Another recent addition to Northside in Cincinnati, Happy Chicks Bakery was created by vegans for vegans, and will appeal to the sweet tooth in you while keeping the flavors local and conscientious. In all of the cupcakes, cookies, pies and other seasonal items, what I really found wandering through this place was a group of folks who care deeply about what they do. And while the spot brings out a lot of locals, this neighborhood bakery should bring about a lot more attention for its great niche.
The menu keeps pretty seasonal, so some items come and go from the running. But when I visited, these were some of the great things coming out of the oven:
- Mojito cupcake: A lime cupcake with mint icing and some lime zest to finish it off. This cupcake has a refreshing crispness to it, not too sweet, and with a very fresh bite. Yes, reminds me a lot of the drink.
- Special peach cupcake: This peach cupcake is a very simple affair from the outside, a vanilla cake and peach frosting. Inside you’re surprised to find raspberry filling. Very sweet-forward.
- Peach lamblic cupcake: Peach lambic cake, peach filling and icing and coconut shavings. Peach, obviously dominates this summer special, but without making it taste too much like a fruit. The cake is soft and moist, and again the icing is a tad less sweet — which makes it perfect.
- Chocolate raspberry cupcake: My personal favorite; this one is a dark chocolate cake, light on the sweet but heavy on the cocoa, and a very light icing with a raspberry tinge to it. The icing really directs the flavor in a fantastic way.
- Peach pie: The graham cracker crust really makes this pie; it’s sweet and the peaches are just fantastic. Peach pie is serious business. In Ohio, this is a pretty good way to get it.
- Walnut Valencia croissant: A light almond taste is what gets you with this pastry, but what’s more is how delicate it is. Not made of the think flaky crusts that larger types are made of but instead a buttery, crisp pastry.
The staff is very friendly, and the bakery itself, while small, has sort of a quirky charm to it, for the little trinkets that decorate the place. The baked goodies stay front and center in terms of where the attention is; in fact you can get them by the dozen.
All in all, Happy Chicks is a fun little place, but with a mission few others in town can accomplish: good, vegan baked goods that lose nothing in quality. I hope to see more from the happy chicks behind this great spot.
Recommendations
- Cupcakes come by the dozen if you want to take them for a group event.
- The seasonal cupcake flavors mean there are plenty of reasons to come back to this spot.
- Pies are also great here.
Another Food Critic 