1, 2, 3 at 14th St.; F, V at 14th St.; L at Sixth Ave.
Payment Methods
American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Product Guide
Gourmet
Bakeries / Specialty Cakes
Special Features
Open After 9pm (at least 3 days a week)
Profile
Behind the lacey curtains and homey, small town image lies a big business in Betty Crocker-style confections, so much so that a line seems to snake around the blue-awning corner in perpetuity. Most come for the fabled cupcakes, quaintly frosted in pretty pastel colors, but the cloyingly sweet icing and crumbly cake make it hard to determine exactly what the fuss is all about. Other options are cakes and tarts that sound as if they might have been invented by kids at a fanciful tea party, with flavorings like Oreo cookie and Snickers, but too much sweetness overwhelms these goodies, too. Chocolate pudding pie tarts are refreshingly sparing of sugar, yet a mushy crust keeps it from matching bake sale memories of yore. Overlooked items like the creamy banana pudding better hit the sweet spot, and while the staff brews a decent cup of coffee, a handful of seats and the milling mobs don't make it a great spot for lingering. — Kathleen Squires
5.0
"Mixed Reviews" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10
12%
Would you go back?
0%
Do you go there for bargains?
12%
Do you go there to buy gifts?
Quality:
5.4
Service:
5.3
Selection:
6.0
Value:
4.5
Magnolia Bakery
$3.00 for a cupcake that seems to have shrunk in size over the years
I used to love Magnolia Bakery. I admit, I still do love the taste of their cupcakes and their sweeter than sweet frosting is great. But upon visiting the 6th avenue location and seeing the reduced cupcake size and $3/each pricing, I decided to try something else. So I tried the red velvet cake, which looked fantastic but was terribly disappointing. The frosting tasted like cool whip! How can you make red velvet cake without cream cheese frosting!? Did I mention the piece of cake cost $4.25?
What a waste.
I agree with others that Magnolia cupcakes are average at best. The cake is dry and the icing too sweet. Its very similar to processed cakes you can buy in a grocery store. Crumbs isnt that good either.
The best cupcakes Ive had in the city so far...Billy's Bakery on 9th Ave. The best cupcakes ive ever had are not in NYC.