June 6 was my birthday, and after celebrating the night before at a lovely restaurant in the city,…read moreI found myself with no plans on my actual birthday. I decided I wanted to treat myself to a little cake. I usually visit a local bakery for cakes, mini desserts, and cannolis. It's generally pretty good, although it can be a bit hit or miss depending on what you order. While searching online for bakeries nearby, this place came up with stellar reviews. I was surprised to see it was only about an 11-minute drive from my house, so I decided to make the trip. The bakery was set up much like a classic neighborhood bakery, with beautiful cakes displayed along one side and cases filled with mini desserts, pastries, cookies, and cannolis. While chatting with the staff, I mentioned the bakery I usually go to. That's when they told me that bakery actually gets its cakes from Normandie. I found that fascinating because I had always assumed every bakery made its own cakes from scratch. Suddenly, a lot made sense. I had originally planned on buying a small birthday cake, but since it was only for two people, I decided to put together an assortment of mini desserts instead. I picked up tiramisu, carrot cake, lemon cake, and several other mini cakes. Every single one was outstanding. Not one dessert missed the mark. The carrot cake was moist, the tiramisu was perfectly balanced, and the lemon cake was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted fresh, high-quality, and thoughtfully made. The minis were slightly smaller than the ones I'm used to buying elsewhere, but honestly, they were the perfect size. Now that I know where those cakes are actually coming from, I'll happily make the extra 11-minute drive and buy directly from the source. This will absolutely be my new go-to bakery for birthdays, special occasions, and hostess gifts. A wonderful birthday discovery that turned into finding my new favorite bakery.

Fantastic classic place with good baked goods and classy staff. Great coffee too and convenient…read morelocation.

I don't even know where to begin with my gratitude for Mela's Sweets. I've been going to her for…read moreyears and always recommend her to my clients, but when it came time for my own bridal shower and wedding, she truly went above and beyond for me. The cakes were absolutely stunning, she brought my vision to life in a way that was even more beautiful than I imagined. Every detail was perfect, and the love and care she put into them really showed. Not only did they look breathtaking, but they tasted just as amazing. Everyone was raving about them all night long! Thank you, for making such an important part of my special day so unforgettable. Your talent, dedication, and heart mean the world to me, and I'm so blessed to have had you create these memories with me.

This was my second time ordering from Mela's Sweets. The first time was for our engagement party,…read moreand this time was for a graduation party. Both times, the cakes were amazing, moist, and sweet! It was just what I asked for! This time, I left it up to her to be creative on the design, and she did not disappoint! I can't say enough about how wonderful our experience with her has been! We have already placed an order for our wedding cake, and we are so excited to see how that turns out!

Was in Keansburg today and wanted rolls for our lunch. So I stopped in to the Dixie Lee bakery…read more Always remembered their great products from my time in the burg. I ordered two hard rolls . They looked great. Got home and just now was going to make lunch with them. I have to say so disappointed. I asked for two "hard" rolls and boy did I get them. They were more like day old hard rolls . Instead of being crispy they were rotted it seemed. Completely fell apart, crumbled at touch . No crunch or crispiness and my fingers pushed thru the outside surfaces like going into cardboard. Crumbled and felt so stale under these circumstances had to be at the minimum day old left out dried up rolls. I had heard they went down a bit down the "old" Dixie Lee, but this was embarrassing. Sorry David Burke, I expected so much more from you... I learned my lesson today.. off to J&M where I should have gone to begin with. And it's a shame. 3 yrs ago I was a fan. Not any more...

When i first walked in, I noticed the dingy floor. I think cleanliness is key, especially in a…read morebakery. The shelves were almost empty, and the girl behind the counter was sooooo slooowww. It took 10 minutes to tie 2boxes., n the amount of sting of my box was laughable. The shelves behind the counter were almost empty. No pastries, no cakes, none of this n none of that. It was the Saturday the day before Easter. They should have been stocked up, I'm not sure what's the traffic in the bakery but it looked dead. It was definitely not up to par. The cookies tasted ok, would i go back?No.

Stopped by 4/16/2026 after a day at the beach with my family -my youngest daughter, SIL, and…read moregranddaughters, and we are so happy we did. The ice cream was DELICIOUS! Tatiana was extremely welcoming and scooped out generous portions of their homemade ice cream. We met Jordan who makes the ice cream and he could not have been any nicer. The girls and my SIL had strawberry, my daughter had mango, and I had a scoop of banana & a scoop of pistachio. There was a pistachio in every spoonful! We cannot wait to return! And in the words of my 5 year old granddaughter, "This ice cream gets 5 stars!"

Last weekend the ice cream here was fresh & delicious! Nice & creamy!…read moreThe server was very pleasant. A definite go to spot!

Wonderful assortment of delicious baked treats. I bought a variety of goodies and everything was…read morefresh and delicious. The person who helped me was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. This was my first time there, and I will definitely be going back. I highly recommend this bakery!

this is so horrible. we bought a cake for my daughters birthday. when we took a bite into the cake…read moreit tasted like laundry detergent/fabric softener. when we called the lady, she was so rude did not want to help us whatsoever. won't be returning.

Average ice cream place. Not a great variety and overall the place felt tired even on a summer…read moreFriday evening. Photos made it look nicer than it was. Ordered the dole whip and vanilla swirl, and cookies and cream with s'mores. Dole whip was too soft and left a waxy feel on the roof of my mouth. Couldn't taste the pineapple. $12.21. I would try another place next time.

Very expensive for what you get. Ordered a pint of Italian ice the container was actually only 10…read moreounces, and the flavor was not too good.

I am obsessed with crumbl! I even have their app and I'm part of their rewards system (I'm already…read moreup to enough points to redeem a box of 4 free cookies). Crumbl has one of the best cookies I've ever had, and they are constantly inventing new flavors! I do stay true to the chocolate chip cookie which is phenomenal and always get that one even when I'm trying other flavors because it's so fireee, but everything is truly great! I order their party boxes for all my special occasions and it's always a hit with my party guests. For Thanksgiving I ordered their thanksgiving pies and the key lime and pumpkin pie were incredible( featured in the video). Every week they change up the menu and you can try different cookies . Also you can pre-order cookies up to a week in advance. It's no wonder the lines to get into a Crumbl in NYC are so crazy long, they're truly the best. Don't sleep on them, they got the best flavors and taste amazing! There are no long lines at this location, so take advantage!

I don't really understand the crumbl hype. The cookies are good but in my opinion not worth the…read moreprice or the calories. In their effort to impress, they do too much extra. For example the dirt cookie was good but had wayyy too much frosting on it. Same with the chocolate chip cookie-good but so many chips. That being said, the people are always friendly and the service is fast. I also hate that the space is so small. You have to order via kiosk even tho the people are right there and there are no tables or anything to actually sit and eat the cookies. It's a no for me.

Needed a coffee and a sweet treat to help me power through the day. When I stopped in, I was…read morepleasantly surprised to find a nice selection of pastries, and even better, my app informed me that I was eligible for a free beverage of my choice. As I browsed the display case, one item immediately caught my eye: the Strawberry Croissant. My love of croissants and strawberries made the decision an easy one. For my complimentary drink, I selected the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. Both choices hit the spot for my craving. The croissant was a good treat, and the cold brew provided a nice boost of caffeine to keep me going through the rest of the day. Moments like this remind me why I am glad I downloaded the app. Between the rewards and occasional free treats, it is a nice perk for anyone who visits regularly. I enjoy the consistency of the brightness of every location, and they have a fairly clean station where you can retrieve utensils, sweeteners, and, if you want to add milk to your beverage. The garbage hole is found in the same area.

My love for Korean bakeries runs deep. When I heard a new Paris Baguette was opening up in this…read moreHolmdel complex, I paid a visit on their grand opening day. Things were wild yet well managed on the grand opening day, and nearly entirely half of the space is dedicated to seating - either at tables or high window tops with stools - so that your chances of finding a place to park and chill with a few pastries remains relatively high. For the lovers of sweets out there, there's a lot to explore. Mochi donuts, inventive cereal-based treats, and all kinds of croissants with all kinds of flavors. But for me, the real hidden gems are seemingly plain and savory offerings. Any of the milk bread loaves are unimaginably soft and elevate any sandwich or French toast I might make that week. I'm also an enormous fan of their sandwiches and pizza-like breads (which - hot tip - can be warmed for you upon purchase). On another note, I've noticed - and chuckled at - the complaints about the self-service aspect about this establishment from other reviewers. I imagine that's what happens when a Korean bakery is planted in an area that doesn't have many others. In some parts, where there are spots with Asian bakeries on every other block, it's seems a common thing to have customers picking up their own pastries with tongs. But I'll offer this as a broad panacea to any paranoia about cleanliness - during my visit, I loved seeing how frequently the workers came by with fresh pastries, which for me was assurance that - (1) everything is freshly baked, and (2) there are eyes on the pastries (and presumably any one potentially mishandling the goodies). The complex is enormous, so parking wasn't an issue even with the throngs of crowds coming by to check out the shiny new store installment.