Ilsa Cakes — Restaurant in Salem

DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS PLACE. I live out of state but needed a cake for the following month. I placed my order through email and got a confirmation that my order was scheduled. The day before the event I called to verify my order because the the event wasn’t for me, I was just purchasing the cake. My order was not found and I had to prove that I ordered in advance through email. I confirmed with the owner Ilsa over the 1pm pick up time. She made a weird noise but confirmed.

The next day we wanted to give the bakery some time so showed up at 1:20 so we had adequate time time to pick up and deliver the cake. When we get there, a very nice gentleman asked what we were there to pick up. I let him know and his face went white. He tells me that he forgot to make my cake and that he was so sorry. He said the cake itself was done he just had to assemble and decorate and that he could knock it out in 45 minutes. This upset me because not only did I just call and confirm the day before but the birthday party started at 2 pm and now the birthday girl would have no cake at the beginning of her party. 45 minutes later the cakes is still not done, the owner has looked over at us but hasn’t acknowledged the fact that my cake was not done. I ask the man if my cake is done because I have to go. He responds that it is almost done. At this point I am only sticking around because I have a made a commitment to provide the cake for a birthday party that started almost an hour ago.

30 minutes after that, I ask the guy if he is done I have to go and can’t wait any longer. This is when the owner comes over finally and says that he is almost done. I tell her this situation was ridiculous and shouldn’t have happened. She tells me that it wasn’t her, it was the man who took the order she was full with orders. I was confused because I could have sworn it was her business and it has her name on it. I told her it was very unprofessional for her to blame her employee and to not one time acknowledge our presence and apologize while we waited. She said she was busy making cakes. I told her well if they were too busy they shouldn’t have taken my order so that I could find a bakery that was able to complete my order. This woman had the audacity to say that when she made the weird noise on the phone the day before it was because she didn’t know if they could actually finish the cake on time. But instead of voicing this to me she felt that it was too late to tell me. She was super unprofessional/ I finally received my cake and the colors were wrong and it had to be fixed ( more time wasted). She also told me that the man didn’t forget my cake, he just mis-spoke, Ma’am my entire cake is currently being made (He didn’t misspeak).

Also the cake had visible holes on the top from where the poles were put into the cakes after the fondant was placed. The holes were covered up with circle pieces of fondant. When the fondant should be the last thing placed so that it is smooth and perfect. When I asked about it, the woman stated that all her cakes look like that on the top. I told her she could at least be honest and not lie after all the time I wasted. I purchased a few cake from her years prior when she was baking at home and NEVER received a cake that looked like that. The owner has obviously ventured into a store front that she can’t handle. She is unprofessional and I will never do business with her and wouldn’t recommend anyone do business with her because of her unprofessional attitude. I’m all about giving second chances but her lack of concern and worry was ridiculous. Also the fact that she blamed the man and threw him under the bus, I’m all set. Finally 2 hours after my initial pick up time and an hour into the party we were finally on our way.

To top it off the top layer was dry and the bottom layer was super dense. Terrible. I will say that the man made a mistake and was trying very hard to fix his mistake. I felt for him. Her I blame because I had just talked to her the day before. He did give it to me for free though. DO NOT...

I've been eager to try this bakery since it took over! I'm so glad i did! We initially went in to get one thing each, and both of us left with a whole lot more than we intended to buy! The pastelitos were so amazingly fresh and delicious, and he made my Mango smoothie with a whole fresh mango! The flan was out of this world, and my friends Caramel Cake tasted like heaven! Even the french fries we got were fantastic! The gentleman who helped us (I'm guessing it was one of the owners) was so incredibly friendly, he definitely made two more local customers! We can't wait to try slices of his other cakes,as well as the other items listed on his menu! Great amount of food for the price as well! All around, a great guy, a...

Absolutely one of the nicest families I've ever met that owned a business they are genuine and kind and their food is delicious. Their cakes are always on point in their food is always great. When you can you'll want to try this place out for a special occasion or just for a...