Macklins Cupcakes & Coffee

Good cupcakes, bad hours. Earth to Macklin’s… You can’t close at 5 pm every day and expect to stay in business.

Haven’t tried their coffee. But the cupcakes are some of the better ones I’ve tried in York.
The frosting isn’t overly sugary.
Their sandwiches can be quite tasty too. I’ve not tried their coffee or their ice cream.
(Will second the comment, these are not Duncan Hines, doin’t expect super moist and fluffy. This is a more traditional cupcake. Heartier. Like the cakes your mom used to bake — if you had one of those mothers. Thankfully, I did.)
Will say it can be a bit pricey, but that tends to be the case with this cupcake rage.

I really, really want to like Macklin’s. I really do. I’ve never had a horrible experience here, but I’ve never had a great one either. It’s worth stopping in and trying it for yourself.
Unfortunately, for me, this spot fails to impress as either a coffeeshop or a cupcakery. It does just alright at both and excels at neither. It’s on the pricey side & could use a little improvement on the environment as well. Couches are cozy and nice but the music selections make it a poor place to study or read.
Hopefully in time, Macklin’s will become the gem of a local café that it has the potential to be.

They are new so there are most likely kinks to work out. Place is nice. I had a grilled pb & j which was pretty good. Service was okay. I work a block away and I like to support other small businesses so I will check it out. I would like to get a cupcake one day, there are a lot of reviews on here saying they’re not good but I want to speak for myself. Good luck!

Very nice shop. It is clean, well organized and the staff is very friendly. I like the window to the kitchen so you can see the pastries being made. That said, the coffee that we got was average and the service, although friendly, was a bit slow. They do not have the state of the art equipment and it takes a little longer. In their defense, they were in the midst of a run on the pastry case from a few customers.
As I mentioned, the coffee was OK and my wife tells me the salted caramel cup cake was good. I think this was a good enough experience to warrant a second chance, but I will need a better overall experience to keep coming back

Sweet confections and a coffee were on my mind today and I was glad I came in. The chai latte and brewed coffee always hit the spot, and drink options are plentiful, but take pause before ordering espresso (see others’ reviews for why!).
The cupcakes are pretty and sweet but the flavors aren’t to die for. After months of buying a trio of minis every visit, I realized the minis are MUCH drier than the full cupcakes. Makelyn’s full-​size cupcakes usually have fillings and retain their moisture much longer than the minis. So go straight for the full size, and you’ll enjoy your experience much more. Do be adventurous when you see interesting flavor combos; some have been unspecial, but none have been terrible.
Chic enough for a friend, and cozy enough for Mom, it’s a relaxing destination. Fast, friendly, cheerfully respectful service. And they have couches to sit on!
This is a place for locals – not awesome enough to travel to if you’re not in the area, but a pleasant stop if you are.

I am not a fan of the cupcakes at Macklin’s, they are a little dry and crumby and lacking in flavor. The icing is okay and not sickeningly sweet, and the cupcakes have a nice appearance. I have yet to try their café/​sandwich options so this review is based solely on the cupcakes/​coffee. Not a fan of the coffee, I think Folgers tastes better. The one thing that I absolutely LOVE here though, is the homemade butter cookies. These things are out of this world, and probably the only thing that will bring me back to their shop. The employees here have always been very friendly so there are no issues with service, just the quality of the cupcakes.

I’ve been going to Macklins for a few months now and have yet to be let down by their cupcakes. I’ve tried a wide variety of flavors and my favorites are the chocolate peanut butter, red velvet, and cookie dough. The staff are always super nice and do everything to accommodate what I need. I would give them 5 stars but they get 4 because of the prices. I know that they’re not the worst but they are pretty steep for the area. However, they’re definitely worth splurging for if you need some sweets.

I absolutely love this place. They have some of the best gluten free cupcakes I’ve ever had. I can’t eat gluten so I can’t speak for their other cupcakes but they will put whatever kind of icing and toppings on their gluten free chocolate or vanilla cupcakes that they make daily.
Also, to all of those knocking their coffee… I have no idea what they were drinking. The 3 times I’ve been there it has only been the owner that made my coffee but it was absolutely delicious. It’s the best iced latte I’ve had in Lancaster or York. Maybe I’ve always been lucky to have him make it but it was absolutely delicious.

Cupcakes are great! My personal favorite is S’More…if you’re looking for coffee/​snack/​wi-​fi, best spot in town. I also prefer cupcakes to traditional cake for special events (bithdays, weddings, work events, etc), and these guys are flexible, reliable and delicious. Enjoy!

Talk about cutie-​patootie! A great find on my adventue to York for a wedding — a sweet spot with a cool vibe where you can just eat a cupcake as fast as you possibly can or chill and have a taste test. Lots of flavors to choose from and friendly people. Got to chat up the baker and had some warm cookies. Really adorable, only thing I wish is that they had a sister branch in SF!

The cupcakes at Macklins taste dry and stale. They are not consistently sized and decorated either, very sloppy and careless. This place is a letdown if you are a cupcake lover.

Like the other reviews said… bad coffee, dried out cupcakes, icky tasting icing, and way overpriced.
Sorry Macklins but you have a lot of room for improvement.

I currently consider Macklin’s Roasts for coffee one of my favorite to drink. I love it so much I buy it in bulk and take it home with me! The coffee is smooth and flavorful and they are pretty consistent on keeping it fresh. Hands down, my favorite cupcake is the lemon one… oh my word. If you like lemon… you have to try! So light and fresh and there is fresh lemon curd inside that I could eat like pudding. I also really like the Mint and PB. If you’re going in for breakfast, try a lemon blueberry (can you tell I like lemon) scone… they tell me they are homemade and they taste it! I think this place is a pretty nice addition to York. Give Macklins a try.

I was meeting a few friends for dinner at the sushi restaurant across the plaza, and got there a little early, so me and my boyfriend decided to check out Macklins and share a mocha before dinner.
I’m a barista and a self considered coffee snob whilemy boyfriend IS NOT picky. He’s drunk some of the worst cappuccinos and oldest brews, but he took one sip of this mocha and couldn’t bear another.
The woman serving us was kind enough, but as she turned to make the mocha, I regretted giving her a tip.
It’s best to steam the milk before pulling the espresso shots, but she started with the espresso. The shots she pulled were way too long and she let them sit in the cup for a good whole minute while she conversed with another staff member. (shots are usually good for four seconds after they’re pulled).
And as she grabbed the milk to put in the steam pitcher, my eyes found the steam wand. Covered in cooked milk, she placed the wand into the milk and began to steam without a thermometer. She finally finished the drink without cleaning the steam wand.
This is a big no-​no. You could be using the cheapest, worst espresso out there, but the biggest importance when making espresso is that your machine and tools are clean and work well. With the steam wand, you need to make sure you’re using a rag that is sanitized and only used for the steam wand. You don’t want to spread bacteria!
I tasted it and grimaced. My boyfriend took a sip and stated it tasted like cheese and threw it out in the garbage.
After dinner and telling our friends (who are also baristas) we decided we should at least try the cupcakes before black listing the joint. The cupcakes were good. I tried the toffee nut and cookies a cream.
So, if you’re around Queensgate plaza and you’ve got a sweet tooth, grab a cupcake. It’s reasonably priced at like, 2.50.
I’m very confident in saying that I will never get another espresso drink from this establishment again.

Honestly, for the price they charge, I would expect a whole lot better. Most of the time their cupcakes are hard and dried out. Their vanilla icing tastes like plastic. They charge you more than DC Cupcakes charges for a dozen cupcakes. Save your money, chances are you can make better ones at home.

Not impressed at all! I went there twice– I think it is important to support local businesses, so I went once a week after they opened and again two weeks later to see if my experience would improve. Sadly, it did not. The first round we ordered a half dozen of different flavors, not a single one was any better than a cupcake I could whip up at home. First strike, they did not have half the cupcakes on the menu and we were there at 10 a.m. Second strike, they did not know the flavors all that well. The person who was handling the counter did not seem knowledgeable about the computer system. It was a disaster; however, it was the first week… so I thought they may work the «kinks» out.
Second round, went with a friend who is also a cupcake lover… I thought maybe I was being too critical the first time. Well, I was not. It was agreed that the cupcakes were dry and lacked any «wow» factor to be charging a price premium. She also ordered a brownie bar and it crumbled after they put it in the box. Again, the staff did not know the products at all and they were out of the majority of the flavors on their list.
The ambiance is modern and «clean”– but in a cold sort of way. It is not inviting or cupcakery cute. The cupcakes are also provided in a plastic container just like at Weis across the parking lot– not your usual cupcakery boxes.
Honestly, there is another cute local cupcakery (see my review on Just Cupcakes) that I found which makes a quality product, providing excellent service, and has a true passion for the cupcake.
Sorry, Macklins– you do not make the cut.

Macklins is a relatively new cupcake and coffee shop located in the Queensgate Plaza just across the parking lot from Frank Theaters. An adorable local spot, clean and bright; serving up various sweet treats, Macklins cupcakes are incredibly moist without being over-​bearingly sweet. We tried three flavors– the cookies and cream, vanilla on vanilla, and the peanut butter chocolate. All were tasty and well-​balanced. They also had an Ooey Gooey Butter Cookie which was sinfully rich. Definitely a good spot for grabbing a pre or post-​movie snack or to catch up with some old pals.