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Icing - the downfall of many cupcake enthusiasts
Our dear friend Y.O. graciously performed an analysis of our Cupcake Crawl that provides a clearer picture of how the attributes influenced results and a deeper understanding of which bakeries in Chicago truly rock when it comes to cupcake production. Her analysis can be found here.
We would like to thank Y.O. for her patience in getting this up on the site. You are the best!!!
Pumpkin Truffle Cupcakes from Cupcakes
So here they are... the long-awaited results of the Cupcake Crawl! Did we discover Chicago's best cupcake? We definitely found some new favorites! Listen to hear our take.
Interested in doing your own Cupcake Crawl? Here's the itinerary we used complete with CTA instructions. If you go on your own cupcake quest, let us know which cupcake you like best!
(12.4 M)
00:00 - 01:00 Intro
01:01 - 20:30 Cupcake Crawl Discussion
20:31 - 26:20 Personal Top Five
26:21 - 26:58 Sign Off
Dinkel's Bakery
3329 N Lincoln Ave.
Southport Grocery & Cafe
3552 N Southport Ave.
Sensational Bites
3751 N Southport Ave.
Sweet Occasions & More
5306 N Clark St.
Swedish Bakery
5348 N Clark St.
Cupcakes
613 W Briar Pl.
Swirlz Cupcakes
705 W Belden Ave
A cupcake toast starts the day off right.
And it was quite a sight. Not to mention a wonderful time! A big thank you to everyone who participated.
Did we succeed in our quest to find Chicago's best cupcake? The results are in, and your ballots are being tabulated and reviewed as we speak. Watch for a complete rundown later this week in our Cupcake Crawl podcast.
Until then, content yourself with pictures from the crawl. Have your own crawl pictures to share? Be sure to join our Flickr group and upload them.
Cupcakes ala Dinkel's
Why are you sponsoring a Cupcake Crawl?
We had to settle an argument about which was Chicago's best cupcake, and this seemed the best way to do it.
Seriously?
Yes.
What time does the Cupcake Crawl begin?
10:00 AM on Saturday, September 23! There are seven places on the list & they're geographically dispersed. We decided to start early because some places close before 5:00 PM.
How long is the Cupcake Crawl?
You can do as much or as little of the Cupcake Crawl as you'd like. However, given the number of people involved and the amount of travel, we think it will take you until 4:30.
I don't want to take public transportation, can I drive instead?
Sure, but we don't recommend it. Parking isn't good in most of these neighborhoods.
Why should I start the Cupcake Crawl with the group?
We've secured discounts for people on the Cupcake Crawl. Start with the group to get your Chicago Bites sticker as well as itinerary maps and rating sheets.
Why should I RSVP?
You can visit the establishments on the list without joining the Cupcake Crawl, that's true. However, with this many people coming, we'd like to give the establishments on the list a fair idea of numbers and approximate times they can expect sugar fiends to arrive on their doorstep.
I started late. How do I find you?
Subscribe to our Cupcake Alert Service and have itinerary information sent to your cellphone!
I can't view the interactive map. How do I see the route?
If you've RSVP-ed for the Cupcake Crawl, we'll provide you with a PDF of the route as well as an itinerary.
Is the Cupcake Crawl kid-friendly?
Cupcakes are inherently kid-friendly. However, there won't be many kids on the Cupcak Crawl. If you're bringing kids, we'd recommend only doing a few stops instead of the whole thing.
What if it rains?
Cupcakes still taste good in the rain! We hope you'll grab an umbrella and join us.
What happened to some of the places that were originally on the list?
Unfortunately, not everyone agreed to be part of the Cupcake Crawl. If a place is not on the list, you are free to go and rate the cupcakes, but don't say we sent you! Also, some places were left off because of logistics. We provide alternative routes on the itinerary.
Where do I find pictures of the event?
We plan to put pictures on Flickr as well as this site. If you take pictures and want to add them, please join our Flickr group.
When do we get the results?
We'll pull the results together and publish early next week.
Cupcake craze!
Guess what? There are a ton of cupcake lovers in Chicago! That means the Cupcake Crawl is almost to capacity. Many of the cupcake stops on our route are small, so we don’t want to swamp them with a stampede of sugar-crazed food enthusiasts.
If you’ve gotten an e-vite from us with the complete Cupcake Crawl itinerary, you’re ready to roll, but please RSVP on the e-vite if you have not done so.
Want to come along? Send us an e-mail at chicagobites@gmail.com. We’ll send you an e-vite as long as there’s space.
If interest keeps up like this, this may be Cupcake Crawl round one! Who knows?
The display of cupcake goodness at the Ritz-Carlton's Saturday night Cupcake Buffet.
You guys ready to Cupcake Crawl? It’s just around the corner!
But before we tour the city Saturday to taste some of Chicago’s best cupcakes, Tammy and I decided we’d better figure out exactly what qualities define a great cupcake.
So we made our way to the Ritz-Carlton’s Cupcake Buffet to taste the goods and refine our rating criteria.
Watch the site tomorrow for details about the Cupcake Crawl route and a complete timetable.
(6.6 M)
00:00 - 02:30 Intro
02:04 - 03:23 Mini-Wine Review
03:23 - 12:24 Cupcake Buffet Review and Discussion of Cupcake Rating Criteria
12:25 - 14:25 Sign Off
The Greenhouse at the Ritz-Carlton
160 E. Pearson St.
The Cupcake Buffet is served from 9 to 11 p.m. on Saturday nights. You can sample two cupcakes for $8, four cupcakes for $12 or all 12 cupcakes for $18.
Bridget rates the cupcake buffet 7/10
Tammy rates the cupcake buffet 6/10
Join us in our quest to find Chicago's best cupcake!
Plan to tour some of the city's hottest cupcake spots, taste the goods, and rate them on Chicago Bites' very own cupcake rating scale*. Your ratings will then be discussed on an upcoming podcast. We plan to record as we go along too, so you can share your thoughts directly with our listeners.
When you RSVP, you'll get a map of our cupcake destinations** and a specific timetable for the day. You'll also get details about our cupcake rating criteria, so that you'll be ready to review.
Can't join us for the whole day? No worries. You'll be able to find where we are by subscribing to an alert service on your cell phone. Just pop in for a cupcake whenever. But be sure to RSVP in the comments or send us an e-mail to wrangle an evite.
Plan on spending anywhere between $2 and $5 per cupcake at each place. We recommend finding a cupcake buddy to share the cost and food. That way you won't go into sugar shock!
See you at the Cupcake Crawl. It will be a great time! Until then, happy dining!
UPDATE: Do you have more questions about the Cupcake Crawl? Visit our FAQ!
*Our rating scale will be a subject of an upcoming post. We'd appreciate your suggestions for rating cupcakes!
**The list of places to visit is also a work in progress, so please provide us with your thoughts of where we must go and what we should leave out.
Mandarian Orange Cupcake from BomBon Americano
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