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I'm happy to have found this shop! I was looking for a specific cupcake - "cookies and cream" for a custom Star Wars bday dessert. Upon arriving, I noticed the dessert shop was within a cafe which was well decorated and cozy. I came in on a weekday afternoon, it wasn't too busy. They also provide a lot of cute last minute party favors and accessories - it definitely came in handy as I needed candles and some matches! Overall, we enjoyed the texture and sweetness of the cupcake.
First off, beautiful ambiance to sit down in and friendly staff. Hadn't been here for about 3yrs. so I was shocked with the price changes in cupcakes. I remember the mini cupcakes were a dollar less each. I was bummed out to see that the Fleur de Sel no longer contains himalayan pink salt but regular salt dyed pink. I think what sealed the deal was that it wasn't moist or that is wasn't rich in anyway. Seems like Betty Crocker in my opinion. The carrot mini cupcake was good but not anything I'd think to recommend though. All others don't seem so fresh.
This reveal is exclusively for the cupcakes. Parking is OK as the parking lot is usually busy, but you will not find any issues in the residential area. I am typically very picky about cupcakes and it was a very bummed out that sprinkles closed. I have tasted other cupcakes in the past and dots cupcakes actually hits the spot. They have a daily rotation of special selections as well as a standard flavor selection. I tried it out the Velvet, tiramisu, and coconut cupcakes. They are actually really good, and the quality and ratio between the frosting and cupcake itself was on point. The pricing is fair, considering the quality of the cupcakes. I called them on the phone ahead of time to verify inventory and the service was actually really good. The store is separated by two different lines one for the café and the other for the cupcakes. Make sure you line up in the right line for the best service. I will definitely return.
This charming bakery in Pasadena specializes in both mini and standard-sized cupcakes, and trust me, you won't be able to resist their delectable treats. Customer Service 5/5 's As soon as you step inside, you'll be greeted by the delightful aroma of freshly baked cupcakes and excellent customer service. Cupcake Ratings: 5/5 's Each cupcake is baked to perfection, giving the perfect balance of moistness, flavor, and sweetness. My personal favorite were the Red Velvet and Carrot Cake Public parking and a great plus they validate for up to 30 mins so your parking will be free. Overall feel is warm and inviting and they have a small area of you want to eat there The decor is beautiful and you can enjoy your treats inside or take them to go.
I have been a Dots customer for years and maybe this review is long overdue . I love everything about this small business , from the customer services and their above and beyond care mentality. The cupcakes are always a huge hit at all my events , parties and gatherings. Whether I choose to go with a large or mini cupcake selection the sugar is never overpowering on either size and they use just the right about of frosting. The frosting might I say is fluffy/ buttery and not dense blob of sugar sitting on top. Now let's talk about the design... if you order from DoorDash, they make sure to put a little bit of every flavor, in every box, with every decor that you can possibly think of , which is a delight when the little ones open the box and see the cutest little cupcake staring back at them. If you decide to go to the store obviously, you will have a bigger selection to choose from, equally beautiful and delicious. I highly recommend Dots for your next event , cupcake craving....only just because it's pretty good and I love supporting small businesses who put a lot of care in their product to make people like me smile .
Received a dozen of the mini assorted cupcakes as a gift. They were delivered by door dash and came perfectly packaged. The box was dropped but surprisingly the cupcakes were secured and made it perfectly okay. Delicious first of all! How do you choose a cupcake when you have 12 different flavors to choose from??? Even though they were mini cupcakes they were packed with flavor!
When you walk in, you are greeted by a beautiful display case. If you dont want a regular size cupcake, they have minis for 2 bucks. The passiom fruit has passion filling and taste amazing. They close at 6 on Sundays, so its enough time to eat then treat yourself!
I've never stepped in their shop before but I often receive these cupcakes as gifts or have them at other people's birthday parties. The cupcakes are beautifully decorated and although the minis are small in size, the frosting can still be a little much if you're not too keen on sweets. My favorite flavor so far is their chocolate salted caramel but I of course have to scrape off most of the frosting to enjoy it lol
Probably the best darn cupcakes! The carrot cake WAS SOOO GOOD! It was moist, it was flavorful, it was delicious. They presentation is nice. Red velvet was delicious, rich w/ a great frosting. Definitely recommend!
Overall, an experience at Dots Cupcakes (buying, eating on sight, selection of what is available) would be a 3 (being ok, it's cool.) However, I'd put them at a solid 4 for my personal favorites. When in Pasadena, I will make my way over to Dots on Fair Oaks to get my favorite cupcakes to take home: 1.) Chocolate mint: the little tiny malt balls sprinkled on top is what gets me! Love it 2.) Fleur de Sal:Just enough salt to give you that occasional pop of taste 3.) Strawberry Lemonade: Very refreshing and light. The reason why I think the shop is okay is because it's small and there isn't much room to sit and enjoy your cupcake. They do try to make efficient use of the space that they do have but it is still a bit cramped. Take your cupcakes to go and enjoy Old Town Pasadena outdoors. I'd also skip the coffee and get it elsewhere. Oh and a quick note about the staff: Always super friendly, even when it is hella busyin the shop, they still are very friendly and accomodating =) read more
My daughter wanted some cupcakes so we decided to give this place a try as we were walking around Pasadena. It is really a cute shop and with friendly staff members. But sad to say we didn't like any of the cupcakes. The cupcakes were just ok. Honestly I felt that they were no different from grocery bought cupcakes. Definitely not worth $3 a cupcake. This place comes no where close to sprinkles. The two flavor we got were Carmelita and chocolate raspberry. Carmelita is a chocolate cupcake with salted caramel. The chocolate cupcake was nothing special and the salted caramel was too salty. It was not a good combination. Same problem with the Chocolate Raspberry cupcake. The raspberry sauce just tasted weird. My daughter did not like any of the cupcakes so my bf and I had to eat them. And both my bf and I could understand why my daughter didn't like it. The cupcakes just didn't taste good. read more
Delicious little cupcakes! Red Velvet ones were my favorite, although they were all pretty dang tasty. Friend told me about them and we would drive to Pasadena just for these tasty little guys. Pros: + Red velvet cupcakes + Friendly staff Cons: - Pricey read more
5 years ago
8 years ago
THE BEST CUPCAKES! My bff, Shari introduced me to Dots 12 years ago. I love coming to this charming bakery for fresh homemade cupcakes. The decor is really cute. I feel like I am in a fantasy "cupcake factory" every time I come here to pick up cupcakes for a baby shower, birthday or special occasion. They have two locations in Pasadena. The designs on the cupcakes are very cute and adorable. They have many flavors. My favorites are Red Velvet, Chocolate Lovers, and Chocolate Mint. The cupcakes are always fresh and moist! They use 100% pure ingredients. I think Dots cupcakes are better tasting than some of the cupcake places in the Westside. The cupcakes come in two sizes. The staffs are very friendly and helpful. P.S. Dots just won best cupcakes in Pasadena - 9 years in a row! read more
4 years ago
5 years ago
My co- worker drove these cute cupcakes all the way down to Torrance and I fell in love the moment they arrived. Boxed in a polka dot box, I peeked in and couldnt decide they all look so yummy. I chose the carrot cake which was moist, perfectly sweetened with the perfect amount of cream cheese frosting. The Chocolate cupcake was SUPER moist it was one of those eye closing moments when you bite in and you feel like life couldnt be any sweeter. Unfortunately Pasadena is kinda far to travel for cupcakes, but if Im ever in the location of Dots I will be getting a dozen of these sweet treats. read more
Dots is one of my favorite cupcake places! Great location if you are eating dinner in Old Town and want a sweet dessert afterwards. Parking sucks in Old Town so I only come when I am here. They do close early on the week days too. I love that they sell mini cupcakes so that you can taste a bunch of flavors without breaking the bank or your waistline. My favorite cupcake here is the pistachio. Both the normal and mini taste exactly the same which speaks well for their recipes. Not overly sweet. Cake is fluffy and moist. Pistachio flavor is pronounced throughout the cupcake. read more
7 years ago
16 years ago
I was walking around Pasadena one day and happened to see Dots' storefront. I remember reading about it on Yelp and decided to give it a try. Dots is a dessert shop specializing in cupcakes. I am not really a cupcake fan--mainly because a lot of them are dry; also, I do not like the sugary and heavy buttercream frosting that is often used. The inside of Dots is not that big, but there is a glass counter that displays many attractive cupcakes (both in full size and mini size). I appreciated the wide variety of mini cupcakes available (good for me since I am not a cupcake fan but also good because it provides the ability to sample several flavors without overindulging). I have probably stepped into five or less cupcakes stores in my life, but Dots seemed to have a good variety of unique flavors here. The tiramisu sounded good as did the strawberry shortcake, but I finally decided on a mini version of the strawberry lemonade cupcake. The cupcake had a lemon cake base that was filled with a little bit of strawberries. The cupcake was moist enough and did have a good lemon flavor (it was tart but not too much). The strawberry flavor though did not stand out. The frosting, which was a lemon cream cheese frosting, was lighter than most of the buttercream frostings I've had and they did not put too much on the cupcake (which I liked since I usually have to scrape off most of that frosting anyway; I didn't have to here). While the cupcake looked nice and tasted fine, it did not really deliver on the strawberry lemonade flavor. It was really just a lemon cupcake. Service was pleasant and quick. My cupcake here was decent and Dots had enough interesting flavors that I would give them another shot. However, since I don't get cupcakes that often, I may seek out the other Pasadena cupcake place Violets on my next Pasadena cupcake stop. This area gets busy; parking is available via paid structures or on the street by meter. read more
15 years ago
So close to five stars.. I guess I had higher expectations? Still.. a solid 4 stars so no complaints here. The flavors of choice were Marble Swirl, Cookies & Cream, Dulce de Leche, and Red Velvet. A little quick-tip.. trying out the minis are always your best bet so you can have an open flavor palate without overindulging but still keep it cheap! All cupcakes were equally delicious considering I took a bite or two of each but I gotta say that my pick of the day was the Cookies & Cream. Okay seriously.. how are you gonna go wrong with freaking cookies & cream?!? It's deeerrricious! read more
16 years ago
* This is my 500th review & I'm happy to dedicate it to cupcakes! * There are roughly 10 cupcakeries in Pasadena, but the College BFF & I were enticed by Dots' myriad of flavors in both regular ($2.75) & mini ($1.50) sizes. We took stock of their offerings before our shopping excursion; When we returned to make our purchases, we were surprised to see how much the previously overcrowded display case had thinned out in just a few short hours. The CBFF picked out two regular sized cupcakes: peanut butter chocolate & a chocolate mint. I tried a regular sized mostess (their bigger & better rendition of the Hostess Cupcake) & two minis, coconut lime (very mild lime flavor) & shortcake (loved the bits of real strawberry baked into the madagascar vanilla cake.) Surprisingly, the mostess was my favorite of the three. I am not a chocolate cake fan but the whipped cream filling & sweet chocolate frosting won me over. Dots is not very generous with their frosting; the CBFF & I both appreciate a healthier dollop, but what *is* neatly piped on is of high quality, so I can (kind of) forgive the scrimping. Aesthetically the cupcakes, their packaging, even Dots' decor is perfectly pleasing. The atmosphere reminds me of a grown up "princess" room--pink & brown palette, girly knickknacks & comfy cushions on a bench that seats five. My only complaint (aside from there not being a Dots closer to home) is the rude service. Someone should tell these gals that smiling does not hurt (it only helps!) & that when a customer asks for a cup of water (so many cupcake places offer free cups of water) do not respond with a snooty, "we can sell you water." Dots, your cupcakes are great & your store is adorable, but we won't want to come back if your staff lacks basic customer service skills. read more
TOTAL SUGAR HIGH! After having watched a movie at iPic Theater, we decided to stop by Dots to pick up cupcakes. Afterall, we were in the area. I chose to go with 5 minis at $1.75 each. That's a little pricey (in my opinion) for mini cupcakes. - Lemon Drop - I LOVE LEMON flavored items so I was certainly excited to try this one. Boy, I was disappointed. It was sooooooo friggin' sweet. Sure it was moist and the lemon was there, but I really could not get passed the sugar! - Red Velvet - The cupcake itself was good and moist. The cream cheese frosting however tasted like frosting from a supermarket...a little artificial. -/+ Cookies and Cream - The cake was a tad dry and the frosting could have used more cookie crumbs, but overall it was the best of the ones I chose. - Vanilla Passionfruit - The sweetest of them all. It was so sweet AND it was a mini! -/+ Carrot - I gave my friend this one so I didn't get to try it, but he said it was too sweet and there was not enough carrots and nuts. - Ambiance - Small, tacky, and disorganized. Everything seemed old and cluttered. There was no set theme and the shop was a bit too warm...warm in a way that it made me feel like bacteria is growing somewhere in the corners of this bakery. The cupcake display was also too tall so you can't even see the workers who are trying to help you. - Service - Odd. So, you aren't allowed to take pictures in here which I can not understand why. Did they not know pictures will be take after I purchase the cupcakes? If that wasn't annoying enough, as I stood there trying to pay for the cupcakes, the lady behind the counter decides to ring up the person behind me; in which, the other younger worker had to tell her that I was first. I'm a baker and I'm certainly not impressed by Dots. The cupcakes are way too sweet and not worth the money you have to spend on the cupcakes AND the parking. read more
Considering that I've tried a total of 3 cupcake places including Dots Cupcakes, Dots is hands down my favorite of the three. My first experience that exposed me to cupcakes at Crumbs Bake Shop (review here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/crumbs-bake-shop-beverly-hills#hrid:JwG1kdU_En-sU5OcezPfkQ/src:self) was a little disappointing and my second experience at Dolcissimo (review here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/dolcissimo-chino-hills#hrid:VwEUUpmiYRv1TtN05eXOUA/src:self) just made me angry. That being said, Dots Cupcakes is my happy medium. Regular cupcakes are $2.75 and miniature cupcakes are $1.50. My date and I got 1 Red Velvet, 1 Chocolate Vanilla, and 1 Carrot Cake. The Chocolate Vanilla tasted like a super soft brownie with REALLY sweet icing on top. It was a very rich dessert which I enjoyed. I'm rather impartial to red velvet in general, so I wasn't impressed or disappointed with their rendition. I thought it was a LITTLE flavorless, but it may have been caused by the fact that my palate was still processing the chocolate. The cute Carrot Cake kind of shocked me because there was chunks of sweet carrot on the inside. I don't know why I wasn't expecting that. But I love carrot cake so this was very good. The cupcakes were all moist and pretty sweet. Although their cupcakes are not as big as Crumbs, Dots is $1 cheaper. Also, some of Dolcissmo's cupcakes are much cuter, but I rather pay for taste than looks. They give you cute to-go boxes if you are taking them home! Service is friendly and there's a random, small, old, cute Asian woman working in the background. Some people don't like Dots for various reasons, but this place is usually busy and everyone I see running into the store is super excited. They're cupcakes, people. Take a date here to enjoy some cute desserts. read more
13 years ago
There's a few things I just LOVE, such as red beans, date shakes, Veggie Grill, tofu, green curry, chili, acai, sushi, and sweet potatoes. OK, I was just kidding with a "few" things, but I really LOVE sweet potatoes. Just steaming/cooking them and eating them plain or with some honey and nuts is one of my favorite things my mom does in the morning for me since I was a kid. Oh, and I just love it when she makes sweet potato pie. AH, makes me die and go to heaven every time. So when my friend told me that Dots was having their ONCE a year Sweet Potato cupcake, I was all in. This is pretty huge, bc I don't eat cupcakes that much anymore. How did it go? It was GOOD! The marshmallow icing was light, creamy and not too sweet. The cupcake was moist, with spices, and subtle sweet potato flavor. OH so yummy :) I hope I catch it again when it comes next year! read more
I was really looking forward to trying dots cupcakes because I've heard good things about them. I was in pasadena last week and thought I'd stop by to pick up a cupcake. The store is really small. I'd sat 5 people can fit in there and then it gets cramped. Everything looked so good it was a hard decision. I finally decided on the Fleur de Sal (salted caramel). The nice girl put it in a bag for me wrang me up for $1.50. I didn't know they were only $1.50! In that case I'll take a Almond Coconut as well. So she puts that one in a seperate bag and I handed her my card. Nice girl: We have a $5 minimum for using a credit card. Me: Oh really? Hmmm (it's against Visa/MasterCard policy to put a minimum puchase amount on transactions) well I guess I'll take two more. Strawberry Lemonade and Cookies 'n Cream. She puts those two in the same bag but now I have to carry three bags. The cupcakes were great. I really enjoyed them all. But my experience in the store was a different story. I did report Dots to Visa/Mastercard for violating their terms of service. Make sure to bring cash unless you plan on buying 4+ cupcakes or until they change that whole minimum crap. Based on the cupcakes alone I would have given them 4 stars. read more
Went to pick up some of these on the way to a friends who lives close by. MAN, is it a BITCH to try to get to this place!!!! There's no way you'll find parking, believe me, I circled around three or four times before I finally just parked in the structure across the street. I had to pay $2 just to run in and get cupcakes, but whatever it's worth it just to avoid the pain in the ass. I chose 6 cupcakes for my friends and I to sample strawberry shortcake hostess cookies and cream carrot cake red velvet peanut butter/chocolate My favorites were the carrot cake, hostess, and cookies and cream. The hostess was particularly good because it was stuffed with whipped cream mmmmmmmm....My friend liked the carrot cake the best, and I thought it was super delicious also. Not too sweet, just enough spicy carrot. I was not impressed with the peanut butter cup, red velvet, or strawberry shortcake. The shortcake had a nice flavor, but it was just dry, as were the peanut butter cup and red velvet. I was disappointed because I am a peanut butter cup fiend! I would like to say that I am a fan of dots cupcakes, but really I was only a fan of 50% of the cupcakes I tried, and I wouldn't go out of my way to get some. Three stars it will have to be. Sorry Hostess, Carrotcake, and Cookiesncream! read more
Regular cupcakes are $2.75, minis are $1.50. Having gone to several cupcake places recently, these were the cheaper ones I've found but that doesn't mean there's no creativity or taste. Plus, the use Valhrona chocolate which I could clearly taste in the choco cupcakes we got. Our favorite was the the fleur de sel but we also had the chocobutter (chocolate with peanut butter frosting), chocolate vanilla (choco with vanilla frosting), red velvet and cappucino (chocolate with what else, coffee flavored frosting). I thought the frosting on some were a little too hard, especially the red velvet. But otherwise, nothing you would ever call stale. All the cakes were moist. I would definitely get the fleur de sel and chocobutter again. I want to try the chocolate mint which I heard was great but they didn't have the mini that night. read more
I think Dots is extremely underrated. It doesn't seem to get the publicity that Sprinkles does, but overall, Dots serves higher quality cupcakes. I've tried their chocolate cupcake with mint cream, some berry cupcake flavor and of course, red velvet. Each flavor is rich and decadent. I saw some reviews about the cupcakes being too sweet, but I beg to differ. On a scale of 1-10 of sweetness most cupcakes (depending on flavor) range from 5-7. Basically, you shouldn't feel bad after having eaten a cupcake. Their cupcakes are cute, moist and have just the right amount of flavor. They also sell mini cupcakes! I love that the fondant that they use isn't tough, it makes it easier to eat when it's soft. Their cupcakes are just as pricey as Sprinkles, but it's nice to "treat yo' self" every now and then. Dots is also a great place to buy goodies for your friends and/or loved ones who like cupcakes. This venue isn't really a spot where you can hang out and catch up. It's more of a to-go spot. But I do love the lovely decor inside the store. Parking is tricky, as is all parking in Pasadena. There is a parking garage nearby, not sure about prices. read more
8 years ago
The place is super cute!! I truly enjoyed the cupcakes.. Tiramisu was my favorite!! The variety is great. The cupcakes seem a bit small for the price.. but still a yummy treat. read more
15 years ago
11 years ago
I was reading the reviews and many complain about the parking. Dots actually validate for 30 minutes of parking at the lot across the street on Fair Oaks and Union! Anyways! I'm pretty much a cupcake snob and I prefer this cupcake place to others in Pasadena. The cupcakes are overall very moist and they aren't too sweet/overwhelming. For you chocolate fiends out there, I definitely recommend the Fleur de Sel. It's a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and a caramel drizzle. They top it off with some sea salt. The flavors definitely compliment one another and it goes perfectly with a nice cup of coffee. This is definitely my favorite. If you aren't a chocolate lover, I'd recommend the dulce de leche. It has yellow cake batter, with a white frosting and a caramel drizzle. It isn't too sweet; however the flavor is absolutely amazing! read more
14 years ago
So glad they have this newer location! Since the last one had few parking. This one's right in the middle of Old Town, where you can shop and take a break to grab a cupcake :) The employees are sweet and always remember to welcome you with a smile. Of course I love their cupcakes. My favorite's the strawberry shortcake! It's my favorite strawberry flavored cupcake, even more than Sprinkles. Shh!! It's the perfect amount of moisture and the frosting doesn't over power the cupcake. I love their chocolate mint flavor also, topped with little chocolate balls on top! Lemon's also good, bit I've had better. Fleur de Seul is to die for! Their Apple Pie flavor is very subtle and homey, not to sweet. It could be a good substitute for a morning muffin. Their vanillas and chocolates are great also! There hasn't been a cupcake that I hadn't enjoy here. They're decorated so well also, keeping a cute theme for the store. They also sell cute candles and decorations you can use for the cupcakes or any occasion. read more
15 years ago
9 years ago
I'm doing this review on behalf of my mother and aunt who went in today to get a couple of cupcakes. They walked in not really planning on getting much, but were so very impressed with Michael's service they walked out happily with a dozen minis! For a while after they returned home, they raved about his infectious enthusiasm and how well taken care of they were. Thank you, Michael, for taking such incredible care of my family! And thank you, Dots, for the AMAZING cupcakes! read more
Came to Dots on a rainy Sunday and couldn't decide between Raspberry Cheesecake and Strawberry Shortcake. My friend and I ended up getting both to share. Mistake and mistake. Strawberry shortcake: The whole thing tasted too sweet and very artificial. There was also very little, if any, strawberry pieces in the cake, even though the sign said strawberries in the cake. Raspberry cheesecake: We couldn't even tell what flavor this was. There was no raspberry taste and no cheesecake taste. As a cake it wasn't bad, but really, did I just pay $3 for this? Chocolate coconut: My friend also got this flavor and I tried a few bites. Not a fan of coconut flakes so I can't comment on the that, but the chocolate cake...it was nothing special. The flavor was very light, which may be a good or bad thing, but in the end I probably could've just gotten devil's food cake mix and made two dozens of the same thing for a fraction of the price. Not a fan. Red velvet: I think this was the only redeeming one. the Red velvet flavor was good, not too cocoa-y and not too sweet. I have had their mini cupcakes in the past and thought they were decent. So maybe stick to the mini's if you come here? All the cupcakes are very pretty though and they look adorable in their little boxes. Good for gift giving but I probably wouldn't come here to get my cupcake fix. read more
17 years ago
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Is this location closed?
Temporary closure from Feb16 - March TBA for remodeling.
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