snickerdoodles Bakery & Coffeehouse — Restaurant in Hampstead

My review isn’t really about the food (the food is always delicious), it’s about the service. I live right around the corner so snickerdoodle’s has been a favorite breakfast spot of ours since we moved to Hampstead. Since the menu has expanded to include breakfast platters, it’s gotten much more crowded when we go in. I love seeing that this little business is thriving.

I have anxiety/ptsd and confined spaces + crowds aren’t the greatest combo for me. My husband and kids love going into eat. Usually I’m good once I get past the initial door crowd and can sit down. This morning was different though. More busy and I needed to stand in line with my kiddo. By the time I got to the register I was nearly having a full on panic attack. The gentleman behind the register was so calm and kind. I was able to tell him what was going on. He helped me. He helped me order quickly and in the same token did not make me feel rushed. When I was fumbling to pay with my card, he helped with that too. With his help, I was able to avoid having a panic attack in front of my son, but also chill out enough to enjoy my breakfast. I did not get his name, but I wanted to thank him for his help...

A definite must!!

I visited this bakery first when they were Snickerdoodles in Hampstead. They moved to Westminster and opened as Starlings. I stopped there about two weeks ago for some treats to take home. They have baked oatmeal served with fresh berries and steamed milk. Definitely a comfort food any time of the year.I bought it, an almond pastry and a sticky bun. The pastries were a nice size, well made and tasted delish!

It was about 25 mins before I arrived home. When I unpacked the baked oatmeal, I was pleasantly surprised. Each part - oatmeal, fruit and milk - was packed in a separate container. The baked oatmeal was still nice & warm. The berries were cold. The biggest surprise? The steamed milk was in a different style container with a tight lid and was wrapped up in aluminum foil. The milk was still warmed! Perfect to eat immediately. As far as I know, there is nobody else who sells baked oatmeal in Westminster.

I didn't go over on the dine-in side....

Service was great, atmosphere was great, the food was.. fine. Biscuits with sausage gravy seemed like the biscuits were the leftover stale ones from the week. Not a huge fan of a 3$ side of sausage, just to get 1 store-bought sausage patty either. Drinks were good.

Everything says fresh and homemade; the pastries seemingly tell a different story. The eclair was good except the chocolate tasted like straight sugar, almost like cake frosting. The pop-tart once again had great flavor, but the pastry felt more than a little stale. Perhaps its because it was a Sunday and everything was leftover from the week, who knows?

Store seemed like it had no A/C either, it was extremely humid in the dining area. If I had to guess, the food is 50/50 commercial/homemade. Not a bad place, just doesn't feel like an entirely honest place. Probably still the best breakfast in the area, but there also arent many breakfast places...