Thanks for the special request of the Dr. Seuss cookies! They were perfect and my student enjoyed…read morethem for our Read Across America day.

I stopped going to the local bakeries years ago when the two main businesses started going down…read morewith taste and quality in my opinion. THEN...someone introduced me to this business I had never heard of. WOW...if you haven't been run...don't walk! They have SO MANY sweet treats and all really delicious. Their prices reasonable, outstanding quality, love you can buy individual treats and drum roll...you can get individual squares of wedding cake. *The crowd goes wild* No joke I've had almost everything there I think and they are without a doubt the best cookies, cakes, breads, brownies and treats I've ever had in this area. They even topped the famous chocolate frosting that at one time I thought was the most amazing thing to ever hit central IL. Favorites are smores bars, chocolate dipped marshmallows and fruit and nut breads. This is my new it place for special occasions and treating myself! It blows away every other bakery in the Peoria area!

Such a cute place! Everyone was always so nice. The food was phenomenal! The salted caramel…read morebrownies and dragonfruit açaí bowls were my go-tos.

The bread and sandwiches are great ,so any things to try and smells to smell. Once you come you…read morewill come again.

Wow! Just wow! This ice cream & yo-cream shoppe has it all. When you first walk in you get to…read morechoose between cups that are flat rate pay or per oz. pay. We chose the oz. Now, I don't like to brag, but we bought $37 worth of ice cream and yo-cream in there today and there are only two of use. We ate all of it, every little sprinkle, m&m, nut, brownie chunk, chocolate rock, Andes' mint and gummy worm, cherry, chocolate, pineapple, vanilla swirl! We like to have died happily ever after today. It looked like a pink piglet silo inside, which I appreciated, because I felt like a little pink pig eating all that. Afterwards, we rolled out the door and barely made it into our vehicle without using a crane. Best birthday ice-cream I ever had and I'm turning 47 this year. . . See you all summer long! Oink oink

a very cute shop with lovely outdoor seating. the froyo was really yummy and they had so many…read moreoptions for toppings!

Great coffee and chai and the tres leches was delicious! Kid approved too. Great little spot for a…read morebreak and to refuel between shopping. Super friendly service too.

pretty solid. pastries not bad...one of the two coffees as awesome...the other as just ok. would…read morereturn!!

The only reason Carl did not get 5 stars is because of their limited hours. This establishment…read moreproduces the best donuts i have ever had. They are to die for.

Review Visit: May 2nd, 2015…read more Not just a bakery but a tourist stop. If you mention getting donuts (or doughnuts) in East Peoria, everyone will talk about how good Carl's Bakery is. They produce a lot of doughnuts (or donuts) that are beloved by the residents of East Peoria. Having lived in the general area and having drove by the place a million times, I thought it was time to check it out. If you are familiar with Carl's Bakery, you are familiar with the giant rooster that is outside the building. If you aren't familiar, then there is a giant rooster outside the building. One that is prime for taking a fun photo with. My dad and I did just that after trying out their food. Carl's Bakery is one of those places that seems to be open from before the sun rises to around noon-ish. So, if you are interested in going, you better head there when the roosters crow or else they will be closing up shop. When you go, you have to compete for a parking spot on the side of the building. While Carl's has an indoor eating area, I took the limited parking as a sign that they cater to the 'pick up my donuts (or doughnuts) and go' crowd. Nonetheless, my dad and I found a spot to park and headed in. Once we were inside, we had to squeeze a large throng of people to get to the counter. We told the cashier we wanted to eat in. She guided us to a table and we took a seat. While looking over the menu, I had hopes of getting some breakfast as that is what I assumed they specialized in. Maybe we missed a cutoff point or something else happened but we ended up ordering some lunch instead. My dad got a tenderloin and I got... I honestly don't remember. Maybe a burger that came with a ton of fries. Oh, and we both got coffee. Let us start with the coffee. It was... not good. I've had cheap coffee and this stuff takes the cake. I used more half-n-half and sugar than I normally do. While I am no snob and I put down a few cups, it wasn't worth it in the end to taste some water masquerading as coffee. But no worries. It's just coffee. We were there for the food. How was that?/ A notch above the coffee. I fully admit that I don't remember what sandwich I got but I do remember not being a fan of it. My dad said the same thing about his tenderloin. Both just lacking in everything. How does that happen? Can a chef or someone with cooking knowledge explain that to me? The french fries were salvageable at least. In fact, they were the only things that tasted good. Hype. It has it's place in the world but more often than not, I find that hype ruins a lot of things for me. Movies, video games, restaurants, and various other things. It's nice to get excited about something but when it doesn't live up to that level, I believe it is more disappointing than if it weren't hyped at all. But we aren't here for a hype discussion. My dad and I got to hang out and try something new. Was it the best place ever? No. Do I cherish the memory of this outing? Heck yes. While I may have had a lack luster time here, don't let the opposite of hype dissuade you from checking it out if you are a doughnut (or donut) person. Or you want to stop and take a photo with the giant rooster outside and then find yourself magically teleported inside, trying out their coffee and menu offerings.

An amazing Spice Cake delivered to my front door!! It was delicious and beautiful! This was a…read morethoughtful gift and brightened my day!

I'm so happy we found SweetCakes by Rachael! We used her for our wedding cake this October. She was…read morenot only the most affordable but she made the most delicious wedding cake! She makes is fresh and has won awards for her cakes. My family members went back for more! She works this cake business on the side of another full-time job. While she does have help, it does take a couple of tries to get in touch with her. However, she was true at keeping every one of her promises! Obviously, the business is a true passion of hers. She does cakes for ALL occasions. The cake looked beautiful! However, if you're looking for a very extravagant design with fondant and other special designs, then she might not be for you. Personally, the design of the cake was not as important for us as the deliciousness and price!

Huge delicious donuts! Very busy on Saturday! My personal favorites are the Jelly Filled and the…read moreCake donuts but it's hard to go wrong here!

SUMMARY: Don't waste your time or money on these overpriced…read morenovelty donuts served by shockingly rude employees (or if they're the owners, shame on them! Disgusting attitude!). Go to Schnucks for donuts at half the price and tastier. Please read the entire review for details. ==== HOURS: I wanted to try their donuts, and I've dropped by twice before my actual visit at about 11 - 12 PM, only to find the place closed. I wondered if the company had closed permanently. ==== SERVICE: The absolute worst part of my experience here. I walked in yesterday, Friday 08/22/2026, and two older ladies were behind the counter. They failed to greet me, not even a "Good morning" as the rest of the entire country does reflexively when they see another person. The two continued talking to each other as if I didn't exist. Once I was at the counter, this was the conversation as close as I can recall it: Me: "Morning!" Clerk 1, as if annoyed by my presence: "What do you need?" Me: "I want a dozen donuts. I don't care which ones, as long as they have no nuts or coconut." Clerk 1 nods, then continues their conversation with the other employee as if I wasn't there. Me, interrupting them: "You know, I tried coming here two other times, and y'all were closed. Do you people close shop after you are sold out?" Clerk 2, dryly: "No. We never close early. We close at 2 PM." Me, frowning because of the blatant lie: "Right." Clerk 1: "Do you want a Maple Donut?" Me: "Sure, I don't care. Say, your (ordering) website says that first-time customers get $5 off a $20 purchase." Clerk 2: "You have to order online." Me: "Oh. I can place it and pay online." Clerk 2, annoyed: "No. You can't place the order today. You can only place it tomorrow." (NOTE: Their website restriction only says: "This offer is only available to first-time guests." This says nothing about having to place the order for another day. So they lied.) Me, skeptical and slightly annoyed: "Okay... Hmm... do I want a bacon maple donut... How much is it?" Clerk 1: "$3.50." Me, pondering for a moment: "No, I'll pass. I got plenty of donuts." Then we proceeded to complete the transaction to avoid any further conversation with them, and I left with a sour taste in my mouth from that interaction. This is not the way to treat any customer, especially a first-time customer! My average donut shop experience is that I'm met by a clerk with a sunny attitude and a desire to help customers (whether genuine or to get tips). These two old bats really need a stern talking-to by management or, if they're the owners, this bakery does not deserve anyone's business. ==== FOOD: Overrated, mid-quality donuts. If you go to buy a novelty product claiming to be made of potatoes, you would at least expect it to have a trace of potato flavor. If I were to give it a generous review, I would say it tastes like an average donut. Granted, the donuts are huge, but so is their price. Since I'm not here to sugarcoat this bakery, these donuts are extremely sweet, to the point that they overpower everything else. If I wanted to taste sugar, I'd eat a heaping mouthful of sugar! You can't taste anything else of the donut, not even the oil it's cooked in, and that's saying something! These donuts also grow stale very fast. I had a leftover donut this morning, properly stored, and it tasted like it had been left out in the open for a couple of days. ==== ATMOSPHERE: Uninteresting. A few tables and chairs are scattered about, but it has no sense of decor. It has a bus station diner vibe. ==== CONCLUSION: This bakery lacks decor and a homey feel, offers overhyped donuts that taste only of sugar, and is staffed by two unpleasant, bitter hags. Consider going elsewhere!

I used to love Theo's. But under the new ownership it's gone downhill. At least for the icebergs…read more They are more expensive now with less ingredients. I used to always get the banana cream pie iceberg but now it's terrible. Never mixed right- just plain ice cream halfway down. And hardly any ingredients. I tried getting a Oreo iceberg but it only had one crushed up Oreo in it.

Review Visit: June 17th, 2015…read more Theo's is The-o place to be for ice cream. Peoria seems to have a lot of ice cream places and Theo's was next on my list to visit. So, I gathered my good travel buddy Matt and my girlfriend at the time to drive there and check it out. I have actually tried to visit Theo's a few times prior to this but the location is just odd. It's kind of on the corner of a busy main street and a busy side street. Due to that, it's a pretty hopping place to go. On top of that, the parking arrangement is also strange. There is maybe room for a few cars in front of the building and a few spots on the side of the building but beyond that, you are relegated to using the curbs along the road. On our way there, we devised a Plan B as we have failed to try and get Theo's before. Luckily, we beat the crowd and were able to find a place to park. Memory is a bit foggy on this part but I believe Theo's is/was cash only. Don't quote me on that but do make sure you have some money on you as a precaution. I don't exactly remember what I ordered. I think it was an espresso-flavored ice cream while my girlfriend ordered a coffee-flavored one. We, of course, sampled what the other got. I have to be honest and say that while mine was great, her choice in flavors was 10x better. We actually came back by ourselves on another day and I got what she got and was happy. Matt ordered something unique off the menu. I don't remember what it was but he said it was delicious. I think it was a low-calorie ice cream treat. Since we ordered simple ice creams, we didn't have to wait too long for the cashier to yell out our order to pick them up. If you've never been to a proper ice cream shack, do know that if you order a lot of food it can take awhile to get it as they usually cook the food fresh and to-order. Theo's does offer a wide variety of options between ice cream and food. I have yet to try their non-ice cream offerings but I would imagine they are pretty good. At least the photos I've seen on Google/Yelp makes their food look good. If I do get to try their food, I will add my thoughts of it to this post.