How sweet it is!…read more Let's preface this blog post by saying that The Sweet Bean is set to close on May 13th. Not only did I recently hear about this place for the first time but in the same breath I heard they were closing. So, I knew it was a high priority to check it out. It just so happens that my girlfriend also loves coffee and sweet treats, so we booked it there the first chance we got. I'm not too familiar with the inner workings of how Pekin is laid out so I never would've stumbled upon this place without either being told about it or finding it on Yelp/Google/other sources of information. Thank gosh for GPS We arrived in the later part of the morning once we woke up and got moving for the day. We both were in need of some coffee and something to put in our bellies. Upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly person behind the counter who ended up being the owner. She asked us what the photo taking out front was about and I briefly mentioned how I like to try out local coffee places. She said they only have the basic coffee choices as they are more of a bakery and I said that as long as you serve coffee, that is good enough for me. Emily got a flavored cold brew and a giant turtle cookie and I got a plain cold brew and a dark chocolate cherry... scone? I'm not 100% sure it was a scone. I just pointed at what I wanted and she told me what it was but was too distracted by all the delicious-looking treats in the display case to remember what she said. The total for two 16 ounce drinks and two baked goods was only $13. That is a really good deal, imo. We snagged a table and sat there, sipping our coffees and trying each other's snack. Emily was jealous of my treat and I was a bit jealous of her treat. They were both super delicious and I am glad we got them heated up as I think that really make their homemade deliciousness POP. I couldn't get over how thick and chewy my treat was. It tasted exactly like how it sounds but cranked to an 11. The cold brew was just that. Long-steeped coffee over ice. I don't think I've ever had a cold brew that wasn't just that and that is perfectly fine in my book While we were checking out, we noticed some stickers for sale. I tried to buy 2 but was told I had to use venmo to pay for the stickers as they were being sold by an independent seller. We ended up grabbing 5 for $15 once I worked out how to pay the person directly. This might be the first time I've seen something sold in a store that wasn't able to be rung up at the register. I didn't get a photo of the 5 we bought but you can rest assure they are mostly coffee-themed. I am truly sad this place is closing up it's doors. You can see on their FB page the reasons why so I won't go into that here. Make sure you pop in while you can before the oven is turned off for good.

Love this new little place in town! Fresh homemade muffins - love the banana nut, wow. Haven't…read moretried anything else yet but the coffee is great too. Comes from a coffee place in Peoria that roasts their own they said. Really good. Beats Starbucks any day

Love this little place! Great ice cream and food. Very speedy service as well ever when they are…read morequite busy. Been going here for years

The best ice cream in Pekin, if you can get past the attitudes. After going to the Funeral home, to…read moremake arrangements to bury her father, we thought we would go here to get away from the craziness in our lives the past few days. When we arrived, the attitudes were short wicked and it looks like everyone hated their job. My wife was made out to be a dumb*** in front of everyone because she accidentally grabbed someone's Strawberry Shake instead of her Strawberry Shortcake. I won't be back, that was very embarrassing for my wife and put her in tears, she just can't get away from all this cruel crap. She just lost her father and just can't get a break

I like to buy their treats for service above and beyond!…read more Everyone loves their iced cinnamon rolls and their pecan rolls! The staff is always so friendly and quick to serve you! They have lots of choices so I doubt you will ever be disappointed!

I loved this bakery, I especially liked the small pies, crust is always baked well with lots of…read morefilling and topping. Their cream pies are wonderful and the fruit pies also I just tried the brownies and were wonderful. Going to try the cheesecake next but sure I'll not be disappointed. The staff is always pleasant and helpful.

Simply Sweet Cakes is great. The cupcakes and cakes are delicious. The owners are wonderful,…read morefriendly people. The shop is an inviting space. I love to go there for my cupcake cravings!

The cake was delicious! I would order online or in person, though. I ordered over the phone and…read morewanted a cake for no special occasion that I planned on sharing with friends. I was not specific enough in my directions, though, so I got a frosted cake with no color, no flowery decorations, and writing that I did not ask for on it. But it was delicious, which is why I ordered it in the first place.

What a super neat ice cream and candy shop! Cute decor, friendly service, and yummy treats. We…read moretried the bubble waffles with an Oreo topping. Wow! I cannot wait to go again next time I am in the Morton/Peoria area.

Tasty and yummy I like this place. The dole whip is very tasty and they make the place look nice…read moretoo!!

Great food in a perfect, throw back atmosphere. Grilled chicken club sandwich, pizza burger, and…read moremozzarella sticks were super good! But the shakes...the shakes were out of this world. Highly recommend. We can't wait to come back.

Food is great!!!! Best neighborhood burger joint! Fast…read morefriendly so clean! I love their grilled chicken sandwich, junior tenderloin and their burgers!!! Ice cream I suggest the peanut fudge sundae.

Environment: GREAT I will definitely come there again!…read moreThe environment is so nice. And the mini golf was so much fun in such a beautiful place!

Review Visit: June 13th, 2016…read more A perfect combination of fun and delicious. I have, admittedly, been here many times before June 13th. But that is neither here nor there. The only thing you need to know is that this place has cheap mini golf and some of the best ice cream around. The mini golf portion is about $5.50 a person, young ones being cheaper. The course is your typical 18 holes. But this course is quite challenging and I have only sunk a few Hole-in-Ones here. There is a sweet deep blue fountain/waterfall that runs through most of the park. My ball has gone in the water more times than I care to admit. The challenging but fun course aside, the real gem here is their ice cream. Imported all the way from Madison, Wisconsin, this is some of the best that I have. It easily is in my Top 3. My usual is a Caramel ChocoLatte. Sooooo good. The company they get it from is called Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and I really want to visit Madison, Wisconsin one day to have ice cream directly from them. All in all, a great place to spend an afternoon putting balls and devouring ice cream. This is actually one of the few places on my blog that falls into two categories. Mini Golf and Ice Cream Shack, since you can pop in and enjoy ice cream without ever stepping on the green.

Review Visit: October 21st, 2015…read more My friend and I stopped by here for a quick snack after getting our main course at Richards. Upon entering, it felt like being an adult... I mean a kid in a candy store. They had delectable sugary goods by the dozen in their display cases. My friend and I quickly picked out a cookie and headed out. I got myself a normal chocolate chip cookie and my friend got a double chocolate chip for herself. We broke off pieces so we could try each other's snack and boy... was the sugary goodness great in both cookies. I had some serious cookie envy going on as I liked my friend's cookie more. As for the store itself, it's located on Main St in Peoria. This means you have to find a curb to park against and find the store among others in the area. The inside was clean and orderly with all the sweet goodies twinkling in the display cases. That twinkling may have been light reflecting off the sugar in the baked goods. If you don't happen to live in the Peoria area, don't despair! They have about 80 locations located throughout the United States.

Great and tasty designs and over-the-top customer service! I've ordered from them more than once…read moreand was more than satisfied! Spread the word!

Thanks for the special request of the Dr. Seuss cookies! They were perfect and my student enjoyed…read morethem for our Read Across America day.

I stopped going to the local bakeries years ago when the two main businesses started going down…read morewith taste and quality in my opinion. THEN...someone introduced me to this business I had never heard of. WOW...if you haven't been run...don't walk! They have SO MANY sweet treats and all really delicious. Their prices reasonable, outstanding quality, love you can buy individual treats and drum roll...you can get individual squares of wedding cake. *The crowd goes wild* No joke I've had almost everything there I think and they are without a doubt the best cookies, cakes, breads, brownies and treats I've ever had in this area. They even topped the famous chocolate frosting that at one time I thought was the most amazing thing to ever hit central IL. Favorites are smores bars, chocolate dipped marshmallows and fruit and nut breads. This is my new it place for special occasions and treating myself! It blows away every other bakery in the Peoria area!

Review Visit: April 15th, 2023…read more Jesus that's a strong drink. Like anything with life, you explore enough and you will experience some wild things. Coffee Connection happens to be one of the more unique coffeehouses I've ever visited. After breakfast at Busy Corner, it was time for coffee. We walked up and as soon as we walked in, I knew that we were in for a treat. There was Jesus stuff everywhere and a bookshelf near the entrance that was crammed full of Jesus books, movies, audiobooks, and etc. Not that this place being a Christian-themed is a bad thing. Just my first religious coffee place. No, what made this place unique were the random stuff you'd probably find unsold (or sold ASAP based on trends) at Goodwills or Thrift Stores. You should be able to see some of the oddities in the photos below. To note, there was also a lot of St. Louis Cardinals craft items around so if you are a Cards or Cubs fan, just take note. I was standing there, looking at the menu on the counter and things in the display case when out of the corner of my eye I see someone standing there. This spooked me as we were the only customers at the front of the store. Turns out... it was Jake from State Farm. As a life-size cutout. I knew I had to get a photo with it. Emily saw a Strawberry-type drink on their FB page and ordered that. I got a plain ol cold brew for my sipping pleasure. We stood there while the barista made our drinks and took in the unusualness of Coffee Connection. Once we got our drinks, we wandered to the back and to check out the giant artwork painted on the wall. You can see that below. We headed up to the front and say by the big window, playing Speed with a deck of cards on the aforementioned shelf. I took a sip of my cold brew and instantly knew it would be a slow sipping drink. I've had some strong and bitter cold brews and this one is in the Top 3, easily. Not that that is a bad thing but something to keep in mind if you try one here. Emily enjoyed her drink and said it tasted like a mix of beer, coffee and strawberry. I took a sip and would have to agree. We both agreed that it didn't taste bad... Emily said she enjoyed it, actually. Just an interesting drink. They did have baked goods and refrigerated items for sale but seeing as we just ate breakfast, we weren't in the mood for anything besides caffeine. Some of them did look appealing despite full bellies. Sadly, you can kind of assume this place doesn't do gangbusters in sales as a lot of the fixtures and odds and ends were just not in fantastic condition or shape. Some of their decorations were covered in some dust or showed signs of not being touched since opening. We ended up leaving with half our drinks left. Normally I finish mine while I'm at the place but with how bitter it was, it was a slow sipping drink. Once it was watered down a bit, it really hit the spot after some yard work. I can't say that would return here or would suggest people go out of the way for but if you are in the area and need a caffeine hit, Coffee Connection can connect you with what you need!

The staff is so kind and knowledgeable! It is a perfect spot to relax and sip on coffee. There is…read moreplenty of seating. We both got delicious custom cold drinks. I highly recommend.