McLain's Bakery

We had the pleasure of using McLain's Bakery for our wedding cake and beautiful royal icing cookies. From our initial consult with Grace to our tasting, where the staff graciously accommodated my parents attending with us, to the final products, we were impressed by the clarity of communication, support, encouragement, and delivery. We selected almond cake with raspberry filling and almond buttercream, and McLain's delivered a gorgeous cake in the Lambeth style we'd requested. The cake was perfect, beautiful, and delicious. The cookies -- in shapes of wedding rings, champagne glasses, and wedding cakes -- were also a huge hit. We can't thank the team enough for being an integral part of our special day. We were also delighted to learn that on our first wedding anniversary, they'll provide a small cake in the same flavor -- so wonderful and exciting! Thank you, McLain's! We're your biggest fans!

Updated review: Really disappointed with my recent visit. The Market Wrap had almost no flavor and left a bitter aftertaste. The tortilla tasted stale, and the hummus was bitter with a hint of heat, with no balancing flavors. Spring greens and sweet potato falafel were surprisingly bland, and the falafel had a strange, gummy texture. Nothing came together — no umami, no natural sweetness, not even a touch of salt. I’m honestly surprised by how well they managed not to bring out the natural flavors of any of the ingredients. I can’t believe this could be served to customers. Their old vegetarian burritos used to have sweet potato cubes that added flavor and balance — this wrap was the complete opposite. The side of homemade chips was a good portion but was soaked in oil and completely unseasoned, leaving them heavy and greasy instead of crisp and tasty. It’s one thing if the unseasoned chips had a pleasant natural flavor — but they didn’t. The plain croissant was served cold, with a dense, bready texture more like a grocery store roll than a bakery pastry. The plain cold brew coffee had an artificial caramel-like aftertaste and felt overpriced given its flavor and quantity. Even the self-serve water tasted off — chalky and unfiltered, leaving an unpleasant coating in my throat for an hour. The tables were also not wiped down by staff, so I had to use a napkin to clean crumbs from the table and stools before sitting. Overall, the food and drinks were poorly executed and flavorless. This place used to be much better, but this visit was a major letdown.

We hired McLain's as our wedding cake vendor and could not be more pleased with the experience. We ended up getting a 5-layer cake (and 5 FLAVORS!!) which was one of my favorite pieces of our wedding. We also did the to-go tasting option which was so fun and helpful for choosing the flavors (did I mention we had 5!!) Their team was communicative, answered all my questions, and made the day-of process easy and seamless. Also LOVE that you get to order a cake on your 1-year anniversary.

McLain’s Bakery is a staple that I visit every time I’m in Kansas City. The food is always fresh, and the overall vibe makes it a great spot for breakfast, a quick bite, or even to hang out and get some work done. The coffee is solid, the pastries are delicious, and the atmosphere is consistently welcoming. I’ll definitely keep coming back and always recommend it.

I love a good bakery and McLain's had some pretty amazing choices with equally great prices, too. The retail section had so many cute holiday-themes goodies. I got a chocolate croissant to pair with my coffee and it was the best start to my morning. 🥐