This is a favorite dessert place. The restaurant is inviting and stylish - unlike the other bakeries in town which are either SRO-tiny and cheaply decorated (Mirabelle) or large and cheaply decorated (Sweet Indulgence) or oddly shaped and cheaply decorated (Pekara.) Cakes is designed to be somewhere to sit and enjoy - when you don't want a date to end just yet, or want to meet friends for coffee & dessert. The coffee is French Press (always a good thing), there is wine and after -dinner liqueurs. But it would all mean nothing if the cupcakes weren't good. They are. The largest cupcakes are the size of a piece of cake; the minis good for a couple bites. They are always fresh. They are made on premises, every day, and the selection changes weekly.
And therein lies why I didn't give Cakes 5 stars: the selection. It's limited to 5-6 flavor combinations a week. If you are ordering in advance, this doesn't matter. They will make what flavors you want. But if you are stopping in or getting some to go, it does. And for me it never fails: Cakes either has nothing I want or everything I want. Kudos to them for experimenting and changing things up, but sometimes I do wish they had a backbone of a few popular flavors in case the more inventive ones don't appeal.
Best: Red Velvet and straight chocolate.
Not so best: lemon drop and anything with lavender.