Sylvia's Bakery — Restaurant in Darien

Absolutely Awful!! My mother and father had a beautiful 50th wedding anniversary mass and luncheon last Saturday 11/5/22. We finished mass and headed over to the banquet facility just as planned. My parents ordered a special anniversary cake from Sylvia’s Bakery (paid cash all up front on 11/1/22 and got a receipt) to be delivered on the morning of their special celebration to the banquet facility . When we step inside there was no cake on display like there was supposed to be. It was my parents day and what does my mom see but NO cake!! The banquet facility administrator confirmed a cake was never delivered. My mom had to CALL Sylvia’s and find out what happened!! They did not make the cake!! After a few hours a “cake” arrived but it was NOT the cake my parents ordered and PAID for!! We got some other cake they slapped together! My parents went in on Tuesday to speak with the owner and were rudely spoken with stating that my parents “received a cake” and that it was my parents fault for not calling them to remind them of the date! (Can you believe that?!?) Even though the receipt Sylvia’s issued prior when my parents paid cash, again proved the date and description of the cake. They were told the owner doesn’t come in until 1pm and my parents said they would return to speak with the owner. Well the owner actually called my parents back (there was no apology given for their error on the day of the celebration or after until my parents went to them!) The owner Maria was extremely rude and absolutely unapologetic stating to my parents they will not refund the order - my mom then said “well, we will split the cost then both of us 50/50” (even though my parents did not have to offer that) and the owner refused. My parents paid a little over $400 for the cake, the owner said “ you got a cake! And the most we will refund is $150!!” The owner stated that even though it wasn’t the cake my parents ordered they should be happy with what they got and it was my parents fault for not calling to remind them!! (Can you seriously believe that?!?) My parents accepted the refund of $150 but then got a separate CHARGE for $150 on their account!! Instead of refunding they charged them!! My mom had to call AGAIN and the owner shouted “we’re fixing it!!” FINALLY they credited the charge for $150 and then put through the refund of $150. We have been going to this bakery for over 25 years and they did not even CARE to lose our family as customers- the owner told my mom that they have enough customers. They took NO responsibility for their huge mistake OR had not one apologetic bone in them. The cake they delivered was not even the cake my parents asked for and they refused to refund or split the cost only providing partial credit. My parents 50th wedding anniversary was supposed to be perfect, but this incident caused emotional and unnecessary stress, please choose another bakery going forward!! 🙏🏻. I hope this does not happen to you on your special day. Absolutely Awful experience all around. I wish I could pick zero stars but have to pick 1 to...

Sylvia's is a nice little bakery tucked away in a strip plaza and can be easy to miss. Pretty standard bakery countertop service, and the lady was patient with us since we took so long to decide what we wanted. There were no prices listed on anything, so we weren't sure where we stood on cost as we continued adding things. We tried a number of things and were expecting a cost at least twice as much as we actually paid. Sylvia's is definitely a cost effective bakery. The boston cream donut was king here. I ate it hours later and it was still soft like it had just came out of the oven. The eclair was okay. Had actual cream in it, not the best tasting filling I've had though. I got the large one because she said the difference was $1.75. In retrospect I should have just gotten the small one because I didn't even come close to finishing this. We tried a Russian tea cookie, which had a hint of cherry to it, it was nice but we tried it dry and it needed a beverage to really make it pop. We also tried some kind of a strawberry pastry pouch which was really nice. It was like a puffed up scone. Bold fruity flavor and a delicate sweet crust. I'd get this again I don't typically enjoy sweets with fruit in them. I also got a cheese danish which would probably grade at slightly above average. I feel I'm at fault for not reheating it long enough to soften the cheese filling to really bring this to life though. We bought a loaf of rye bread off the clearance shelf for $1.50 but this was already pretty stale by the time I got it home. But I'll try most rye breads for $1.50 so I'm not mad about it. Sylvia's is hidden insight within a strip plaza and could be easily missed if you arent paying attention. During our short visit they seemed to have a regular influx of patrons as well. The video I attached shows all the display cases they have here. It's a short but sweet, to the point set up and I'd come back if I was in the area during...

Rude staff and unknowledgable staff makes this a minus 5 stars. Told me my order wasn't a problem on the phone and when I came in to place the order with my kids and elderly father thinking it would be fun outing for them, they did a 180 and said "No, not at all possible." Demanded pictures of what I wanted, and when I described it she was insulting to the point I had to say "I'm not a baker, and I don't have fotos but I've described it to you in detail on the phone and you said not a problem so what's the issue?" Finally she said they could do it (what changed, I haven't a clue) but that they'd have to charge me 3 times the price of regular cupcakes. All for simple cupcakes. No no and no thanks. Zero customer service, not even a hello when we came in the door. Wish I never phoned them and...