Harmony Bakery

For real though. Everything I have eaten here has made being Vegan & GF sooooo easy and delicious. I bring my non-veg/gf friends and family here alot and they're always shocked. Some menu items change regularly, which I like. Harmony likes to change their items with the seasons (makes sense right?!) Plus the staff is so lovely. It is family owned/operated and they genuinely love their customers. Lily the baker makes the most bomb cakes! Also Greg has his art displayed and for sale, he does amazing work. Love Harmony and will be going here for a long time!

This little nook of a bakery tucked into the Hampden area of Baltimore will make you appreciate the challenges of gluten free baking do not have to create horrible outcomes. The place is all vegetarian and desserts vegan.

There are many choices, and you will be quite happy as a vegan in this bakery. There is a salad or two, a soup, coffee, and baked savory items like quiche and tart. It's quite nice to have these here, as most gluten-free bakeries are just making a handful of vegan items just because they don't want to exclude vegans. Here, they make vegans feel welcome.

All the desserts right now are vegan. Cake, cookies - what more do you need? Well, it would be nice to have a few more choices, like creamy pies/ cheesecakes, maybe some croissants/ pastries/ danishes? Still, picky diets can't be pickier. I couldn't be happier with Harmony's good number of vegan items.

The prices are fair, very fair. I was very happy here. The feel is homey and the baked goods, also the same. It's like one of your good friends who is a great home baker just opened up a shop! Nothing fancy, but good quality home-style baked goods. Yum.

I'd been visiting the Harmony Bakery owners' stand at the Waverly Farmer's Market for years and so was thrilled to hear from them that they were opening a storefront. I've now visited the shop quite a few times since it opened and I can say without reservation that it exceeds my expectations.

In addition to their regular market standards, the offerings at the bakery expand into other food territory, such as homemade soups, cold salads, and delicious teas and coffee. In the bakery case, you can find a mix of sweet and savory treats, all gluten-free and primarily vegan (with the exception of occasional cheese on certain items that are always well-marked). Highlights include their baked donuts, chocolate cake, cupcakes, cinnamon buns, and cashew cheese pizzas. (But it's all delicious!)

Many of the pastries are sweetened only with fruit such as dates, apricots, or berries, or at the most, agave or maple syrup. Everything is also now gluten-free. While I'm not gluten-free I can appreciate this because I eat enough wheat as it is, and the food is so amazing here that it doesn't change the quality at all. It has even inspired me to experiment with my own gluten-free baking at home.

The space itself is primarily designed to be a carry-out operation, with only a few tables inside and two small counters. But there are also tables outside during the good weather, and sitting along Chestnut Street is a nice respite from the chaos of the Avenue.

Some people might consider the prices here to be on the high side, but as someone who bakes a lot with similar ingredients at home, I can say that the prices are reasonable. Ingredients like dates, agave, maple syrup, raw nuts, and coconut oil are expensive (but worth it).

With options to purchase vegan baked goods increasing at a surprisingly rapid pace across the urban landscape here in Baltimore, it's so refreshing to see a place that is focused on the healthier side of vegan baking. While I find it hard to resist vegan sweets laden with margarine and unrefined sugar, I try to limit these to special occasions. However, I do have a major sweet tooth and I'd much rather indulge it on a regular basis at Harmony than somewhere else offering only vegan sweets that are full of more processed fats and sugars.

So far Harmony seems to be keeping busy and I hope that continues. The owners are very nice people and deserving of success with this new venture. If you find yourself hungry in Hampden I highly recommend it!