Lilly Mae's Cinnamon Rolls — Restaurant in Monterey

When I arrived it took a few minutes for the 5 people working to notice I needed help, even though I was the only customer. While I waited I noticed that the frosted cinnamon rolls had frosting that had "broken" or was separated. I mentioned it to the young man helping me and he said that everything was "fresh...made today" and that it looked like that because it was warm in the shop and that it would be fine if he microwaved it. Now, for those of us that know baking and cooking, once a sauce, or in this case, a frosting is broken, there is nothing you can do, including putting it in the microwave. I humored him. I took a bite immediately after it came out to the microwave and it the frosting tasted grainy and greasy, oddly like a broken frosting. I asked for a different cinnamon roll, l had pointed out that all the 4-pack cinnamon rolls that were pre-packed had frosting that had not split/broke and that they har likely be sitting in the warm shop all day. He offered a pre-packed small frosting and said "here, I can offer you a frosting that was made properly." Oops, did he just admit he knew something was wrong with my roll?? I walked across the street to my wife waiting in the car, she took a bite and immediately spit it into a napkin...without me telling her what I had just experienced. When I got home (7mins later) I opened the frosting to find it was also splitting/broken.

Whatever you do, do not buy their food. Total waste of money. So much for supporting small business. I will never return!

For the record, I hardly ever write bad reviews because I usually believe that eventually it will catch up with them. I don't think so in this case for a few reasons, but had I looked at the reviews I would have never parked my car and got out to give them my business.

BTW, I'm pretty sure I went to the store in 2018 and had a good experience...so, something has gone horribly...

Holy coffee Batman! Rolled in from Mountain View where crepe is king, here it is the coffee, got a few for strolling the streets of Salty MONTEREY! Pop would be good because of the big festival in 1967, but I did coffee to put a real jump in my step. This was one of those cases where teamwork did make the dream work, the folks at Lilly Mae’s were a well-oiled machine making Java dreams come true for one and all. My favorite part was the caffeine, least favorite the price but that’s life (you can’t deny it). Take your coffee and stroll around back if you want to see wildlife like western gull, seal, otter, kelp, sand, statue. The coffee itself made me need the facilities frequently, but hats off to Monterey for their excellent public restrooms (I did more than just rest there). Cannery Row is good book too, and the streets around Lilly Mae’s do good homage to homie Steinbeck. They have cinnamon rolls of many flavors, peach even. There is a pirate statue down the concourse a bit that may do you a lil scare until you realize it’s not alive. I would recommend you get the coffee from Lilly Mae’s to wake you...

Hello all. Please avoid this place. Unless you want to spend on over priced cinnamon rolls that are microwaved. (I don't dis on microwaved food, but a pastery that cost over $10, and only serves 1 person...nope). I prefer to use a Convection Toaster that is Stainless Steel to warm up my cinnamon rolls I get from my local market or bakery. To be honest I was really disappointed. I read the reviews and ignored them. Since I wanted to try them myself.

Note: trust the reviews.

Over $33 dollars for 3 cinnamon rolls!!! And to be put in the microwave! No thank you! Microwaving a pastery makes them all doughy and to make it worse you have to eat it fast or once cold it gets hard.

My recommendation for this place. Get a convection oven. I wouldn't mind waiting a bit if it ment my pastery was going to come out nice and warm and toasty, and not hot & doughy.

It's a bummer. But this place wasn't bussin'. It's a tourist trap for their money. I'm pretty sure there is a bakery in Monterray that makes good cinnamon rolls that are not over priced.

This ain't it.

Move...