jilly's cupcake bar & café

*sigh*. i have been a customer of jilly's since the beginning, when you could actually walk in there and get the cupcake you went for, actually find a seat (even though there were only about 10 small tables) and serve yourself coffee refills. while i keep reading complaints about the staff, i have never once had a problem with anyone at jilly's on delmar nor at jilly's a go go. they are all friendly and have always gotten our (my best friend and i have used jilly's as our monthly ritual since it opened) food orders correct. the brisket sandwich cannot be beaten. it is absolutely amazing. i dream about that sandwich. she (my best friend) even had jilly's cupcakes at her wedding reception instead of a traditional wedding cake. they were that good.... in the beginning.

i finally had the opportunity to have brunch their yesterday, and i was quite impressed by all of the different, unique food selections available on the buffet. top notch selection. of course, i am a huuuuge fan of the brisket hash. yum. i was also pleasantly surprised by their chicken salad! i rarely ever try chicken salad anywhere because it always sucks. i live in high ridge (barely. i am 3 houses from being in st. louis county, in an upper middle class neighborhood. no wheels under the house, no meth lab in the garage, no still in the woods out back.) and i go to rock hill to get my chicken salad from straub's. until yesterday, that was the only chicken salad i would eat. jilly's is pretty darn close to being as good as straub's. jilly's also serves a caprese pasta salad that was absolutely amazing, a 6-cheese macaroni that is surprisingly flavorful but not heavy and greasy like one might assume, and a long list of other fabulous items on the brunch buffet. i would say try it if you haven't, but i don't know that i will deal with the line and the wait (even with a reservation made a week in advance) again. just not my thing. i think i am at the age where i am over buffets. i will definitely continue to go for my brisket sandwich at lunch though, make no mistake about that.

now back to the cupcakes. here is where i had my hopes and dreams shattered. i have been in love with just about every cupcake i have tried from jilly's.chocolatethunder being my "go to". i have always purchased 4 to take home to the kids in addition to mine, the food, etc. i spend quite a bit of money there. this last visit was just under 65.00 between the 5 cupcakes and the 2 brunches. i was super excited to try the cuban coffee that was a cupcake wars winner, and couldn't wait to crack into it. i was stuffed from the buffet, and took my cupcake home to enjoy later. unfortunately, there was nothing (aside from the coffee pipette) enjoyable about the cupcake. the icing no longer tastes like buttercream, it actually tastes like shortening. it leaves a nasty film in the mouth. i also purchased two plain yellow cupcakes withchocolateicing and a red velvet one. two of my kids couldn't wait to tear into them and literally spat out the mouthfuls ofchocolateicing that they used to love soooo much. i was shocked! i immediately assumed they were both hallucinating or teaming up to trick me. so i snatched one away and slurped up a pile of the beautifulchocolateswirly mound, only to completely agree with my kids' reactions. of course i had to try the other two cupcakes immediately. i was in a panic. frenzied, even. i couldn't try the other two fast enough. i wanted them to be amazing, maybe there was just something wrong with thechocolateicing and the dry, plain yellow cake?! please?! please redeem my faith in what was once one of my few vices!! well, they didn't. i was heartbroken. the icing is not the oralgasm it used to be. not even close. the cake is no longer moist. the ganache in two of them didn't even fill half of the cavity. i don't know if jilly's has gotten too big too fast, or what the hell has happened, but i will have to find a new cupcake venue. this is now my second attempt at restoring my faith in their cupcakes, and my second costly regret. i miss the days that their cupcakes were literally heavenly. it honestly saddens my soul. i guess it's better to have loved and lost. :,(

flavor that packs a punch!. i finally got to try jilly's cupcakes last weekend with my husband. we went a bit crazy and bought four cupcakes: turtle cheesecake, reese's, 24 karrot and oreo mousse. these are some pretty fantastic cupcakes - definitely the best i've had in st. louis. however, be warned that they are pretty darn sweet. so, if for some reason you like a bit more subdued cupcake, this might not be the place for you. even with our huge appetites, my husband and i couldn't finish the cupcakes. the oreo was by far the simplest cupcake as far as sweetness and flavor, which really allowed me to appreciate the icing. this place certainly knows how to make a killer icing - it's super creamy, fluffy and smooth. the other three cupcakes were crazy, awesome and in your face cupcakes. they each delivered the great flavors you would expect. we're a hugechocolatefans, hence most of the cupcakes we chose being chocolate. however, the carrot cake and cream cheese icing provided the perfect balance to thechocolateintensity. check this place out!


-----19 jan, 2015-----

powerful punch of flavor!. i finally got to try jilly's cupcakes last weekend with my husband. we went a bit crazy and bought four cupcakes: turtle cheesecake, reese's, 24 karrot and oreo mousse. these are some pretty fantastic cupcakes - definitely the best i've had in st. louis. however, be warned that they are pretty darn sweet. so, if for some reason you like a bit more subdued cupcake, this might not be the place for you. even with our huge appetites, my husband and i couldn't finish the cupcakes. the oreo was by far the simplest cupcake as far as sweetness and flavor, which really allowed me to appreciate the icing. this place certainly knows how to make a killer icing - it's super creamy, fluffy and smooth. the other three cupcakes were crazy, awesome and in your face cupcakes. they each delivered the great flavors you would expect. we're a hugechocolatefans, hence most of the cupcakes we chose being chocolate. however, the carrot cake and cream cheese icing provided the perfect balance to thechocolateintensity. check this place out!

more than just cupcakes! sandwiches and really awesome ice cream too! date posted: nov 9, 2014 category: cafe , cupcakes , ice cream address: 8509 delmar blvd, st louis, mo 63124 jilly’s cupcakes is becoming a very well known name in st. louis and beyond.  they reached the national stage due to the food network’s series “cupcake wars”, of which they are two time winner.  they are also reaching greater and greater local visibility in st. louis due to a deal with the schnucks’ line of grocery stores.chocolatethunder and visibility is a very accurate word to choose.   their cupcakes are a little hard to miss, the largest size weighing in at over half a pound and usually featuring fantastical icing and toppings.  jill, the owner, and jack, the vp of business, started baking with the intent of making cupcakes that were huge, filled to the gills with something delicious, and outlandishly dressed up. 24-karat carrot cake they also are always filled with something amazing, like richchocolateganache, honey lemon curd, or, in the case of their october monthly special, filled with m&ms.  the 24-karat carrot cake, pictured above and possibly our favorite, is covered in gold leaf and filled with vanilla cream.  we have read reviews of jilly’s online and some people have stated they didn’t like the cupcakes, stating they were too sweet or in some cases that they were dry and not moist.  we could see the “too sweet” complaint on some of the cupcakes, like the missylicious for example, but every one we had were plenty moist and had plenty of flavor besides sweet. cupcake six-pack but jilly’s isn’t just a brand of cupcakes.  they’ve decided to not rest on their food network won laurels and have begun to offer st. louis more than just dessert.  they now offer sandwiches, soups, salads, and some of the best ice-cream we’ve had in st. louis. fancy brick work they have regularly weekly fare for lunch in their cafe, their “foodie-fest” brunch buffet on sunday, a monthly-or-so thursda

my favorite cupcake ever. this is a review of cupcakes only since i've never had her food.....
i've had jilly's cupcakes a couple of times.....most of the time i got them from the children's boutique in downtown st. charles (the name slips my mind). i've had a few different flavors from jilly's on the beach to bee sting to reese's to another richchocolateone. her flavors are very inventive and i love the different combos of flavors together in one cupcake. they are are big which is how i can justify them at over $5 each. the icing has always been good and the cake is always moist. most cupcake places can't get both right. i have enjoyed all of the flavors but i find the jilly's on the beach to be outstanding. i mean- i crave this cupcake and judge all others against it. it has a mango-cream cheese icing and a lime curd stuffed vanilla cake. those flavors together make my tummy very happy. i'm not a huge fan of cake since it tends to be too sweet for me but this cupcake gets it right. i have yet to find a cupcake place that even comes close. i live in florida and visit this area often and always make a stop for this cupcake while i'm here.

went with a friend who was so excited because she watches the food network, and jilly's won some award. i went expecting a good or at least edible cupcake. i could not eat more then two bites it was that bad! the icing tasted like straight shortening, no flavor, not even sweet. the cake was so thick and flavorless it was more like a bread. i am usually open to give a place a second chance. not this time, it was by far the worst thing ever. my seven year old wouldn't even eat the icing.
i went ahead and gave it a second chance, only because they were being served at a baby shower. even the basic no frillschocolateand vanilla cupcakes were horrible. there were half eaten cupcakes on everyones plate.

best cupcakes around!. whether you want something seasonal (pumpkin pie cupcake, caramel apple cupcake) or orginial (reeses, oreo, birthday cake, lemon,chocolatethunder) or downright unique (maple bacon cupcake), jilly's has an enormous cupcake with unreal frosting for everyone. not only are they gorgeous but they taste extra delicious and could make a great treat to share or devour by ones self or take as a pretty gift! the decor inside creates a creative setting, and i would also strongly suggest getting a sandwich, salad or the delicious strata they had prepared for brunch. a favorite place of mine! also, if you ever want to meet before going to the airport, this is a great "on the way" place.

i miss these!. fact: these cupcakes are pricey.

however, they are quite large. you can (and probably should unless you frequent the gym) split one in half and share with a friend or save half for later. thus, the price is fair. so let's stop whining about the price.

bee sting and jilly on the beach are the most fantastic cupcakes i've ever eaten. i left stl several months ago, and i still dream about these. also, i should note that i'm achocolategirl. i've tried several of the chocolatey cupcakes here, but they're just not as good. good, but not blow-my-mind good like bee sting and jotb.

yummy yummy!. anytime we have out of town visitors, we take them to jilly's. thechocolatethunder and red velvet are my favorite. never a bad experience!