Meatloaf Cupcakes, alarmingly delicious

A Great Gimmick, and Meatloaf for All Tastes

Meatloaf doesn’t have a reputation of being the most innovative food around. Often times with foodie writers want to mock old fashioned “stale” cooking they will poke fun at the poor meatloaf. The Meatloaf Bakery is here to prove all those naysayers wrong. Not only can it be innovative, but it can be gimmicky to the point of exhaustion. Some might not appreciate 8 varieties of meatloaf that are available in mini muffin loafie size, regular cupcake size, and cake/tart/loaf size. I on the other hand do, because as stated previously, I love a good gimmick.

 Meatloaf Cupcake topped with Mashed Potato Frosting

Good gimmick no? Each variety is topped with a complimentary starchy or vegetable based “frosting”. I have to admit I had my doubts thanks to not so positive reviews on yelp. Many of which were complaining about quality or being over priced. I don’t agree with this. I ate 4 different loafies, and all of which were exactly how I like my meatloaf, and I didn’t think the price was absurd. Yes a mini cupcake size piece of meatloaf for $2.00 is not cheap, but it is a gimmick and that is the point, so you are going to pay for it. I didn’t find myself regretting the price tag, so that is a good sign.

My friend and I were able to sample a bit of the Yentil Lentil Loaf (the only vegetarian offering) and it was moist and tasty. It was a loaf made with lentils, brown rice, mixed veggies, and cheese topped with bell peppers. It also happens to be gluten free.

My friend, classic as she is tried The Mother Loaf in full size cupcake form. Their traditional offering of a blend of beef, pork, an veal mixed with onions and ketchup, topped with Yukon Smashers. She allowed me a bite, and it was also moist and tasty.

I opted for 3 loafies the A Wing and A Prayer Loaf, Omega-3 Loaf, and Chicken Shish Kaloaf. The Wing and A Prayer loaf is made with crumbled bleu cheese, ground chicken, celery, and hot sauce. It really did taste like wings in meatloaf form. The Omega-3 Loaf was a risk, a salmon meatloaf could go one of two ways, their execution was moist and the lemon, parsley, and dill in the mix added to the flavor. The salmon was topped with wasabi mashed potatoes which did not overwhelm the flavor of the meatloaf, nor mismatch the otherwise more Scandinavian flavors in the mix.  The Chicken Shish Kaloaf was the plainest of the ones I’d selected, it was tasty with mild Mediterranean flavors of lemon, parsley, red onions, and herbs topped with garlic potatoes. Of the one’s I tried it was my least favorite, but still quite tasty.

The Meatloaf Bakery is located at 2464 N. Clark St., Chicago, Illinois 60614

Overall: 4/5- I’d go back again, and each time I’m in the area I wish I was getting meatloaf cupcakes

Food:5/5- It is a great gimmick, and there is something for everyone the classic eater, the adventurous, your vegetarian friend, and the one who wants to try a bit of everything

Service:4/5- It is a small cafe type set-up but the people working (maybe also the owners) were delightful, answering questions, humoring my food network loving friend, and overall making it an enjoyable experience.

Ambiance: 4/5- null