Baladoché

This place has OK waffles… cpeople seem to kind of hate it. I’ve been here quite a few times and I’ll admit they were about 3 – 4 years ago. But it was a reheated waffle and pretty at award gelato… Same as my suburban caputos. And I bet caputos is better. The owner Terrance is weird and creepy. I heard abou this place at the Morton Arboretum in lisle as they were ha I g a chocolate showcasing. He was coming on to our friend. Notice the signs deepthroats etc.

This place is HORRIBLE! Extremely overpriced reheated waffles. My girlfriend and I took about two bites of our waffle and walked out. The place is dirty and nasty. I WILL NOT BE COMING BACK. I think I a frozen Eggo waffle from a toaster could taste better. I hope this place closes soon.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place after we got out of a movie. We wanted to try one of their waffles with Nutella. I wish we hadn’t. First of all it was extremely overpriced and second they used a waffle that was pre made and was sitting out all night. It was terrible and tasted like Nutella covered cardboard. The staff was very pushy and rude. I would not recommend eating here.

Can you say RIP-​OFF!!! Well, Baladoche sure can! I went here once and swore never to return even though I live almost across the street.
Tiny, stale, soggy, pre-​made waffles just sitting on a metal pan, even though the waffle irons are right there and could easily be made fresh. The toppings are jarred jams and old icy ice cream & gelato. Ick!
All this nastiness for a $ 9 price tag.
I just wish this place would close already. Their inappropriate sidewalk signage– «Is your mouth unemployed?»… «We’ll give it a job!» is just ridiculous, as is the ever rotating staff yelling obscenities out the window trying to get people to go inside. Trust me, I have a sense of humor and am not a prude, so it has to be bad to really get to me.
Please, Bala“douche” just leave my neighborhood already!

I see there are really bad reviews about this place. But mine was based on the visit back in about a year ago. I haven’t come back again so I would not know how they are right now.
We had wonderfully tasted waffles with ice cream and nutella on top. I do not know if that was expensive or not, I have had dessert that cost me so much more than this place so I thought it was OK.
Service at that time was no any service. I did not complain, well I thought its like a takeout place so what kind of service would I expect. What kind of service do you expect when you open the door and with this maybe 100 square feet place?
I am hesitate to come back again after I have read the newer reviews…

I enjoyed my gelato. The flavor was rich and I received a nice helping. Service was okay. I do feel that it could have been a bit more, attentive but it wasn’t bad. For me, that’s the appeal of shopping at smaller places. They are open later which is a huge plus. I can’t say that I would make a special trip but I’d probably return.

I will summarize my review for Baladoché into 2 words: ABSOLUTE LETDOWN!
Swung by on a quiet Sunday nite (no other customers inside), & was greeted by the WORST service I have experienced to date in Chicago.
An incorrect order, an empty promise of a «fresh» waffle & a hurting wallet are just a few things that I had to put up w/​while at Baladoché.
And as if $ 7 for a waffle + Nutella was not hard enough to swallow, the ignorant/​disrespectful/​useless server had the nerve to shove my order into my hands after making me wait 15MINS…
NO OTHER CUSTOMERS WERE THERE!!!
Word to the wise: AVOID BALADOCHÉ!

Pissed off:
My belly and taste buds may be happy right now; however, the steam coming from my ears and wallet, not so much! Starting from the beginning, so I saw the waffles in the window and was stoked. Nothing that resembled what I was craving on the menu so I asked the cashier to make me a ‘waffle with ice cream and Nutella.‘
Ice not vanilla:
He says to me «umm, I hadn’t been here for a week and I come back and THIS is what the vanilla looks like.» So I steered clear from the nasty chunky looking ice cube vanilla.
Hole in wallet:
So I settle on waffle with raspberry and whipped cream instead. NINE bucks?!? Ok fine, i’ll pay the pretty penny for my cravings. So he says he’ll make one fresh. I’m pumped. The timer finally goes off and he had put Nutella on it! What? Who would do raspberry, whipped cream AND Nutella? Okay fine, perhaps miscommunication.
Take it home:
At this point it’s getting late, so I say fine just give me the waffle I’ll take it home and put ice cream on it myself.
Awkward:
He says all stupid-​like… «Uhh, this is awkward, I’m already eating it so that one’s mine.»
Wow. Wow. Wow. Really?? I have to wait for ANOTHER one?! He tries to pawn me off a pre-​made one.
Not havin’ it:
He makes me another. Since it doesn’t have ice cream on it, he gives me a whopping $ 2 back. Throws the sadly-​sized waffle in a bag with a fork and no cover, and shoves it at me.
Zero Sorry:
I got no apology. No smile. No shame. Just disgust and an eye roll. Can’t believe someone with such awful customer service was put in charge. No I’m never going there again. It’s unfortunate too bc even though the the waffle was small, it was quite delightful. From now on, I’m consulting an at home waffle maker for my sweet tooth after-​dinner cravings.

Wow this place was such a letdown, i’dve probably had a better time just taking a poop at home.
Came in at the height of the night on Friday, place was empty but the allure of a crisp waffle was enticing. Gelato wasn’t made in house nor was it well incorporated into the waffle offerings, and based on the fact that they sourced scrappy gelato… why? Maybe it was good gelato at one point but with low turnover the texture was grainy and selection far worse than nearby Paciugo.
Waffles were displayed premade and I noticed them just reheating the waffle on the iron… why? More importantly then why did I wait so long for you to top a waffle with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings? Why’d you charge $ 5 and why cut the waffle in half and give me a HALF waffle… especially when your storefront is empty and you have more than a dozen waffles premade and just sitting there to get stale. I don’t understand. Blueberry jam. No fresh fruit. Never again.
Like the idea that prices are set in euros as a concept but this place is NOT that European and NOT that special.
No savory waffle options.

Most ridiculous experience ever!
First off … I have been to Belgium more than once and the waffles were not prepared in the pre-​made fashion this place uses. Second, the waffles here do not even resemble the yummy goodness you find on the streets of Brussels. Nonetheless, thought I would give them a try since I live down the street.
So it began. I asked for a waffle ($ 5) as I wanted a waffle. The manager immediately asked me what I wanted on it, which seemed odd as I indicated I just wanted a waffle. He then introduced me to something called sucrulous, which I could have covered my waffle with for an additional $ 4 to make a $ 9 dollar waffle?
Anyway, I politely declined the toppings and presented this guy with my $ 20 bill to pay for my waffle. He then told me he didn’t have any change (he had exactly one five dollar bill in the drawer), and asked if I had anything smaller. I really didn’t, I just had three one dollar bills. That prompted him to offer me a half waffle for my three bucks. (Wow?) even though I didn’t want a half waffle (as that would not have sufficed for my girlfriend and I), I asked him whether he believed a half waffle should cost more then half of the price of a whole waffle. Apparently he did, as he smuggly made it clear «half for three or nothing» … So i took back my twenty and walked out with nothing. It apparently never occurred to this guy that it wasn’t my fault he didn’t have change.
Just bad customer service as a whole and I will never return. Great way to leave an impression on your neighbors. Cheers.

This place is a complete rip off. I stopped by here for a quick snack after an appointment at the salon next door. I paid $ 7 for a Belgian Waffle with Nutella. Seriously, the ingredients probably cost $ 0.50 max. I like the concept of Baladoche but won’t be heading back any time soon.

A little pricey but the owner is super nice! Try whatever spread tastes like cookies… I forget the name, but you won’t regret it.

My mom is obsessed with Lotus brand biscuits. After sampling some on a plane ride to Europe, she came back with packs of stolen biscuits to tide her over, and searched high and low until she finally found them online for some ridiculous price. And yes, she paid that price. Then, she sheepishly realized they are sold locally at shops like World Market. To her credit, the biscuits are pretty awesome and go great with coffee or tea. The simple flavor is difficult to describe.
I learned at Baladoche that Lotus also made these biscuits into a spread, with a consistency like Nutella. They call it «cookie spread» or «speculoos spread». They spoon some on a Belgian waffle and charge you $ 8 (and an extra $ 3 if you want whipped cream). They call this the «Cougar» waffle. My mom loves these Lotus biscuits so I guess the name is fitting.
While the waffle and spread are both pretty addicting, and the ingredients are high quality, the prices are obscene, particularly for that area. I feel with a different location and a fancier interior, they could get away with charging those prices. Their hours change with the seasons and demand, so if the prices haven’t scared you away, do call before you make a trek out there.

Staff was super-​friendly and man does this place smell wonderful!
I bought the chocolate nutella waffle and my wife got some special flavor that was reminiscent of cookie dough with 2 scoops of their wonderful gelato.
The price point was a bit much for what you get but it was seriously tasty. I would go back for sure.

A friend and I stumbled across this place and were offered a free sample of their gelato. We liked it but we were late for a movie so we said we’d come back. and i KNEW that employee who was working. didn’t think we were coming back but we did, oh we did. We only wanted to split something and had never been here before so we let the worker pick for us because he seemed pretty knowledgeable about the product. He was friendly and was very talkative while preparing our «dessert».
When he gave us our total, we were blown away at the $ 13 DOLLAR bill we recieved! But you know what… We thought we were going to be getting the best dessert of a life time… NOT THE CASE AT ALL! A burnt waffle?.. two small scoops of gelato?.. and a messy presentation of the this waffle creation. For $ 13 bucks… ain’t nobody time for that!
All in all, this place is disappointing and overpriced!!! You could go buy a package of toaster strudel, put a scoop of ice cream on there and you would have a better (and cheaper) version of this «waffle»

After a late night dinner at La Creperie, my boyfriend was craving for some waffles and he mentioned a dessert shop that was less than a block away from La Creperie called, «Baladoche», which he had been to over a year ago. So we decided to walk by to see if Baladoche was still around, and it was. As we were standing about outside the shop’s window, one of the staff cheerfully greeted us and offered us gelato samples of our choice. His friendliness immediately drew us in. He was amusing us about the owner, who’s a European man and the sexual explicit names labeled on the gelatos and waffles. He told us that the sign outside stating, «Wanted, deep throats for BIG Zucker Waffles» actually misled some people into entering the store inquiring about job vacancies. LOL! We ordered a waffle with a scope of vanilla gelato topping and we both agreed it was pretty delicious!
The store manager, Sheila, who we have meet elsewhere once, was so welcoming and generous enough to offer us a free waffle sample and 2 different Belgian chocolates. She is so knowledgeable about the products and I was intrigued to learn that all their products are frequently imported from Europe. Hence, this shop can truly deliver the authenticity of European desserts.

If you are in the mood for a new dessert-​like treat, this is your next stop! I highly recommend their waffle combo with nutella and vanilla gelato. If you’re in the mood for just gelato, they have fairly tasty pistachio and hazelnut.
The staff is always welcoming and very friendly!

I have been promising my boyfriend that we would stop by here for a long time. Just walking by on a given night — the smell alone stops his heart, sugar-​tooth that he is.
One walking-​day weekend we wandered in, as sort of a surprise for him. Of course he got the chocolate waffle, the most decadent you can get, with ice cream and syrup — the whole 9. I love waffles, and felt it would be nice to just take it straight up, with a bit of powdered sugar.
The waffles claim to be Belgian, and maybe they are — they definitely did have the ‘pearls’ of sugar in them they seem to be known for… They were, however, awfully dense. I like a light, fluffy waffle full of warmth and subtle sweetness. These waffles were so dense, chewing them felt like a chore.
Also, the décor in the place isn’t much to write home about. Now I really regret not trying the waffle truck when I lived in NYC. There must be better waffles out there?

I’ve been wanting to try this place FOREVER because it resembles my last name (sugar in German!)… but after a year of wanting to try these waffles I am sad to say I was severely let down. Honestly not sure how this place is still open… oh wait yes I am because their prices are redic !
I tried the regular waffle covered in cinnamon sugar (+, 95) and then drizzled in dark chocolate (+1.95). Recommended to me by one of the ‘workers’ that was standing there talking to the kid who was actually there working the whole time I was there. The presentation was pretty though it was much smaller than I was expecting for $ 8. Its like two little squares of Belgian waffle. It was good… but it would have been good for $ 4 not $ 8.
Bottom line I give the cute plastic sliverware that looks real 4 stars, the décor 3, the food 2 and the service 1.
SKIP IT

I can’t believe all the negative reviews! Poor Ba-​la-​doe-​che (yes, it’s a challenge to pronounce the name, so I thought I’d help ya out). I made a visit here when it first opened (over 3 years ago), so maybe it went downhill since. You usually expect a business to start out rough and then improve so who knows…
I thought their zucher waffles were delicious, along with their hot chocolate that is often complimentary. If you really want to go all out (like I did of course) get a scoop of gelato to top it off. It’s some of the best gelato I’ve had in Chicago and the mix between a fresh, warm waffle and cold gelato is spectacular. Almost everything in Bala is imported, including the neat-​o specialty waffle machines. If only the waffles my mother made then this way when I was a child; so perfectly crispy on the outside and melt-​in-​your-​mouth soft on the inside. You can definitely taste the Belgian difference due to the «mélange» of sugar and vanilla. The little eating area inside is cute with uniquely modern furniture looking like it came out of the next Ikea magazine.
I will agree with all the other reviews that they are over-priced…really over priced, but no Lincoln Park/​Lakeview resident complains about Starbucks being a rip off for a simple cup of joe!
If you have a sweet tooth, room for dessert after dinner or pass by here and get a whiff of the wonder, then spare some bucks and treat yourself!