I finally made it over to Babycakes in downtown L.A. after attending the Go Green Expo on Saturday.
The moment I walked through the door I knew I was going to love Babycakes - the scent of fresh-out-of-the-oven vegan desserts was overwhelming! There was a line, as I expected, since Saturday is their busiest day, but it moved quickly. I have a feeling some of the customers had no idea it was vegan, since the shop really doesn't scream it. Unfortunately when it was my time to order I discovered that they were out of all of the items I was prepared to try: donuts, red velvet cupcakes, cookie sandwiches, and biscuit with jam. However, I wasn't disappointed with what was suggested for me to try (see below).
The negative aspect of my experience was the customer service - while they were nice, I felt like I was just being moved through a line as fast as possible, as if they were more concerned about getting to the next person than focusing on who was in front of them. Because it was busy I felt rushed to choose from the menu, but I could barely see the options through the sea of people. And it was very loud and cramped in there (as you'll see in the video), so eating inside wasn't extremely pleasant. However, you can avoid these disappointments but either going on a quiet day, or planning ahead - figure out what you want, order it, and take it home to enjoy. And you will enjoy it - Babycakes is incredibly tasty.
**A lot of people have commented on their high prices, so I asked Erin McKenna (the founder) about this and she responded: "If we marked things up to what others did, our prices would be even higher. We get our special ingredients shipped from all over the country. If anyone has the cookbook and tried to make a recipe, they understand what these ingredients cost."
I enjoyed:
- chocolate chip cookie ~ one of the best I've ever had, chewy and crispy, very unique flavor
- chocolate cupcake w/ chocolate frosting ~ loved the frosting, cake was moist
- banana chocolate chip loaf ~ really good, moist, fresh, lots of chocolate chips
- mini banana chocolate (muffin?) ~ tasted similar to the loaf
- vanilla macaroon ~ mediocre, very soft, not much flavor
- brownie bite (thought it was a cupcake at first) ~ mediocre, taste like a brownie
Taste: 9/10
Unique menu & flavors: several unique flavors, menu is typical for a bakery
Organic: 80%
Local & Fairtrade: whenever available
Healthy: healthier - they use organic coconut oil, agave nectar instead of sugar, and garbanzo fava bean flour instead of white flour
Eco-Friendly: currently, the store nor the packaging is eco-friendly
Customer service: mediocre - nice but not attentive
Atmosphere: cute, but cramped
Location: since it's downtown it's kind of out of the way
Parking: street only, try to avoid going between 3pm-7pm or find 30 minute parking
Price: expensive for the sizes
Portion Sizes: small/medium (depends what you get)
