Milk Sugar Love Creamery & Bakeshop — Restaurant in Jersey City

Short version of this review: nice and fresh ice cream but stay far away from the baked goods, ESPECIALLY the cupcakes, which are horrendous and stale. Also, the pickup window system is trash. And, make sure you stay away from this place during school/daycare "let-out" hours (like 4pm) because all the "mommies and daddies" bring their brats (and themselves) to line-up.

LONG VERSION Just the other day, I took a walk to get a fresh scoop of ice-cream. I was waiting for this shop to open at 4pm, but it was around 3:56. I sat down on the conveniently placed bench outside and waited. Whilst waiting, I looked at the online menu even tho I knew I'd prolly get my regular 1 scoop of honey lavender vanilla. To my great annoyance, I realize a bunch of kids and their mothers/fathers/guardians have now lined up outside the shop door. OK, well, I was there first but far be it from me to take a hungry brats place in line. So, I ordered an online pick-up order for cupcakes instead using Direct Order via Google. The pick-up window for online orders is conveniently placed next to the bench so I thought "Perhaps this will be quicker, mayhaps even better because the cupcakes might be deliciously fresh!" BIG MISTAKE. I was informed that my order would be ready by 4:04pm. Well, I waited quite patiently, and then I finally had to inform the people "working" inside that I'm waiting for my pickup order around 4:10pm. I was thinking as I waited "Hmm, perhaps their baked goods are also made fresh? Perhaps the cupcakes are coming out of the oven? Is that why it's taking so long?" NO. It took about 30 seconds for the worker to finally open the fridge/freezer and hand me the cupcakes (already paid for), which was around 4:15pm maybe. And the brats that had lined up for their fresh icecream (WHICH IS WHAT I WAS ORIGINALLY CRAVING), were prolly the ones taking up the workers' time inside (EVEN THOUGH I WAS THERE FIRST)? So unfair. Anyway, the cupcakes were almost frozen cold and even while I waited for one to thaw at the park across the street (for surely, I was still craving the fresh cupcakes I had built up in my mind) and ate it there, it still tasted STALE af. Not to mention, there was no sticker or seal on the cupcakes' packaging. Were they made that morning? Were they made 2 weeks ago? Who knows. Should I leave them out overnight? I finally walked home, and I decided against leaving the cupcakes outside because I didn't want to get sick. I ended up storing them in my fridge but even thawing them for 2-3 hours, they still taste disgusting and stale, especially the frosting. UGHHHH. They were obscenely expensive, too, and I could have had the same stale/frozen/thawed cupcake experience for about half the price just purchasing packaged cupcakes from the grocery store (actually, some grocery store cupcakes taste BETTER).

Anyway, the ice cream is delicious, tastes "fresh," some of the flavors are good-interesting and some are bad-interesting, and some just taste awful (there should be a limit to creativity in ice cream flavors). I do appreciate the child cone/scoop which is a perfect size for me. And, yes, everything is expensive and overpriced (welcome to 2023) especially in this neighborhood (welcome to Jentry City--the new and "improved" gentrified...

This is the third and LAST time I ever come here. As a third time client presenting their debit card for $9.50 and being adamantly told we can't take it for less than $10 and being suggested to buy a cookie or topping, and my answer is no thank you. I want to pay for what I buy. Then the very nice girl behind the counter went to ask the 'owner' , comes back and says we will do it this time: one time only. I say ok thanks. Then she says for 50cent to make it $10. I say no thank you. They say then we can't charge you I say well I'm already 80% through my ice cream. Long long story short after the third time of this nice girl going back to the boss and the boss being inches away from us and having no strength in herself to communicate with a client who spends WELL OVER $10 the past two times they have come in, this time bringing other friends: well let's say this is terrible terrible customer service and you have not just lost me. But the 5 friends I have brought here.

As a business owner myself I have paid for shipping many many times for my clients. This is not to say I will waive my shipping policy for everyone but to make a client happy and retain clients for 50cent, I will certainly do that. I understand margins but I also understand customer service and retention

Now to add insult to injury the owner comes out, no introduction, she started speaking loudly into the air and not to me; "it's not her policy it's mine". Then walks away. Not once addressing me in a manner which is appropriate. Maybe a bit of business manners and ethics?!

Finally I ask for a cup of water after the sweet ice cream. And not to give your clients water after they have spent $25 [1st and second time there] and tell them they will only give water if a client brigs their own cup otherwise you are asked to buy water.

Never ever again. This isn't ma and pa home grown mentality this is nickel and dim'ing your clients does not create customer loyalty.

Terrible horrible experience.

Ps. This isn't a 'sign dollar' price point. Rather...

The treats are good but the service here is honestly terrible. I’d had negative experiences in the past here and had held off on posting a review but it’s really a shame how poor their policies are and the way they treat customers.

Last year, I was looking for a cake for my birthday and had the freezer open so I could look at the cakes (crazy I know) and the staff told me to shut the case. Though the names of the flavors are visible on the boxes through the glass, you cannot see the tops of the cakes to see the visual designs. Needless to say I left without a cake.

Fast forward to today— I received an email last Friday for a coupon for a free cookie to celebrate their reopening for the season. Upon my arrival, I was told this could not be used bc the owner said it wasn’t supposed to still be running despite the email saying the offer was valid thru March 31 & today is the 7th. The staff member also stated the owner was supposed to send a correction email which hasn’t been sent. Basic customer service would have you honor this due to your mistake— clearly it was a mistake but not important enough to issue a correction email or have any signage posted in store for stating it was an error and can unfortunately not be honored. But poor communication appears to be a common theme at this establishment so I suppose that would be too much.

What a shame, because I love their red velvet cookies and matcha brownies and was looking forward to getting some upon my visit. But with the poor service presented, they are not...