When the service is as sweet as the cupcakes, how can you not help going back again and again?
There are many places you can go to in Lake County for breakfast, lunch, freshly baked goods, birthday parties, and custom cakes. Not all of these places will bend over backward to make sure you are taken care of quite like Dalton’s Cakes in Grayslake.
“We want to give our customers an experience that makes them want to come back and keep trying new things. Our customers are our business, and ensuring that they have a wonderful experience for us is the most important thing.”
Alison Dalton, baker extraordinaire
This culture of customer first is one of the reasons my family makes a regular post-gymnastics trip to Dalton’s every week for their buttery croissants. It’s become something of a tradition. My husband refuses to buy croissants anywhere else. For indeed, this is what a croissant is supposed to taste like: flaky, warm, and speckled with bits of real butter. It makes mass-produced croissants taste like a metallic-flavored sponge, to be honest.
Dalton’s Cakes is owned and operated by the lovely husband and wife team of Alison and Greg Dalton, who met at work over 20 years ago. They are both native Londoners who came to Grayslake over 10 years ago after Greg was relocated for work.
What is it about a British accent that makes everything they say sound extra charming? There’s something about when we pop by for a visit, and you hear Alison call, “Hello dahling!” from the kitchen that makes me just beam on the inside.
I’m not the only one enchanted by their hospitality, one reader wrote on our Facebook page:
Miss Alison at Dalton’s cakes recently made the boys “the best hot chocolate ever!” She even adjusted the temp to perfection, with lots of TLC!
Our Managing Editor and Green Lifestyle Editor, Hyacynth, who has a notoriously difficult time eating out due to food sensitivities, said this,
Normally I go places with my friends with the expectation of not eating any treats unless we go somewhere that
especially caters to gluten-free cooking. The owners didn’t have anything gluten-free prepared and I said ok because that’s just normal for me. They went back to the kitchen and made me a gluten-free coffee cake cupcake and it is delicious and warm! Over and above, I tell you! So nice!
That’s what is so wonderful about shopping at local, family-owned businesses; owners who are interested in taking care of you like family. Greg and Alison’s entire family is involved with the bakery. When not busy with school or sports, their three beautiful daughters, ages 17, 13, and 9, often help out.
The Daltons started making elaborate and spectacular custom cakes as a home-based business years ago, and finally got to the point where they needed a permanent home. They are located in The Shops of Station Square in Prairie Crossing.
“The Prairie Crossing location had always appealed to us and when the opportunity arose we did not hesitate,” says Alison. “We love the feel and brightness of the space. The community has been so welcoming that we really feel we made the right choice in selecting Prairie Crossing for our first store.”
The Daltons want you to know that everyone is always welcome in their store. If they don’t have something you are looking for, simply ask. “If there is any way we can adjust our menu or our offering to accommodate a request we will,” says Alison. They really mean it too! In addition to offering conventional baked goods, breakfast, and lunch items, they offer gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and even vegan versions of their products upon request. The shop is also peanut-free.
They are especially proud of a recent custom cake that was not only gluten-free but free of all FD&C coloring. It was a special project through collaboration with Icing Smiles, a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. This cake celebrated a local child’s 100th-day post-bone-marrow transplant – truly a cause for celebration!
Dalton’s Cakes
Taste Is Everything, Creativity Essential. ™
970 Harris Road, Suite 2A, Grayslake, 60030 | (847) 223-2344
Located at The Shops of Station Square in Prairie Crossing
Connect with Dalton’s Cakes on Facebook
Directions
If approaching Dalton’s Cakes coming from the North, heading South on Buckley Road, take my advice for the easiest entry.
- BEFORE you reach the main entrance to The Shops at Station Square in Prairie Crossing turn LEFT onto Jensen Drive (if you pass the shopping center entrance or hit Casey Road then you’ve gone too far)
- Follow the curve on Jensen Drive till it merges with Harris Road on your right. You will see a large parking lot to your right.
- Limited parking is available in the front court of the Shops of Station Square; however, ample parking is available behind the buildings.
- Dalton’s Cakes is located in Suite 2A.
When approaching Dalton’s Cakes coming from the South, heading North on Buckley Road, simply use the main entrance to The Shops of Station Square, just past Casey/Midlothian Road. Remember to find ample parking behind the buildings if the spots in the front are taken.
Have you been to Dalton’s? What’s your favorite thing there?
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