I love cupcakes! While going to a paint night next door I saw this place and was so happy! You walk in and it smells amazing. They have so many flavored cupcakes. I got the cookies n creme and OMG it was so good. The icing on the top wasn't overly sweet and it tasted like cookies n creme. The cake was moist and delicious. Whenever I'm around the area I'll be stopping in. read more

Definitely some of the best cupcakes I've ever had! I had the cupcake smash( cupcake smashed over ice cream like a sundae) Everything is so fresh and delicious. I've never had a bad experience especially due to the kind staff read more

Best cupcakes and cake shakes ive ever had. One issue though- they are always closed on summer holidays.... so if thinking to grab a bite , you will be disappointed. Fave is the boston cream read more

I have never been a fan of cupcakes but when I saw this cute place, I thought I should try it. Their cupcakes are delicious - the best I've ever had. They are moist and come in different flavors. The lady at the counter was also very polite. read more

There was a deal so I finally stopped in. I had tried their cupcakes a couple of times when a friend brought them to work. I went with 5 different ones so my husband and I could try them out. Out of the five flavors I really enjoyed the birthday cake and the peanut butter brownie. My husband has already told me that I have to get cupcakes from here for his birthday in June. read more

Smallcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - South Barrington, Illinois

I took 5 kids here between dinner and a Movie to grab a cupcake for my daughter's birthday. The two girls behind the counter were so rude we actually left without ordering anything. A shame, because the cupcakes looked good. Ordered dessert at the movie instead. Might want to tone down the attitude from behind the counter. read more

Ordered a cake last minute for a party. Long story short I ordered over the phone I was semi concerned about how it would look but it was beautiful and tasted delicious. read more

Smallcakes - Confetti cake ombré - Cupcakes Near Me - South Barrington, Illinois

5PM in a Thursday night. Store was not busy but a steady stream of customers came in. + Friendly staff: The lady behind the counter greeted us as we came in and said she will be with us after serving the customer before us. I appreciate it when staff acknowledge you in the store and let you know when you'll be served. + Delicious cupcakes (moist cake, fluffy/sweet icing): My husband got the coconut cupcake, I got the vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing. We devoured it in 3 minutes! + Average pricing: $3.75/cupcake. It is cheaper if you get a dozen ($36 per dozen). + They also serve mini cupcakes, cupcake shakes, sundaes & waffle cones. + Indoor and outdoor tables + Easy/free parking Nothing to complain about. All A+ in my book! read more

I'm a cupcake snob. I haven't had a truly awesome cupcake since we lived near Sugar Monkey in Naperville. I was skeptical to try this place because it's a chain, but I was way surprised. The place is cute, nice and clean. Nothing crazy fancy but I like the atmosphere. It has a "all the employees wash their hands here" kind of vibe. I've been here multiple times now grabbing cupcakes and I'm impressed every time. They cake is the right consistency, not too heavy, not too airy. And then there's the frosting...wowza! It's a great consistency and sooo delicious. My favorite cupcake there is a vanilla bean cupcake with matching frosting. Sounds so boring, and normally I'm a chocolate girl, but this is so perfect. I truly love all their flavors, minus the cream cheese frosting related ones, just not my thing. Oh and I love that they had to put up a sign saying they were not liable for cupcakes that are damaged in the car on the drive home. People are dicks if they expect a place to replace something that isn't their fault (For the record, the cupcakes are packaged awesomely well). read more

I don't like to give 5 star reviews unless some place is fabulous. The cupcakes here are sinfully delicious. Their Wedding Cake cupcake has a slight almond flavor. So good. My favorite is the Chocolate Cream. It looks like a Hostess cupcake, but tastes a million times better. Pink Vanilla....they're all good! Work your way through their flavors. The staff are super nice and helpful. Make sure to get the customer card punch to work your way up to a free cupcake. They're not cheap, but they're worth the price. read more

I consider myself a cupcake connoisseur, truly. I wish I didn't love them so much, but it is what it is. Anyway, these cupcakes are near the top of my list (and it is a long list). I am not sure of their final ranking, but they are up there. My favorite flavor of cupcake tends to be vanilla with sprinkles, and their version here is the Birthday Cake. It was fabulous! read more

Ordered a vanilla cupcake and it was very good. They have a variety of cupcakes to choose from. Lots of flavors :) read more

Smallcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - South Barrington, Illinois

This is my favorite bakery!!! Had there cupcakes plenty of times and my favorite slice of cake !! ( CARROT CAKE ) . Last weekend I ordered my FIRST cake for my Daughter 1st Birthday Party and it was exactly how I wanted it and it was amazing !!! The mini cupcakes and smash cake were adorable I'll be definitely ordering and going back to them ! They never disappoint me Thank you again for the Cakes ! 10-2-19 Nova read more

Smallcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - South Barrington, Illinois

Amazing cupcakes! The owners are sooo sweet and the location couldn't be better. Perfect spot to grab dessert after eating at one of the many amazing restaurants in the arboretum. The red velvet was by far my favorite. They also have homemade icecream. read more

See all

Delicious and highly addictive! It's hard to visit the Arboretum and not leave with a cupcake or ice cream from Small Cakes. The cupcake shop gets a lot of business and depending on the day, will actually sellout of cupcakes and have to close early. My favorite treat is their red velvet ice cream. They rotate their flavors each month. So if you don't see the one you're looking for, it should be back shortly. Definitely worth a visit! read more

I'm excited that there's finally a cupcake place near me! I used to live downtown and there was a cupcake shop about a block away. I thought the cupcakes were delicious! My favorite is the red velvet. I also ordered a small dozen for the holidays and the family also really enjoyed them read more

Their cupcake selection is overwhelming for someone with an intense sweet tooth. The hostess cupcake is their best in my opinion, but you can not go wrong with any choice. The cake and frosting ratio is perfect. Now I can not go to the Arboretum without stopping by there! read more

oh. my. gAaawwWd!!!! I've witnessed the rise and fall of boutique cupcakeries far too often to trust that this would please my stubborn, old-fashioned taste buds (read: anti-icing, anti-frills). Smallcakes, however, has made me a believer!!! The gateway into my newfound fanaticism began with their almond flavored cupcake and from there, the wreckage continued into birthday cake, chocolate, and their pumpkin spice cupcakes. Oops. Legit considering renewing my gym membership so I can make these a part of my daily life...aaand getting a part-time job cuz you know they ain't cheap! read more

Love this place. Came to the area to have a coffee date with my friend and noticed this place next door. It is beautiful and organized. The cupcakes were delicious and full of flavor. You can taste that it's homemade. It is about $13 for 4 cupcakes but they are bigger than average sized cupcakes and the packaging and quality is amazing. read more

They have the most delicious cupcakes the frosting is out of this world, it's worth the money

I was at The Arboretum and this place looked interesting. Trendy cupcakes...usually all the flavor is in the frosting. Not Here! What a wonderful cupcake! It was so moist and delicious. I got the Boston Cream Pie Cupcake. Chocolate frosting that was great, cupcake that was as good as the frosting. Tables inside and outside to sit at. I want more! read more

Kind of a waste of money. I expected the cupcakes to actually be the flavors that they listed not just their frosting. They put way to much frosting on the cake. It's like I'm paying for the frosting more then the cake itself. They sound good but I wouldn't waste my time getting them. read more

I honestly expected a little bit more when coming here. The cupcakes themselves were flavorful and moist but there's so much dead space in the shop it's not as welcoming as other cupcakes shops I have been to. Overall it was average read more

I visited this place to get desert for my wife on Valentines Day and let me tell you that theses cupcakes are the best I have ever had. I don't really like sweets but these were amazing. Will definitely be visiting again. read more

I was really looking forward to surprising my girlfriend with a cupcake for her birthday because I love this place, called to ask what gluten free flavor options they had and was told they only served gluten free cupcakes Friday's and Sunday's which is completely absurd, as if gluten free people only chose to be gluten free Friday's and Sunday's. I hope to see gluten free options daily in the nearby future. read more

In short, decent cupcakes but very poorly managed operations. Constantly running out of product even hours before close. Sorry, you have essentially one product. You need to actually have it! The scorecard: **** The cupcakes themselves are pretty good (3.5 to 4 stars) + Good overall taste, I prefer a number of places more but I'm still a fan + Packaging (i.e. boxes etc..) and branding is very nice though geared more toward kids than say even Sprinkles; perhaps not surprising -/+ Overall look/presentation of the cupcake is average; some remind me of a hostess cupcake...not exactly fancy especially for a $3-$4 cake -/+ Variety COMPLETELY depends on when you get there; see below **** The base staff great (4 stars) + Super nice but also all very young and inexperienced by which I mean no offense just don't expect super smooth resolution of issues should things not quite go to plan ***** Location (4-5 stars) + The Arboretum of Barrington is definitely above average for an outdoor shopping mall: charming, unique features, with higher-end unique restaurants and stores that create an elevated, warm, and classy experience all set in one of Chicago's nicest suburbs that's the good... *** Decor presentation of the store itself (3 stars) + The general space and location are great - Use of that space not, Too much void and lack of detail to fill it leave it feeling sterile * Management / Operations (1 star) - Been many times and experienced a slew of just bad management issues; not talking rudeness but how the place is run. The business model is clearly just a copy of premium cupcake stores that have come before without the operational experience and creativity that it took to make such a place in the first place - Over and above, the biggest reason for a poor rating here is it is simply not acceptable to be always running out of product and even hours before close. It can work at first but eventually turns into HIGH risk of becoming a fad; especially with a chain. Sure this CAN quasi work for a place like -example- Donut Vault but they are open only for a couple hours ...not all day It is expected that you need to get there when they open. A place open all day can't have this same model. At first, I figured it was growing pains..you're no longer new. Then I figured OK maybe just don't go during the last hour or so (which still isn't acceptable). Yesterday, down to the last few with more than two hours to go ??? Bottom line: If you're at the Arboretum of Barrington for other reasons for sure stop by, If you get a craving first thing in the morning, its worth the special trip. If mid-afternoon when that sweet tooth calls, satisfy it another way unless you truly are one of those persons with absolutely nothing better to do cause it could be a complete waste of time... or perhaps just call first. read more

This place is awesome! I ordered two birthday cakes from here and got one of their cupcakes for me to enjoy on my way home and let me tell, it was the best cupcake I have ever had! Also, as I was driving away, one of the cakes fell over and the whole top was completely ruined. I called them and they immediately offered to fix it at no charge. All while we are in this quarantine mess. I can't express my appreciation enough for being so accommodating. I will definitely come back for their amazing cupcakes and customer service! read more

Cupcakes are normally delicious. Last time they were on their side in the box. This time, we didn't even get them. Spoke to Smallcakes shortly after placing the order because they were out of one kind of cupcake. That's fine and we substituted something else. However 40 minutes pass and no delivery. I then get a call from Grubhub that the store is closing early and the order was cancelled. It would have been nice if they had told me they were closing when I spoke to them 40 minutes ago. Hopefully the refund will come through soon. read more

Wasn't too impressed with this place. I was barely greeted and the quality of the cupcakes are not good. A little pricey as well. Won't be back. read more

The cupcakes here are outstanding. The cupcakes are fresh, full of flavor and the frosting on top is to die for. I love the different flavors. The only issue is sometimes they sell out early, but I'm sure it's because they bake everything fresh every day. When I was there, someone was purchasing three dozen! Which could potentially wipe out the day's inventory. My tip would be to visit early in the day to get the flavor you want. Yes they are a tiny bit expensive, but the prices are in line with other well known cupcake stores. This is a great place for dessert. I'll be back. read more

This place is so nice. I ordered from here for my nephew's birthday. Had it delivered to him through grub hub. Grub hub delivered to the wrong address. Small cakes employee called me about the grub hub mistake and offered to refilled order without any issues. Thank you for helping my nephew celebrate his birthday correctly. My dogs also love the pupcakes! Thanks again read more

Absolutely delicious and with so many unique flavors. I have convinced myself more times than I'd like admit I was buying for a client and left with a couple for myself. read more

I am obsessed with these cupcakes! They are amazing!! The frosting is not too sweet, the cakes themselves are the perfect texture. They used to sell a Nutella cupcake that was to die for. Even the less complicated cakes are delicious! read more

I am waiting the a 3 star due to the price. I've had better cupcakes for less money. The average price of a cupcake is $3.75 each, cheaper per dozen, $36. The ice cream is good, but not worth $3.50 per scoop, or $10 per pint, which figures out to be $80 per gallon. You can buy a lot of Haagen Dazs for that. read more

The cupcakes are delicious here! So light and fluffy and the frosting is amazing! They have a wide selection to choose from. Perhaps I'll try their ice-cream next time :) read more

I'm a little disappointed with the inconsistent quality of the icing on these cupcakes.The cake itself is usually pretty good (moist, flavorful) however I've had several cupcakes where the icing tasted like store bought (i.e. Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines etc.) artificially flavored icing. There is one cupcake that they have that was spectacular @caramelcreme...this is definitely a great cupcake when fresh. I'll definitely grab a cupcake from here when I'm looking for a local quick fix and don't feel like making the 45 min drive to my top cupcake place. read more

Order a dozen cupcakes, and they were all delicious and moist. Will definitely be back when I am in town again and in need of cupcakes.

Cupcake consistency was amazing! Nutella and red velvet ice cream were also delicious. Loved the chunks of cake in the red velvet and the chocolate in the Nutella. Wish they didn't only have 1 cupcake left at 7PM on a Saturday though. read more

We were in the neighborhood on a Fri night and decided to come here for a little something sweet after dinner. They don't have too many exciting flavors but just the usual standard ones like vanilla, chocolate etc. I wanted the red velvet cupcake but they were out of it. WE ordered the Boston cream cupcake and their special of the day blueberry pancake cupcake. I paid upwards of $8 for two cupcakes. The cupcakes were served in disposable styrofoam bowls with disposable spoon and fork. I expect better when I am paying that much for a cupcake. Anyway the real problem is that the cupcakes are not good - at all. The pancake batter cupcake was dry and the frosting on top was stiff as if it had been sitting out for a while. It was overtly sweet. The boston cream pie was better, moister but still lacking in flavor and decadence. We couldn't finish either of the cupcakes - $8 totally wasted :( read more

Absolutely great cupcakes and great service! Went in with my little girl around 4 pm today and could not decide between the cupcake named chocolate cream and peanut butter but the young lady helping us recommended the peanut butter and I absolutely loved it. The cupcakes are very moist in the middle and I could tell they were baked this morning. Made this yelp account just today so I could review this place. Definitely will be a regular customer here! Already excited to come back. read more