Beardall's Bakery — Restaurant in Magna

I had to pick something up allll the way out here in Magna (okay, it's not THAT far), so a week beforehand I did some Yelping to see what sorts of fun little shops might reside in the area. Having never been to Magna previously, I didn't know that, well....there's not a whole lot here. In fact, I found nothing tempting. One of my standard searches are for bakeries, and a few hours before I left, I tried once more, and Beardall's popped up! It looked so cute, and I wondered how I could have missed it, but with just one review and about as many pictures, I discovered it had only officially opened that day!

They are located on this cutie lil' "downtown" main street. The area is a bit dated and dingy, but clearly in the process of reinvigoration. I think in a few years this spot could really shine, and Beardall's is a big part of that! Parking is available along the road, but it was not busy, and I cannot imagine it often is, so should be sufficient. From the exterior, the windows appeared quite dark (enough that I questioned if they were open), so do not let that deter you. Inside, the high ceilings and light-colored walls really make the space feel large and open, though it is not that big. There is a wooden bar and bench along one wall where you could stay to eat, but other than that it is a take-it-to-go sort of situation. They were already assisting a few customers, but as soon as I walked in I was cheerfully greeted by Jane. I took a few moments to look over the cases, and then let her know what caught my eye.

I favor chocolate, so got one of most anything containing that best-of-all-flavors, plus a couple fun extras. My absolute favorite treat was my cupcake. They had either vanilla or chocolate; I opted for the latter, of course. It featured more frosting than cake (Yes! Doin' it right!), and it is whipped and light, but with enough heft that it held up over an hour in the car, even without the AC at times. I found it just mildly chocolatey, but balanced to the richness of the moist, medium-crumbed cake. I don't really do vanilla cake, but the excellent texture of the two components here convinced me that I'd like to try their version.

The éclairs are medium-sized, with a sweet custardy Bavarian filling (not always my favorite, but they do it well). The slick of chocolate frosting is rich and gooey, literally and figuratively the icing on top. I am not one to get excited about donuts, but their small chocolate-iced cake variety was a sleeper hit! The icing featured is the same excellent rendition as the éclair, the donut crazy moist, even toward the end of the day. We also enjoyed the fried (!!) cinnamon roll, apple fritter, brownie, and frangipane.

In addition to my selected goodies, they offer full size cakes (on this visit, one each of a basic chocolate and vanilla were available in the case, but you can also pre-order in additional flavors), cookies, cream puffs, napoleans, turnovers, bagels, myriad donuts, and various breads and rolls. Bottled beverages are available in a cooler. Prices range about $1-$2 each, so this is a real steal for some well-prepared, homemade style goodies. I don't know when I'll be back in Magna, but you best believe whenever that happens I'll be stopping by...

I’m writing this respectfully because I used to be a loyal Beardall’s customer. I ordered my birthday cakes there and often bought treats for my child’s teachers. I’ve always believed they make good donuts. However, the last two times I purchased apple fritters, they were extremely oily—likely due to being fried before the oil was hot enough. The oiliness overpowered the cinnamon and sugar, making them much heavier than usual. Because I care about supporting local businesses, I decided to call and share my feedback, thinking it might help them improve. I genuinely believed the owners would appreciate the input. The next time I visited, the owner approached me and asked if I was the one who called about the fritters being oily. I confirmed and explained my experience. She responded by telling me that after my call, another customer had ordered 50 fritters and that “this is what fried donuts are like.” When I said that, as a business owner, I would personally appreciate customer feedback, she told me I was being rude. She also refused to sell an apple fritter I requested. I was shocked by the confrontational tone. In my experience, most businesses value customer opinions and use them to improve. Sadly, that was not the case here. Because of how I was treated, I don’t think I can return to...

I will make a bold claim here. This bakery sells the best eclairs I have ever had. Period. And the reason why is because they have the ratio perfectly executed. I have been to bakeries with so much better custard filling. I have found a place whose chocolate frosting blows every other chocolate frosting out the water. I have yet to find one with the wonderful flaky and buttery pastry. The problem that they have all suffered from is the ratio. I don't care if you have a to die for custard if I can eat the tiny eclair in three bites and two of those bites don't have the custard in them. A chocolate frosting that is sublime is pointless if the pastry is bluh and the custard is the thinnest layer of substance in existence. Thanks for making wonderful parts of an eclair, but it's pointless if the whole is subpar or disappointing. From the first bite to the last Beardall's eclairs are amazing. In individual parts not the best I have ever had. But as a whole experience, their eclairs have not been beaten. Try the...