This charming little bakery is an absolute gem, especially if you are looking for high-quality…read moregluten-free treats. Their preorder system is incredibly smooth, though it does require a bit of planning since you need to order at least a day in advance, and they are closed on Mondays. I scheduled an order on a Friday for a Tuesday morning pickup. I picked up a dozen GF donuts and a half-dozen chocolate chip cookies, and both were fantastic. They offer a ton of different donut flavors, though the ordering system limits you to choosing three varieties per dozen. I went with the banana bread, chocolate with chocolate icing and the brown sugar with chocolate icing, and they did not disappoint. The cookies were just as impressive, hitting that perfect texture without any of the dryness you sometimes find in gluten-free baking. The shop itself is super cute and perfectly set up for a quick visit. All the preordered to-go items are neatly laid out on a cabinet for a seamless pickup. If you have some extra time, they also have drinks and food you can order at the counter, a shared parking lot that makes stopping by a breeze, and a nice outdoor seating area. I will definitely be back to mix and match some new flavors next time.

Great service here, and the food is alright for the area lol. Most things in St Charles and Geneva…read moreare overated by the residents, and I'd have to say this place is just okay. I had the cinnamon roll that was just alright, and the brisket breakfast burrito was okay. Kinda expensive like everywhere else nowadays also.

This place is so cute and aesthetic I've been wanting to try it for a while now and I finally had…read morethat chance! When I came in I was the only one in the restaurant so of course the service was pretty fast. I ordered the hot Cheeto K-dog with solely mozzarella as my filling. I thought it was pretty darn good! The cheese was super gooey and I thought the hot Cheetos just pulled everything together. I also ordered the strawberry matcha. It was pretty good, I did get a good taste of the strawberry. However, I think next time I'll order a smoothie- I think that would be more up my alley. I also bought 4 donuts to take home. I got the tiramisu, the ube, the biscoff cheesecake - which actually does taste like a cheese cake, and of course I got their most popular donut the strawberry milk cream. I was able to take a nibble out of each donut and I must say the donuts were delicious- the cream cheese filling is fantastic. My favorite flavors were the Biscoff and the strawberry. The shop is so cute and niche, there's a good amount of seating- I can definitely see myself coming here from time to time. The donuts definitely live up to their reputation!

Ube donut and ube milk tea with tapioca made with housemade syrup) are both amazing, yuza…read morecheesecake was alright, and I wasn't a big fan of the dulce de leche filling. The dough of the donut isn't the softest I've had, but the ube filling makes up for it. The texture of the tapioca is on point it made me want to order double serving next time. The price is also very reasonable. I came around noon on Christmas Eve, and it was busy. There seems to be several pick-up donut orders. There is only one person taking order, boxing donuts and making drinks in the front, and another making hotdogs in the back. We waited for at least 15 minutes to order, and another 5-10 minutes to get my drink.

I saw this place as I was walking to the Arcada Theatre. It is a small storefront that shares the…read moresame building as the theatre and has an entrance from the inside of the theatre as well as from the side street around the corner. A name like "Chicago Turtle Factory" caught my attention, since it depicted a cartoon turtle on its sign. This is a nice little candy and popcorn shop run by two charming Indian guys. I came in and found what I wanted immediately: chocolate covered raisins layered in a very thick coating of chocolate, just the way I like it. Then I looked around and saw something my 6 year old would like: red, white and blue gummy toy soldier chewy candy. And something for my older son: chewy candy slices covered in sugar. As I bought these things, the man at the counter offered me a sample of his own toffee, made right there. While I am not a toffee fanatic, one taste of the smooth tasting and crunchy toffee, and I knew my wife would love this. So I ended up spending quite a bit of time and money before I was done here. I even came back into the store after I had already found my seat at the theatre. Besides their own hand-dipped chocolate treats, the store carries a variety of bulk candies, nuts, or jelly beans. There's also old-time favorites you can't find these days, like those candy cigarettes some people might remember seeing long ago, but are now frowned upon by those who think they encourage smoking in kids. Since the Turtle Factory is connected to the theatre lobby, it is like a concession shop for Arcada patrons. And looking for good cheesy popcorn? They got some gourmet cheese corn in small bags at the counter too. Since I look forward to return to Arcada, I know I will be back in here again as well.

Pros: - great service with free samples. The friendly…read moreemployee gave me this huge slice of a turtle chocolate the size of a business card cut in half lengthwise. It was the biggest sample that I've ever received at a chocolate/candy store. The caramel was fresh and not stale, and my eyes went like O_O when I saw the gigantic size of one whole turtle! It was the size of my palm lol. - nice selection of gummy candies and chocolate-covered goodies. A lot of the non-prepackaged candies are stored in these large plastic container jars. - caramel & cheese popcorn was delicious, a good non-Garrett's contender. - convenient location right next to Starbucks. I can just walk here from the library. I have a fondness for sour gummy candies so I picked out a few like sour grapefruit, black cherry, green apple, and striped strips. Of those, I liked the sour grapefruit the best. The total came to $2.79, priced at $3.99/half-pound. Gummybears are about $2.99/half-pound, some sour gummies at $3.99, others priced higher. The cheese & caramel popcorn was $5.99 for a large bag the size of a gallon of milk. You can get 2 for $10, or a smaller size for $3.99. Cons: - needs better interior design. A candy store should evoke memories of childhood and happiness. The interior design for this business seemed too utilitarian for me. Someone should pretty this place up. - unfortunately, I spotted at least two gummy varieties that didn't look fresh, like there was liquid towards the bottom of the jar.

Found this ice cream place in Elgin. It may look kind of haphazard but it has some good products…read more Stop N Dip is kind of set up weird. Has quite a few things to choose from. There's some quite unusual flavors so you can come back a few times. Coming here the first time it was kind of confusing. It's located on one side of the entrance. There's a bit of a passage to get through. Has mostly gelatos. There's also a few sorbets at times. It's about $5 a scoop, but there's much more than just bowls and cones. They make milkshakes and even have hot and iced coffee including Turkish. Crepes are one of the main items. These are filled with chocolate, Nutella, or basically whatever. Also they have dip sticks, which is fruit on skewers dipped in chocolate. They also make lava cake and other big items. Got a lot of sweet stuff to both drink and eat. It's located on Douglas close to Highland. There's a lot of more unusual flavors, along with more common ones, so it has a pretty big variety.

We stopped in late. --thirty minutes before closing. All of us ordered crepes of one kind or…read moreanother. I ordered a Digestive Crepe. It was dry AF inside. Filled only with dry crumbly cookies. And the bottom of the crepe was so overcooked that it was hard to cut through. Everyone agreed that it was like a tortilla on bottom They were all welcoming and the place clean. I just wouldn't return.

We had the absolute best experience with Hey Sugar for our graduation party! Every treat was not…read moreonly delicious but also beautifully curated to match the theme of our celebration. The attention to detail was incredible, and everything looked just as amazing as it tasted. From the very beginning, the communication was exceptional. The team kept us updated every step of the way, making the entire process smooth and stress free. It was clear how much care and effort went into every detail to bring our vision to life. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how beautiful and delicious everything was. A huge shoutout to the management and staff for going above and beyond throughout the entire process. Everyone was so kind, responsive, and genuinely invested in making sure everything turned out perfectly. I highly recommend Hey Sugar for any celebration. They helped make our graduation party so special, and I can't wait to order from them again!

Hey Sugar is a wonderful dessert shop that serves a nice variety of sweet treats such as cakes,…read morecupcakes, pies, soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes and more. We were in the area and decided to check out this spot as it looked cool and some of the dessert concoctions looked awesome. The shop was nicely decorated, inviting, and had friendly staff. The staff was helpful in getting our tasty as it was our first time here. From their specialty soft-serve ice cream concoctions (eclectic looking sundaes), we ordered a Cloud 9 made with Lavender Honey soft-serve and a Uh Oh Oreo w/ vegan Coconut soft-serve (see my photos). The Cloud 9 came with a cotton candy top and it looked so Instagram perfect. It was delicious. I really liked the Lavender Honey soft-serve. The Oreo one was okay as the vegan Coconut soft-serve was icy and not quite my cup of tea. This shop is a cool, cute, and awesome sweet treats spot that should be on your list to check out if you enjoy desserts.

Amazing cupcakes!! The staff are always super nice and bringing new members, and the vibes are…read moreexquisite. I always get their gluten-free cupcakes (Friday-Sunday), and each time they are perfect!!

Amazing cupcakes!! I ordered 50 cupcakes for my niece's bridal shower & gave them a photo for…read moreinspiration on design & color. Not only did they nail the design (the cupcakes looked exactly like the photo I provided) they were delicious!! I received so many compliments. Will definitely use them again!!

Had the reverse parent trap which was great, Oreos and the peanut butter swirl where in abundance!…read moreMy boy got the vanilla and said it was especially creamy and delicious

Every town has their local ice cream shop and this is THAT place in St. Charles. They have a pretty…read moreorganized system with a line that routinely runs out the door. Compared to other places, their flavor options are a bit more limited but their sizes are a bit larger. They have some cute photo spots and some outdoor seating options (but if it's crowded you're super close to plenty of outdoor seating options along the river too). This time around I tried the white chocolate salty oatmeal cookie flavor (the chunks are great but minimal - 5/10) and the peanut butter (loved this one 9/10).

Dumpy little place with an odd seating area and a smattering of kids toys. No tykes present when i…read morewas there at about 1030a. There was a selevtion if about 6 different giant cookies. They were your regukar flavors except for Lemon White chocolate. i bought 1 of each along with their cranberry walnut scone. If you like the thin cooked that spread and remain soft, these will work for you. I need crispy edges at least. The scone was a very sad, depressed lump. After my first taste, i broke off pieces around the edge (pictures included) and you will see a cranberry walnut scone bereft of cranberries. There was NO TASTE of the dried fruit, even when i picked one out, it was a tiny teardrop of a possibility of the tart/sweet dried gem normally enjoyed. (maybe they should be macerated in orange juice or eben cranberry juice). oh! the walnuts were large nice pieces but with the horrible raw-flour taste overpowering even the mighty walnut, the lump could not be redeemed.

When you walk into the location you can smell all the goodies that have been baked or currently…read morebaking. There are a few seats for you to relax and little games to keep kids entertained. They also have cute little cookie decorating kits out right now for Easter ready to be purchased. Other goodies were cookies, fresh baked bread, honey sticks and dipped rice crispy treats, to name a few. You can also get coffee, teas and lemonades. I ended up getting the croissant stuffed and topped with chocolate chip cookie dough. It was delicious. Not overly sweet, but I ate it two different times throughout the day. It's definitely worth the $5! The employees were very patients as we looked at all the goodies trying to decide what we wanted, and willing to answer any questions.

Been here multiple times since they opened. Always have had an amazing experience, the people are…read morenice, the drinks are amazing, and it's a great environment in there. They give great suggestions and just all together a great experience. This is my go to spot 100%

Really really great authentic Vietnamese coffee shop you can even customize to add more coffee less…read moremore sweetness or less I took photos of the menu. The OB was really great and I can't wait to try others small shop, but they have seat seats for dining in and I think they also sell the sandwiches as well.

Ordered a birthday cake to feed 10 people and specified this multiple times but received a tiny 6…read moreinch round. Now I'm scrambling to find another cake for my little girl's party the day of. This was after filling out an order form and 3 separate phone conversations-- one of which was bc I was double charged. On top of that, the cake itself looks very amateur-ish and not professionally made. Had I the time, I for sure could've done better myself. Oh, and as a bonus the girl I spoke to the first time on the phone was super rude then basically hung up on me. Just go get your cake at Jewel's-- it basically looks the same.

Mad Batter Bakery in St. Charles is such a gem. I seriously wish it was closer to me or that they…read morehad more locations. I love the creativity behind each pastry. They are always coming up with fun and unique flavors, and the stuff they post early in the morning is honestly half the reason I check Facebook. The staff were very friendly and gave recommendations on what the most popular flavors were. I always appreciate that in a place. The pastries are on the sweeter side for sure, so having a whole one can be a lot, but that is just me. Still totally worth it. The decor inside is so cute too. Definitely gives you Alice in Wonderland vibes with all the little trinkets and tea time touches. Super charming spot. If you are into sweets and fun vibes, it is a must-try.