If I were a cupcake business psychic, this is what I would say about the Cupcake Royale establishment in west Seattle: Ahhhh....little one...stare into the crystal ball (is that ball really made of crystal?) Cupcake Royale started as a company that wanted to make it! Their owner came from Starbucks corporate, and had the marketing DOWN! It was wildly successful, and reveled in being the new fun place for Seattle to go to replace the non-existent sunshine with a sugar injection. Then...they became so successful that they couldn't keep up with the demand! They also got a crapload of pride in that process, and decided not to be thankful for the client walking through their door. Crap! This caused them to run out of cupcakes on a regular basis and treat their customers rudely a large percentage of the time!!! They decided to cut quality of product by creating the robot version of cupcakes...no personality in the actual cake. Different variations of frosting were supposed to drive the customer interest in their product but it didn't work! Then...they decided to close at 8pm in west Seattle when there are dozens of people out walking around in the still well-lit dessert prime time. Sadly, that spelled "selfish, and uncaring about your customers" to the customers that tried to open the locked doors! Look again into my crystal ball...unless this place improves their client relations, product quality and decides to stay open later in the summer when people are out and about, they may not make it. read more

Went to a Yelp event the other night and lo-and-behold, friendly Cupcake Royale provided some yummy treats for us! There were many many flavors available, but I decided to try just one (hey, I had beer to consume!) and ate the Salted Caramel cupcake. Now, I'll be honest. I'm not a cupcake kind of gal. I don't really care for cake in general, there's never a good cake-to-frosting ratio for me. But I have to admit, if every cupcake tasted like this Salted Caramel cupcake, I'll be gaining lots of weight this year due to Cupcake Royale. It was probably the most moist and soft cupcake I've ever had, it was sooo good. The frosting was delicious and not overpowering or 5" thick. I would say that it could use the crunch that Alisa suggested, pecans, or toffee or something. I don't go to West Seattle very often, but if I find myself down that way I'll swing by CR and try out more flavors. Thanks guys! read more

I am a hardcore cupcake lover and this place is absolutely NOT worth the hype. On my first visit the cake was dry, bland, and crumbly - I had to keep a napkin underneath my cupcake to catch the sea of dry crumbs. Frosting was meh, but there was definitely not a good frosting-to-cake ratio and it had a crusty shell - nasty! I was positively dying for a glass of milk afterward. I was hoping my second visit would be a better experience but the cake was just as bad and furthermore, the staff seemed very distant and snotty; no smiles, no helpful suggestions, and practically threw my change back at me. I can't believe people continue to come to this place! If they think these cupcakes are a good example of "fresh," "moist," or "tasty," they don't know what they're talking about. I'm particularly disappointed because Cupcake Royale is more or less the face of Seattle cupcakes, and in this girl's opinion they are not deserving of that prestige in any way, shape, or form. Take your money someplace else - New York Cupcakes, Hello Cupcake, or Trophy. Hell, come to my apartment and I'll bake some for you... just don't go here! read more

Living in so close proximity, it pains me to say that I am not quite in love with this place. For a classic like Chocolate on Vanilla, you can't go wrong here. the cupcakes are big, the icing will satisfy your sweet tooth, but when it comes to things like the red velvet, it fails to perform. I found it a little dry, and the icing did not have enough cream cheese for my liking. I also thought that the salted caramel cupcake was dry too...Maybe it was just a dry day... read more

Cupcake Royale was one of the first cafes to blow in on this cupcake craziness so when I first visited their store in Ballard I was surprised at how dry and unappealing they are. Part of the joy of cupcakes is the sheer decadence of frosting and sprinkles. These cupcakes had none, the frosting was dry and the cake needed moisture. I frequent the West Seattle store now simply because it's in my neighborhood and I'm always in need of caffeine, but I will always buy cupcakes from Trophy - never Cupcake Royale. Sorry guys. read more

Sorry Cupcake Royale, I'm sick of your nasty dry cupcakes and your consistenly rude service. I'm a huge fan of cupcakes and will happily pay $3 for one if I think it's worth it.. Unfortunately the cupcakes here are just plain average. Cake is always very crumbly, tasteless and dry. Frosting is okay, but on the skimpy side. Come on, Cupcake Royale. If you're going to serve up dry cupcakes, at least give us a little frosting for the crumbs to stick to! The espresso is good and there's free wi-fi, so that's worth one star, I guess. read more

I've had two individual cupcakes from this location and two half-dozen sampler packs from the Bellevue location. That's 14 cupcakes and none that really stood out. The cake is dry. The "flavored" frostings are flavorless. The single cupcake to-go package doesn't keep the cupcake in place and you just end up with a frosting mess all over the sides of the container. The last cupcake I got, purchased at this location, was the seasonal cupcake for May - Raspberry Rhubarb. I'm not sure how you get soggy, flavorless rhubarb in a dry cupcake, but they managed it. Rhubarb should have a little bit of a kick to it, but this had none - I only knew it was in there because I could see the rhubarb strings. So far, I much prefer PinkaBella cupcakes. I haven't made it to Trophy yet, but I hope to soon. read more

I like the cupcakes and the café space, but they do not outweigh what I don't like about the West Seattle location. The baristas appear to always be high and or highly uninterested in serving you. They may have Stumptown coffee but they can't pull and espresso for beans. If you get there after 2 pm there may not be any cupcakes for you or better yet they may serve you a really stale brick like cupcake. If you get there an hour before closing there may not be any coffee for you. Nothing says "Welcome" like lack of service with lack of product. I've been there about half a dozen times, glutton for punishment I suppose, and always walk out of there astounded by their lack of customer service and passable coffee. If you want the cupcakes without the bad attitude go to the Queen Anne Metropolitan Market. They have the Cupcake Royal cupcakes fresh delivered daily to the bakery and they don't run out. read more

Stopped through during a road trip, just before the holidays, and was well pleased to stumble upon the place. Warm, inviting atmosphere with friendly staff who actually know how to make a good cup of coffee. My buddy and I split a six-pack of cupcakes and all of them were delicious and moist, not dry, as is too often the case with cupcakes. It may be irrelevant now, because I'm sure holiday flavors won't be back until the end of the year, but the egg nog and chocolate peppermint were my personal favorites. If you're looking for a nonseasonal flavor, go for the Royale with Cheese; it's a sure bet and has a rad name to boot. read more

I have been to every CR location and I without a doubt prefer West Seattle. Cake is not really my thing, but I will go out of my way for the best coffee..and I do! This location has consistently good coffee and genuine customer service. The last thing I need first thing in the morning (before my coffee) is someone who is obviously not interested in their job, trying harder to fill the tip jar than fill my cup. This location has a true neighborhood feel and a welcoming atmosphere. Perfect for the junction with lots of windows to people watch. I love all the marketing innuendos... Genius. Excellent customer service; excellent coffee... My favorite coffee shop for sure! And just because I don't eat cupcakes doesn't mean I don't take them to my peeps who say ..." best they've ever had!' read more

I'm not a cupcake kinda guy. I do end up at this Cupcake Royale fairly often though. And I do munch on a cupcake every now and then along with my standard tall americano w/walking room. But really I'm here for the great verite coffee, good wifi, and lots of room. The people watching on the Alaska St Junction in West Seattle is also a big highlight! The baristas/employees here are good people and it's very family friendly. Really - I'm not here for the cupcakes. Seriously - me? I don't have a sweet tooth. Ok fine - the salted caramel and that peanut butter one in honor of Elvis were pretty amazing but I don't indulge. Often. Now if West Seattle had a Top Pot - I'd be in trouble! (hint hint) read more

Hooray! I ate one of their Cheese Cupcakes, I don't remember the name thought, so i will call it Cheese Cupcake. Thought once I had a cheese muffin, and it just tasted like pound cake. I've heard bad reviews about Cupcake Royale's cupcakes, before going here, I've only eaten Trophy's cupcakes which are 100% de-licious. But these cupcakes are good as well, I can't say which one is better since I haven't eaten a cupcake from Trophy's in a while, though they did open a store in University Village, yay! I have yet to go there and try one again. It's worth it for only $2.50 compared to the $3 down at Trophy's. read more

Buzz buzz buzz... no, that's not the buzz of people chattering about their love of Cupcake Royale, its the buzz of FRUITFLIES all over the cupcakes in the case! I wish I was making this up. Today I was walking by Cupcake Royale thinking, "Hm, a subpar cupcake would go great with this nice sunny day in Seattle. I bet the weather would even make them taste better than usual. Let's try it!" (Cue ominous music.) While perusing the selection, I saw an oddly-shaped dark spot on one of the cupcakes in the case and thinking it was a strange shape and location for a chocolate sprinkle, I looked closer only to discover a fruitfly doing whatever fruitflies do (laying eggs?!?!?!) on the cheerful yellow frosting and flying around inside the case. GROSS. But there wasn't only one. Or two. Or three. I'm talking about a compost pile's quantity of the suckers. An amount that cannot be overlooked. An amount that warrants a serious Yelp-ing. Cupcake Royale, you are so enticing with your good graphic design and your clever slogans, but please, get with it. You need a better cupcake recipe in general, and bugs+cupcakes are just a recipe for FAIL. read more

It's an under statement to say that I like cupcakes....I LOVE cupcakes. When I think of cupcakes, it brings back fond memories of the bake sale during elementary and the good ole days when you could buy them for a quarter! Wow, now I sound like my dad when he tells me stories about buying candy for pennies or nickels. I was uber excited to see a whole store dedicated to cupcakes. I went into check out the place on a weekend and had a latte and a coconut frosted cupcake with yellow cake. The latte was good, the cupcake was highly disappointing. Both the frosting and cake was dry, what a travesty! I'm not sure if they bake their cup cakes on site or if it gets delivered...it tasted like day old stale cupcakes. To add insult to injury, the dang cupcake was $3 a piece! Even though I was disappointed at the cupcake, I found their t-shirts to be hilarious! I even picked up a hot pink tee that said "Legal frostitution *LOL* read more

My Fiance and now Husband picked up cupcakes for my bridal shower from this location. Let me tell you, if it wasn't for groupon, I would have just stuck with Trophy's. We had 12 giant cupcakes for my bridal shower. 2 lavenders, 2 salted caramel, 2 classic, 2 red velvet, and 2 of something else. It looked nice and pretty, but the taste was not good at all. It was super dried!!! I'm not a milk drinker, and I wished I had milk to wash it down. What a disappointment :( Wished I had time to run to Costco and picked up some of their red velvets. Trophy's has the best moist cupcakes ever! read more

Quick Read: mediocre cupcakes, good frosting, cake is large, dense, lacks flavor I love cupcakes and have tried many of the places selling them in Seattle. Cupcake Royale is a popular chain in the area, so it is pretty easy to get your hands on one of their cupcakes (they are also sold in some grocery stores, like Metropolitan Market). The marketing/vibe of the place is kind of fun, and their stores sell goods such as mugs and T-Shirts with phrases like, 'Legalize Frostitution,' etc. They certainly make you WANT a cupcake. The perfect cupcake should have both good frosting and good cake. At Cupcake Royale, the frosting is good and is what I feel differentiates the flavors. However, the cake itself is bland and dense, which is unfortunate because they are pretty decently sized, too. To me, this makes it not worth the calories. They usually have the same group of flavors, with maybe one or two rotating flavors, and I can barely taste a difference between the cake in a vanilla and the cake in a lemon drop (the frosting is crucial to the lemon flavor). I should admit that I will totally eat one of these cupcakes when I'm in a craving crunch and don't feel like driving to Yellow Leaf, but I always take off the bottom of the cake and throw it away to save on calories. Most cupcake places (and bakeries in general) strive to give you moist cake, but the texture of Cupcake Royale cupcakes in general just feels dry and almost chewy to me (again, it's the density). Basically, these are carb-bombs. read more

I don't eat sweets that much, especially cupcakes, but when i'm in the mood i always go here! their cupcakes are just so tasty. my absolute favorite one is dance party. i love the simplicity & although it's simple it's so so great! i would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes cupcakes. i've also had red velvet which i do like as well but nothing tops dance party! love this place! read more

Had a batch catered to a company lunch and was excited to try them. They were very well presented and scrumptious looking. I opted for a lemon cupcake, adorably garnished with a lemonhead candy. Upon taking a bite, however, all I could taste was shortening. It is quite obvious they use a butter-flavored shortening instead of shortening + real butter in their buttercream frosting, and it left a very greasy, filmy texture and artificial flavor in my mouth. Even the cupcake itself tasted like it had artificial butter flavor added. Compared to the appearance I was quite disappointed. I ended up throwing it away before even eating half of it. read more

Tonight's customer service was poor. I arrived around 6:30 meaning they had an hour and a half before close. I worked a full day shift and had to rush to my second night shift, but I wanted to try and get my boyfriend a cupcake for his birthday with the tiny amount of time I had between. I came in and asked if the cupcakes on the shelf were the only ones left he replied with, "yup, it'll be a minute." I mentioned I was in a huge early but he ignored me and went to pick up a couple dishes from a bus tub. He then went to clean those dishes and drink his coffee in the back while I was waiting to order. To me, good customer service would have been to help the customer who said they were in a huge hurry. I said nothing to him after I paid which was rude of me, but the idea you would go to wash dishes and drink your coffee while a customer is waiting is unreal to me. read more

Okay, I need to be honest here: I am not a cupcake fan. Cupcakes remind me of the snacks that I used to have in Italy where I grew up (such as Girella Motta or Merendine del Mulino Bianco). Good but not as exciting as other desserts. John and I split a Classic cupcake that was nice and two iced Mokas. I guess that if you like cupcakes, you may really like this place! read more

Like this location even more than the Cap Hill spot - W. Seattle's perch is very sunny, friendly staff and in general, a nice cheery corner spot. Opted for the tiramisu over the maple leaf - always tempting seasonal selections. read more

Stunningly average. The cupcake was too dry, and definitely too pricey. Looking around Yelp, there seems to be a fascination with cupcakes. I don't know if it's a regional thing, as I've never witnessed this phenomenon anywhere else, or if I'm just not plugged in. I've only been once, and would be willing to try again, so I might revise my review, but for now, I don't see what the fuss is about. read more

Prefer the Bellevue location because the staff is friendlier, but same amazing cupcakes. Tried the salted caramel and cupcake royale (choco cupcake with cream cheese frosting) and mmm, mmm, good! Also had a bite of the November speciatly cupcake, pumpkin cardamom. Didn't like that one too much, probably just new to the tast of cardamom. Great location on California Ave, but next time I'm in that area I'll go to one of the competing bakeries like Bakery Noveau. read more

Unfortunately after trying the rest of the cupcakes I had to take a star away. None of the flavors wowed me and by the second day they were all pretty dry. I'm sure if we had picked them up in the morning and ate them all in one day like the label on the box suggest I would have had a better experience but unfortunately my stomach won't allow me to eat 12 cupcakes in one sitting... Damn you stomach!! read more

Great cupcakes but literally the rudest staff today my wife was just trying to ask questions and the employee kept cutting here off and seemed completely bothered she was asking question. The employees at this location are rude as hell read more

ok, well im in the pac NW for a few days, heres the first of hopefully many FUCin cool blips. 3.5 stars and as i was saying.. the wedding i was attending and participating in were using these pretty gems as the stand in for the cake, novel concept, wifey and i ran the same dealio. five fine years saturday. they were very nice to look at, the swirls of frosting were sweet and that served the balance out the cake, which imo was a bit dry and the main deduction with the rating. so the yellowcake with vanilla was nice, yellowcake with chocolate frosting and precious decorettes was fine. now the peculiar cousin in the cupcake family, red velvet, had that distinct twinge to its icing and light coco in the cake, but its red!?! oh you, you crazy cupcake they had a very simple yet ornate cupcake rack for display for the event, it was nice and held maybe 75 cupcakes, but very 'pain in the ass' to load into the zip car with a few peeps in the back seat already. it is in a great location, the locals or tourist or whoever wanted to, were exclaiming in the middle of the intersections "YEY! ROYAL!" is a sure hit for being scene and apparently heard, so i honor that as well. so if you wanted a destination to 'eat' up a couple of hours going to and doing, this seems to be it. my lost was the cake itself, but perhaps the consistency could be different for you, i saw it as good, but not 'run out into traffic without looking' to get to. read more

First off I want to say thank you soooo much to this specific royale for supplying our little Yelp get together tonight with such awesome free fare! What sweet people! Tonight I was feeling flush so I pigged out on the lemon drop cupcake which had a lemon drop sitting a top a fluffy pile of lemon frosting over a wonderful dense white vanilla bean cupcake and a red velvet cupcake which was good but could have used some more cream cheese in that frosting. I also sampled a piece of my friends salted caramel which was very good but I feel like it could have used a little crunch like crumbled brittle on top or something. Overall I'm totally thrilled by how well this place treated us and will go back to west seattle royale next time I'm in the area to thank them myself. read more

I'm updating my previous review! After my previous review, the owner reached out and wanted to ensure that I had a better experience. I coordinated with the owner to pick up two cupcakes that were previously sold out when I went into the shop. The cupcakes were there and waiting for us when we went in. They were much softer and moister in the morning! The Grasshopper is good and reminds me of yummy Grasshopper pie. My husband has the maple bourbon bacon. He said it was a strong maple flavor and that the cake was soft. I'd return to Cupcake Royale but will be going in the morning versus the evening when the cupcakes are fresh/soft and there is more selection. They have great customer service!!! read more

I didn't think these cupcakes were amazing. I had the salted caramel and the huckleberry. Neither impressed me. They are really big which has it's pluses and minuses. Plus - more cake. Minus - if the cake isn't that good you have more cake. My cupcakes were really dry and dense. I was hoping for light and fluffy. In the end, I didn't think the cupcakes were worth $3.75 each. read more

best cupcakes in town. I've tried most of their cupcakes and coconut bunny is one of my favorites. A lot of people recommended salted caramel so I decided to try it and for me it just wasn't good. I guess the saltiness was just a bit too much for me. But other than that I love how the cupcakes are larger than regular cupcakes. Its worth the money. Their cupcakes are always fresh and delicious. Now they even serve ice cream! Which I still need to try out. This place is definitely my go to cupcake joint. read more

Oh...my...gawd... If you're looking for a good way to break your diet, then this is the place. All of this is said in a positive way, of course. I mean, we're dealing here in gourmet, made-from-scratch cupcakes. At Cupcake Royale, you get the full meal deal -- quality ingredients (REAL butter, baby...Paula Deen would be proud), a wide variety of flavors, and such whimsical and artful detailing of the frosting and decorations. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost... read more

My favorite coffee shop in the entirety of Seattle! This place rules! The baristas are sweeties that stay tuned in on real world happenings and aren't afraid to have a conversation with you while they make your coffee (which is even more amazing than their wonderful attitudes somehow). Every once in a while they sell cute plastic cupcake toppers that I buy for funsies because they're less than a quarter for a cutie deer and what not. But most of the time I go in for a latte before work to start my day off right. I've only had a few cupcakes before (compost cupcake is a MUST TRY for you chocolate feinds) but it's been a while because I'm not a "sugary sweets" kind of gal. read more

Cupcake Royale - Latte bb - Bakeries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I'm pretty picky about my cakes and cupcakes. I want mine MOIST, flavorful but not too sweet, and creamy icing that doesn't feel like I'm exfoliating my teeth when I chew (i.e. gritty). I find Cupcake Royale's cupcakes to be dry and I don't fancy the icing. I know many people who RAVE about these cupcakes though, so give one a try and decide for yourself. read more

Not for the waist line conscious but a sweet treat now and then means this place is heaven!!! They do the pretty thing with the coffee foam that when I try becomes a total mess. I love that they are on the street corner and free wi-fi with a side of total frosting indulgence. Is there anything better... I will keep looking but it's gonna be hard to find. PS the cupcakes are to die for!!! read more

This place has obviously made a name for itself (hello, multiple locations in Seattle), but as far as I am concerned they are just O.K. My fiance and I have collectively tasted 5 different flavors and haven't found one that would grant this place a 5 star rating. This is a place to try, because you may love it, but its just not my cup-of-cake (I try to be clever ... I'll stop). I will say unless you actually like lavender flavored things ... DON'T DO IT! It was like I bit into my frebreeze plug-in... whoa there! Too much flavor in too little icing. read more

I really want to give C.R. a better grade. I mean, cupcakes... I freaking love them. I want my wedding cake to be made OF cupcakes. I wish I was 2 inches tall so I could jump out of a cupcake. And Cupcake Royale is a friendly place, with a bright clean interior, friendly staff, and a pleasantly sarcastic marketing sensibility. So why two stars? 'Cause their cupcakes are totally mediocre. No one dislikes them. That's because they don't taste like anything. Bland, slightly too sweet, slightly too much frosting and just 1-step above safeway prepackaged cupcakes. Try Eats Market instead... WAY better. More complex, and actually tasty. read more

I came here because I had a Groupon for 3 4-packs. I'd already read the other reviews, so I came prepared. I got the lemon marscapone, lemon drop, salty caramel, and triple threat. What I basically ended up doing was beheading all of the cupcakes because what the other reviewers said was absolutely true: the cake part is pretty dry. I don't know if it's because the cupcakes are old or have been sitting out or something, but a dry cupcake at that price is definitely uncool. read more

Ehhh... I don't get the whole cupcake revolution. Although I hear it's being taken over by pie now anyway. I have had cupcakes here 2 times. The bread was dense and mostly dried out & the frosting was harder than necessery and lacked any real flavor. The first time, my friend actually dropped her box of cupcakes and there was ZERO damage done to the frosting. Nice, but is that right? I'd rather make betty crocker box cupcakes. At least that way I know they will be moist! On the bright side... the store is cute & the coffee & tea are very good here. read more

Cupcake Royale West Seattle is a nice place to hang out in the heart of The Junction, especially for the young and free at heart. I love the large size of their cupcakes (muffin style) and the unique names and flavors to their seasonal cupcakes. I fell in love with the Salted Caramel on my last visit and loved the flavor explosion I got from the Strawberry 66 on this trip. I find that their cakes are quite dense, like pound cake consistency. Invariably, this makes the cake dryer than I'd like. It isn't a bad thing, but sometimes you don't have a drink handy to fix the dryness and then you can't bring yourself to take another bite. It may depend on the mood, but sometimes you want a thick cake, other times a light cake that's easy to bite into. The frosting flavors there are good, although I'd like to see the Lavender Cupcake improved. The cupcake looks perfect, but it barely smells and tastes of lavender in the frosting. Perhaps if they crushed the lavender buds before mixing it into the vanilla butter cream which is atop a vanilla cupcake... With two light flavors such as these, something needs to happen to make them more pronounced from each other. I must admit that I have compared their cupcakes to another place (flavor for flavor) and unfortunately Cupcake Royale's did not hold it's own. Their cupcakes were lacking in flavor of the cake and moistness. Even the coconut topping atop the Coconut Bunny was stale. Because of the thick batter, they were certainly heavier than the other brand and a bit larger d/t the muffin top. I have heard the other CR locations are producing better cupcakes, so I will have to try my luck there. In terms of customer service at West Seattle, the times I have been there the staff were polite, however, exuded a bit of a 'Whaddya want?" presence. Every trip I've made there was a 'In & Out' and I've enjoyed my treats in the comfort of home. Overall, Cupcake Royale is a nice cupcake boutique and I'm glad they're in West Seattle, bringing business to the Junction and utilizing local fresh produce and products. They are certainly a forerunner in this type of venue (which is surviving despite this economy) and are very active in the community. read more

A little sleepy for a coffee and sugar joint. I'm a big fan of Cupcake Royale in Ballard. It's ridiculous how much of a fan I am. I like coming to West Seattle, and I like the junction area, and I am glad that there's a Cupcake Royale here, however, there's a lack of energy every time I come in here, and I can't help but feel a little sleepy. Is it the corner? Is it the weather? I'm not sure. That being said, the coffee is good, and the cupcakes are the same great quality as always. Maybe the Feng Shui is off? Not sure, but let's face it, I'll be back for more because I'm a fangirl. read more