Great Scott’s Bakery and Catering

How is this place rated so highly?! Am I being punked? The bakery section is actually a small shelf facing a deli within a convenience store. Am I right?
The chocolate fudge-​filled cupcake… voted best in Cleveland, eh? I do like the light frosting, but I don’t see the hype on this filling.

I’m obsessed with the bakery treats — specifically the ‘Russian Tea Cakes’ (someone uploaded a picture here). They are $ 2 each and literally make my day better. The nut roll and cookies are also great. I haven’t tried the deli side of the business yet, but I give the bakery two thumbs up.

Great Scott offers an odd but awesome combination of things. Candy. Cupcakes. Beer. Wine. Deli. I’m in.
I stopped in to procure a few cupcakes for my niece and was pleasantly surprised by the price/​size ratio of these beauties. I purchased one (enormous) cake pop, one «fauxstess,» one Bailey’s, one chocolate fudge, and one red velvet. All of this for $ 16 flat, no bad at all considering the mammoth size of these treats!
I sampled a bit of the fauxstess and Bailey’s, and the fauxstess was pretty awesome. Fudgy frosting, fluff, and great chocolate cake. The Bailey’s was boozy indeed (why it says a person must be 18+ to consume vs 21 is beyond me), and per the employee said cake has about a shot of Bailey’s soaking in it. That’s a special happy hour.
My only issue with the cupcake I chose was that the red velvet seemed to have buttercream vs cream cheese frosting, which is the equivalent to cupcake treachery in my book. But I’d eat cream cheese frosting without a cupcake, so there’s that.
Next time I’m in the area, I’ll definitely stop back in for another fauxstess!

We stopped in this morning for the first time. The blueberry muffins were fruit-​filled and sweet but not tooth-​achingly so. The cinnamon twists had a bit too much icing for my taste but were still very good. We’ll be back to try their other bakery.

We became acquainted with this local shop when we used to live in the apartments next door a few years ago, and we still make an effort to come back.
I appreciate the rotating beer selection but the highlights are the better-​than-​usual treats: eggnog cupcake, orange chocolate cupcake, spicy chocolate brownies, oh man!
For pleasant and kindly service and a variety of desserts, deli items and nice beer selection, Great Scott is an awesome local feature.

Chocolate chip cookie: I pride myself on making great c.c. Cookies and I taste test them from every bakery that has the, to justify my claim to greatness. These were excellent chocolate chip cookies.
Snicker doodle: as good/​better than the chocolate chip
Boston cream cupcake 10/​10, great texture, flavor, filling, topping. Everything
Fudge filled cupcake: the buttercream on top was one of the best I’ve ever had
Cherry/​cheese Danish: sweet but not too sweet flaky goodness. Fillings were on point. Would get this again every time.
French cream/​cinnamon muffin: nice texture, great flavor
Probably the thing I liked most was that none of these items were overly sugary sweet

Wandered in here just to see what it was all about… blue grass music was playing and the place was empty besides the three workers. I was going to get a sandwich, but this place is pretty pricey! For a Deli they are charging $ 9 for just a sandwich which is ridiculous! I can think of five places off the top of my head where I can get a huge loaded sub for the same price or less. I decided to go with a small sampling (about 4oz each) of their Smokin’ Chicken Salad and Grandma Willis Potato Salad. The chicken salad had bacon in it which always makes things taste better. The potato salad definitely tasted homemade and actually made me think of my grandma. These things were okay, but my stomach was a little upset after eating them, which may or may not be related to the food.
The saving grace was my decision to get a pastry for breakfast the next day. I don’t remember what this thing was called, but oh my, I would definitely get it again! It was like a strudel with light icing on top and filled with a delicious mixture of jam, raisins, and nuts. I had expected this thing to be dried up the next day, but it was still moist and flaky. For $ 2 it is definitely a deal as one piece could be shared by two people.
Also tried a variety of the cupcakes. They weren’t bad, they were the right size and had a good frosting to cake ratio, but I have had better. Just depends on how you like your cupcakes.
I would check this place out again, but only for the bakery side. Mmm those strudel things!

Loved the Philly Cheesesteak, best in the area. The Chocolate Bacon Maple cupcake is heavenly.

Fantastic Irish crème cupcakes. The ganache and whiskey flavors are amazing and in one cupcake. I can’t want to come back earlier in the day when they have more selection available.

Wow what a gem. If you like filling in your cupcakes, this is the place! Loved especially the Maple Bacon and the Banana. Great Scott’s feels like a hidden treasure. I really want to give this place 5 stars but have to agree with the other reviewers re: the owner’s manners.

Look Out! The Most Dangerous Cupcakes in Cleveland!
There is good pastry & poor pastry. Anybody who has experienced ‘real ingredients’ such as real butter, flour, sugar (not dextrose, fructose, aspartame), whole milk, cocoa, fruit processed first hand-​skillfully into an exquisite confection that meets your mouth with creamy, melting goodness & a not too sweet finish that makes each & every next bite a quickly desired, pleasurable need leaving one satisfied & longing for more knows exactly what I am talking about. You cannot find that type of pastry at Entenmanns, Hostess & certainly not Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’Donuts or Giant Eagle’s bakery department. Yeah you know who you are, «thinkin’ you’re doin’ sumpthin» because «…they DO bake it right there!»
No, you need to seek out ‘fine’ pastry in the not-​so-​convenient venues, maybe a little ramshackle & off the beaten path & definitely not at a drive thru… ick.
I was lucky to experience both types within 1hr.‘s time last Thursday morning. My assistant & I needed to get a couple of really nice cupcakes as per her Sweet 16 daughter’s humble request. She knew there had to be a gourmet bakery somewhere on the Westside so I found two about a block away from each other. The 1^st, Mainstreet, ‘specialized’ in cupcakes & the 2^nd said they make them ‘too’ as well as being a deli.
Went to, MS & to be brief, they make only a certain amount, what you see is-​WYG, the online menu was day old so they didn’t have what we came for, the cakes were $ 2.50 per & if we wanted to get what the previous day’s menu listed, it would, today, be considered special order w/​a min order of 12. So, not to be rude, I bought 2, (very small) chocolate mint cakes with bright green frosting & left, whispering to my asst. that we could go around the corner on Wooster & OMG, OMG WE ARE SOOO GLAD WE DID!
Great Scott’s Bakery & Deli was in the only little retail area on Wooster & they did not have a ramp going in so my asst. tipped me back & lifted my wheelchair onto the curb in the pouring rain & held open the door. Cool little place, a very friendly & helpful Scott and on a mission to buy 2 cupcakes I ended up leaving with 6 cupcakes, 2 pastries-​cherry & apricot, a buttermilk/​cinnamon (thing) & 2 peanut butter cookies plus 2 bottles of wine. Scott helped us to the car & apologized for the lack of ramp that the building owners won’t put in… I joked «…sure, people in wheelchairs don’t like cupcakes…» & he replied «or wine, or having fun…» I laughed. It took a week to eat/​share them but every one was extraordinary. Dangerous? YES! Because they don’t fructose goink you out (you can eat & eat), Dangerous, yes, big hips & double chins are creeping up behind you and finally, dangerous because it may be a love you can’t do without! If you possess, however, an itty bit of self-​control, you could manage this welcome ‘addiction’ to your repertoire… oops did I say addiction? Addition! ;-)

The cupcakes are the absolute BEST! Usually go with the ever-​amazing carrot cake, and the red velvet and wedding cake are to die for. Best cupcakes I’ve ever had — so much better than Main Street (and all others).
We also grab pepperoni bread from the counter every time — it’s delish! Seriously, we would die without Great Scott’s!

And on the 7^th day, God created Great Scott’s!
My family has had the wonderful privilege of having Great Scott’s create our baked goods for the past 3 years.
Weddings, parties and «just because». They do it all and I swear on a stack of bibles they have the best cakes and pastries in the US.
The best way to describe the cakes would be like if you could taste the song Ave Maria. Its that good.
God has touched the Great Scott and his staff with a tremendous gift.
Its the best kept secret in Cleveland and when it gets out, the world will be a better place.
If you love life and you love the sweets, please be good to yourself and taste divinity.
Thank you big guy. You changed my life in a way that I can never properly thank you. I thought I knew what dessert was, until I tasted the Great Scott’s.

Okay, everyone talks about cupcakes at Great Scots but I go the miles for their White Chocolate Raspberry scones. I love these, with a cup of good coffee. You might have to go somewhere else for the coffee though.
P. S. I think the owner is great. He has never shown me his gruff side. He acts like a Highlander.

Great Scott is by far one of the greatest bakers! I have a sweet tooth, and I frequent bakeries quite a bit. I’m the type of sweets fanatic who spots a bakery while driving, and swerves the car around to stop and try it. I’ve been to just about every bakery in Cleveland — White Flower Cake Shoppe, Main Street Cupcakes, Cookie and a Cupcake, Presti’s, Corbo’s, Fragapane, Breadsmith. you name it! And also many bakeries in Chicago, NYC, SF. Of all the bakeries I’ve been to, there are only 2 – 3 that I adore and have cravings for. This is one of them. If you’re in Cleveland, the best place for desserts and deli sandwiches is Great Scott’s!
My faves/​must-​tries here are:
— Brownie — very rich and fudgy. nothing is too rich for me. if you’re a chocolate fan, you will be addicted to these!
— Cookies — I am a fan of his «junk in the trunk» cookie. But his chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies-​all his cookies are extra yummy. He did his research and chooses to use the finest butter you can find. You can tell the quality of the butter and ingredients. Tastes like French butter!
— Cupcakes — I like the Diablo myself. Spicy chocolate!
— Chicken Salad Sandwich — It has bacon in it! Need I say more? Tastes way better than Panera. Homemade goodness.
— Mango Salsa
— Jodylicious
Every single loved one I’ve taken here has fallen in love with this place. They all were amazed and raved about how exceptional it was. My friends ask me to bring some sweets to them from Great Scott’s any time I visit. Great Scott’s is excellent! A wonderful, small family-​owned business with great people, great service, and delicious desserts and deli! I promise you will not be disappointed. He also does catering and special orders, too. He made this wonderful memorable strawberry cassata cake with fresh strawberries and a delicious icing that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet like other cupcakes, such as Main Street Cupcakes around the corner. That’s what sets this place apart — The frosting! Tastes best warmed to room temperature.

Average of three stars — four for the cupcakes (yum!) and two for the sandwiches (ok).
We ordered a reuben and an italian cold cut sandwich to-​go, and both were decent, but not spectacular. The quality of the ingredients was good, there was just nothing to make them stand out, or even stand up, to some of the other great deli places out there.
We also had two cupcakes, both of which were delicious — a bacon maple chocolate and a spicy chocolate. Killer flavor on both along with moist, tender cupcakes. The frosting was excellent and well-​flavored, and the caramel-​y filling makes these a bit more interesting. Be warned — the spicy is really spicy!

The good– the Cupcakes are just amazing!
I could go on and on but these things rock!
They are giant and in no way could you eat one in one bite.
I recommend the Bananas foster cupcake or the Cannoli one so good!
Oh and on Sat you must try the Breakfast pizza!
Cons– they run out of the cupcakes I want to fast!

Main Street, Schmain Street… don’t waste your money at Main Street cupakes… go to Scott’s! His cupcakes are much more creative, and have much more flavor. He also has a selection of brownies that are delicious. His key lime pie is one of the best. His holday sugar cookies aren’t the cheapest, but they are the best!
Scott’s also does some lunch and breakfast foods. Try the Philly Cheesesteak, best in town.
He also does catering. I have special ordered their bacon & gruyère strata several times and it always a hit.
Lastly, try the blueberry crumb-cake…so good.

Maybe I’m spoiled. Maybe it was just a bad day for them. I don’t know. What I do know is that I know my dessert and after reading all the Unilocal reviews, I was expecting something amazing and was severely underwhelmed. So underwhelmed that I didn’t even finish my cupcake… and I can’t even remember the last time that has ever happened. We did go around closing time if that makes a difference, but we tried two different cupcakes (carrot and chocolate something) and neither was exciting. The icing/​frosting was too strong, the cupcake didn’t feel fresh and did not feel like rich or quality at all.
Now I’m a huge Heavenly Cupcakes fan (in Kent, OH) so maybe this place is considered fantastic by Wlake/​RR/​N Olmsted standards. I’ve yet to check out the competition — Main St Cupcakes so I won’t say anything about that yet. I don’t plan on going back but if I do and feel differently I’ll be sure to post here.
Also, another MAJOR annoyance was that I tried going here SEVERAL times but it was always closed. The Unilocal times were off, okay, fine, it’s not their job to update it. But that’s why I used the wonderful device known as a phone and called them several times and no one ever picked up. Apparently the phone is in an inconvenient location and always stops ringing before they get to it. Ugh. The cupcakes were not worth the money at all.

Day old cupcakes still super moist… but full price? I agree that they are WAY better than Main Street Cupcakes… these people deserve the hype and the business for sure… but the bakery side is closed on Mondays but the Deli person will sell you the left over cupcakes… from Sunday I guess?
All of the cupcakes were filled… the American Buttercream was not too sweet. The Wedding Cake cupcake was more of a pure whipped cream with a heavier filling… it was lighter than the cream cheese filling of the Red Velvet but heavier than the other buttercream frostings so I’m not super sure what it was.
The Bacon and Maple were good… kind of worried about bacon sitting in a cake case over night… they didn’t seem chilled when I got them out to the car… hopefully they will be ok.
The Diablo is a chocolate caramel combination with either cayenne or some other pure heat /​no pepper taste source… the caramel filling was divine, the chocolate cake super moist… the heat didn’t do anything for it.
On the deli side there is a nice selection of home made salads and some great sandwich combinations to choose from. I couldn’t pass up the guacamole /​salsa combination deli containers… The salsa is super chunky with lots of «stuff» to scoop all on it’s own, but the guacamole makes a great base. If we lived closer it would be part of my game day ritual for sure!