Who isn’t excited to drive down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills? In the summertime, tourists and tour buses flock by the dozens, and any other time of the year, it’s packed with locals. Whether you like seeing huge Brooks Brothers stores, or the inevitable Bentley/Aston Martin/Bugatti, it is hard to hate the glitz of Rodeo Drive.
I was pretty excited to find out that the closest Crumbs cupcakery to me was in Beverly Hills, and that I’d get to see a plethora of Porsches (besides being a huge cupcake fan, my goal in life is to have a 7-car garage filled with cars) – seriously though, go on Rodeo and just count them. They’re like as common as lightning bugs in New Jersey in the summertime.
Due to the lack of seating at Crumbs, I ventured to a nearby park (as in like up two blocks, it was pretty much NBD) in Beverly Hills to eat my cupcakes, next to the Tea Party demonstration and across the street. Who knew the Tea Party had serious support from Beverly Hills? Also, it turns out on Sundays in Beverly Hills, parking in some of the nearby parking structures is free (epic win in my opinion where parking meters in LA are $3.00 an hour). And everyone was at the Tea Party rally, so almost no one was there to stand in front of me in line at Crumbs (more winning).
Now I have one disclaimer – I have been to Crumbs before and it’s currently my favorite cupcake place. So, the ratings may have a little bias.
Cupcakes of choice: vanilla on vanilla and mint chocolate chip.
Atmosphere – 2
It’s right off of Rodeo Drive. So for me, I was pretty excited about that (I seriously enjoy getting to see Beverly Hills after living in a “not-as-nice” section of Los Angeles the majority of the year). But the problem about this cupcakery is that it’s pretty small. There are two tables outside, both of which were occupied. One had two friends catching up (probs going to take hours), and one had a three year old who couldn’t focus on eating her cupcake to save her life; so, I venture to the park nearby. While the Tea Party rally was highly interesting, I would have preferred the cupcakery. So thus, for lack of seating but prime location and availability of parking, Crumbs, you get a 2.
Moistness of the Cupcake – 1.5
Crumbs, I can’t lie I was slightly disappointed in the moistness of your cake. Not quite as fluffy and moist as I would have liked! The chocolate of the mint chocolate chip was slightly better than the vanilla, but only slightly (I think I came into Crumbs with pretty high expectations). BUT the serious amount of cake made me really happy, so you get a 1.5.
Frosting -1
Bomb frosting. I can’t lie. Definitely pure sugar and egg, but it was really good. It contained all the qualities frosting should – sweet and smooth. The vanilla frosting had a slight cream cheese flavor to it, and the mint frosting was perfectly minty!
Packaging -1
They send you out with plastic (not super eco-friendly Crumbs… you might want to work on that) containers that are perfect for cupcake travel. I mean, don’t throw them in your suitcase, but if you make a slightly sharp turn, like I may be characteristic of doing, your cupcakes will be fine. And the traditional cupcake wrapper was definitely appreciated.
Feeling after you eat the cupcake -2
I can’t lie, I couldn’t finish my cupcake. These things are MASSIVE. Whereas some other cupcakeries think the importance of a cupcake is smacking on a bajillion pounds of frosting, Crumbs does not skimp on the cake portion. You look at the cupcake from outside the display case, and this large cupcake looms at you, and you think, damn that is a lot of frosting! Only to be deceived – it is like a huge cake slice. So, buy a cupcake and share with your friend… friends. I guess you could say you get your money’s worth?
Average Score: 1.5
Crumbs isn’t totally perfect, but pretty close people. Check them out – I’ve been to their Glendale location at the Americana and I think it was better than the Beverly Hills location (though you may not see as many awesome cars… so it’s a toss up).
Crumbs Bakery
9465 South Santa Monica Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (yes, THE 90210)
300 S Brand Blvd
Glendale, California 91204
Price ($2.95 – 4.25)
By: Elise Fabbro
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