Sweet Bean

Certainly not bad… but also not mind blowing for an establishment that focuses on baked goods. It would have been nice to have our items warmed up. Everything was fresh, but nothing seemed to me gourmet or anything to holler about. I will say, the salted egg yolk bun is the exception. That was quite delicious but unsure if I’d go out of my way for it.

Pros: - Tasty latte, beans by Counterculture - Friendly barista - Good seating options - Excellent playlist (if you like dark wave/synth, Depeche Mode, etc. :)) Cons: - Standard size for hot drinks is 12 oz, which I would consider too small for the price and location - Drinks came in plain white cups which looked quite cheapish - Nothing against unpretentious places but the overall appearance was definitely too filthy: sticky tables, lots of crumbles on the floor, windows not cleaned in a million years. I had planned to try their Taiwanese pastry but the overall condition of the place made me change my mind as the hygiene concerns outweighed my curiosity - Staff was at times a tad too engaged in private conversations, which included clearly audible parts about some of their (negative) experiences with customers. This made me feel a bit uncomfortable - gossiping, if considered appropriate at all, is not meant for customers’ ears… All in all 3 to 3.5 stars, with quite some room for improvement.

Stopped by at a Sunday around 11:30. Bought an egg tart, mini hot dogs buns on a skewer, and pork floss and mayo bun, red bean mochi bun, black sesame matcha, and Pandan mango matcha. Egg tart: this has a crumbly crust. But not a flakey crust. The egg custard was more on the creamy side. Overall, this stemmed away from a traditional Hing Kong egg tart. 3/5 Mini Hot Dog Buns on a skewer. These were delicious. Three bite sized hot dogs in a bun with some melted cheese. The skewer was a fun way to eat this. You would probably get more bang for your buck by getting the regular hot dog bun instead, but the skewer was still good. 5/5 Pork flops bun with mayo. This was solid. The pork floss paired well with the mayo and bread. 5/5 Red bean mochi bun. This was also a solid red bean bun. The mochi inside was unique. Not overly sweet. The bun was good but the bread can be softer. 4/5 Black sesame matcha. I do recommend getting some sugar added. The black sesame isn’t just flavor, but you can feel the crushed black beans. 4/5 The Pandan mango matcha was also good. The mango didn’t taste like a typical mango, I’m not sure if it’s because of the Pandan, but it tasted a little like coconut. Pandan always pairs well with matcha. 4/5 Overall, this is a solid place to grab a drink and get some pastries. Staff was nice and there were tables to sit down and enjoy your drink and good.

One thing I like about this asian bakery is that the baked goods are sized properly. Each individual product I bought, at least for me, was filling. And the variety of sweet and savory products is on par with the quintessential asian bakery Chiu Quon. The savory hotdog/cheese bakes, ham/cheese bun and bacon egg muffin were solid!! Well portioned and filling. I prefer savory over sweet. But their sweet ube red bean mochi bun and a fluffier version of the egg tart are huge winners. Wash it all down with a cup of hot coffee. This is a great way to start the day!! It would be nice if they had boxes for those that buy more than 2-3 pieces. I would have bought more but trying to juggle multiple bags and filling them with their tongs made it a bit awkward.

I love finding places that devote creative energies to their tea drinks. So I was especially excited to come across the salted caramel hojicha at Sweet Bean, and it truly did not disappoint. It wasn’t too sweet? and I could taste the hojicha which had a create nutty flavor. They have lots of other great tea options and pastries that are individually packaged. There is also a good amount of seating which closes 30 minutes before the store does. My only qualm with this cafe was the price, the drink came out to around $7.70 after tax and tip which may be on par with other places in Chicago but I think it’s still a lot. Nevertheless, I would definitely come back, I had a great experience.