Ladybird Bakery — Restaurant in New York

Is a cake just a cake to Ladybird, or is it more? When you are already ready to buy a $30 or $40 birthday cake, you are buying more than a cake--you are buying a key part of your celebration and something memorable. Cakes mark momentous occasions and memorable cakes make return customers. However, I am no longer under the impression that Ladybird is in touch with this. As a long-time customer of Ladybird I am sad to find that there is nothing to return for.

I was heartfully disappointed when I went to order myself a birthday cake here this week. For my 21st I am reaching back to former birthdays to bring some of my fondest memories to my celebration this year. While all of the restaurants I had celebrated my birthday at, like Snooky's, have closed, I thought I would be set with my birthday cake. Every year until I was 11 my parents got me the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle cake from here. I remember its shiny ganache, decorated with green vines and raspberries, I remember how small we used to cut the slices because it was so rich. I remember the leftover slices in the fridge the days after and how exciting it was to taste its mousse for breakfast the next day. I am disappointed because despite all niceties, I was informed that this cake has only ever been available in the winter. On the contrary, my birthday has ALWAYS been in April-- I PROMISE. Not a single family member of mine has a winter birthday for that matter. I am not the kind of person who expects to command special or personal treatment when I walk in to someone's business, but I am astoundingly insulted that such a masterful and long-standing community bakery is not able to make me the cake they always had, unless I spend nearly $100 on a cake much too big for my family because they "only make it in winter". There is absolutely NO reason a bakery I thought was one of the most professional in this entire city is too unprepared to make this cake.

I realize businesses need to stay in business, but if Ladybird can't invest in return customers then their products are not what they seem. They are NOT selling cakes for your family to remember, cakes for momentous occasions, cakes that become part of your family, cakes that are more than cake. They are just selling cake. They are selling you very...

OK, well here's a story. I'll get one thing out of the way first: the cake was very good. Moist, chocolatey, not fussy with all sorts of gratuitous flavors that you see so much of these days. A solid basic cake. So that's good. It was the experience that wasn't so good.

First of all, they're not easy to get in touch with. There isn't an email address on the website, nor is there any way to order anything online. That wouldn't be a problem if they answered their phone, which they mostly don't. I'm a teacher so a callback wasn't the best option for me so I tried ten or so times over the course of the day - during their business hours - and got the machine every time. Finally I left a message and, to their credit, I did get a call back (thankfully during my break). So that's one thing.

But it was when I went in to pick up the cakes that things got weird. This is a message I sent to the owner via Instagram message afterwards:

"I just had a strange interaction with one of your employees. I had ordered and paid for two cakes ($200 in total) and came in to pick them up. One was a 10” cake, the other a 12” cake (and, as you know, they're larger and heavier than those dimensions would suggest). When she brought them out, I explained that I would be carrying them out and asked for some string to tie them together - not to carry them with but just to make sure that the smaller box didn’t slide off the larger one. She refused to tie them together - 'I wouldn’t even know how to do that' - or give me any string (there was a string dispenser visible behind her). I then asked for tape and she begrudgingly gave me a roll of scotch tape and walked away, which allowed me to tape them together. I’m looking forward to eating the cakes, but getting such unhelpful service isn’t leaving the best taste. Any thoughts?" Apparently she didn't have any thoughts because that was two days ago and I haven't heard back LOL. And, oh yeah, the writing on the otherwise great-looking cake looked like it was written by a six year old.

So, to wrap this epic review up: the cake is very good but if terrible service is an issue for you (and my sense is that's a trickle-down situation coming directly from the owner), then you'll probably want to...

Was very specific about exactly the way the cake should look and say as it was for a celebrity party - submitted pictures, had multiple conversations with them and was guaranteed they could do it. Upon arrival, the cake design was the antithesis of what we wanted, looked NOTHING like we submitted - the font, the color, the spacing of the letters - were all wrong. Someone just wrote letters in bad cursive on the cake - my 6 year old nephew could have done a better job. When I explained very nicely to the woman behind the counter that this was not what we wanted and tried to show her the picture we sent, she was unbelievably rude and said there was nothing to be done, we were already charged and what did we want from her. I simply said an apology perhaps and a thank you for being a customer and she said 'nope, I'm not doing that' and walked away. I had to take the cake as it was for a celebration for my celebrity client that evening and thought 'well we can all have a laugh about it'. When we cut into this horrific looking cake, it tasted disgusting - we asked for a lemon cake with raspberry filling - it tasted like Smuckers jam was just slapped in the middle and it was inedible and dry - we threw it away. I have ordered from Ladybird for years and will NEVER go back - should be ashamed of themselves and their horrible...