Magnolia Bakery Chicago

I made a special visit here during my trip to Chicago because I absolutely love Magnolia’s. The red velvet cupcake was hard and dry and tasted like it had been made several days ago. NOTHING like the NYC locations! Horrible representation of such a well-​known bakery. I raved about how great this place was to all of my Chicago family and friends and I was so embarrassed when I bite into the cupcake and tasted how bad it was. I would never recommend that anyone go to the Chicago location! I wish I could get my money back for the 3 cupcakes I bought! Such a disappointment!

Nice little shop in the middle of the loop. Come here and get the banana pudding, it’s the best thing here! Everything else is just normal. 4 stars just for the puddin!

Okay I just stopped here on a whim because I thought «wow I want something sweet» and this MAJESTIC place appeared before me. I got the vanilla bean cheesecake, $ 7 for a really nicely sized portion perfect for two. Let me tell you, this cheesecake was absolutely wonderful. It was literally the best cheesecake I have ever had in my short existence on this rock we call «Earth.» Beautiful texture, not overpoweringly sweet, strong vanilla bean flavor, and the CRUST, holy cheesecake, the crust was made of toasted pecans and brown butter and it actually brought a tear to my eye.
Eat. The. Cheesecake.

My mom brought me in here one evening for a cup of coffee that I had been kindly nudging her for. When we arrived I was so impressed by the cute décor and vintage vibe. There were tons of people in the establishment; lots of happy faces enjoying their sweet treats and good company. The line was a bit long, but that is always a great thing to see! We waited and admired the many cupcakes and sweet treats along the way. There were many scrumptious options!
When it was my turn to order it turned out that they didn’t have any more coffee, so I passed on a purchase unfortunately. That’s life sometimes. Anyway, I was happy to look around this little shop and wish them the best!

A little pricy for desserts but so worth it. Definitely try the chocolate cheesecake. It’s a must! I actually haven’t tried the banana pudding but they have a banana cream pie which is to die for. The cupcakes are pretty good but small for the price, they also use buttercream frosting but I wish they had cream cheese frosting as well.
Customer service always good.

Magnolia has a lot of buzz. Been here a few times. Don’t think it’s awesome. Cupcakes have been very dry. I have had the banana pudding and it’s pretty good. Have had other things here and they are just okay. Magnolia has a great location on State Street; and it’s baked goods-​so it gets a lot of traffic. But, there are far better places for baked goods in Chicago.

During the holidays a co-​worker brought in a banana pudding from Magnolia’s. It was delicious! My diet doesn’t allow me to have much sugar so i’m very picky about my choices. After lunch one day I stopped in with a friend because they wanted a cookie. Well everything looked so delicious and I ended up getting a slice of hummingbird cake. Good Lord, it was so delicious! Mind you I rarely have sweets, so maybe i got a little too excited.

Update. Last three visits the cupcakes were totally stale? I mentioned it to staff a few times and they didn’t seem to care or get a manager to make it right? I glanced at last like 5 recent reviews and all said the same– dry, stale cupcakes. Clearly a problem! When a customer comes in with a complaint as a biz, you try to make it right. a couple cupcakes on the house; a gesture?! Three strikes and you’re OUT/​I tried.

This little Bakery is very well known out of New York City’s West village and was known for making high quality delicious cupcakes/​cakes and has had the charming marketing appeal, but I do believe they are dropping the ball by the expansions that have taken place over the years. My birthday cake was lacking in flavor, very… very basic for an established bakery such as Magnolia, truly very disappointed as it was also very dry.
I think they really need help and MUST pay attention to all the customers feedback before they really take a permanent nose dive.

I gave 2 stars basically based in the awesome banana pudding they make there. It’s fabulous ! What’s wrong with this place is #1: The customer service! It’s awful! Young girls who have no experience in customer service that work at their own speed. #2 they will not take phone orders. Only for cakes (48 hours in advance) but if you want to purchase a dozen cupcakes, forget about it! Even if you want to pay over the phone. #3 it takes forever to get your order! Where is the register, where do you order, how do I decide which bakery item I want. When there is a line of people blocking your view since everything is at knee level.
4#Cupcakes are too sweet, sorry cake batter cupcakes.
Great location, bad bad service.

We came to Magnolia after visiting a different cupcake shop (had limited selection during the holidays) for my daughter’s birthday. Magnolia is a nice, clean, and quaint establishment.
Pros: The banana pudding is awesome. Hands down. I took a large one for the road.
Cons: The cupcakes were not all that. The cupcake was dry. The frosting was good, but the dryness of the cupcake killed it.

Disappointing! I’ve heard so many good things about their banana pudding. It was Avery stormy day I was the only person dining. The banana pudding has been sitting for too long. And was very heavy like paste. The shops in NYC are much better. I’m very aware of product control since I used to run a bakery. If product is not carefully watched on slow days it can become stale

I was pretty disappointed. It truly was 2-​star «Meh. I’ve experienced better.» The Meh-​style of the review below reflects what I experienced.
It’s a cute enough spot with good enough service, but the three desserts we had — banana pudding, chocolate cheesecake, hot chocolate — were really nothing to write home about. The hot chocolate in particular was just not good. It didn’t even taste like chocolate. The banana pudding was pretty good though, so if you must get something from here, I’d recommend you go with that .
There are tons of small, non-​chain bakeries throughout Chicago. I recommend you walk a few blocks north and try Firecakes, it is way better.

If you know anything about the world of famous cupcake shops then you know that this spot gets a lot of recognition. I always look up cupcake shops when I travel and knew I had to stop here when I found out it was a short walk from my hotel.
I appreciate their hours and that I was able to visit here on a Sunday afternoon. I had to rule out another shop because they were closed on Sundays. The shop was busy, but there wasn’t an over the top wait to get cupcakes.
The case was full of temptations that went beyond just cupcakes. Since cupcakes were my original reason for stopping in I opted for two cupcakes. They didn’t disappoint. I found them to be flavorful and moist inside. The frosting was a nice amount of sweetness and plentiful.

It’s a disappointing thing when you splurge on a dessert and you expect fireworks but instead are left with a lone sparkler (insert disappointed face here.) That would be my summation of Magnolia.
I have been greatly intrigued by this place for several months now. I’ve just never had the time to go in. It’s like something straight out of Paris. The décor is absolutely charming. Which is what saved it from getting the one star rating I wanted to give it because my cupcake was so disappointing. I ordered the Winter cupcake (by recommendation) It tasted like it had been out for a couple days. It was so dense and so dry. I prefer a buttercream frosting but this one had more of whipped texture. It was like very bad fruitcake with a slab of frosting on it. I’m not writing this place off… yet.

I am the target demographic for this place. Girly. Sweet tooth. Prone to overpriced desserts. That being said, this place is okay, but nothing amazing. It’s the name. It’s a well known cupcake place so us girls flock here anyway.
I had a hummingbird cupcake and a tiny red velvet one. The hummingbird was great, moist and well flavored. The red velvet was very dry and tasted like nothing really. For the price, these are not worth it, but sure are pretty to stare at.
The shop itself is lovely and well done. The service was friendly and helpful. Still, there are probably better places around town for a cupcake for a better price.

I was in desperate need of coffee and happened to be in the area checking out Hot Doug’s history of the encased meat at the newly opened Foodseum. Then we figured we might as well get a few desserts while we were there. Sam grabbed a Chicago cupcake and I got one of these mini apple pie cups. I thought the cupcake was really good, especially the frosting. And an edible chicago skyline topper made the presentation impressive. The apple pie cup was kind of forgettable though. Next time I would definitely get the banana pudding since I found out it’s kinda their thing after we got home. If you’re in the loop, Magnolia is worth a try.

My personal opinion of Magnolia’s cupcakes remain unchanged from my initial eyeballing of the New York shop. Simply put, they’re not very good and they’re too expensive for the size and complexity.
But hoo boy, if Magnolia Bakery were instead called Magnolia Banana Pudding and the establishment sold but one item, this would be a five star review all the way. Magnolia makes the best banana pudding I’ve ever had. It comes in multiple sizes, it’s not at all cheap, and it’s thoroughly worth it. I’ve gone and been disappointed the largest to-​go size is no longer in stock, having to settle for a lesser version.
In any case, if you do go, here’s the lesson: avoid the cupcakes, order a boatload of banana pudding.

UPDATE: So I was first so happy Magnolia came to Chicago. The past couple of times I have visited however have been huge let downs. The prices have risen, and the cakes have not been as fresh. There was one instance where they ran out of red velvet. I was so let down.
Oh my goodness. I have been living in Chicago for less than one month, so I discover new eateries every day. No eatery has made me happier than when I found out Chicago has a Magnolia Bakery. I visit NY annually and Magnolia is always my first and last stop on the trip. To have one right in my neighborhood is going to be the end of my diet and my bank account ;)
Upon entry customers are greeted with the heavenly aromas of vanilla and chocolate. What I always enjoyed about Magnolia is its open workspace so you can enjoy watching the bakers create the novelties in front of you. Its like the Wonka Factory for cupcakes.
Before I delve into the epicness of the cupcakes I would just like to commend the staff for their quality customer service. Each of them from the bakers to then cashiers were super friendly and smily. It made me want to not think about how many calories I was about to consume.
I ordered the Red Velvet Cupcake with cream cheese icing and a slice of their Hummingbird cake. I forgot how expensive Magnolia is for dessert, but my God was it worth it.
The RVC was chocolatey and cakey and the cream cheese icing gave it the perfect amount of thickness and creaminess to bind the crumbling of the cake. The flavors combined were just superb.
However that hummingbird cake is what you all HAVE to try. Priced right at $ 6.50 you may ask why on earth would a slice of cake cost that much. When I tell you that Magnolia uses only the freshest fruits, nuts, creams, etc. They really do. This cake was the most moist cake I have ever had in my life. Between the pineapplce bits and the walnuts… my lord. Its sheer heaven. The cream cheese frosting on this one is perfect as well

Gave Magnolia a second chance after my initial visit around the time they first opened their Chicago branch a few years ago. Back then I was impressed with their signature cupcake swirl, but the cupcake itself was very dry and the frosting was too sugary for my taste. The hype has definitely died as there was no longer a line out the door. This time Hubby and I split a slice of their Classic Icebox Cake and a cheesecake brownie bar. Their presentation is great, layers of chocolate wafers between fresh whipped cream — so simple and tasty. It is quite decadent, like a cake of double-​stuffed oreos, but not as sweet with the filling. The brownie bar was standard fare.
I love the storefront décor, a little quaint bakery in the middle of the big city where you can stop for afternoon tea. However, it smells like a moldy, damp rag inside, not sure from where, but it takes away from fully enjoying dessert there. Next time I’m taking it to go.