Dinkel's Bakery

Name: Dinkel's Bakery

Neighborhood: Lakeview
Address: 3329 N Lincoln Ave

Map (link above): green dotted marker

Nearest El Transit Locations:

Paulina Brown Line Station

Hours: 

Tue - Fri  6am - 7pm

Saturday  6am - 5pm

Sunday  8am - 4pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Prices: $2.49-3.09

Boxing/Packaging: Box without inserts

What makes this bakery special: 

Dinkel's dates back to 1922 when baker Joseph K. Dinkel and his wife moved to the U.S. from Germany. Since, the bakery has been passed down four generations, has continued using original family recipes and radiates a homestyle charm. With this warm, loving atmosphere comes an enviro-concious mission, using local ingredients, such as wheat, eggs, and dairy from Wisconsin, and eco-friendly energy use.  Also, buy-one-get-one-free-cupcake Tuesdays are ah-may-zing!

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Chocolate with Vanilla

Cake: Chocolate

with Vanilla Buttercream

Appearance: 2

Size: Large

Bite #: 5

Moisture: 3

Price: $2.49

Vanilla with Chocolate

Cake: Vanilla

with Chocolate Buttercream

Appearance: 2

Size: Large

Bite #: 5

Moisture: 3

Price: Free! (Tuesdays: Buy one cupcake, get one free*)

Vanilla Strawberry

Cake: Chocolate
with Vanilla Buttercream (and a strawberry made from frosting) with strawberry filling
Appearance: 2
Size: Large
Bite #: 5
Moisture: 2
Price: $3.09
*filled cupcakes, such as the vanilla strawberry, excluded from Tuesday cupcake deal (fyi)

Additional Notes: 
My cupcakes from Dinkel's were so deliciously moist I regretted sharing mine with my cupcaking partner, D.E.  At least he had an opportunity to relish in the freshness with me. The cake for the "unfilled" cupcakes (the first two above) was moist, soft, and rich with flavor. The frosting, while delicious and flavorful, left a coating of sugar in my mouth, but did not take away from the experience whatsoever. The vanilla strawberry, I admit, let me down a little bit. Filled cupcakes are not included in the Tuesday Special (and understandably so) but this one--the last one, mind you-- was just calling to me. The cake was a little dry and the frosting was too much--or perhaps too little--for this particular cake/frosting pairing. To borrow words from D.E., "the filling/cake/flavor concept is great" but not quite what I had hoped for. 
The employees were friendly and welcoming (even close to closing time) and packaged each cupcake carefully.  
Full cafe menu, coffee.
Close to brown line and other bus routes.
The mind-blowing freshness the other two cupcakes provided--truly the prevailing part of the Dinkel's experience!

West Town Bakery

**HAPPY (British) NATIONAL CUPCAKE WEEK**

Name: West Town Bakery and Diner

Neighborhood: West Town / Ukrainian Village
Address: 1916 W Chicago Ave
Map (link above):  yellow pin

Nearest El Transit Locations:

Chicago Blue Line Stop (then either walk or take the Chicago bus)
Damen Blue Line Stop (then either walk--I did--or take the Damen bus)

(Bakery) Hours: 
Sun - Thur 7am - 9pm
Fri - Sat  7am - Midnight

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Price: $2.25

Boxing/Packaging: Fitted Clam Shell
What makes this bakery special: 

This bakery is the most sustainable that a bakery can possibly be. They do everything possible, ranging from buying local to using green products and packaging to driving a hybrid delivery car to composting! 

Cupcake Purchased and Reviewed:

Left: Peach Cobbler
Right: Salted Caramel

Peach Cobbler (vegan)

Cake: Vanilla with Peaches

with Vanilla Frosting and Cinnamon Oat Streusel Crumbs filled with Peach Chutney

Appearance: 3

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3+

Salted Caramel

Cake: Salted Vanilla

with Caramel Frosting sprinkled with salt filled with Homemade Caramel

Appearance: 2

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3

Additional Notes:
I love this place! Honestly, it's a shame it's so close to my house; I already want to go back but I can't double visit bakeries yet because there are still so many others to go!
Everything here revolves around sustainability and inclusivity--two topics I find important as well. Sustainable by the products, practices, and beliefs. Inclusive by the products offered: vegan, nut-, sugar-, soy-, gluten-free options.
The full display case, even at 8PM, is stunning. Finally I was able to get me a peach cupcake--something I've tried to get my hands on all summer...and it's technically not even summer anymore! The Peach Cobbler met and exceeded my expectations: full flavor, moist cake, and the inability to describe it. You'll have to trust me on this one. It's good. Very good. The frosting had a grainy sugar texture which actually matched the cinnamon streusel topping brilliantly. I regretted having to split this one with D.E.  I just knew I should have just bought two.
The Salted Caramel was also very delicious. The frosting had a rich "earthy" caramel flavor (to quote D.E.) and went very well with the cake. The cake had a rich salted vanilla flavor (but was by no means "salty") and the moistness was secured by the caramel filling. Yum!
The employees were not only super friendly but the delightful lady who helped me out actually went out of her way to find an answer to a question that she didn't know the answer to. Excellent customer service is so very rare these days and I definitely know where it's at in good ol' West Town: it's here, at West Town Bakery. Thanks for that!
Indoor and outdoor seating.

Oak Mill Bakery

**HAPPY (British) NATIONAL CUPCAKE WEEK**

Name: Oak Mill Bakery

Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Address: 2204 W North Ave
Map (link above): green pins
Nearest El Transit Locations:
Damen Blue Line stop
Hours: 
Tue - Sat 8am - 7pm
Sunday 10am - 6pm
Other Chicago Locations: 
Belmont Central, 5753 W Belmont Ave
Clearing West, 5747 S Harlem Ave
Bake On-Site: Some items
(and have local distribution center)
Individual Cupcake Prices: $1.95-3.25
Boxing/Packaging: Box w/out inserts

What makes this bakery special:
Oak Mill has deep, proud Polish roots. The founder has keeps involved with the Polish-American community, including donating to local charities, such as Gift from the Heart.

Cupcake Purchased and Reviewed:
Vanilla (?)
Cake: Vanilla
with Meringue (?)
Appearance: 1
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 1
Price: $2.25

Additional Notes:

Left: Mouse (not a cupcake)
Right: Vanilla Cupcake with cookie

Oak Mill Bakery is the bakery I discovered on my way to Bake a few weeks ago. I was really looking forward to getting a cupcake from here because when I stopped in that first time their cupcakes on display were decorated all fun and exciting (for example, one had goofy cross-eyes). I was also taken by the beautiful mousse treats they had on display next to the cupcakes. When I stopped in today, however, I admit I was a little disappointed. There were no fun cupcakes, just some small plain ones on a cake stand. The (nice) employee didn't even know what flavor the one I got was (she guessed vanilla). I'm sure you're wondering why there is a mousse dessert next to the cupcake in the photo above, huh? Well, to make this trip more worth the time I decided I would give in and purchase outside of the cupcake limits--just this once! I'm glad I did. The cupcake was dry and I have doubts that it was vanilla; it was kind of like angel's food cake but I'm not exactly sure. (With the combination of the frosting and the cake I expected it to be lemon, but I certainly didn't taste lemon.) The frosting was meringue, or if I'm wrong it was very fluffy, sticky (in a good way) vanilla frosting. Overall, I wasn't impressed with the cupcake but the mousse was fantastic and I do want to maybe stop in another time for one of the fun cupcakes I saw a few weeks ago. Now, in their defense this is a European-style pastry shop, so as long as the other European desserts are tasty I say kudos for even carrying cupcakes.
Indoor seating.

As mentioned above, the owners/founders are very involved with the Polish-American community, regularly donate to local charities, donate leftover desserts to local food banks, and recycle what they can.

Sprinkles

Name: Sprinkles Cupcakes

Neighborhood: Gold Coast
Address: 50 E Walton St.
Map (link above): blue dotted marker

Nearest El Transit Locations:

Chicago Red Line stop

Hours: 

Mon - Sat  9am - 9pm

Sunday 10am - 8pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Price: $3.50

Boxing/Packaging: Box (without inserts)

What makes this bakery special: 

-Sprinkles is the original cupcake-only bakery.
-THE CUPCAKE ATM! (I like to think of it as an "Automatic Treat Machine.) There are only two cupcake ATMs in the world: one in Beverly Hills and one brand-spankin' new one here in good ol' Chi-town! (I just missed the grand opening of it--by hours--so I'll be back soon!)

Cool, a wood fork!

-Sustainability is observably important to them (and they have a commitment statement on their website). All the boxes, bags, napkins, forks, etc are made from recycled materials; Green cleaning products are used along with earth-friendly waste practices; Annual Earth Day campaign, as well as support of other non-profit initiatives.

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Chai Latte

Cake: Spiced chai tea cake

with Chai vanilla

Appearance: 3

Chai Latte (Left); Raspberry (Right)

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 2.5

Raspberry

Cake: Raspberry

with Raspberry

Appearance: 3

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3

Additional Notes: 

Super earthy and minimalist display!

I know you're going to think I'm crazy (hey, maybe you already think I am) but I had a blast waiting in line. Before my visit to Sprinkles I had never experienced I line out the door at a cupcakery. I think it escalated the anticipation to get inside and heightened my enthusiasm for the treats I came for. Sprinkles is exceptionally prepared for such an event: there are monitors outside for waiting customers to watch, i.e. Sprinkles cupcakes being featured on Martha Stewart! This made the waiting even more enjoyable. In addition to the in-line entertainment, Sprinkles has busy times down to a science. Once inside, you are given the opportunity (not at all rushed) to see their selection as well as the menu clearly and largely available behind the cupcake display. Once you've decided what you would like to order, you talk with an order taker (who has a fancy special order slip ready to go), and while you're over at the last station paying, they package your cupcakes right up and you're out the door! Even though I waited in line, I really was there for only about 15 minutes! Impressive, Sprinkles.

The Chai Latte is the reason why I visited Sprinkles on Friday this month (check the cupcake calendar on their website to see when each flavor is available). It was everything I had expected. The cake had a nice chai spice flavor to it (similar to a classic "spice cake") and the frosting tasted just like a chai latte, which complimented the cake well. This cupcake was well worth the wait.

The Raspberry cupcake was super moist and reminded me of the berry cupcake from The Cupcake Counter--it had a well-rounded raspberry flavor to the cake.  It was clearly not made with a mix or anything, especially since there were raspberry seeds in the cake, making it authentic. The frosting was a little overpowering (it had a strong raspberry flavor with a bit of a kick to it) but was smooth and thick, which was a good match for the moist cake.

You know you just made a smart purchase when you feel all special walking down the street sporting your shopping bag. This was the case with me after my visit to Sprinkles. I flashed that bag around as if it was a Louis Vuitton handbag or something!

During busy times, expect a short wait.

A few bar stools and counter inside, but best for take-out.

Thanks, Sprinkles, for a good time. I'll be back soon for the ATM. (Still can't believe I missed it by a few hours!)