I've been following this business on Instagram for a few months so I decided to stop by and try…read moretheir cupcakes. It's a very cute and cozy spot. The display case is very inviting. I had a hard time deciding on what to get because everything looked amazing. Ultimately I decided on 4 cupcakes- buttery pecan, s'mores, red velvet cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake. All of them were delicious! Very moist and flavorful. The red velvet cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake gave you cupcake with a hint of cheesecake flavor. My favorite was the buttery pecan. It reminded me of buttery pancakes with a little syrup. Great environment with very friendly staff. I will definitely return to try more items.

I spotted CarmieCakes last time I was walking around Downtown Elmhurst, but at that point I had…read morealready gotten sweet treats from Hello Donut, so I stopped myself from overdoing it. This time, I made it a point to pop into CarmieCakes. Unfortunately I got there close to closing, so many of the cupcake flavors were sold out. I only had a few choices, so I went with the French Vanilla cheesecake cupcake. In short, it was a decent cupcake, but not quite outstanding. To be fair, the CarmieCakes cupcake was certainly better than the grocery store variety, and I appreciate that it wasn't overly sweet, but I didn't get any cheesecake flavor or texture. CarmieCakes is not bad. But...I've been spoiled by Molly's center-filled cupcakes. Those are easily my favorite cupcakes. The service was superb and the interior was cute. Pricing was on par with other gourmet cupcake places. Nice to have this option in Downtown Elmhurst.

My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this shop while looking for coffee and a little sweet treat…read more I'm gluten free and he's tree nut free, so picking a place to eat is usually an activity in itself lol. We were greeted right away and everyone was super knowledgeable. But honestly, the best part was feeling included. I know it's a first world problem, but most places don't have many options for people with allergies. Here, it didn't feel like a single random gluten or nut free item tucked into a menu full of things we couldn't have. There was real variety, and that meant a lot to us. Thank you for making our Sunday!

Custom cake was beautiful and delicious! Highly recommend. My kid said "this is the best cake I…read moreever had."

Stopped in on a whim after a protest a few weeks ago to pick up some goodies. I got a few…read morepastries/donuts and slices of cheesecake. I'm super picky with my cheesecake but theirs was AMAZING! The strawberry one is 15/10 easily lol While in there I saw a few people pick up their cakes and they looked great! Will definitely be trying for our next birthday.

It's a real old school bakery with the best doughnuts. I would weigh 300 lbs if I lived nearby…read more Great counter help as well!

Whenever I'm in the mood for cupcakes, I always end up at Smallcakes. Their cupcakes are…read moreconsistently delicious, the frosting is AMAZING, and the staff is always so kind and attentive. In fact, the last time I was there, the sweet young lady behind the counter complimented my style, which honestly made this 40-something feel pretty good about herself. Such a small gesture, but it genuinely made my day. I tried to snap a picture of all the cupcakes we got, but the kids devoured theirs before I had the chance. I'm not sure what the chocolate cupcake with the pretzel on top is called, but it is hands-down my absolute favorite. My husband loves the Wedding Cake and Lemon Drop cupcakes. But if you ask Marley and Mary Jane for their opinion... it's definitely two paws up. These two go absolutely crazy anytime they see a Smallcakes box come into the house because they know I brought them a little pup treat too. I love that Smallcakes offers something for the dogs as well -- such a cute touch. Highly recommend if you're looking for a cupcake spot that's both delicious and welcoming.

A pretty solid cupcake place. Wanted to try a different place for my birthday so I gave it a go…read more I picked up from the Elmhurst location which is the closest to me. It's a small shop located in a plaza. It's pretty bare on the inside. I was immediately greeted upon entry and the lady who checked me out was really nice. She showed me my order before I accepted it. Presentation looked great! They had most of their flavors on display as well as other miscellaneous products like dog cupcakes, decor, etc. The quality of the cupcakes were fresh and hefty. Taste was good but nothing amazing.

i ordered the cookie cupcakes, coconut, lemon coconut, key lime and caramel. They where all…read morefabulous, not to sweet, perfectly balanced creaminess of the filling/frosting and the specific flavor of the cookie. I will be back to try more and get at least a dozen more cookie cupcakes to share with family on father's day!

These precious cookies are Small little pies. Not as sweet and not as much filling. Much better…read morethan a traditional cookie , it's a small tart. Power packed flavors and very enjoyable. I cut my cookie into 4 pcs, to try several flavors. The pecan pie, apple pie & very berry . These are Perfect for Thanksgiving. Can't believe they were not sold out. Delicious. Must try and will return to try the chocolate flavors next time. Ty

The baked goods are fabulous and customer service is great!! You must try the hummingbird cake and…read moreher world famous chocolate chip cookies. The list goes on and on. They are having a pop-up- shop later this month that's a great way to taste a variety of their delicious desserts.

From the owner: Delicious southern-style desserts in Bellwood! Keelie Banks is the owner and head baker of Suga…read moreBakers: A down home bakery serving up soulful southern-style desserts with a smile. When Keelie began baking over a decade ago, she never imagined that her passion for baking and creating special moments in the kitchen with family would turn into an exciting and rewarding career. Over the years, she was able to acquire tried and true recipes through lots of research, tons of experimenting and good old fashion trial and error. Now, many recipes later, she is delighted that Suga Bakers can bake up Sweet Memories for you and your loved ones too.

Let me start by saying that we're a huge fans of small businesses and want to see them succeed…read more I've also worked in plenty of restaurants and coffee shops in my day. Definitely not trying to be a hater. My friend and I were on our way home from Chicago, looked up some bakeries along our route. We stopped here to get some goodies to take home to family, and to snack and have a coffee while we drove 6 hours. My friend ordered: white chocolate coconut latte, 2 donut holes, a strawberry, a salted caramel, and a pink velvet cupcake. I ordered: chocolate pretzel iced latte, a big chocolate chip cookie, tropical fruit (?) danish, coconut, pink velvet, and French silk cupcakes. I'd say between the two of us we probably spent $60+? Walking in the shop is adorable and colorful, an employee had a brightly colored tie dye shirt on and we said hello to them first, commented on how much we liked their shirt, and barely got a response back, let alone a greeting. The employee at the counter wasn't rude but definitely not overly eager to greet or offer up information. Questions were answered when we asked, that was it. When I received my iced latte I asked if they had any straws and just got a head shake in response. Totally fine with no straw, but my friend found a stir stick for me, which was honestly the main reason I wanted a straw so I could stir up what was clearly sitting on the bottom of the cup. Lattes were fine. We tried the chocolate chip cookie in the car and the texture was good, crispier on the edges and the middle was chewy enough. But it tasted very bland, so we didn't finish it. A little while later we decided to try the donut holes, they had good flavor but they were so dry and crumbly, presumably because they were sitting out in the open air, who knows for how long. Also didn't finish those. Even later we decided to try the salted caramel cupcake because I'd read on the case that they had Swiss meringue buttercream so I was really excited about that, and thought for sure this would be where they would excel. While the flavor of the cake was fine, I wouldn't say it tasted like salted caramel, there was some kind of cream in the middle that was good, again not salty or caramely. But that was the heaviest, most dense cupcake I've ever had, and not in a good way. The buttercream was good, and the caramel drizzle on top did taste salty. My husband was so excited that I was bringing home that tropical fruit danish and the coconut cupcake. We tried the coconut cupcake together and again, it had a lot of actual coconut in the batter, it was dense but also dry. We abandoned the cake and ate buttercream, which was good but not coconutty. So we moved onto the French silk cupcake. This cake had a great texture, light and soft, good flavor, some kind of chocolate mousse in the middle was good too. Again, good buttercream, but the top had a bunch of dry, flavorless pie crust chunks all over it. I understand that it was supposed to mimic a French silk pie, but it was such a good cake without the crust chunks. My husband had his pastry today (next day) and though dry he said the middle was good, other than the pineapple in the middle he couldn't taste any other flavor. We tried the pink velvet after dinner tonight and again with the super heavy and dense cake texture, no real flavor, but the cream cheese frosting was yummy. I cannot say how the other cupcakes were, as my friend was so disappointed in the one we shared and the report we gave her about the ones we tried, that she hasn't eaten them. Ultimately the French silk one was the only item that was eaten completely. Keep making that buttercream, it was the best part of everything we bought. I sincerely hope your employees weren't having a hard day, I try to be understanding that you never know what someone is going through, but that's the only reason I can think of for them to be so completely disinterested in helping or talking to paying/tipping/polite customers.

Needed a pick me up and knew Courageous Bakery is what I needed. I've been getting The Lorraine…read moresince high school and it never disappoints. I'd go so far as to say it's the best breakfast sandwich in Elmhurst. I would order it without the greens since I personally don't like how soggy they get on the sandwich. Tried the dirty chai for the first time and dare I say it may be better than a certain local coffee shop's. I do think $22 for a sandwich and coffee is a bit expensive, but I'm always very satisfied with my meal. It does come with a large side of home fries, but I usually end up not eating them, so I'd love to see more side options to choose from. Also had cupcakes catered a few months back including some gluten free options and they were all a big hit. Definitely on the expensive side, but they were good quality and absolutely devoured. The environment is always welcoming and open plus the staff are very kind.