Magnolia Bakery

By Lu

Magnolia Bakery, Chicago

This will be a short post since I'm not really in any shape to write; however, I need to find a little solace in writing. It has been a tough weekend for my family. However, I knew that when things get tough, I can always find sanctuary in the kitchen or in words. Since, it is 11:00 PM, I chose words.

Eating a delicious dessert is always a fantastic pick-me-up as well. Thus why, all I could think about was writing about Magnolia Bakery. What's not to like about a place so quaint and filled with yummy sweet treats? Exactly!

Magnolia first opened in New York City's Greenwich Village back in 1996 and since then (after being sold to a second owner) it has grown to multiple locations. How happy I was when I heard it has opened a store in my town, Chicago. With the cupcake/donuts craze, all kinds of bake shops are popping out everywhere. Apparently there are enough clienteles to go around as most of these shops have lines out the door. I just passed Sprinkles Cupcakes the other day and I couldn't believe how long was the line. People really like their cupcakes. Even small town like DeKalb/Sycamore, Illinois where I went to school and hometown of Cindy Crawford has their own cupcake shop. My sister, Patti, introduced me to Sweet Dreams Cupcakes today, and they're quite good! It's moist and it has extra filling inside. I thought cupcakes craze is a fad and will be out of trend pretty soon. However, I could be totally wrong.

Cupcakes???

The difference between Magnolia Bakery and the rest of the bake shops are, Magnolia is not only about cupcakes. Their cupcakes are certainly well known, but they have tons of other offerings in the sweet department. They have so many varieties of cupcakes, cakes, icebox desserts, mini cheesecakes, pies, crumbles, and etc etc. In fact, they're known for their banana pudding.

Inside Magnolia Chicago

I really love the soft greenish blue color of Magnolia Bakery. It instantly soothed me when I entered their facility. It gave me that quaint, Southern hospitality impression almost right away. I guess I was thinking South because of the name Magnolia. The little lacy window treatments, and the color scheme did it for me. It's a place you want to be in to hang out and chat with friends or with your significant others. It's definitely a great place for a first date for those of you who meet online and want to meet in a nice quiet public place with sweet ambiance. It exudes warmth, tranquility, and homey quality.

Then I saw the long line of offerings. I started to drool looking at the various cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, sprinkles, and the sort. Behind the bakery cases, I saw mixer buzzing, bakers folding cake batters, flours and eggs, and stacks of cake pans and tins. Nothing gives away freshness than seeing the items being made right then and there. It's out in the open, so you knew they weren't hiding anything.

Mhmh....Cupcakes

Blueberry Crumbles

One thing I love about their cupcakes is the size. They're not big. It's just enough. You didn't have to use a knife to eat it and cut it into smaller piece. It fits in your hand and just right for you to bite into it. Overall I think their cupcakes and desserts taste great. Of course some flavors were better than others. I thought their Red Velvet was moist. I didn't try one with the cream cheese icing, and I have to go back and try one. The chocolate one was very nice. The carrot one however, I thought, my carrot cake was better. It's really awkward saying that what I make is better, but I wouldn't be making such statement if I can't back it up. Yet, for the most part, I think their cupcakes are superior compared to Sprinkles, Crumbs, and the rest of the cupcake shops. However, considering the lines outside Sprinkles, some people might not agree with me. Not sure if it was just hype with Sprinkles since the owner is the Judge of Cupcake Wars or whether it is really good.

However, I'd rather spend my time drinking coffee or tea at Magnolia than waiting in line in front of Sprinkles. Magnolia has the ambiance, the great food you can buy, and I don't have to stand in line outside. I'll stand in line for the DMV, a Pink Floyd's concert, getting into an airplane, and bathroom - but not for a cupcake.

Plus, at Magnolia, if I wanted a bigger piece of cake, I can buy a slice of cake. Back in Asia, there are so many loungy places where people can gather and talk, drinking coffee and eat a dessert. It was so hard to find a place like that in the US. Starbucks perhaps started it a bit; but, not quite. Thus why, I'm so thankful dessert places like Magnolia, Labriola, are now around.

Cakes, one slice each, please!

So, next time you don't want a meal but want to spend time with friends for chit chat and eat a little sumthin' sumthin' - try Magnolia.



For Locations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dubai, click here.
Their excellent baked goods are also available for sale online.