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.

Everything is fresh! Love the rye bread. Love the service. Desserts are yummy. Always a pleasure…read moregoing there

Bread rolls cakes and cookies are delicious. Order a cheesecake from especially with a topping. Nit…read moreexpensive. Family owned and work. I enjoy every thing I buy there. They are so accomodating

Traditional and delicious. I usually get an assortment of…read morecookies and a few lobster tails (large of course)!! Service is super chill. Gives me get in get out know what you want and we got it for you. Atmosphere, it's small so definitely one of those places you wanna know what you're coming for because people will overtake you.

Whoa!!! The place is dangerously delicious. The home made cannolis are amazing and the rest of the…read morepastries as I slowly sample everything I will keep you up. Cool also say that the Stafford is so friendly and so accommodating it just it brings a smile to your face as soon as you walk in

Family with kids be aware $5.70 for tinny cup of ice cream !! A totally rip off…read moreThe ice cream it's ok , but way too expensive for what you get .

Overpriced but good cream. Small scoop in a small Cup with…read moreone so Cleme pop in a small sugar cone out me over $14

Ashely was wonderful to work with. I reached out almost last minute and she was very accommodating…read more Not only were the treats beautiful but every one kept saying how yummy they were. Thank you for helping make my daughter's confirmation so special

From the owner: Sweeter Side of Life makes customers visions come to life! Whatever party theme or event you are…read morecelebrating Sweeter Side of Life can create the sweet treats to match! Offering chocolate covered treats, cake treats, number cakes, letter cakes and cupcakes!

This is a great local business that's deserves to be recognized!! They're very creating with the…read morefood, creating new products with different tastes and designs. Their donuts are super tasty and delicious making me trust this business especially with my allergies. They do sell options with things I'm allergic too but there very aware of it. The service here is great! The workers here look out for their customers and are extremely friendly to all of their guests. The ambiance here as well is great, with displays of their recent donuts and top selling ones. So to conclude , I would definitely visit here!!

My nephew & I absolutely adore these donuts!!!!! Amazing owners and so fresh and delicious!! I…read morelived 5 minutes from the Belmar location and now I drive to Matawan just for these donuts!! 100000/10

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.

From the owner: We offer Dairy, Egg, Gluten and Sugar free items along with regular items. Custom cakes, cookies…read moreand desserts. We do not use nuts at our location.

D&J Dogwood Kitchen is a local Hazlet small business that I happened to find through Facebook…read moregroups. They have a great menu of Puerto Rican / Latin favorites at awesome prices. We decided to order a platter of 12 empanadas (mix beef & chicken) with Spanish rice for a get-together ($35 including free local delivery) and it was so delicious -- the empanadas disappeared almost immediately. I only wish we had ordered some more! The ordering process was super easy - I just sent Jaime a message via Facebook Messenger, but you could also text her number. We arranged for a date and approximate time for delivery and that was it. I plan to order tons of empanadas from D&J for any future gatherings asap!