My favorite breakfast/brunch spot in town. The blueberry pancakes are amazing. The breakfast sandwiches are also fantastic. And the icing on the top is the potatoes and free donut holes! read more

I had a bad experience there with not liking the baked goods. The donuts, muffin and cupcake we not great. I was contacted by the owner who gave me a credit for the food. I went back in and got the hot breakfast, omelette was good but pricey. I think the customer service was good and the place is cute, just not a fan of some of the food they offer. read more

My husband and I eat at Courageous Bakery probably every other weekend! We stumbled across this adorable bakery and cafe when we moved to Elmhurst a year ago. Since then, it has become a staple in our meal plan, and anytime we have out of town guests stay with us we bring them here for breakfast! Their breakfast and lunch options are some of the best. Simple yet so flavorful! The Croque Monsieur, Croque Madam, BLT, and breakfast burrito are some of our faves! I love that they give a couple small donut holes while you wait for your food, such a nice touch. Their salted caramel donut will melt in your mouth. I can't say enough about their food and newly arranged furniture plan! My husband and I don't really eat cupcakes, but I'm sure they're just as good. The owner and her mother are always so friendly to us when we stop in. This is definitely our favorite spot in Elmhurst! read more

Wow. You must go. Everything on The menu looked delightful. I ordered donuts and the maple bacon was my favorite. I also had a croque madame and the croissant was flaky and delicious. I want to go back for the cupcakes. Really great bakery in the heart of downtown elmhurst. read more

Awesome little place. Parking wasn't the best in the area. However, if you can get around this little hurdle you're on your way to a great breakfast. Friendly staff with a homey feel to it. It's very different which I like. The pricing seems relatively on point and the fresh bakery items are outstanding. I recommend the croissants for sure! read more

I ordered a dozen cupcakes for a bridal shower and asked for 6 vanilla with strawberry filling and 6 chocolate with cream filling. I also wanted pink frosting with gold sprinkles. All these specifics were noted on my invoice when I paid in advance. The cupcakes I got were plain chocolate and vanilla with no filling. They were dry and a bit crunchy on the edges. I got the frosting I asked for; but, for the price these were definitely no worth it. If I wanted plain chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, I could have gotten better ones from Jewel. read more

We get cupcakes from here for store events and personal gifts as well. Delicious. Fair prices and friendly staff. The flavors have all been good. The gluten free options are a great choice and luxury. Cupcakes have always been moist, the frosting always smooth and tasty. read more

Comfortable and spacious local bakery. Was quiet with tasty breakfast sandwiches and donuts. Coffee good too. Service fast when you go up to the counter. Some in my group were not sure how the service worked. Sometimes we had to go up to the counter, sometimes they came to our table. Parking on weekends no problem. We had some kids with us and they gave us grats some fresh donut holes to hold us over while breakfast was prepared. Nice touch and appreciated. read more

Courageous Bakery & Cafe - Fresh donut holes to hold us over. - Bakeries Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

I've been wanting to try Courageous Cupcakes forever so I was stoked when they opened their own bakery in the spot formerly occupied by SereneTeaz. My mom and I stopped by Tuesday afternoon. We both got 2 cupcakes each (to go of course). I got Pink Velvet and Peanut Butter (might have been called Peanut Butter Mania). My mom got French Silk and Pumpkin Pie. I eventually tried my cupcakes later that same night. I honestly didn't care for the Pink Velvet but it might be a personal preference. I found the cake to be flavorless...very moist though. I did really enjoy the Peanut Butter cupcake. The cake on that one was so flavorful, almost like you took a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar. I think the inside even had a bit of peanut butter filling. The frosting was also really good and of course, tasted like peanut butter. My mom said she really enjoyed her cupcakes too. I liked that they packaged each cupcake individually in its own plastic (recyclable) container. They are a bit pricey at $3.25 each but you get what you pay for! I am really looking forward to trying the taffy apple, caramel apple and banana crème pie cupcake so I need to keep an eye out for those. Oh boy...I'm going to have to keep working out! read more

Excellent biscuits & gravy! Nice outdoor seating. Hip vibe inside with gourmet pastries and desserts. Nice variety on the menu and the staff is friendly. A "go to" for meeting friends in Elmhurst. read more

I was looking for a new bakery to check out, and stumbled upon Courageous Bakery. They had a Yelp deal, so that pretty much made my decision. The bakery is pretty small - there are a few tables inside and a small, but good, variety of baked goods. It was very quaint and a nice place to pop a squat and shove some sweets in my face. I was excited about our $10 worth of goodies for $5. We ended up getting 2 cupcakes, 1 doughnut, and 1 biscuit. The toasted coconut cupcake was amazing - you couldn't even tell that it was gluten free. The chocolate covered banana cupcake met all of my expectations - chocolate cupcake with a banana pudding filling and chocolate banana butter cream frosting. I've found that sometimes cupcakes higher end cupcakes can be try and tasteless, but not these guys! They are soft, sweet, and bursting with flavor. The doughnut was one of the best I've had - it reminded me of funnel cake. I don't even really like doughnuts and I would go back for one here! Finally, the cheddar chorizo biscuit was soft as well, but not my favorite. It didn't have the flavor burst I was looking for, but if you don't want anything sweet this would be a good choice. They also have coffee and other items to order off of their menu that you don't see on the counter. Everything is eco-friendly here (no plastic silverware, a recycling bin, eco-friendly packaging), and they only use natural ingredients. More please! read more

I am absolutely dumbfounded on how this place got great reviews. The pastries were rock hard, the coffee seemed overly watered down and the breakfast dishes seemed stale. The sausage tasted like hamburger, the potatoes were less than room temperature, hard with no flavor. The ham was chewy and barely warm. The only thing mediocre were the undercooked eggs. Just terrible and extremely confused by the overall rating...and this is coming from a yelp reviewer who doesn't write bad reviews. YUK! read more

I got to try the salted caramel and coconut lime (gluten free) cupcakes at the food truck by Northbrook Court Mall today. Both were delicious. My husband was against trying the gluten free cupcake bc he assumed it would taste like sand, as most GF sweets do. The lady in the truck challenged us to try it and I'm glad she did. The GF version was phenomenal. I would have never known if it wasn't labeled. Yum! read more

We came here for lunch. The pastries and cupcakes were good. Our breakfast was very good. My kids raved about the bacon

Excellent coffee and pastries selection. Service was very friendly. Good feel to the place. We'll be back for lunch soon.

Great place to go, great drinks and pastries and wonderful customer service. Colorful lively dining good music wonderful atmosphere.

Excellent service, atmosphere and above all...FOOD! So so good and made to order. Friendly staff with great smiles, and heartly breakfast fare that was truly deliciois and healthy. Baked goods that were decadent. Great coffee too. read more

I had to bump down my review. Although I can't deny that the cupcakes are delicious, I was very disappointed by them during a recent visit. I stopped by on a Sunday, at around 1:30, to have brunch and was told by the staff that the kitchen was closed. Huh? On my way out, empty handed, I walked passed the lettering in the window that said that brunch was until 2pm. read more

We are delighted to be using Courageous for our wedding coming up in a few months. Our tasting was so fun and well organized. Everyone who works here is so friendly and helpful! The cupcakes are amazing! We decided on the Chocolate chocolate gluten free and Pink velvet! The price is right, the cupcakes are tasty and proceeds go to a great cause! You have to check this place out!!!! read more

I am very happy to see a place like this opening in Elmhurst. Pastries are great but the cupcakes are a bit too sweet for my liking. The best thing about this place is the brunch from 8am-2pm on Saturdays. I have found the hidden gem of Elmhurst. Catered by La Adelita, which also runs a food truck in Chicago, it is a Mexican inspired, well-edited menu including chilaquiles and a breakfast burrito. I can't wait to go back to try the chilaquiles, but on the day that I went all I wanted was a standard breakfast. And it turned out to be anything but standard. The eggs, overeasy, were cooked to perfection. The potatoes were aggressively seasoned, crispy on the outside, and delicious. The bacon. THE BACON. It was like candy. And I don't even like or eat candy but this I could eat all day every day (which is why I'm grateful brunch is only once a week). Glazed with maple syrup, it is sticky and chewy and all good things bacon should be in a perfect world. I am salivating right now thinking about it. It is haunting my dreams. If you're reading this on a Saturday morning, GO NOW, get that bacon, and forever hold your peace! We also had a cinnamon roll, which, not gonna lie, was the best cinnamon roll I've ever had. The icing comes on the side so you get to control how much goes on the roll (all of it in my case). It was warm and gooey and had just the right amount of cinnamon. I also had a biscuit with jam because I'm gluttonous like that. Despite it being really good - I definitely didn't need it with everything else I'd ordered. My only complaint would be lack of drink options. As far as I could tell you can only get coffee, orange juice, and tepid water there. There is no ice machine so the water is room temp. My biggest suggestion (because I wholeheartedly want this place to succeed) would be to get an ice machine and soft drinks OR offer a refrigerator at the front (like Chow down the street) packed with bottled drinks. The brunch is fantastic and I can't wait to go back but if you want something other than coffee or OJ I suggest bringing your own drink. read more

Very cute cafe with great coffee! I wasn't a huge fan of the latte I ordered and the waitress noticed this on her own as I had given it to my husband to finish. She graciously offered me a free cup of coffee. Also, The story of these two sisters is amazing. Great ambiance and friendly staff! read more

I stopped in on a cold, rainy day and was greeted by a very happy, friendly cashier. She gave me some complimentary donut holes, which my kids loved. I had a reuben sandwich, which was on some pretty tasty rye bread. I also brought home a beautiful box of 4 cupcakes for my family. I used to be a baker, so i appreciate a good cupcake. These were pretty, but both the pink velvet and vanilla cakes were too dense and a little on the dry side. The frosting was very very sweet, which some people may like but I like a more balanced frosting. Overall, customer service was great, i was a little disappointed in the cupcakes for the price. read more

We used courageous bakery for our wedding and wow are we happy that we did! From start to finish we had a great experience with Courageous. We had a complimentary tasting to start and we fell in love with the cupcakes and had a difficult time narrowing down what flavors we wanted. The owner told us at the beginning that it is sometimes difficult to accommodate more than one or two signature flavors if they have other events going on to cater to, but they definitely under promised and over delivered. We had two everyday flavors as well as FOUR amazing specialty flavors. Our guests went nuts over them and we received so many compliments on how great the cupcakes were! We had only about 5-6 cupcakes left over out of 150! They answered my many many emails, took payment over the phone when I couldn't get to the store, they were on time the day of the wedding, and delivered the most amazing looking and tasting cakes. Thank you Courageous! Here are the flavors we had: Black & White Dark Chocolate Banana Creme Pie Maple Bacon Pistachio Salted Caramel Just an update on this review: we have gone since my last review a few times for breakfast and OMG! Some of the best breakfast food I've had. I always get The Traditional which is two eggs, maple glazed bacon, and a homemade biscuit. So amazing!!! The bacon is to die for, eggs are always cooked perfectly, and the biscuit is flaky and moist. Amazing! And as another plus, they offer free donut holes with you breakfast while you wait. SO GOOD! I've also tried lunch here, I had a BLT and it was awesome (I guess I really enjoy their bacon in general). Super good! Worth a try for sure! read more

Delicious, decadent, divine cupcakes!! I had tastes of the peanut butter chocolate, the black and white, the turtle shirracha (sp) was actually quite tasty even though I'm a complete wuss where spicy is concerned. Love that they're conscious of special diets and health concerns and all the important stuff, even though they major in providing sugar to the masses. They also give a portion of profits to causes close to their hearts. A really nice place for a treat or a light meal near the Metra train in Elmhurst. Very nice and cheery on the inside, making it a relaxing place to take a break. read more

BEWARE...DON'T GET RIPPED OFF!!! I have tried this place twice and wish I could take both attempts back...never again ...the 1st try, ordered a breakfast sandwich while waiting for train. Told them about train and was assured there was plenty of time so I paid and waited...nope train showed up before sandwich, so I basically gave CBC $10 for nothing...felt like I should have planned better, so let it go...last Friday, Oct 28th I decided to give them another shot...here is a genuine picture of the order I rec'd -TOTAL RIP OFF....I was charged $21.25 for it...that is without tip, I paid $25 in total (so stupid) for this take out order which was the hot brown, and the order of biscuits & gravy, but without the eggs. Since it was take out, I asked for the gravy on the side and was told "no, they won't do that" I thought I heard wrong so I asked "did you say no to gravy on the side" and was again told "no, they don't like substitutions" I couldn't believe I was having this conversation, so assuming 'they' was the kitchen, asked "if they would confirm this with they" and was put on hold...I had decided if they wouldn't honor this request, I'd cancel the order...you can pour gravy on biscuits, but can't un-pour it, so on the side feels like normal...anyway, the person came back on the phone a few minutes later and said "ok" to the gravy on the side...when I arrived home and opened the take out containers, I was beyond shocked...what a joke and I kid you not, I was charged $21.25...full disclosure, I cut the sandwich in 1/2 and ate about 3" piece of the bacon, otherwise the picture includes the ENTIRE order...really disappointing. read more

Courageous Bakery & Cafe - BEWARE...DON'T GET RIPPED OFF!!! this order was for biscuits & gravy (no eggs) and hot brown...was charged $21.25. - Bakeries Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

This review is simply about coffee. I had a layover stop in Elmhurst today, was hoping to get an iced coffee for the rest of my long commute. When it was ordered, the associate filled the glass to the top with ice, then put in 3-4 ounces of coffee from the refrigerator. They then filled the remaining 8-9 ounces with ice water from the refrigerator. No milk was available, but my fault for not asking. $2.75 for water with a shot of coffee. I got on my train, and as I drank my watered down coffee, I noticed a weird taste. As I continued, the taste was more pungent, and tasted like cleaner of some sort. I finished the coffee, begrudgingly. I will not be stopping here for coffee again. read more

This is first time ordering,, and definitely will not be the last !! The food is delicious, the herb potatoes are so yummy I ate every piece ! The croissant is equally as delicious coked perfectly the bacon cooked perfect the arugula was fresh not wilted ,, GOOD FOOD and it's packaged in sustainable container,, no Styrofoam , thank you read more

I love this place. They make awesome gluten free baked goods and the staff is so personable. The purpose behind the bakery is what makes me come to support them from a far distance. But the delicious food keeps me there! read more

Stopped in about 2-3 days after they opened and fell in love with the cupcakes. I got pink velvet and I wanted to marry it. I've already told all my friends about this place and I can't wait to take them all here! The decor is cute and trendy and it's a pretty cozy little place. The employees are super friendly which is always a plus! read more

First timer here.. After getting a yelp email talking up this place and reading great reviews. I decided to drive the 45 minutes from Aurora to check this place out. I had read a couple reviews saying that the cupcakes were dry, not moist. So I was really hoping those reviewers maybe had a bad badge or were just plain wrong. I can tell you now from experience that these cupcakes did not disappoint. Went on a Thursday around 1:30pm. Plenty of regular cupcakes as well as the daily specials in stock. I tried the Black & White, Spicy Sriracha Turtle, Strawberry, and Peanut Butter Banana. All were fantastic and did not disappoint. My one nit pick was that the Sriracha turtle lacked the spiciness I was hoping for. I didn't get a kick from it or taste much srirach at all to be honest. But it was still a fantastic turtle cupcake to me. Perhaps add some sort of Sriracha drizzle on it? Or maybe just add more to recipe. Still enjoyed it. All the cupcakes had plenty of flavor and were really moist. Probably my favorite from the batch was the strawberry. That was a damn good cupcake. At this time of the day it looked like there were still a variety of scones and baked goods available as well. However, they were out of donuts. But I can't complain since I showed up well after breakfast hours. Plenty of seating inside and bathroom was clean. Seemed like there was plenty of parking for this location. All in all, it was worth the 60 miles my girlfriend and I took out there to experience our first Courageous cupcakes. I plan on being a return customer after I burn these calories. read more

Solid 3.5-4 stars. No lattes just drip coffee. Did not try the cupcakes, came in for breakfast specifically because their site says portion of proceeds go to cancer research as one of the founders fought cancer. This alone was enough to bring us in. Food was nice, not spectacular-Not I need to eat my way through the menu good-but nicely done. The almond croissant was lovely and if they added some earl grey/lavender lattes this place would get interesting!! read more

I love that a portion of their proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For that reason alone I would be back. I came in just to pick up some cupcakes. I have not tried the rest of their food, but I definitely want to come back for that. I picked up 3 different kinds...black and white, vanilla bean, and dark chocolate. The cupcakes look adorable, are moist and not too heavy, and there is just the right amount of frosting on top. I cannot stand those cupcakes you get that have a mountain of frosting you have to fight to eat. These were just perfect. My favorite was the black and white. I'd like to come back and try some of their specialty flavors. The staff is just awesome. This is just an all around really nice place. read more

This place is wonderful! I have eaten here multiple times and I am always pleasantly surprised as things keep getting better and better! Everything is delicious. The food is quality. A cute date spot! I like how some of the funds support good causes! read more

OK, so a friend of mine was quitting her job today. Told her she could have whatever she wants. Came she says... Cupcakes... Red velvet. Cue the Yelp!!! Red velvet cupcakes in Melrose park. Bam, enter Courageous Bakery! Got two Pink Velvets. I didn't want my friend top have all the fun, so I got a Lemon gluten free and Black & White top split with my friend. Results... one word: Yummers! They were so delicious. So moist. So...so...OMG I will definitely be back. Possibly tomorrow. Well, maybe in a couple days. Also, got the Yelp $10 for $5 deal. read more

I absolutely love the Courageous Bakery! I was first introduced to their cupcakes from the cupcake truck when I worked downtown and was very excited to hear they were opening this bakery last year in Elmhurst, which is close to home for me. I've had many of their cupcakes and can't say anything bad about any of them. I always believe you can tell a good cupcake by the frosting and the most basic cupcake, in this case vanilla bean. I absolutely love their vanilla bean and even though I love trying all their cupcakes, that's one I always seem to want! However, I've tried quite a few of their flavors and I'm never disappointed. I even turned my boyfriend into a cupcake connoisseur like me! In this particular review, we went for brunch and cupcakes and it was a great treat! We have "cheat" days on Sundays so this was the perfect meal for that. Their house made sausage is delicious and the verde breakfast plate, spicy but great! If you haven't tried their cupcakes, I definitely recommend you do, you won't leave disappointed or at least I don't! read more

this place was awful. we got gluten free banana bread and carrot cake. both were extremely dry, and the carrot cake had no frosting. the coffees were inedible, we left them there and they were way too expensive. the hot coffee was not hot. the atmosphere is also obnoxious and the walls made my head hurt. super ugly. bad food and drinks read more

I am disappointed in myself that it took this long to discover the best breakfast nook ever. The service is great but when the food is delivered you ask yourself...how did I miss this before! There is no need to go to any chain breakfast mix or Greek diner because Courageous Bakery is where you want to spend a Sunday morning with the Family planning out your week and getting ready for a busy Sunday of yard work and Family times! read more

I only came to this store because I saw it on food network. I waited at the counter for 10 minutes with no service. There were several women working behind the counter and i was the only customer there. They would not serve me. Finally another customer arrived and the staff rush to the front to help her. I exclaimed, I've been waiting here several minutes. They said some apologies, they still waited on the other person before me, who was elderly so i let it fly. If it wasn't my boyfriend birthday, i would've left empty handed. Finally i get service and order 2 cupcakes to go. I'm thinking they are going to be awesome for the price point. The cupcakes taste like a box recipe with store bought frosting and decorations. Needless to say, I'll never be back here. read more

Really cute store that's fun to sit in while sipping coffee or enjoying a baked good. It also sounds like they're doing a lot to help support cancer charities as well. I went with 2 others & we all had cupcakes. The banana cream pie one was good: fluffy, light, not too sweet & well flavored. The others were not: extremely sweet, dense, dry. The cashier was 'alright'. Not particularly attentive or helpful. I probably wouldn't go back which is a shame because it's a cute place supporting a good cause. read more

I am shocked that I am the only one who feels that the cakes themselves lack flavor. Let me first say that the cupcakes were visually appealing, moist, and light. That is where my happiness ended. The frostings and fillings were the best part as they had the most flavor. The cakes from 5 out of the 6 I tasted were bland. I tasted Key lime pie, Sriracha Turtle, Vanilla Vanilla, Black & white, Maple Bacon, & Pink Velvet. I must say I did like the balance of spicy and chocolate that the Sriracha TurtIe offered. It was my favorite. I also purchased these, but did not taste: Dark Chocolate Chocolate, Sweet Potato Pie, and German Chocolate. I bought 14 cupcakes total and brought 12 to work. My co-workers were split down the middle with about 1/2 of them agreeing with my assessment and the other 1/2 was satisfied with their cupcake. Needless to say, I was super-hyped up about the product based on the reviews and was very much let down. This is not a place that I plan to purchase from again. If I were walking past, I probably wouldn't go in. read more