Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Cafe

A great concept… Ice cream cupcakes. Too bad they were frozen too badly that my sister and I couldn’t even eat them until an hour later, which was disappointing because we went to the shop to eat them there. We ended up leaving with them and eating them later at home. The prices are outrageous. A little over $ 6 for an average size ice cream cupcake. I’ve tried to contact Jilly’s about my experience numerous times on their FB page and they’ve either deleted my comment or never responded to me. Very very disappointing all around.

My girlfriend needed to take a dessert to a dinner party that night.
Since we had just lunched at La Pizza Friday, May 13, we hauled west on Delmar to Jilly’s.
She got two mini-​cupcake packages for the dinner party. It was an assortment of small cupcakes — perfect for a dinner party.
I went BOZO. Five cupcakes:
Space Monkey: cake is banana heath, filling is toffee dulce de leche, topping is caramel and cream cheese, topping is astronaut ice cream and chocolate bark
Strawberry Pie: cake is strawberry vanilla cake, filling is fresh strawberry pie filling, topping is strawberry buttercream with whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate Thunder
Reese’s Chunkage
Turtle Cheesecake
They were all delicious. I had one bite of each, and I was done. Cupcakes don’t need to be this big.
My favorites were Space Monkey and Strawberry Pie.
And I would have appreciated additional seasonal flavors, i.e., lemon or orange or blood orange. The flavor profiles offered were incredibly chocolate-​forward.

Bought four cupcakes for my husband’s birthday: the Strawberry Shortcake, the banana cupcake (forgot the name), the mango one (forgot the name, and the Raspberry Frisson. They were all really good! My husband’s favorite was the banana cupcake, while my favorite was the Raspberry Frisson (RF)(which, according to the employee that helped us pick them out, was one of the Cupcake Wars winning cupcakes!). The RF was not just raspberry-​chocolatey goodness, but it was also moist and, because Jilly’s makes such large cupcakes, I was able to extend it to two days of random forkfuls. Yum!

HOW does this place only have an overall rating of 3.5 stars? Have those people even TRIED the Bee Sting ice cream? The Bee Sting practically became a weekly routine for me while I was in school. I’d go to Jilly’s — sample a bunch of flavors in an attempt to find a new favorite things, only to go right back to satisfy my Bee Sting craving. I haven’t been back to St. Louis in a year now, but I think about the Bee Sting to this very day.
But aside from my love letter to Bee Sting ice cream above, Jilly’s is incredible at everything. All the ice cream flavors are sooo fulfilling, and I LOVE that they change up their flavors so frequently. I’m not a cupcake person usually, but sampled some of my friends’ cupcakes (as well as participated in a cupcake demonstration with Chef Casey), and I love the uniqueness of Jilly’s options (both for ice cream & cupcakes).
Sweets not your thing though? Um, try Jilly’s brunch!!! I’ve done Jilly’s brunch twice and it never fails to disappoint. I leave bloated and happy every single time. It’s perfect for anyone who likes a variety of options!

I’d give this place 3 and a half stars. This is a very unique spot with a variety of choices from food to ice cream and desserts! I got the Twisted Pink cupcake, and although a bit dry in my opinion, it was OK. I ordered a pick two to-​go for lunch and was disappointed that my already small soup cup was only HALF way full. :(Maybe I would have gotten more if I had dined in? I’ll definitely be willing to go back and try other items, and update my review as needed.

I ordered a custom cake with red velvet and carrot, side by side. I’ll keep ordering my custom cakes here. This one was for Ben, one of the charge nurses I work with, who has resigned to concentrate fully on school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Beautifully made cake.

I think I may have already written a review but oh well. Love the cupcakes so delicious. They are expensive but if you get it as a treat here and there it is reasonable.
I agree with others that the red velvet was super dry and I could not eat it which is a shame because all the others are excellent.
I love the turtle the most, so yummy!

2 Cupcakes.
24 Karat Carrot Cake & Twisted Pink (approx names)
The carrot cake was EXCELLENT. No complaints. Buy this cupcake, and you will thoroughly enjoy.
The Twisted Pink was an absolute fail. Red velvet cake was SUPER DRY; no flavor at all. Caramel filling tasted off. The icing was good, but, not good enough to make this cupcake edible. Between the 3 of us, we threw away half the cupcake.
With the prices and reputation, this place needs to improve. Perhaps they need to drop the «café» portion of the business, since nobody was in there during the lunch time actually eating proper food.
Just because they made it onto a reality competition, doesn’t mean they get a free pass or that they know what they’re doing. :/

I had a «treat yourself» day and stopped in to Jilly’s cupcakes and was not disappointed. They’re kind of pricey for what you get (a delicious combination of butter and sugar) but so deeply satisfying. I’ve heard from people that it’s not that good but Im glad I checked it out because it was better than I was expecting. They have pretty decadent cupcakes, including filled and heavily devcrated for about $ 6, but you can also get the a basic chocolate or vanilla for about $ 3. I happened to arrive at a slow time but later I saw the line go out the door — so try to avoid crowds if you can.
I also had a soup and it was okay — nothing special to write home about.
Just saw this place on the episode of Cupcake Wars (which it won). I’ve only ever been there once but if someone is craving cupcakes I’d probably recommend this place.

Oh gosh. Jillys pretty amazing cup cakes but when it comes to service and hours those are pretty terrible. Today we went on to pick up a cupcake for Valentine’s Day checked the website and it showed they were open starting at noon… they were open when we got there (before noon) some people came in behind us and the lady behind the counter shouted that they weren’t doing brunch any more. it was way awkward. The cupcakes are tasty and fairly creative but be prepared to spend $ 6-​$ 8 per piece… The store felt very uninviting over all.

Jilly’s cupcake bar and café is by far my favorite cupcake spot in St. Louis. I remember eagerly watching the creative concoctions that chef Dana crafted on cupcake wars, and couldn’t wait to try these show-​winning treats when I came to St. Louis. I’ve tried every signature flavor (multiple times over) during the past few years and am more impressed with every new experience. Their monthly flavors are always fun, seasonal, and sinfully delicious and I highly recommend trying one (or preferably six). Although I’m not too picky as every monster sized cupcake is a work of art in itself, I’ve included descriptions of my favorite classics below:
1. Twisted Pink Velvet: A playful spin on the classic red velvet. This sweet success story is filled with luscious caramel and topped with a mountain of cream cheese frosting, caramel buttercream and a crunchy caramel praline. This is a MUST try.
2. Reeses Chunkage: I LOVE anything with peanut butter and this cupcake is perfect whether you get the chocolate or vanilla cale version. Stuffed with peanut butter mousse and ganache and covered with a cloud peanut butter and chocolate buttercream and genorously sprinkled with hunking chunks of Reese’s peanut butter cups. Decadent.
3. 24-​Karat Carrot Cake: This is TOO pretty to eat. Light walnut-​studded carrot cake filled with airy whipped cream and topped with a glistening, golden dollop of cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, white chocolate shavings and 24-​karat gold dust. It’ll have you screaming «Let them eat (cup)cake!»
4. Bee sting: The perfect harmony of sweet and tart, this vanilla cake is filled with tangy honey lemon curd and topped with swirls of lemon cream cheese frosting, toasted almonds and white chocolate bark. The cupcake is finished with the cutest lemon candies and sugar bumble-​bee. This will have you buzzing with glee.
5. Turtle Cheesecake: A vanilla or chocolate cake is filled with real cheesecake and caramel, and topped with twists of caramel and milk chocolate buttercream and decorated with drizzled caramel, chocolate shavings and pecans. Nothing is better than 2 cakes in 1!
6. Missylicious: This colorful creation is a splendidly simple success story. Perfect for even the pickiest eaters, this vanilla cake is filled with fluffy whipped cream and a tower of pink and green vanilla buttercream.
Jilly’s always has a selection of unfilled cupcakes on hand and holds cupcake decorating parties for every inspired cupcake enthusiast. Insider tip: go to brunch! Jilly’s Sunday brunch buffet offers creative sweet and savory dishes sure to please everyone in the family. I look forward to countless more cupcakes and leisurely brunches from my favorite spot!

This place hits the sweet tooth like no other! We have had the pleasure of enjoying our cupcakes fresh from the café and also from Dierbergs, either way-​you can’t go wrong! We have had PLENTY of their cupcakes and haven’t had a cupcake we didn’t like. Def worth the drive, cost and fun of a good cupcake!!!

Most fantastic cup cake variety ever! So tasty and the quality is top. If it is your birthday be sure to ask for the chocolate «happy Birthday banner» that they can place on your cake for a small fee. The negative here would be the attitude in the servers. We consistently feel rushed and not valued. I think I may have even gotten an eye roll when I decided to add another $ 6 cupcake to my order. I will return because of the product.

I was curious about this place, so I decided to check it out. They seem to push their cupcakes above their other café side of their business, but I was really not impressed with their set up and with what I got.
Their cupcakes are larger than usual size, and are rather expensive with strange names like «Bee Sting.» It has a little yellow and black bee for it’s decoration. Really? Whatever.
I briefly looked at their menu for the café side of their business, and they have salads, quesadillas and other items.
I got a plain iced cupcake with chocolate icing. It was a butter crème icing which tasted delightful. The actual cupcake was a yellow cake type which was not moist and had dried out, probably because it was older. It was definitely not baked that day nor was it fresh either. I don’t like buying baked goods that are on the verge of staling out.
I’m not sure that I’m going back again.

I really wanted to like this place. From most of the reviews I thought I was going to. It was just so so for me.
The good– the cupcakes were huge. I had the pumpkin pie, it was tasty.
The Bad– the cupcakes were huge. It be nicer if they were smaller so you could try a couple different ones.
Too much icing. I felt like I was about to clog every artery and have a sugar attack on the spot.
The initial lady you meet, at the cupcake counter, seemed annoyed to be working. She wasn’t friendly, she didn’t smile, she slapped the cupcakes on plates and loudly said, «Next». There was not a line– I think she just wanted to feel empowered. The lighting was horrible. I felt like I was walking into a night club with the dim lights and black lights on the wall.
I wasnt as impressed as some of my fellow Unilocalers were. Sorry Jillys, but I see no reason to return.

Mixed bag on this one. I LOVE their decadent, over the top cupcakes, but brunch I was mixed about. I’d go 3 stars on except half the buffet is loaded with their amazing baked goods. They even have a decorate your own cupcake station for kids, and for those of us in touch with our inner child. Who doesn’t love an unlimited amount of fluffy buttercream!
The brunch is a buffet– with the usual bacon, sausage, B&G, etc. also there was poached eggs, brisket hash, quiche, etc. My quibble was really that much of the food was quite cold, a pet peeve… And possibly a food safety issue. Also, the café has cute comfy chairs made of molded plastic. But the large round table bases prevent you from fully sitting at the table and forces you to sit at an angle to work around the base. This then sticks the chair legs out into the aisles– causing people to trip. I did it once and saw two different employees also trip. Not so safe for them, and asking for a spilled pan of eggs eventually.
I don’t mean to sound like sour grapes– but some small tweaks would really make a huge difference. I’d come again for sure– the buffet is only 14.99– and the sweets alone make it worth the trip.

I was super excited to try these cupcakes, and after searching Cupcake Wars winners nearby, i embarked out to Jilly’s. Cute exterior and interior and my first impression was whoa! these cupcakes are huge! So when I walked in there was one staff member handling two lines and she was pleasant– Good experience there. I asked for her recommendation and was encouraged to try the Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake and Pink Velvet.
So now onto the cupcake reviews. The buttercream is stellar. Sweet, nicely flavored, and this is the creamy texture I look for. The cupcakes themselves were baked nicely, but in both I wanted more chocolate flavor. I’m a chocoholic so this could be a personal preference but I would like the chocolate flavor to be amped up. I thought the sweetness was just right, not so much as to be puckering, but not so little as to be bread like. Perfect for me! The cheesecake cupcake had a delicious cheesecake bottom and a nice bake too. Both were accented with yummy, edible toppers. The pink brittle has a cookie brittle that I want to bathe in, and by bathe in, I mean have a tub full of it so I can eat some everyday for the next year.
Prices were around $ 5−6/ cupcake on my visit, but they’re huge, so I wasn’t thrown by the price honestly.
I’d go back again, so I’d recommend it.

I’m think I’m becoming a cupcake aficionado so all the more reason to take note of my five stars!
This is the cutest place – so many cake shops are – but I love their logo/​signage, color scheme, and also how the dining area is broken up inside. This enabled my friend and me to find a quieter nook to gossip more freely, ha!
I do think these are the prettiest cupcakes I’ve ever seen. They are gorgeous! The 24 Karat was even metallic gold, which may sound tacky, but it was stunning. It almost seemed wrong to bite into these works of art… until we caught the whiffs of buttercream. I chose their vanilla turtle cupcake and she chose the Dreamsicle. We swapped halfway through. Both very good. Then I got two to go: the Bee Sting and Salted Caramel. Not very good, but absolutely spectacular! The Bee Sting (lemon flavors) is one of their top sellers and it should be. The salted caramel was my fave, though. I have no idea how they can get the icing to be like you’re eating caramel – and yet at the same time, create a consistency like fluffy buttercream icing.
They may want to put separate bowls of this icing on the menu.
I’ve had some of their cupcakes sold in grocery stores but I haven’t been quite as impressed. Perhaps it’s because they lose something on the way to their consignment.
On this day, we dealt with several employees and they were exceptionally kind, helpful and cute.

Moseyed in for the $ 15pp Sunday brunch. There had to be at least 20 different offerings, but I found them to be hit or miss.
Example hits: the coffee, the fact that there’s chocolate thunder cake as part of the buffet (so you can preview the chocolate cupcake… it was way too sweet and WAY too rich with the ganache), bacon, scones.
Example misses: the chicken salad, tomato slices (not fresh), a few of the cheesy, non-​descript looking hot offerings (I really wish they labeled what everything is! It’s really hard to tell… and what about for people with food allergies?).
Of course, I did not leave without trying the cupcakes! K got a sundae one, and I tried the bee sting (vanilla cake with lemon curd and honey, and almonds lined around the frosting). Each cupcake was about $ 7 after tax! Yikes. In a nutshell, they were more quantity than quality to me. The lemon curd in my cupcake overpowered everything, and I thought it was a powerful lemon cupcake vs. what the description revealed on the sign.

I went to Jillys for lunch during my one and only visit. I had heard many things about Jillys from the radio ads and friends.
During my visit, i got the caesar salad with chicken as an addition. It was good and the service was decent. The prices are a bit on the high side for the amount of food that is received. Theu do have a soup buffet with three selections of soups for about $ 7.95. Thats seems like one of the better options. The interior is pretty sterile. This is the type of restaurant where you order at the register and the food is brought to the table.
I have had a cupcake from here once before and it was good. I just try to avoid eating sweets as much as i can. jillys is alright but i guess it didnt live up to the hype.

Despite what i read prior to my first visit, the customer service that we received was great. My bf and i went for brunch and to try the cupcakes. he had the «morning cristo» which was a challah french toast sandwich, bacon, ham, and egg in between. this came with a raspberry sauce. DELICIOUS. i had a breakfast burrito (egg and cheese in a tortilla)
with ham and spinach-​my choice of two things off a list of fillings. it was disgusting. it came on a plate with black beans which made the tortilla soggy and it was also sitting in a puddle of yellow liquid which i can only assume was from the eggs in the burrito or something that leaked from the fresh spinach. also, the tortilla was cold and contents were only luke warm. ew. i REALLY wanted to like this place so i choked down a quarter of the burrito which was leaking yellow liquid out the bottom the whole time. i was so grossed out that i stopped and ‘rang out’ the burrito by squeezing it between my fingers and the liquid GUSHED out. needless to say, i split the rest of my bf’s sandwich with him. the people next to us got the brisket hash and it looked delicious, guess i made a bad choice. we got two cupcakes to go and they were good cupcakes. i just moved from Los Angeles where the ‘go to’ cupcake place was Sprinkles, Jilly’s is BETTER than SPRINKLES. delicious cupcakes but i dont think we’ll eat there again.