The best cupcakes in the world! I am a serious chocoholic and LOVE the Chocolate Velvet cupcake here. It is the most chocolatety cupcake that I have ever had and is always excellent. While the cake is good, the frosting is out of this world. My wife and I love these so much we get a bunch of these for our wedding a number of years ago (and was the only thing I asked for from our wedding). It was the first wedding that I have ever been to where eating the cake was actually really enjoyable (most of them look great but taste like cr*p). read more

These cupcakes are outrageous!!! My favorite is the Meyer Lemon. They are bright with a deep lemon cake. It's the frosting that sets this apart. Let it warm up a bit and it turns into creamiest, lemoniest most decadent frosting in the world. try this one if you love lemon. They make a chocolate vegan cupcake that everyone was crazy about., Definitely going back. Soon.. I loved it! read more

Service was fast. The cupcake was moist and the frosting was extremely chocolatey and the right balance between rich and sweet. Parking is incredibly hard with so much traffic here. Thanks! read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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This was my first time coming to this particular Palo Alto Care's cupcakes. I used to go to the one in Santa Row years ago. I forgot they had such a variety of cupcakes, but they're frosting is a little too sweet for me at times. This particular day I got two cupcakes a banana cream and a red velvet for my aunt and niece. The surface was very fast and quick. Which worked out perfectly well since I went to Gott's to pick up our lunch/takeout. I really like how the store set up where it's kind of a corner spot and you wraps around. They're to display case is very open and has a lot of good lighting so it really puts all their cupcakes on display. I actually didn't know they started making cookies also and then they also sell their cupcake mix. So I was very impressed. I will have to come back and check out other cupcakes here again. read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Desserts please hee - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Kara's Cupcakes are the best! I was happy to see them in the Town and Country Village in Palo Alto. I had the Kara's Karrot cupcake and it was flavorful and oh so delicious. The frosting was divine, I think it was cream cheese frosting but not sure. The employee was friendly, attentive, and kindly answered my questions. A nice treat to end my weekend. read more

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I'm not wild about cupcakes in general, but the chocolate fleur de sal cupcake here is phenomenal -- perfectly balanced flavor of dense dark chocolate ganache and salted caramel atop a moist chocolate cake, not overly waxy, buttery or sweet like many cupcakes. The mini cupcake in this flavor is so satisfying as a two bite indulgence (although the full size is a real treat!). read more

So impressed with Kara's! I ordered these cupcakes last minute on DoorDash for my friend's baby shower and they did not disappoint!! They even did more pink than blue since she's having a girl! They even included a note as I requested. The cupcakes were also amazing the frosting is so rich and delicious. They are the best cupcakes even better than Susie's. read more

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This review is multi year overdue!! Kara's Cupcakes has my absolute favorite vanilla cupcake, it's honestly my vice at this point. The cupcake is soft and moist every single time, and the frosting is perfectly sweet without being heavy. The shop is cute, the service is friendly and decent. I have tried other cupcakes here and they are okay, but vanilla is my favorite for a sweet indulgence. This is located in town and country, parking can be difficult depending on time of day, but there is plenty in the shopping center. Overall a decent cupcake spot! Highly recommend! read more

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I'm so excited to have ended my Saturday with a cupcake (or 3). We got there just before closing. The blinds were drawn so it looked closed. I called and the lovey lady confirmed they were open, and still had a few flavors left. We decided on: Vanilla Coconut 10/10 Red Velvet Cake 10/10 Chocolate Velvet Cake 10/10 Fluer de Sel..., chocolate with caramel center and sprinkle of salt 8/10 The shop is a little on the darker side but lovely nonetheless!!! Will definitely be back the next time I'm at Stanford read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Box of 4 Mixed Cupcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I love love good cupcakes. We tried the smores cupcake and the red velvet cupcake. The cupcakes were decent. I would loved it if they were more moist. I loved all the seating they have outside. Very nice and clean inside. A nice place to grab a quick treat, but room for improvement on flavor and moistness, if that's even a word haha read more

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This was my first time ordering from Kara's cupcakes. I had a last minute idea to have cupcakes for a birthday party & what really stood out to me was the custom logo cupcakes. I made sure to place an online order over 24 hours in advance. Michele from this location specifically had great customer service. I love how these cupcakes turned out and although I didn't get to try any, they went quick which is always a great sign. If I could give any feedback, I wish the logos were centered, but other than that I 100% would recommend this to anyone looking to add an elevated touch to events! read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Custom 12 mini cupcakes decorated with Logos - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Thought would be alittle more fancy for the price. But disappointed just regular dry cupcakes with little flavor.

First, their carrot cake is incredible! Carrot cake is my husband's favorite and we decided last minute to find him one for his birthday. I'll tell you, carrot cake is not an easy find. After, we all agreed, it was the best carrot cake recipe we've ever had. I will never buy from anywhere else. Second, being able to order a specialty cake that good with three days notice and online from a small but high-end bakery operation is rare. Last, the weekend festivities got moved around so at the last minute I needed the cake a day earlier. They stepped up and accommodated my last minute change without hesitation. I'm so grateful to them. I'm so impressed all around. Thank you Kara's! read more

The cupcakes were good, its not always the size that matters actually it was just the perfect size. I was expecting bigger of a cupcake but when i bit into it I was all oh no this is perfect. read more

I would NEVER recommend ordering from this location. If you're planning to order a cake from Kara's Cupcakes in Palo Alto, think twice! Or make sure your order is properly confirmed, so you don't go through what I did. I placed an in-person custom cake order with Jade on Friday (1/16/2026) for pickup on Sunday at 12:00 PM for my one-year-old's first birthday party. When I called on Sunday around noon to confirm pickup, I was told that my order was never placed. Since I was hosting a birthday party, I had no choice but to proceed. The staff rushed to make a cake within three hours. My husband picked it up, but when I saw it at home, I was extremely disappointed with the decorations. I understand there was a time constraint, but if the decorations couldn't be done properly, they shouldn't have been done at all. The lion, giraffe, and overall icing were poorly executed. I'm surprised that Michelle, the manager, felt this cake was acceptable to give to a customer. My husband paid $62.64 for the cake, and not for subpar decorations. read more

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Always a wonderful selection of cupcakes! Always GREAT flavors from this bakery and I have been to many of Kara's locations. The frosting tastes of butter and some sugar not overly sweet which I love. You actually taste the fruit, salted caramel or whatever the flavor is. This is truly a quality cupcake. Staff is very helpful and kind always here. I have tried many bakeries that specialize in cupcakes and nobody has been able to beat Kara's on flavor, quality, and service (not even the famed Sprinkles). read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Came here for cupcakes for an event. Did a walk in and were able to purchase 3 dozen cupcakes as a walk-in which was great. AND got to get gluten-free options and vegan (for lactose-free and vegan needs). They do have their ingredient sourcing on their board, but no pricing at all. We were told it was $36 for mini cupcake dozen and $59.40 for standard cupcake dozen. Though it was very unclear about the pricing since it wasn't posted anywhere on the board and the staff wasn't clear on the price right away, but needed to look into it on the register. The staff was very friendly and helpful and patient with getting all our needs met for dietary restrictions. However, the prices and quality was just not worth it. $3.47 per mini cupcake after a modest tip was just insane. read more

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I miss Kara's cupcakes! There used to be a location at Santana Row. But I am glad it's still around here at Town & Country Village. It's right next to Sur La Table. Cute corner spot that is visible from El Camino real. The employee was super nice. She was patient while I chose a few mini cupcakes and marshmallows. read more

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*First time review* I was in Palo Alto this evening and wanted something sweet after my fun shopping and stumbled upon Kara's. I got there at the perfect time because there was a big order that came in and essentially left me with one of each cupcakes I wanted. I ordered lemon, vanilla with chocolate, banana and a Neapolitan. I also got a mini lemon. The mini is really cute and I haven't actually seen anyone sell minis. I didn't actually see any prices listed anywhere so to be fair, the pricing was not wildly outrageous. $5 for one large cupcake $3.5 for one mini Compare this to Crumbl cookies and other places... it's inline. I also noticed they have vegan cupcakes which I thought was cool. Ok the ratings.. Lemon - 3.5/5 not very lemony but moist! Vanilla chocolate - 4/5 so good! I like the chocolate frosting wasn't overly sweet The other 2 cupcakes are for someone else so I didn't try them. Shoutout to Jade who was working. Super helpful and nice. Welcomed me in and asked if I had any questions etc. great customer service! I'll be back read more

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Can't complain, after shopping in the plaza, I go to Kara's for a mini cupcake. They run as of 2024 about $3 each. It's over fast, but I seriously enjoy the small treat. There aren't that many cupcake shops in the area that offer the minis. For me, that's the perfect size. The lady working there has always told me what is what, to help me decide a chocolate flavor. The shop is located facing El Camino. Parking is very hard in that region, try going further back. I usually sit outside and take my time eating my mini cupcake. Bathrooms are located at the other side of the complex. Be sure to ask where it is, if you need to go. read more

We ordered a custom cake for an anniversary celebration and were assured over the phone that they could work from a reference photo, including fondant seashell cutouts. Because they couldn't accommodate a dairy-free white frosting, their baker proposed covering the entire cake in fondant which we happily agreed to and were ready to pay for. Three days before the cake was supposed to be ready, they cancelled the order entirely without explanation real explanation, no attempt to make it right. Even though they have fondant in house, they said they "do not do fondant over cakes". They advertise vegan and gluten-free options but won't work with basic allergy needs when it actually matters. Their staff makes commitments on the phone that the bakery has no intention of honoring. If you have a special event, a dietary need, or any expectation of follow-through, look elsewhere. read more

Parking can be difficult here because it gets packed and the spaces are small so fair warning. I accidentally held the box the wrong way so the frosting ended up on the sides and it's not pretty anymore so sorry there are no photos for this review. I came in and the cashier was very friendly and patient as I chose my cupcakes. Customer service was great and with a smile and I appreciated that. The shop is small and no seats inside, but you can definitely enjoy the sweet treat outside. I'm a little disappointed because the cost of the cupcakes has gone up and the size and quality of the cupcakes have gone down. The cupcakes are definitely smaller and the first one I bit into was underdone. Fleur de sel is still my favorite one. The chocolate ganache is heavenly with a little salt to balance out the sweetness. The fondant on top of the flavor of the month was well done. It was hard enough to keep its shape, but soft enough that I didn't feel like I was gonna break a tooth. read more

my husband went in and got a dozen cupcakes as a little surprise for me the other day. he got 6 red velvet and 6 smores. they were okay but quite dry compared to how i remember them being. not sure if i just got old cupcakes or if they were left in the oven a couple minutes longer than intended. i wanted to enjoy it so bad but i was left feeling disappointed and feeling like i didnt e even want to finish the box. really hoping it was just an off day and hope to enjoy them completely next time ! read more

Yeah this place is rated pretty appropriately. Came in on a weekday afternoon and got banana caramel and carrot cake. Honestly they were pretty good and filled my emergency sweet tooth requirement but....both were underflavored as hell (IMO) and slightly overpowered w the cream cheese frosting. Also I have a similar gripe about not showing the prices, kind of disingenuous behavior tbh read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Carrot Cake - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I've lost it, Guys. I've lost my love for Kara's. It's been a long time coming, visiting their SF locations less & less frequently with each passing year. After having brunch nearby, I decided to give the Palo Alto store a go (for old times' sake & all that) & confirmed what I already knew -- these cupcakes no longer have a place in my dessert rotation. I bought two: Passion Fruit & Vanilla Chocolate. The tiny dollop of passionfruit filling isn't enough of a flavor punch, & the taste of either cupcake failed to float my boat the way they used to. Sweet Vanilla was my go-to; I loved the baseball-sized round of frosting but even the texture is different now. The final nail in the coffin was the dry, crumbly cake. I can't forgive that. So after almost 15 years, I think it's more accurate to say that Kara's has lost me as a customer. read more

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Our Gluten Free cupcakes were dry today . Well known but we will not go back. Service was good but the gluten free items were not fresh.

Kara's cupcakes is a boutique bakery that offers cupcakes and cakes that are baked with nuts and nut products. It is not a nut free bakery. They can accommodate different dietary restrictions. They offer gluten-free and vegan cupcakes as well. One thing to note is that their vegan cupcakes are not gluten-free, and their gluten-free cupcakes are not vegan. You can find all their cupcake flavors in regular size and mini size.  The store was pretty empty when we went there, and they had run out of some of the flavors in the mini size. I tried 4 different mini cupcakes - 2 fruity flavors and 2 non fruity. The 2 fruity flavors I got were banana and passion fruit. I couldn't taste the passion fruit at all, and the banana one had a hint of banana flavor. The cupcakes had a dry texture, and they weren't moist at all. The icing on top was liquidy and oily.  The 2 non fruity flavors that I tried were red velvet and fluer de sel. Fleur de sel was probably the best of all despite it being only decent. The cupcakes were a bit pricy for their taste.  The person at the counter was also not the most helpful person. They were out of a lot of flavors, but instead of notifying us about that, she waited for us to pick our flavors first. We had 4 - 5 rounds of back and forth before we finalized all the flavors because every time we picked a flavor, she informed us that they didn't have that in stock anymore. A lot of time and energy could have been saved had she notified us at the beginning about the flavors that aren't available.  Kara's cupcakes is located in a busy strip mall, so parking can be a bit tricky. Please be aware of those 20-30 minute parking spots if you dont want to get ticketed for parking over the alloted time limit.  The store is pretty empty inside and appears to be set up for mostly pickup/to go orders. read more

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Wooo!! The flavor the moon is of the bread the moist I was amazing, quick and amazing service. We stepped out of the store to sit on the tables right in front of the store a nice little patio to eat the cupcake and have a good conversation with my wife. We went take some home for her to share with her family. You will need to try the double chocolate if you are chocolate lover, they even have gluten-free options. read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Single Chocolate Chip Cookie - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Beautifully decorated cupcakes in full size and miniature size but very underwhelming flavor. It was great to have the mini cupcakes as to not feel super guilty about consuming an entire one! But boy, was it tempting. The flavors sounded so delicious but it lacked flavor, as beautiful as it was. I had high hopes for the passion fruit but it tasted so bland. The only one that was potent in flavor was the lemon cupcake since it was tart, and of course the chocolate one because the flavor is so rich and decadent. There wasn't anyone out to help us when we came in for about 5 minutes, and when I was paying, she was quick to leave and was nowhere to be found again. So while the shop was already unwelcoming from people, the gal looked like she didn't even want to be there lol. But, whatever. I don't even think we were that slow to decide on our cupcakes since we already knew what we wanted but we felt very unwelcomed. Glad I got to finally try these cupcakes but am sad that they were very underwhelming in flavor :( read more

Hello, I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful service I received from your front counter person who helped me Saturday April 25th, for a 12:15pm pickup. She made sure the order was correct for approximately 40 cupcakes for a child's birthday party. She counted them , vegan, gluten free and birthday. She then packed them so they wouldn't be crushed. all around excellent service. Thank you so much!!!! read more

I am so frustrated with the ineptness and lack of accountability on this bakery's end. Despite placing the order over the phone and confirming the pink color via email, they not only botched our daughter's birthday cake but claimed it was my fault for your lack of service. It is gross how instead of understanding that we did not have a cake for our daughter that she would have liked, you managed to place the blame on me that I should have called your store again to confirm. The very first order we placed on the phone specified the color, shape and size of the cake. Pathetic service to say the least. And this is not the first time this has happened. Birthdays are special for children and you just ruined the surprise for our child. The least you could have done was take accountability for messing up the order. read more

Went here bc sprinkles closed and tried it for the first time. I tried the red velvet and Neapolitan cupcakes plus a funfetti and m&m cookie. In my opinion, the cupcakes were dry. The cookies were better than the cupcakes but still not the best either. However the service was good! Maybe next time I can try a different flavor cupcake read more

A long standing cupcake place chain in the California. South Bay Area chain. 1) located in a very busy populated plaza close to Stanford mall. 2) location is great. Lots of foot traffic and choices of food , coffee and stores around. Parking is lots but due to people traffic. Make it hard to find parking on the weekend. Week days are little better. 3) Price is reasonable and packaging is cute and nice 4) Taste: not to sweet. But I am not a dessert person. And loss my sweet tooth's back home in Hawaii. 5) The only reason I can't give a 5 stars is because they don't have samples. I have to buy a whole regular size cup cake to try. ( took and small bit and don't like the favorite, and have to throw the rest away.) I hate wasting food. If there were samples that would make It easier for me buy more and not have to waste food. But, they do have good cupcake. So , go give a try. Good foodie. read more

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Kara's is the type of place that tries to do something decent and then falls short. They have the same chocolate and vanilla gluten free cupcakes every time I go in. Flavor. It's so bad, that what was once a "I have got to go there and get some of this" kind of a place has become a "do I have to go in?" I'm curious and uninspired. So uninspired that I went home and made some gluten free cupcakes of a different flavor. Yay!!! The store does look beautiful and the people greet you which is a plus. I just wish they had something that I wanted to buy. read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Gluten free goodies up top. - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I gave this place 2 stars in 2015 and after having recently giving it another try, it still lives up to its 2 stars... I got a mini passion cupcake and everything about it was disappointing aside from the size. The frosting was so oily in texture and so weak in flavor. The cake was dry. It was at least the perfect size for what I was able to stomach. So disappointing, but I give them credit for being aesthetically pleasing and still managing to stay in business despite the lackluster flavor profiles and not-so-amazing buttercream texture... read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Mini Passionfruit cupcake - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

They went downhill so badly also seconds into walking out the shop they melted so bad and it's not even hot outside so idk if they are suppose to keep them cool or what . Horrible customer service we were given them on napkins when it was to go. The quality of the bread is so so bad taste like the dollar tree mix I bake at home taste better. I'll be throwing it in the trash. Wish I was given a refund read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Always love Kara's! They're pricey but delicious. I got there late in the evening so selections were limited but at least I know I'm getting fresh products! Always stop by for a treat if you're in the area! read more

In my opinion and my review - the best cupcakes. I've been going here for over 13 years for celebrations and they never disappoint. They do the perfect mesh of frosting and cake that others seem to not understand. Everyone is super helpful and courteous. Ambiance is just right! Keep on, keeping on Kara! read more

The have reduced the size of the cupcake and we bought 4 and all were dry and tasteless. Was one of the best when they opened now not so much. read more

As much as I love Kara's cupcakes, they routinely close before their posted hours of operation. Today I arrived at Kara's at 6:30pm PST, when their hours were 7pm PST. This is the fourth time over the last month that this has happened, so I have stopped visiting this store as a result. It is extremely unprofessional and is detrimental to the customers. I'm not sure what else to say. Thanks read more

Kara's Cupcakes - Cupcakes Near Me - Palo Alto, California