Big Man Bakes — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I have the biggest sweet tooth, and I wasn't about to turn down a visit to Big Man Bakes after dinner at Baco Mercat. I haven't heard of Big Man Bakes before, but my friend mentioned that the cupcakes were quite tasty and well-known. And for pretty good reason! Big Man Bakes specializes in a variety of different cupcakes - in either the mini or XL (regular) cupcakes. I found the theme of using sizes (from the name of the store to the cupcake sizes) to be pretty unique - it reminds me of the saying "go big or go home"; you might as well take advantage of the opportunity of being in the store once you're already there.

Cupcake prices are pretty standard, especially for a storefront in LA. The mini sizes are $1 for one, 6 for $5, 12 for $10, etc. The XL sizes are 1 for $3.50, 4 for $14, 6 for $21, and 12 for $39. There were quite a few flavors to choose from on a Friday night at around 9:30. The workers who helped us were super patient as they explained their most popular flavors, recommendations, and ingredients in specific cupcakes.

There were so many flavors to choose from, but sadly we didn't have enough stomach room to eat all the ones we wanted.

Caramel Apple: This flavor sounds as amazing as it tasted! The cake is a super moist and fluffy spice cake with apple chunks in the middle, topped with a caramel frosting. The cupcake was pretty light and not too heavy, with just enough sweetness in the frosting to not be too overpowering. I liked the spiciness of the cake as well as the apples in the middle - they weren't too hard nor too soft, and added an interesting take on a regular cupcake.

Carrot Cake: I love carrot cake, but I'm not a fan of all the nuts found inside. When one of the girls described Big Man Bakes' carrot cake as a carrot cake without nuts, I was super intrigued. And I think this was my favorite cupcake out of all the ones I tried. It was super light and moist. If you can imagine the taste of carrot cake, just think of the lightest, fluffiest, tastiest one and you pretty much get Big Man Bakes. Their cream cheese frosting is a bit heavier, but contained the right amount of thickness to balance the carrot cake. Definitely one I recommend!

Vanilla: I had the chance to pick a cupcake and sadly, I think I chose the wrong one. This cake intrigued me because the description mentioned that it's a vanilla cake with almond accents and a vanilla buttercream frosting. I really like almond cake, so I was hoping that the almond in this cake would really accentuate the overall flavor of the cake. I thought wrong. This cake was the driest out of the three. The cake was good, but nothing special. I think I've had better vanilla cupcakes from local grocery stores. I did like the vanilla buttercream frosting, but it didn't help the dryness of the cake in any way. I would probably skip this flavor and go for something much more interesting.

Overall, I'm glad we ended up trying the XL cupcakes rather than the mini ones. I think the mini ones are a bit too small and at $1 for one, a little too pricey. You get a better taste of the cake and frosting when you opt for the XL cupcake. They have other really interesting flavors, but I definitely want to return to try the lemon, black and white, and old school cupcakes.

Storefront is quite easy to find, especially when it's at night as the store is lit up with bright lights. There are a few tables inside of the store as well as a few more outside. Storefront isn't anything too special as what makes them shine is definitely their cupcakes. As for parking, you'll probably have to find street parking or park at a nearby lot for a flat rate.

tl;dr - A really good cupcake place in LA! The workers are super nice and friendly, and really seemed to want us to have a great experience trying their cupcakes. I'd recommend trying the XL cupcakes rather than the mini ones - and go for more unique flavors like caramel apple or carrot cake rather than the simple vanilla or chocolate. Credit cards...

COVID related review Staff wear masks and so should you.

Service: There was only one person in the store when we arrived. They were very helpful and nice. We selected XL cupcakes in Red Velvet, Lemon, Mound, and Sweet Potato. Unfortunately, the Sweet Potato was actually a Carrot Cake. It could've been an honest mistake but it can be a deadly one when someone in your party is allergic to WALNUTS. Needless to say, we were happy that one of us tasted it before the person with allergies could touch it. EDIT after owner response I will take responsibility for not inquiring which cupcakes contained nuts. However, our party reviewed the website prior to the visit and I do not recall mention of nuts in the Sweet Potato [Spice] descriptor. Sweet Potato [Spice] wasn't my personal choice so I cannot expand on that further. We attempted to avoid the Carrot Cake because the standard recipe includes nuts. We did not happen upon the shop, we chose to visit based on the website's information which may have been updated or corrected since our visit.

Food: Slightly disappointing given the rave reviews. The cupcakes are very moist; the frosting is rich but not overly sweet; and the presentation is the standard. The descriptions on the website did not hit my tastebuds as I'd hoped. The Mound was your average coconut cream frosting on a chocolate cake; the Lemon was a very faint vanilla & lemon flavor and the lemon zest was missing in action; the Red Velvet was the crowd pleaser but very standard; and the Carrot Cake was my personal favorite but I missed the tang of cream cheese frosting. EDIT after owner response Even if the Lemon cupcakes do not contain vanilla, that does not mean it doesn't give off the taste of vanilla. I'm glad it didn't taste artificially lemony but I would have appreciated a more tart dessert versus the sweeter side that created a HINT of vanilla flavor on my tastebuds.

Price: Expect small business to charge more. If you're looking for cheap eats, this is not your bag. We paid $15 for 4 XL cupcakes and they are NOT XL for the average consumer. They're slightly larger than your average muffin mold. The website states the mini cupcakes are $1ea/doz but we were told by the staff person they're $2ea/ doz. EDIT after owner response The website stated $1ea/dozen mini cupcakes on Saturday, Mar 6th. It was a driving force to visit the establishment. I understand prices may vary from the website and the brick & mortar but in this case, I understand the website appears to have been updated to reflect the owner's current claim. I have not doubt consumers will appreciate it.

Parking: There's a parking garage next to the store. You can park there for free for 15mins with validation. We found street parking but don't expect those opportunities too often in downtown LA.

I will not fight to get back to this establishment. I'm treating it as a Bucket List accomplishment. The food doesn't warrant much desire for me to return or recommend to others but it's not bad enough for me to never return. EDIT after owner response I appreciate the owner's response to clarify what they believe was a misrepresentation of their business. However, I stand by my review and my party's review of the website's general information and menu. I wish the business well even if the owner and I disagree on our...

I gave Big Man Bakes 1 star based soled on the poor customer service of one person in the Main St. store. I called in an order on February 11, 2014 for a dozen cupcakes. I arrived early and the person at the counter initially told me there were no phone orders and when her assistant found it, then proceeded to tell me that I was early and that "we said a minimum of 30 minutes". Please note, there was NO ONE in the store but me and her attitude made my friend (who was parking the car at the time) and I say "wow". She placed all 12 cupcakes in a box. I asked if she had any of the plastic containers as I knew some were going home with me and some with others - she said no. I walked up to the counter and pointed to them and she said "if you want those, they will $.25 each because you should've told me before I packed this box" at this point, my look said it all - "put my cupcakes in the the plastic container NOW" - I've just paid $36 for 12 cupcakes and she was acting as if she were doing ME a favor. I will no longer order from Big Man Bakes and as I was telling my co-workers about my experience, 2 other people knew exactly who I was referencing and said the same, she was rude, disheveled looking (hair uncombed) and had the attitude to match her appearance - "ugly". I have met the owner before and he is such a nice man. He's friendly and inviting. So I'm assuming that this "person" who in in charge of initially greeting customers MUST BE A FAMILY MEMBER, because I don't see how or why she's still employed there. I will not be returning because this time I was silent and taking it all in - next time I...