Big Man Bakes

Big fan! I have been for years. I recently took a trip through downtown and found my way back to Big Man Bakes. Yes, it’s still OPEN and well. Still love the Old School and Chocolate with White Frosting and the Strawberry is one of my new favorites. Please support this place. They are awesome and moderately priced for 4 cupcakes. You can’t just have one.

It’s open! My boss lady getting cupcakes as I type! Yummy I’m trying the banana walnut!

Don’t know why it said the shop has closed. NOT CLOSED PPL!!! I got scared for a min because I always tell ppl they must try this place. very simple but delicious cupcake. but it’s still open ppl no need to fear… you must go

I was a loyal cupcake fanatic of Big Man Bakes… Checking in all the time as I picked up cupcakes for myself and friends with my Unilocal ranking getting closer to the top, they’ve since then lost my vote. I had yet to redeem for my XL cupcake on my birthday through Unilocal.Called BMB to make sure I could and show my picture ID as indicated, to my surprise they said «no the offer is no longer valid». Not only was that disappointing, it was confusing that whoever answered the phone said they stopped it because they were having issues with the offer. Ok, it is what it is but for the sake of your loyal customers please do something to remove the offer before people get excited. No longer a fan :/

I used to work here (about a month) but don’t think that would sway my rating because I believe in telling it like it is… and the truth is, this place has awesome cupcakes! They have a lot of great flavors made from quality ingredients and baked fresh! Carrot cake is awesome, lemon and old school were my favorites but I could honestly eat any of the flavors, anytime! Wish I still lived in the area because I would definitely come back! They also donate any cupcakes that are not sold; how cool is that! Great business, awesome product! Miss you BMB xo

I thought the $ 3.35 price was a bargain considering the size of the cupcake itself. Go to the beach cities and you’ll get a cupcake half the size. I got a nutella which was one of the three specials that day and the Old School which was vanilla cake with Ghiradelli buttercream frosting. I liked the Old School better as it was light and had an almond flavor between the cake and frosting which was a unexpected, but great flavor addition! The nutella had a chocolate cake with a nutella frosting. It didn’t wow me and I found the cake kind of dry.
Service was super friendly. The young lady working told use about the «big man» and owner who went to college, studied some science, baked some cupcakes and realized he was on to something! Awesome! If I am in the DTLA area I’d prob try some more flavors to give it a fair chance.

These are plain, simple and delicious, moist cupcakes. The vanilla (with a generous hint of almond) is out of this world and the lemon is not far behind. Joining my two favorites today is the caramel apple cupcake, which is the best dessert I’ve had in a while — soft apple cake with thick caramel buttercream. This place just does things better than most gourmet cupcake shops. They care about the cake itself, as well as the frosting.

Oh my goodness. The frosting. On everything. To DIE for.
Bought a couple mini cupcakes for the girlfriend.
She smiled :]
Enough said.

This Big Man Bakes is located on the second level of the US Bank building in downtown, LA. I stopped here with my daughter on a Tuesday afternoon for some cupcakes. There’s no Unilocal check in offer here as there is at the Main Street location.
Big Man Bakes is consistently good. Not overpoweringly sweet.

When I thought about having either a cake or some cupcakes for a coworker’s birthday/​going away party, I immediately thought of Big Man Bakes since it is very conveniently located in the US Bank Tower building, right next door to my office.
I had ordered two dozen mimi cupcakes the day before. When we went to pick the order up, we realized we needed to get about two more dozens. They already had 24 mini cupcakes in a box ready to go (slightly before said pick up time) and she put the additional 24 in a separate box.
We weren’t going to do the candles but they had single candles for sale at 25 cents each. Since we now have a candle (yeah, only one haha), I wanted the cupcakes in one big box as opposed to two small boxes so I asked for an additional box that was much larger. She offered to put the cupcakes in the big box for us since we were taking an empty big box to do ourselves (I felt bad for asking for too much). She transported the cupcakes very nicely (would have been a huge mess if we had done it) and was very very nice about it. What’s better is she gave us more cupcakes (prob around 10?) for free just so that cupcakes fit in the bigger box nicely. I know where I’m going next time should such occasion arise again :)
Fun facts: Big Man Bakes gets their freshly baked cupcakes delivered at 6AM everyday and whatever they do not sell at the end of the day is donated to a shelter (s).
Needless to point out (bc they are already so awesome), their products are super delicious! The minis are perfect size (so long you don’t eat like 20 in a row like I do).

I ordered 2 dozen minis to increase variety for dessert for a dinner party, everyone ate them but it wasn’t a knock-​your-​socks off kind of cupcakes– they were pretty decent but better than those cupcakes you grab at Ralph’s. Basically, the feedback I got was «they’re good but not as a good as Sprinkles” — lol. I also ordered 6 large ones for the fam.
Strawberry cupcake was YUM, my favorite would have to be the toffee one. I also had red velvet (average), black and white (average), carrot (actually pretty good– crème was excellent) and lemon (ehh– could have been happier with another). They’re made moist and fluffy– with what I think is the right amount of crème to cupcake ratio.

Just tried the Old School cupcake, and man is it HEAVY on the almond flavoring. I love me some amaretto, but this is a bit much. The frosting is super-​sweet, but then the cake is strangely lacking sweetness (more muffin-​like in flavor). Usually I gobble down cupcakes, but this one has taken me two hours and there is still cupcake left. EXTREMELY nice staff; but for $ 3.50 a pop the product just isn’t there.

It’s tricky to review a ridiculous product like a cupcake that costs $ 3.50, but here goes.
Yesterday I was in the shop attempting to purchase a couple of cupcakes. I had specific ones in mind that I wanted. The goods were so badly labeled that I kept asking for a particular cupcake, only to be told that they didn’t have it (even though I was looking at signs that said the names of these flavors in front of rows of cupcakes). This is sloppy enough, but it seems that even from BEHIND the counter, the workers can’t keep track of which cupcakes are which, because when I got back to the office, I realized I hadn’t been sold what I had asked for.
Generally, I’d think, no big deal, but when you’re paying this much for a cupcake, you sort of want to get what you paid for.
Cut to today! I went in and explained the mistake. Instead of making it right, the young woman behind the counter simply told me I was wrong and sent me on my way. (I’d purchased this flavor before, and I wasn’t wrong — this employee weighs about twelve pounds and I’m confident that I’ve sampled more of her wares than she ever has.)
Note: I’m a fat middle-​aged guy with disposable income who’s inexplicably willing to spend $ 3.50 for a freaking cupcake. Aren’t I the type of customer you want to CULTIVATE, not disappoint, contradict, and dismiss?
Big Man Bakes has lost me as a customer, which is a shame, as it’s two blocks from where I work.

Had to grab some mini cupcakes for a meeting upstairs and came here to pick some up. After work I came back down and grabbed two more XL cupcakes for me and my roommate. The apple cupcake is really delicious.
From inside the US Bank the elevators are on the left side towards the back of the hallway; it’s located on the second floor. From outside the building there’s stairs and escalators facing 5^th Street that go up and stop outside a patio area. To your right there’s an ordering counter and you can order from the outside area. There is also an ordering counter inside with a display of all cupcakes.
Note: The mini cupcakes come in selected flavors which are listed inside the glass case. And my mistake eating them 24 hours later — they lose their tastiness.

*** Review 225 ***
Big man, big three…
I was excited to try this place and a little bummed/​annoyed that the Unilocal «check-​in» offer of a free cupcake doesn’t apply to this location.
I decided to go the «mini route,» in order to sample a few different flavors. I selected: red velvet, black and white and dark chocolate. All three were good, but none of them «knocked my socks off.» I am a chocolate addict, but frankly liked the red velvet the most. And, when BMB says «mini» cupcake, they MEAN it. Gezz, these were the smallest minis I have ever seen and at a buck a piece it felt a little obscene. And, the flavor I was most excited to try «old school,» which is yellow cake and chocolate frosting isn’t offered in a mini. Total bummer.
Look, the cupcake biz has gotten very competitive, as well as crowded. So, in order to ensure long-​term success, you need to stand out. And, while the BMB story is unique and kinda cool, the cups of cake are good, but not game changers.
Would I eat them again? Absolutely. Were they one of the better cupcakes I have had recently? No. Are they conveniently located near my work? Yes.
So, BMB has a few things going for it, but my ringing endorsement falls short of audible…

I was craving a chocolate cupcake and this hits the spot.

Wait, people are giving this place ⁴⁄₅ stars? Um, guys, this reminds me of like a puppy you adopt who hasn’t ever been loved and then when you show him the slightest affection, he’s your friend for life. And you might not even treat the poor puppy nicely. You might give him the generic food or the off-​brand flea medicine. But he doesn’t know any better – he still thinks you’re great.
These are some poor downtown puppies who have been deprived of cupcake love and they’re just so happy to see a cupcake shop in their neighborhood, they’re pleased with whatever they can get.
No no no. Big Man Bakes cupcakes and frostings are not rich at all and they taste like pure sugar with no real chocolate, vanilla, etc. flavor. If somebody handed me a cupcake from BMB, I guess I wouldn’t throw it on the ground or AT them, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to get one.
My poor puppies. Hopefully, over time, you’ll come to realize that you deserve better. And then you will make a 20-​minute drive to Sprinkles.

These were definitely tastier when they were free!
The minis are a cute idea, and i love the overall concept. The cake is moist and the frosting is sweet but somehow not over sweet. That said, the only cake i’d really buy again is the red velvet. Maybe the strawberry special.
Located in the old starbucks on the 2^nd floor of the US Bank building.

Big Man bakes mini cupcakes too.
I’ve been hearing good reviews about Big Man Bakes. My co-​workers went there before. I almost went to its Main St location on Saturday after my Nickel Diner dinner but I didn’t want to deal with downtown parking. Btw I didn’t know you could park for 15 minutes at the lot next door. The girl from this location told me that.
On Monday Big Man Bakes gave away mini cupcakes to office tenants. My friend gave me one cupcake and I was surprised when I found out it’s actually from the cupcake location I wanted to go to on Sunday. It’s faith!!! I couldn’t go to the cupcake and the cupcake came to me instead. Then I found out they opened a new location @ library tower building. Thats walking distance.
The ladies here were super sweet. I was snapping picture like a mad woman and they didn’t mind at all. One lady even asked if I was going to post it on facebook and if I was taking the workers pictures. Nope!!! It’s for Unilocal and yes please pose for me. So the three pretty ladies gathered together and posed for me-​see my picture
Welcome to downtown LA Central Business District. You will do well here especially 3pm sugar rush crowd. Your only competition (barely) are Lemonade (the only good dessert from here is red velvet cake and red velvet cupcake. The other cupcakes are yuck) and Starbucks (dry cupcakes).
They let us sample apple caramel cupcake and reese’s peanut butter cupcake. I bought all flavors for mini cupcakes plus the XL apple caramel since it’s their seasonal item. I even bought extras to give away too. I had a feeling I would be back for more. Not sure if all the employees were sugar high from eating all cupcakes but seriously they were happy. Friendly, sweet and just happy to be there. I wish I could be like that all the time.
1 mini $ ¹⁄₆ minis $ ⁵⁄₁₂ minis $ ¹⁰⁄₄₈ minis $ ⁴⁰⁄₁₀₀ minis $ 75
1XL $ 3.25/ 4XL $ 13/​12XL $ 36
Big flavors: carrot cake, the ‘old school’-yellow cake with chocolate buttercream, double chocolate cake, red velvet cake, vanilla, coconut cake, and black & white.
Downtown LA office tenants — — — — — –check out this new place and get your daily sugar intake here.
3.5 stars!
Big Man Bakes is yummylicious!

OHMYGAWD
BMB opened on Bunker Hill in downtown LA!!! I got SO excited when I heard, I immediately dragged a coworker out to check it out with my own eyes… I’ve been going to the Main St. location for a long time and even though that’s not far, to know that my absolute favorite cupcake place is now down the street makes this little piggy squeal in excitement: D
Of course, this does not bode well for my cholesterol level. BUT in my defense, my favorite is the carrot cupcake, and that totally counts as vegetables right???
Ok, so we didn’t find out about BMB until 4pm, and by the time we made it down there at 4:15, we discovered that they close at 3:30pm. Sadness. Of course, that didn’t stop us from peering into the window. Luckily, Chip was still there and he saw us practically getting our face grease all over his shiny new windows and came over ask if he could help us. WOOHOO! I was so happy I could not stop grinning from ear to ear. We ended up meeting Chip (nicest guy ever!) and walked away with some free cupcakes (yummiest ever!).
BMB FTW!
note: the BMB window might be a little hard to find, but if you’re coming from 5^th and heading up towards 4^th, it’s up the first section of stairs in front of the library. you’ll see it to your right (on the side of the U.S. Bank building)