Phoebe’s Bakery & Espresso Bar

This review is for cupcakes only: they are fantastic! Yes, they are more expensive than Jewel, but it’s a specialty cupcake shop. That’s to be expected.
My friend and I have a slight obsession with the Salted Carmel. It’s bananas!(insanely good). I brought a half dozen to a little birthday gathering for a friend, and I’m pretty sure I’ve hooked more Phoebe’s lovers :) It’s the perfect little gift for a friend or party. Their new shop is also a fun place to grab something sweet with a friend. My next goal is to try their food — I’ll report back!

I have walked past Phoebe’s many times and wanting to go in there but never did until recently. I do try to support the local shoppes.
The store is small however, very bright and have a nice layout. I first noticed the various cupcakes and the cinnamon bun display. I believe there are 14 different snacks to choose from (I could be wrong). Some of the cupcakes have unique names. The pancake and bacon cupcake had peeked my interest. What the heck? For $ 2.95 plus tax, I thought the cake part would taste more like pancakes; I really didn’t get that taste. The frosting was very powering. The cupcake was okay. The bacon was good,
Back to the shoppe … there were four tables and display case. The shoppe was very clean and crisp.
I really wanted to enjoy the cupcake but for the price, I’ll continue to stop at Dominick’s or Whole Foods.
I have now noticed, as I have walked past, local moms and their strollers have planted themselves here in the morning… so maybe it’s a mommy and stroller place.

Oh Phoebe, I want to love you I really do just like I adore you on Friends, but it doesn’t look like I can.
With all these amazing reviews and rave for Phoebe’s cupcake and that amazing picture of the mint chocolate cupcake I thought I just found my best friend. A cute little bakery on the corner and wow, it’s not just a bakery but a lunch spot also. So many options and look at those delicious cupcakes. I’m drooling. No mint chocolate chip? Aw, shucks okay. So myself and my little niece aimed for the red velvet, our faves.
Eek! With the first bite I knew I wasn’t in cupcake heaven anymore. Holy smokes that icing is sweeeeeeeeeeet! Sweeter than Willy Wonka’s factory! And for the cake part, it’s sooooo dry. I had 2 meager bites and threw out the rest. Sorry Pheebs this one deserves a lonesome star. I’ve had box made cupcakes that were more moist and delicious than this.
I know, I know maybe it was your twin Ursula that switched the cupcake, but until I come back and you prove me wrong I can’t help my feelings for you.

I thought that Washington, DC, was the capital of cupcake shops. I believe Chicago holds that top spot. What really sets Chicago apart of any other city that exhausts cupcake bakeries is Chicago cupcakeries are top with their products. Go to Phoebe’s Cupcakes if you think I’m kidding.
There is a large selection of cupcakes but not a surplus of them. That way they are fresh, unlike the frosted cornbread what-​not things you get at a lot of cupcakeries. I have worn myself thin with red velvet cupcakes, so I switch up and get tuxedo, salted caramel, and a few other flavours — minus the savoury cupcakes like those with bacon on top. Needless to say, I have been thoroughly satisfied when I’ve walked out of Phoebe’s Cupcakes.

Stumbled in here on a warm weekend. I was feeling adventurous and ordered the mango chili cupcake while my friend got the cinnamon bun. The cupcake was dry and the frosting greasy. Couldn’t taste any chili at all. The cinnamon bun was also dry. Never understood the whole cupcake craze, and I’ve certainly had/​made much better cupcakes than these.

I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed this place yet. It is my all-​time favorite cupcake place in Chicago so far. Hubby and I discovered it when he used to live just south on Broadway a few years ago. Even though we have since moved to the South Loop, we find ourselves there at least 2x/​month just to get our cupcake fix.
The cupcake itself is the perfect portion size. The cake is moist and fluffy and complimented by the creamy frosting. The ratio of frosting and cake is just right. We usually get a half dozen and try 3 – 4 of the flavors of the week and 2 – 3 of our favorite salted caramel. The salted caramel is the ultimate best cupcake flavor they offer. The prices are also very reasonable compared to other cupcake places.
Last week, my sister-​in-​law and her husband had a half dozen cupcakes delivered to us to celebrate our 1^st year wedding anniversary. I loved the hand-​written card that accompanied the cupcakes. I’ve been wanting to order some for delivery to loved ones outside of Chicago and have been waiting patiently for their national delivery service to restart.
We are looking forward to the bakery opening in it’s new location down the street from their current store. In fact, we are in the process of house hunting with the hope of

The thought of bacon on ANYTHING sparks conversations of warm fuzzies. People will add comments like «love» and «want» on your Phoebe’s cupcake Foursquare check-​ins. The world of sweet and savory collide with Phoebe’s cupcake so aptly named «Breakfast»
The Breakfast cupcake is a maple soaked buttermilk cake with a maple butter frosting, topped with crispy bacon. The cake so so soft and fluffy. It was like eating a cloud. The frosting was too sweet for me but the crunchy salt of the bacon cut a bit of that sweetness. The cupcake was so good.
What else can make you warm and fuzzy? What about a bowl of Lucky Charms? They also had a Lucky Charms cupcake (it was one of the jumbo cupcakes so it cost a bit more). But whoever thought up this cupcake must of come from the school of Willy Wonka because it was genius! Light and fluffy yellow cake, marshmallow filling and topped with a lovely frosting and Lucky Charms cereal. All it was missing was the milk! (Which you can buy here in the cooler case)
I also bought some single cupcakes and an assortment of pretty cupcakes to bring to a friend and I am told it was enjoyed by all. They do have single cupcake holders – yay for accident proof cupcakes!
Super friendly staff. She actually came out from behind the counter to help me with the door (as I had the boy with me in his stroller). I was also given some piping hot delicious java. The day just became a little bit more awesome.

Over the course of four years in the neighborhood, I’ve only been here twice. Rightfully so. The cupcakes are severely over priced. Over $ 6 for two cupcakes. While it is cute and a cool concept, the food needs to be good to makeup for the price. That it is not. Not to mention that both times I’ve been the trash needed emptied and the eating area could have been cleaner.
I took my 13 year old cousin from Southern IL here however. She got a kick out of the concept of a place that ONLY sells cupcakes. The cupcakes did look beautiful all lined up in the bakery, but ugh, they didn’t taste good. She had the Death by Chocolate. I had the Lavender and Lemon. The cake itself was good. The icing was absolutely terrible. Who wants to eat pure blah?
The novelty is 100% over. I won’t return unless the cupcakes become less than $ 1 or the taste becomes yummy.

Popped in here with a friend for a cupcake fix and sadly what we found were that the cupcakes were not that great. We had some of the Halloween special treats (road kill and a pumpkin). I have had cupcakes at some of the cupcake temples and what I experienced here were cupcakes that seemed little better than those I could make with something from the grocery store, or if I was thinking fancy, I could make better cupcakes with stuff from Whole Foods. I am biased I suppose, since I have a friend who runs a bakery in Austria and know a vegan baker in my hometown, but for what we paid, I felt that I should have just picked up a muffin at Starbucks.
Perhaps it will be better next time. Hope so.

YUM. Whenever I visit Chicago, my sister makes it a point to go to Phoebe’s and pick up a «sixer» of cupcakes to enjoy. We always get a couple of the salted caramel and then choose from their seasonal cupcakes.
I’m not a huge sweet-​tooth, but the cupcakes are great tasting and looking. There are some savory cupcakes too! I always get a kick out of looking into the display case and seeing a cupcake with bacon strips decorating the top of it.
The shop itself is very charming and cozy. I love the art on the walls of all the cupcakes and colors. Definitely wished we had more places like this in Charlotte… but maybe as the city grows

I was lucky to score a Groupon and used it towards a 6 pack. This has nothing to do with the review of the business but I had the hardest time accessing my certificate via my smart phone application. Not due to the app but due to Apple’s crappy iPhone, I swear these things have an expiration date. Expect problems once the warranty runs out. I was lucky the counter gal was nice enough to wait for my crappy phone to access the info, took about fifteen minutes of constant crashing and power cycles. In the meanwhile she packed my order and kept it ready.
One thing to note is you can’t walk by and assume if it’s not in the case they are without. Which was the scenario when we walked in, the cases were sort of empty but she assured us they had fresh ones ready. Yay!
My taster pack consisted of:
Maple syrup cake with syrup frosting and crispy bacon.
Red velvet
Funfetti
Death by Chocolate
Tuxedo
Salted Caramel
I wiped them out in a two day spree minus one which I shared with a someone that wanted. I wouldn’t advise to eat while driving no matter how much you really want one. I got my fingers and the steering wheel sticky with maple syrup, my navigator ready with wipes. Good stuff. Bacon, cake and maple syrup there ain’t no wrong with that!
Some have shared with me that they feel the cake and frosting act as two different parts due to their textures. I could see that, having them at room temp is a work around. Try to finish them before having to refrigerate and they are pretty awesome. Not the city’s best, but good cupcakes none the less.

I stopped in on a Friday night to use my groupon that was expiring soon. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought it would be the perfect time to give Phoebe’s a try.
As I walked in, the staff member was very friendly. I looked to their front cupcake display, and was really disappointed to only see about three cupcakes. The staff must have saw me, and she assured me they had more in the back. She rattled off a list of about ten different kinds of cupcakes, and I picked from those.
The groupon was for $ 10, so I got 4 cupcakes ($ 2.75 each) and had to pay a little extra. I got the Blue Moon, Very Vanilla, Death by Chocolate, and the Strawberry Lemonade.
I can’t say anything bad about the cupcakes, but I can’t really say anything too great either. They were just OK, and certainly something I could create myself. The frosting was a bit too sweet and thick for my liking, and it was piled on high.
The cupcakes don’t stay especially well either. They were kinda warm and a little runny when I first brought them home. I put the rest of the cupcakes in the fridge, to try to get them a little more solid. When I ate one the next day, the frosting was no longer creamy and the cake part was a bit dried out.
The best one was definitely the Strawberry Lemonade, maybe because it was a bit more of a unique taste than the others.
Oh well, at least I can say I tried. I guess I can’t be converted from Southport Grocery cupcakes, which are far superior in my mind.

Stopped into Phoebe’s to peruse the selection and decided (tough one) on the peanut butter fudgy brownie. Brownie cheesecake topped with peanut butter italian buttercream. Sign me up, please! Immediately.
I’ve had cupcakes in New York (Crumb’s), Portland, OR, Boulder, CO (Tee & Cakes), Jacksonville, FL (Cami Cakes, Gilmon’s, Cupcake Girls, Sheila’s Cakes, Silvada’s, Let them Eat Cake), Sarasota (Heavenly Cupcakes, Sweet City Cupcakes), FL, Tampa, FL (Frostings), Atlanta (Little Cakes, Gigi’s, Cami Cakes)…so I never know what to expect.
Did not expect the most amazing mouth explosion EVER. The frosting was flavorful but light and airy, and the brownie cheesecake cupcake was moist and delicious. We both agreed it was WONDERFUL. We tried Sprinkle’s and The Cupcake Counter later in the week and they don’t come close to Phoebe’s.

Two words… CAKE BALLS! OMG. So super moist and delicious. Cake blended with frosting + dipped in chocolate = the most delicious dessert creation ever.
Phoebe’s never fails to amaze me with their innovative recipes and over-​the-​top deliciousness.
The fact that I have updated my review this many times should prove how awesome Phoebe’s is. Also, everyone who works there is AMAZING!

Death by chocolate isn’t quite an accurate name. While I tried this delectable cupcake and ended up in a sugar coma of pure bliss, I am still very much alive.
I went late, so the variety wasn’t there. I’ll have to try back when they have more flavors available.

Phoebe’s is IT! From here on out, any celebrating we will be doing, will involve cupcakes from Phoebe’s. Having lived in Chicago a little over two and half years we’ve been told to try numerous cupcake establishments to get «the best cupcakes in the city». Unfortunately, none of the spots we tried really did it for us. But, I guess that’s not really all that unfortunate, because that led us here.
My husband woke up last Friday with some errands he needed to run. It was my birthday, so I didn’t ask many questions. We’d had a fairly hectic week — both of us had been sick and we were closing on our new house that afternoon. When he returned home he was grinning from ear to ear. He told me I was really going to enjoy my surprise. He said it was nothing big, but he knew I’d love it! He then asked if I wanted him to tell me what my surprise was. Of course I did! That’s when he lifted up the clear tray containing 6 divinely decorated cupcakes. I couldn’t wait to tear into them, but I knew I should wait until we were in our new place.
All afternoon throughout the hours and hours of signing my mind would wander off to those delectable delights waiting at our new home. Finally, we were now officially homeowners — and even more exciting, I would get to sample all 6 of those amazing cupcakes that had been running through my mind all day long.
We cracked open the champagne and husband lit my candles. I couldn’t decide which tempting cake to start with — so I took a bite of everyone of them! I started with the Breakfast cupcake first — bacon on a cupcake? I’m in heaven. Then onto the Salted Caramel, then the Café Mocha, Peanut Butter Fudgy Brownie, Mint Chocolate Chip and finishing off with the Triple Chocolate. Whoa! So scrumptious!
The inside of each cupcake was soooo moist! We couldn’t get over it. The cakes had an excellent flavor on their own — the icing added an even bigger punch to the palate! The presentation was lovely and the taste even more enjoyable.
It’s exactly 50 more days until our next celebration — husband’s birthday in May. Hopefully, I can dream up another reason to celebrate before then. I don’t know if I can go that long without another of these delectable delights.

What a cute locally owned store! I’m a fan of Phoebe, she definitely knows how to whip up a great cupcake… but when I was there she only had three varieties to choose from…
When I asked Phoebe why she only had three kinds, some guy named Matt replied and said it’s because it was late… Sad :(
The cupcake was very rich and delicious… I’ll be back around noon I guess to try more flavors. Love you Phoebe (or Matt?)

A breakfast cupcake? With a delicious slice of crispy bacon on top? Yes, please! You say bacon and I come running and Phoebe’s delicious breakfast cupcake did not disappoint-​crispy bacon, a little maple syrup, and a perfectly moist, not too dense cupcake is EXACTLY what I need to start my morning… and they deliver?!? Good thing I don’t live nearby… my thighs would not be happy. Their other cupcakes are great too, I especially like the peanut butter cheesecake-​a chocolate cupcake with cheesecake in the middle topped with a light peanut-​buttery frosting-​yummm! 2 thumbs up for their red velvet as well, although last time I had one I did have to have an appendectomy the next morning-​but don’t worry Phoebe’s, it wasn’t your delicious cupcake’s fault!
My only qualm is that they need some new single cupcake holders/​carriers/​whatever you want to call them. I got an extra cupcake for a friend but by the time I got home the frosting was smeared all over the chinese box it was in and I was embarrassed to give a smashed cupcake away-​so I of course ate it, no big problem there, but a cupcake-​friendly container would be a plus.

A cardinal crime: packaging cupcakes to-​go in a container that’s too big… and even worse if the container doesn’t have slots for the cupcakes to sit in. Because what happens? You’ll drive home, and the cupcakes inevitably topple. The frosting schmears all over the container, and you’re left with a box that looks like Rainbow Brite threw up all over it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the blackberry cupcake. Berry delicious flavor in both the cake and frosting, but not overwhelmingly so.
As for the salted caramel, I was unpleasantly surprised with clumps of salt in the frosting, so salty that I cringed. This one also lacked caramel flavor, and I vote «unbelievably salted vanilla bean» to be a better name for this cuppie.
$ 2.50 per cupcake. Pheebs also sells individual servings of Haagen Daaz and B&J’s, and there’s a handful of tables and chairs so you can enjoy your sugar fix in store.

My diet starts Monday. No joke. I’ve been on a dessert splurge lately. Maybe it’s due to stress… or maybe it’s due to lack of self-​control when it comes to the sweet stuff. It’s a small place, but it has tables and chairs for customers to relax and enjoy a cupcake or two. One cupcake is $ 2.50, which is more/​less than other cupcake places.
I was killing time in the area when I realized how close I was to this place. I read up on Unilocal about this week’s flavors, one being the mint chocolate meltaway. Thank goodness they still had some left. Now, I’m a mint chocolate chip ice cream kind of gal, so I was excited to try this. Holy crap. It smelled just as heavenly as it tasted. I know this sounds funny, but it’s true! Chocolate cupcake, topped with mint flavor frosting and chocolate chips sprinkled all around. Yum. Definitely a keeper next time it’s offered.
Wait, I’m not done. I didn’t leave with just one cupcake but two. The Breakfast cupcake caught my eye. I couldn’t resist shelling out another $ 2.50 for this one. While the mint one was filling enough by itself, I decided to keep the Breakfast one for, well, breakfast? Basically, it’s a buttermilk cake doused in maple syrup with maple cream frosting and bacon on top. Though really sweet, I thought it was pretty good. You can definitely taste the maple syrup. It kind of reminded me of the movie «Elf»: «we elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and maple syrup.» (Or something like that) I definitely recommend drinking lots of water (milk) with this one. Once the sugar shakes stop, I’ll come back for more or perhaps try one of the other flavors.