Best cupcakes in town?
Much as I love Chicago, I went to Magnolia Bakery in NYC last month and ever since I've been searching fruitlessly for a comparable cupcake here in Chicago. So far, I've found Sweet Mandy B's frosting to taste too much of food coloring. And Southport Grocery's weren't all I'd hoped for either, despite the hype. Over a year ago, I went to Cupcakes in Lakeview and was sorely disappointed in the lack of Buttercream frosting. At least at that time. Any thoughts?
Snarkley
Mar 02, 2007 12:54PM
Magnolia Bakery is pretty fun isn't it? I agree with you on Sweet Mandy B's...I only eat the chocolate frosted ones (they also are oddly lighter tasting than the other buttercream ones). They do not always have them (so call ahead), but whenever Milk & Honey Cafe on West Division St has cupcakes, they are awesome. They've had them a lot recently. Let me know what you think. It's not the kind of place where you can go and buy a dozen like Magnolia Cafe, but if you just want to get your fix, it is perfect.
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I had a delicious red velvet cupcake at Fox & Obel Cafe. Because red velvet is so different from other kinds of cupcakes (and usually has cream cheese frosting, although frankly I don't remember if that was true at F &O), I don't know how it would compare to Magnolia (which I adore).
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Haven't tried Magnolia, so this is a blind suggestion, but I've had multiple cupcakes from Alliance Bakery on Division just west of Ashland, and love 'em.
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Well if you able to venture up to Highwood you will not be disappointed in the Bent Fork which has now forged a great reputation based on their cupcakes. The smaller versions are $1.95 while the larger versions are $2.95. My wife is a cupcake afficianado and she has declared the Bent Fork as her favorite spot.
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I agree. Bent Fork is definitely worth the trip. Great cupcakes especially the carrot and red velvet. Delicious!!!
www.thebentfork.com
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I never made it to Magnolia when I was in New York. But I love going into Swirlz here, in Lincoln Park (somewhere near where Lincoln and Orchard Street intersect).
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Have you tried Swirlz? I think it's on Belden. Interesting and intense flavors. they are about $3 per cupcake, but if you're in the mood for a good tasting cupcake it's worth it! Cute little shop too. they serve juices and coffee drinks.
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We ordered Swirlz cupcakes for a birthday in my office about a month ago and almost nobody liked them. They were way too cloying and nobody was sold on the Italian butter cream.
I remember having a cupcake from Sarah's Pastries and Candies and really loving it. They have a location on Oak St. and one in the Macy's State St. store.
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RE: Sweet Mandy B's the only cupcakes I like there are the red velvet when they are fresh. I usually don't like red velvet otherwise. Good cream cheese frosting.
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I was in Fox and Obel earlier today. They carry four kinds of cupcakes: the previously-mentioned red velvet, devil's food, carrot cake, and butter cake. They had all but the butter cake in the counter. They sometimes decorate them for the season; for example, last week, before last Sunday's broadcast of the Academy Awards, they had some decorated with an Oscar statue on top.
Metromix lists three places specializing in cupcakes, but I don't know anything about them:
Swirlz Cupcakes
705 W. Belden Ave
Chicago, 60614
(877) 791-7594
www.swirlzcupcakes.com
Cupcakes 'N' More
275 Old Orchard Center
Skokie 60077
847-679-1490
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dining/119964,0,688940.venue
Cupcakes
613 W. Briar Pl.
773-525-0817
www.chicagocupcakes.com
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Oh my gosh! I can't believe anyone hasn't recommended Dinkel's yet! They have the most awesome cupcakes! You must try them!!
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I second Dinkel's . . . really good stuff.
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I live right around the corner from Magnolia in the City. I am actually moving to Chicago this summer. I used to LOVE Magnolia cupcakes, but I think they're overrated. If you ever find your way back to NY, I would HIGHLY recommend trying the cupcakes at Billy's Bakery (Chelsea) or Duane Park Patisserie (Tribeca). WELL WORTH it and no crazy lines!
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I totally agree about Magnolia. The cupcakes are NOT anything special, Sex in the City notwithstanding. The thing about the place that has always creeped me out, is that customers are allowed to select their own cupcakes. Stand outside and watch through the window as these Carrie Bradshaw wanna-bes pick up a cupcake, decide they don't want THAT one, lick frosting off their fingers, pick up ANOTHER one, decide no, lick icing from THAT one off their fingers, pick up a different one...and so on and so on. I watched one little chickita do that about 7 times before she decided upon her cupcake. I related this to a friend who said she'd seen the same thing happen many times. Someone call the Health Inspector...!
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OR! Alternatively, you can bake them yourself. There's a recipe from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. A friend of mine baked them using the recipe and they were pretty close! ENJOY!
http://www.amazon.com/Magnolia-Bakery...
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Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone! I hope to hit them all. My first report: the Fox and Obel cupcakes are tasty. We had the devil's food and the coconut at F&O last night. The second in particular was a big hit. Excellent buttercream frosting (though it did pull off like a cap when jostled). Looking forward to trying the rest.
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I disagree. Fox & Obel's baked goods in general leave a lot to be desired. The cake is dry and the frosting over powering. Their carrot cake was a huge disappointment to me -- dry, bland and the cream cheese frosting overpowered, rather than complimented the cake. And they are way over priced. As someone who enjoys baking, I would throw out something that came out like that rather than let anyone eat it. The only baked good that I have enjoyed is the occasional cookie from the cafe.
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Taste of Heaven on Clark in Andersonville. Totally different and delicious!
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I adore the cupcakes at Taste of Heaven, but they are nothing like the ones at Magnolia Bakery.
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Doesn't Ina Pinkney still make great cupcakes?
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If you're looking for a good butter cream, I definitely second Cupcakes over on Briar/Broadway. All of their frostings are butter creams, some more creative than others. Their menu changes frequently and my favorite so far has been poached pear and key lime.
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Used to love Sweet Mandy B's but they seem to have slipped a notch.
Second the opinion on Bent Fork. Best in the burbs up north by far.
My favorite cupcakes though come from the Goddess and the Grocer at Delaware and Wabash right in the heart of the Viagra Triangle. The Red Velvet cupcakes are nothing short of awesome.
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I aboslutely concur with the SWIRLZ recommendation. The flavors offered each day are fantastic and the decadent, addictive buttercream frosting and tiny little "extra" topping on each one make this - by far - my favorite cupcake in town. I had a "flavor of the day" cupcake one time that was something like honey-orange-cinnamon and it was unbelieveable. The almost-everyday flavors of red velvet and banana-nutella are fantastic. But the plain vanilla and chocolate versions are how I would measure/compare against other cupcakes and these definitely win, hands down. (My comparisons are to Alliance Bakery, Sweet Mandy B's, Dinkels...have not tried Cupcakes yet.)
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I love Southport groceries...is there a particular attribute that you look for in a cupcake?
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Hmm, I disagree with the Swirlz recommendation. Both my sister and I are cupcake fanatics, and neither one of us liked the Swirlz cupcakes.
Actually, I really like the yellow cupcakes from Foodlife, in Water Tower. They're huge and very good. And I've had it on good authority that their chocolate cupcakes are better than Sweet Mandy B's, which can be pretty bland.
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I'm afraid I didn't like Swirlz at all either. Last night, I bought a red velvet cupcake and a vanilla cupcake there. The cake itself was nice. Moist. Pretty dense. But I really didn't like the frosting. Although they call it buttercream, it's not what I think of as a buttercream. It doesn't taste very buttery. It tastes more like whipping cream with a hint of butter. And it's not very sweet at all either. Nor is it generous. For me, it was a big thumbs down. And the $3 price tag per cupcake didn't help the experience any either.
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If you're up north, Deerfields Bakery (not surprisingly in Deerfield) has delicious cupcakes. My friend claims they're even better than Magnolia (a big statement I know).....
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Have to disagree on this one - - I'd be wary of Deerfield's. Every product tasted from the Schaumburg location has been quite dry. Further, most everything is completely spackled with a less-than-appetizing frosting.
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If you are up north Bent Fork is THE BEST, Deerfield pales in comparison.
The Bent Fork has THE best cupcakes EVER!
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I completely agree!! I really did NOT like Swirlz. Honestly, they should just sell cake. I thought the icing was terrible and actually scraped it off. It tasted cheap and very artificial. I also did not like how it was piped on the cake. The deliberate piping coupled with the bad tasting frosting made it seem like they were mass produced and should be sold for $1 a piece. Sorry, so harsh! But I feel like this place gets a lot of hype for no reason. Again, not that this helps, but if you REALLY want a good cupcake, go to Billy's in Chelsea. They do it right.
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Have you tried Bent Fork Bakery in Highwood? Great buttercream in a variety of flavors.
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Bennison's Bakery in Evanston has always had smaller, traditional cupcakes. I noticed today that they now have larger sized cupcakes in "red velvet" and "carrot cake".
www.bennisonscakes.com
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Bennison's is our local weekly stop for the miche (a hearty organic bread) and often cupcakes. The quality varies widely from week to week but the red velvet are the most consistently good. Unfortunately the icing on the flower cupcakes is a bit bland and doesn't have either the "so bad it's good" crisco icing or the flavor of a real buttercream. In general, their cupcakes don't hold a candle to Sweet Mandy B's.
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I wholeheartedly support the recommendation for both Dinkel's and the Foodlife (in the Water Tower) cupcakes! Both have AMAZING chocolate cupcakes (with chocolate frosting, of course). I always go to Dinkels, but my mother in law brought us some from Foodlife last weekend and they certainly were stiff competition! You can't beat Dinkel's old-school feel, though - great place!
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What about Sarah's in Gold Coast? I really love their simple vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Taste nice and rich, quite good! Also, they offer their cupcakes "naked" showing how they are proud of their cakey creations...so you know they will be good.
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Sarah's does have great chocolate cupcakes and I actually like them with the chocolate buttercream. It's not too dense it's a lighter buttercream.
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Sarah's cupcakes are great - my wife is a huge fan of the carrot cream cheese cupcake there. Absolutely worth a visit. To be honest, I think her pastries were much better when she first opened as compared to now, although they are still quite tasty.
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Dinkels or Bittersweet
And I'll add that the bite size cupcakes at whole foods are pretty darn amazing as well
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We are visiting Chicago from San Diego and my brother arranged a Cupcake Crawl to 15 cupcake places. We thought Sensational Bites on Southport was the best, with a Boston Creme and Chocolate Mint cupcake. Also above average were Swirlz on Belden and Molly's on Clark.
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if you like buttercream, i'm surprised you didn't like southport's vanilla cupcake. it is, by far, the best cupcake i've ever eaten. the cake is very dense, but moist. it has a slight almond flavor. and the icing is REAL buttercream. taste of heaven also has great cupcakes---try the almond joy or the whoopie pie cupcake. they are both made with a delicious buttercream filling.
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Bennisons for there choclate choclate
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This woman is out in Naperville, and does not sell retail - but she makes fantastic cupcakes for wedding showers, birthdays, or maybe just a dozen to eat as you would like. This is her website. www.rosepetalscakery.com
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I replied once before that Dinkel's and Foodlife (in Water Tower Place) are the best... But I recently tried the new place on N. Clark (2500 blk.), Molly's Cupcakes, and they are equally as fantastic! Really great storefront, too... If you are a cupcake fan, you MUST try these as well. They also have mini cupcakes for $1 - always a bonus!
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Sweet Cakes bakery on Damen, just south of Augusta are the best I've had. The mini ones are great!
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I ordered cupcakes to be delivered to my law student son this week from Swirlz. They delivered on time and he was sooo pleased!!!! Loved the vanilla cupcake best with the candied sunflower seeds. The frosting, he said was awesome, and the cake (reduced sugar, even) was tender, very flavorful. I thought he'd like the carrot cake the best, but what do I know, I'm just the MOM!
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You should try Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique cupcakes, they have 24 flavors of cupcakes. Right now they just do catering and delivery, but they are opening a retail store this July near Millenium Park and Macy's. I really like their buttercream! Here is their website www.sugarblisscakes.com.
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Who doesn't love cupcakes! Tough question considering there are so many yummy cupcake bakeries in Chicago these days. My favorite by far though is Southport Grocery's chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Apparently most people choose the vanilla (which is also delicious) but I prefer the chocolate...and they are enormous!
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Okay! I love to bake! I actually just made cupcakes for a friend's brother b-day (white batter with yellow dyed buttercream frosting and blue cream cheese frosting in the middle. letter made with melting candies bought at a bakery shop)
But anyways I moved to Chicago and have been looking for cool bakeres. My sister bday is the 27th and I am going home so I was searching for a list of cupcake places to get here cupcakes from. here is my list below and I will post how each cupcake tasted to my sis, mom and I :)
PLACES IN CHICAGO TO GET CUPCAKES
1. Swirlz Cupcakes
705 W. Belden Ave
Chicago, 60614
(877) 791-7594
www.swirlzcupcakes.com
2. Cupcakes 'N' More
275 Old Orchard Center
Skokie 60077
( don’t have number, couldn’t find. Does it still exist?)
3. Cupcakes
613 W. Briar Pl.
773-525-0817
www.chicagocupcakes.com
4. Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique (would have to order a dozen, store doesn’t open until Dec 115 N. Wabash) www.sugarblisscakes.com 312-845-9669
5. More Neighborhood: Near North Side
1 E. Delaware Place (between State St & Wabash Ave) Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 951-0001 www.morecupcakes.com (opened September 12th
)6. Molly’s Cupcakes 2536 N Clark St Chicago, IL, 60614 (773) 883 7220 www.mollyscupcakes.com
7. The Bleeding Heart Bakery 1955 W Belmont Ave Chicago, IL (773) 327-6934 www.thebleedingheartbakery.com
8. Sarah’s Pastries and Bakery 70 E. Oak Street Chicago, IL, 60610 (312) 664-6223 www.sarahscandies.com
9. Sweet Mandy B’s 1208 W Webster Ave Chicago, IL, 60614 (773) 244-1174
10. Swirlz cupcakes 705 W Belden Ave Chicago, IL, 60614 (773) 404-2253
11. Twisted Sister Bakery www.twistedsisterbakery.com
1543 N Wells St
Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 932-1128
12. Sweet Cakes Bakery sweetcakeschicago.com
935 N. Damen Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 772-5771
13. Milk and Honey Café www.milkandhoneycafe.com 1920 W. Division Street Chicago, IL 60622 773.395.9434 (yellow cake with chocolate frosting and deil food cake with white frosting
)14. Bent Fork Bakery 333 Waukegan Rd Highwood, IL 60040 (847) 926-4438 thebentfork.com
15. Swirlz Cupcakes www.swirlzcupcakes.com
705 W. Belden Ave Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 404-2253
16. Dinkel's Bakery www.dinkels.com 3329 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 281-7300
17. Fox & Obel Food Market www.fox-obel.com
401 E Illinois St # 1 Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 410-7301 (call to see what they have)
18. Magnolia Cafe Inc www.magnoliacafeuptown.com
1224 W Wilson Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 728-8785
19. A Taste of Heaven 5401 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 989-0151
20. Foodlife www.foodlifechicago.com (food court in watertower
)835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 335-9580
21. Sweet Cakes Bakery sweetcakeschicago.com
935 N. Damen Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 772-5771
22. Southport Grocery & Café www.southportgrocery.com
3552 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 665-0100
LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE SOME MISTAKES BC I AM UNSURE :)
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I just found your post and I too am on a cupcake hunt. I like the cake at Mandy Bs but i agree with the colored frosting comment. try either straight up vanilla or the chocolate. honestly, i think they have some off-days. the whoopie pies are always spot on. But i have come to love sugar bliss cupcakes. they only do catering now, but they are opening up in loop soon. some of the frosting/cake combos need some tweaking, i.e. too many cream cheese frostings on fantastic cake, but it is Magnolia in NYC quality. the cake is wonderfully tasty and moist--you taste chocolate cake. and the buttercream is very very good. give it a shot and order some via the website. www.sugarblisscakes.com
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I hear good things about a place called The Bent Fork: http://www.thebentfork.com
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The Bent Fork is in Highwood so not in Chicago but it's a wonderful little bakery. Husband and wife who are very nice do all the baking. The whoopie pies are incredible (so incredible that I have not gotten around to the cupcakes yet) but the cupcakes look outstanding.
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ok so i went to mollys, more,twisted sister, sarah's, swirlz and cupcakes. more was the thickest and most interesting ones- i had the bacon, brie and strawberry- different and good! Now if you are looking to keep these cupcakes for a few days you have refrigerate them except for swirlz cupcakes. any cupcake with fruit has to be refrigerated. but reallly i wasnt the biggest fan or any of these places. swirlz was the best bc it was light. the gluten free lemon one was good. the rest taste like cornbread. really im done with cupcakes. cakes taste much better-easier to make moist!
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I've been wondering about More Cupcakes since I saw job advertisements for them earlier in the summer with Gale Gand's name listed as a consultant.
I still haven't been to Molly's, but I've heard good things.
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