftover because the crust was crackery and had softened a bit the next day. Not sure if the cupcakes are vegan but definitely lack a creaminess that would be nice. Cake part a bit dry. Wish they wouldn’t cover them in sprinkles, just blah sweet and powdery like sprinkles always are. The cupcakes are fine but not great. They are a bit too sweet in the icing and then too bland in the cake. It’s like the favors don’t blend. Sprinkles (the shop) GF red velvet is unfortunately better.

I’ve now been to Rose’s twice. Once for lunch (with a few goodies to go) and once just to get some pita/​rolls/​cookies. Having recently gone GF, it is great to have a place where 100% of everything they sell is GF. And because of that, they can really focus on having baked items that equate to their wheat-​laden brethren. The only item that was just so-​so was one of their cupcakes. This will be my go-​to place for my bread shopping for the future. My next goal is to get them to open up a third location, hopefully near River North.

½ stars do not register here. I give Rose’s Wheat Free Bakery 3.5 stars.
Wow, I went in this last weekend after a long hiatus… the vibe is so different now. Rose’s used to be buzzing with tons of people and lots of variety in their baked goods. The dining room had a handful of people, the staff seemed to have been cut by 90%, and the variety of baked goods in the display cases has diminished dramatically. Plus, the new hours are rather restrictive.
Ok, so now let’s get to the baked goods; I think her French and Millet sandwich bread are fabulous! The German chocolate cake and the brownie were quite good too! I had the curried chicken sandwich and a seeded bagel and my girlfriend had one of the salads, the falafel wrap, and basil hummus… woah, the basil hummus is addictive, really really great!!! She did not care for the falafel or the pita, as it was kinda doughy and chewy. I only like Rose’s pita when it’s toasted, this takes away the doughy and chewy-​ness, which I think is necessary for a lot, if not, most Gluten-​free goods. My only other complaint is that the bagels have diminished in size by quite a bit… almost seems like they’re now half the height/​size. Also, they seem to have a different flour blend, I prefer the old way for sure!
Despite my complaints above, I will ALWAYS shop at Rose’s, as I think Rose is such a fabulous lady. And, of course, Rose has many baked goods that are truly tough to beat in terms of flavor and texture.
Lastly, thank you Rose for your years of dedication and hard work and for bringing quality tasty gluten-​free cuisine and baked goods to us Celiacs!

For lunch today I had Rose’s BLT sandwich that consited of smoked bacon, organic romaine lettuce, tomato & mayo served on toasted french bread. It was so delicious I finished the sandwich in 2 minutes.
The baked good and pastires look so good. The cheesecake brownie is my weakness.

This place is an oddity in the free market. It deserves a serious study by a business school to investigate how this place is still in business.
I tried this place a couple of years ago, and was hoping that — somehow — things had improved (especially after their makeover). Alas the only thing that has changed is their façade. They’re even more pink on the outside now.
Alas it’s the same mediocre /​bad food. I’m not gluten free myself, but I frequently try gluten free food which tastes good, even by my non-​GF standards. Their food however is just plain bad all around.
Their «Challah» is a joke and should just not be called a Challah. The only thing that makes this hard brick similar to an actual Challah is the name and color of the crust. Nothing else even closely resembles an actual Challah.
Their cup cakes are expensive and taste like corn. Not sure about you, but I prefer pastries not to taste like corn. My wife strongly disliked them. There are other bakeries out there which make actually good tasking gluten free pastries.
I’m sure they have a couple of good pieces of food, but we haven’t found them yet. I can’t possibly imagine why anybody goes there — maybe people don’t realize that there are better alternatives? I feel bad for anybody who thinks they have to go there because they can’t eat gluten.
We gave this place a fair share of tries and we won’t be back.

I finally came back to eat and was less impressed than my first visit although still enjoyed myself.
Its seat yourself and order at the counter. To be fair it was fairly busy but my sister in law (who was just one ahead of me in line) got her food waay before us. And the cashier had major attitude. For what its worth I stopped by a few weeks ago for a latte– same guy behind counter, same attitude. Perhaps I’m not enough of a hipster?
All that said, I loved my food. It was fresh and undeniably healthy and very tasty. I’ve never had gluten free pita before and found it delicious. My kids ate theirs too (I trust them as food critics) and even my husband didn’t complain too much. Bonus!

I was hoping for more based on the reviews. Granted, I’m new to eating gluten free due to health issues, but I still thought that if a place specialized in gluten free stuff that it’d be good.
I got four cupcakes for a birthday party. They were very dry, grainy, and left a filmy aftertaste in the mouth. I also got a frozen pizza. It wasn’t terrible, but I’ve definitely had much better gluten free pizza.
My friend, who has been gluten free for years due to Celiac’s was also not a fan.
Disappointed.
I’ll be seeking out other places that offer gluten free baked goods next time I need some, because I couldn’t even eat these.
I gave two stars instead of one because I applaud the effort behind a gluten free café, and I didn’t try anything other than the baked goods and pizza.

Overall, Rose’s offers more than just wheat free goods.
They serve a growing niche market. It’s not only a bakery, but also a café for people that suffer from various food allergies/​intolerances and on special diets (dairy free, gluten free, vegan). They serve a variety of allergy friendly foods. I would recommend the curried chicken salad.
Why only three stars? The steep price tags on bakery and food items. The curried chicken salad sandwich on a croissant was over $ 12! Also, the croissant was really dense and a little underbaked in the middle. The bakery item I sampled was pretty dry.
I would return and I would definitely recommend it to people who suffer from food allergies.

Which of the following do you enjoy?
A) lots of baked goods: vegan cupcakes, brownies, bars, some sugar free, some soy free
B) fresh café offerings like sandwiches, pizza, and salad
C) a bustling environment that may not lend to a relaxing meal
D) an establishment with all offerings gluten free and wheat free
E) steep price tags
F) all of the above
If you picked all of the above, you’ve nailed Rose’s. Rose’s does great business, as evidenced by a crazy busy Sat. lunch hour. My chair got bumped repeatedly throughout my meal by the bus boy, other customers, and kids frolicking around.
I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken curry salad with avocado slices, but the $ 13 price tag was high.

Some say you can’t spell «dessert» with out the glutens but Rose’s says otherwise. And they’re RIGHT!
I kind of went overboard last time I went here because they were about to close, I was sad, and there’s few and far in between GF cake dessert options and there was plenty of room in my freezer. Not one thing disappointed. Super yum, super friendly.
I got the quiche to dine-​in on. The crust was light and flaky and my past flour-​loving self would have not known the difference. They make a mean bean brew too!
Then, for the road, I got like 5 cupcakes, two tea breads, a brownie: hold the partridge and pear tree whatnots ‘cuz I’m allergic to those too.
Not. One. Thing. Disappointed. My gluten-​loving boyfriend even had a few bites and was impressed himself.
Just cause you gotta eat different, don’t mean you gotta eat bad. Thanks Rose’s!