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Polka Dot Bake Shop
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 7:30 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Polka Dot Bake Shop
Review Highlights
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"They make THE best vanilla cupcakes I have ever tasted." In 17 reviews -
"Try vanilla and red velvet, amazing icing." In 8 reviews -
"...3.5/5: I adored the actual cake part of this cupcake - it..." In 3 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Mike K.
2/19/2012
I recently stopped in and got a dozen cupcakes here for a birthday, and I was generally impressed. The shop itself is pretty small, but it has all the trappings of a friendly local business. You can see the kitchen, they've got a little play area and mini table for kids to keep themselves occupied while the grownups agonize over cupcake decisions, and they've even got a little coffee bar.
I was generally happy with the cupcakes. The standouts were the honey almond and grasshopper varieties. One or two of the cupcakes had dried out at the top, and the cake portions were a bit more crumbly than they should have been. Also, I was looking forward to more of a strong vanilla flavor in the vanilla cakes, but that might be my personal preference more than anything else.
Overall, a nice alternative to birthday cakes, and a great little treat for any occasion. -
Review from Dion L.
Updated - 2/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yikes. Not a fan of the cookies.
Recently went in for a cookie, and came out with an iced sugar cookie and a chocolate chip-type cookie. FYI: the sugar cookie was downright greasy and tasted like raw flour.
I threw it away after one bite...and if you know me, you'll know I ALWAYS finish my dessert.
Oh. The icing was also a thick coating, practically half the thickness of the cookie itself.
The chocolate chip cookie was not memorable, and the chunks of chocolate so big, it became almost sickeningly chocolaty.
On this note, I'd really suggest going in for their cupcakes when they're "on", and keep your distance from the cookies...though they are very pretty!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/10/2011
When they're "on", oh honey, Polka Dot is a rockin' with moist, rich cupcakes.
When they're "off",… Read more »
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Review from Kieran M.
Charlotte, NC
4/27/2012
I usually just eat the tops of cupcakes, but even the cake part is great here.
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Review from Mindy V.
Charlotte, NC
1/21/2012
Cupcake- you complete me. If anyone out there wants to get on my good side its all about the cake baby.
When I moved to charlotte I had a HARD time parting with my Chicago-Sweet Mandy B's cupcake routine. Once a week I would go get my cupcake and guiltily eat my cupcake in the gym parking lot before yoga. (yes I see the ridiculousness) When I moved here I tried 3 different bakeries and found nothing that I felt compelled to gobble down so regularly. My husband knew I felt lost without my cupcake habit so he brought me home a cupcake from Polka dot one day. (thats how I know I have a good man) Jackpot baby! I hate hate hate those cupcakes that dont make good old fashioned sugary buttery frosting- so many do that whipped creamy tasting noise- blech!!! Polka dot does a delicious light yet Sugary frosting and such an amazing variety! I love trying new ones. Its places like this that make life worth living. Yumsky!!!Listed in: Charlotte Grub Favorites
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Review from Angie P.
8/6/2011
Polka Dot Bake Shop was my first cupcake shop experience in Charlotte.
Their staff is just as sweet as the cupcakes themselves! :)
The place is rather small, but don't let that fool you. They have plenty of cupcakes to choose from!
I'm a sucker for red velvet, so this by far is my favorite cupcake of theirs.
I would gather that a lot of their business is " to go" orders, but I could be totally off base with this.Listed in: Cupcakin'
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Review from Simone M.
Charlotte, NC
8/15/2011
Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes. I HEART You....and if anyone wants to get me a special gift (aka a super delicious treat) I will gladly take a cupcake from Polka Dot Bake Shop...I don't even need a bow. What I do need is a fork...so I can really enjoy. My favorite cupcake from Polka Dot is the Creme Caramel Cupcake. Anyway, enough about me and my cupcake love. Here's what you need to know about Polka Dot:
About the place: This cute little space has a few outdoor tables and indoor seats so you can dine in with your cupcakes. I usually take mine to go but to each its own.
Staff: The staff are funny, cute and always smiling when you enter the door. Great customer service. Kid friendly and the cupcakes are delish.
They also offer muffins and do custom orders. Run, don't walk there! -
Review from Sarah F.
Charlotte, NC
7/16/2011
I tried a red velvet cupcake here for the first time the other day. It wasn't dry - very moist, but also fell apart easily - need a plate for this puppy. The icing, unfortunately, which was nicely cream-cheese flavored, was so sweet it made my teeth hurt and gave me an instant headache. Couldn't finish it.
Also, their information is a little confusing - their website states they use all natural ingredients, but then they have flavors like the Grasshopper Pie which contain Oreos (definitely not natural).
Oh, well. Back to the cupcake hunt I go. -
Review from Megan P.
Charlotte, NC
9/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
It breaks my heart to give any dessert-only restaurant less than 4 stars, but I just can't justify bumping it from 3 stars after my last visit. Part of the appeal of a cupcake shop is being able to grab a little treat and a cup of coffee and then sitting down to relax for a bit while reading my kindle or playing with iphone. While this place has a couple of tables right in the front of the shop to sit, it's not the most inviting and I would probably never consider having a seat to stay for a bit. So for me, the cupcakes will always be to-go which just isn't as much fun.
Next on to the cupcakes. They have a small variety to choose from and it varies depending on the day of the week. I ended up with a red velvet cupcake and a mexican hot chocolate cupcake. Unfortunately neither one was outstanding. The cake part of the mexican hot chocolate was decent and the icing was just ok, while the cake of the red velvet wasn't so great but the cream cheese icing was tasty. Both cupcakes were also pretty dry.
Don't get me wrong, I'll most likely be back. There are still about 10 more cupcake flavors that I need to sample. But I guess today helped me understand why I've only visited this place twice in 2 years. For a dessert place that's unheard of for me.Listed in: Sweet treats
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Review from Shauna H.
3/17/2011
Went in and ordered the Irish Cream cupcake (for st Pattys)
The cupcake was dry ...and I had preferred they use frosting instead of whipped cream ( the lady didnt describe this as whipped cream or else I wouldnt have got it). It was just ok in my opinion - I expected more from a cupcake shop, I mean that's all the do right?
$2.50 later...I wish I just ordered plain old vanilla. -
Review from Nicole W.
9/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
3.5 stars for me...kicking it up to 4 because I'm such a sucker for sweets!
I was craving the sweet stuff and decided to create my very own personal cupcake tasting. I strolled into Polka Dot and ordered four cupcakes, all of which I cut and tasted immediately when I got home. Before I get to the cupcakes themselves, the shop is pretty cute. It's a bit hidden off of the Park Rd. strip - so just be aware that it's inside that upscale strip mall off of Park & Woodlawn. The young lady who took my order was very friendly and offered some great suggestions. I also noticed they sell brownies, cookies and pull apart cupcake cakes.
When I was tooling around on their website, the pull apart cakes look pretty adorable. Prices are a bit higher than I was expecting, but hey, it's a specialty baked good! $2.50 per cupcake and there are discounts when you order one dozen. All the cupcakes were just so pretty!
Here's the rundown of my personal cupcake tasting...(keep in mind their flavors change daily!):
Red Velvet: 4.5/5 stars: This was my favorite cupcake, mostly because I'm a total sucker for cream cheese frosting. The cake was pretty moist and I loved the flavor combo. My only gripe - too much frosting! I had to scrape a bit off as it was taking over my cupcake.
Key Lime: 3/5: My least favorite of the bunch. It just didn't taste very key-limey to me except for a very, very small bit in the frosting. I like the actual cake part, though.
Pumpkin Turtle: 3.5/5: Besides the bit of caramel within the frosting, I didn't see where the turtle came in, but I really liked the cake part and the cream cheese frosting. It tasted like a great pumpkin bread with tasty frosting (albeit a bit too much for me).
Vanilla Bean: 3.5/5: I adored the actual cake part of this cupcake - it really is quite lovely with the vanilla bean. My ish? The frosting again! This buttercream almost gave me a cavity it was so sweet. I scraped off 80% of the frosting and then happily enjoyed my treat.
Will I be back to Polka Dot? Absolutely! It's an adorable and sweet edition to the SouthPark area.Listed in: Desserts, Treats and Sweets, Park Road Places, Cupcakes A Plenty
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Review from Jules S.
2/8/2011
I have to agree with Ami T about PDBS. I prefer their daily specials over their plain regular flavors. They are dry and bland. I have had probably 10 or more flavors over the years and in general the frosting/filling makes the cupcake. My recommended flavors are: Apple Cinnamon, Creme Caramel, Peanut Butter Cup, Salted Caramel, Tuxedo. Their cream cheese frosting is absolutely delicious. I have not tried the gluten free option, but I will do so next time. I don't know if it can compare with the moistness of Pink Chocolate's GF cupcakes though.
This is a counter-service place so you have to wait till you get to the parking lot to scarf down a cupcake shamefully in your car.Listed in: Queen City Cupcakes
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Review from Ami T.
Monterey, CA
1/27/2010
So you would think this would be my favorite place in the whole wide world, wouldn't you? I mean, come on... a CUPCAKE bakery??
You would also think that their cupcakes would be the best ever because its supposed to be their signature item, the shop is names after it, etc. Want to see a big girl frown, give her a dry cupcake that looks pretty... the expectations are just too high.
I have bought four large orders from this place (over 4 dozen each time) and popped in for treats for staff on a few occasions. The problem with this place is that it is inconsistent... some times it is the best ever, the cupcakes are big, fresh and worth every penny. Other times the cupcakes are old and dry, obviously not baked that day. Also, the selection can be off, sometimes you may only have 3-4 to choose from. The plain cupcakes, meaning the non-specials that are just flavored cake and icing are usually worse than the specials. Go with their daily specials and you will be happier.
I will say this, the cupcakes usually look pretty and the staff is very friendly... that is always true. -
Review from Eric K.
12/11/2008 5 photos
We popped into the Polka Dot Bake Shop for an afternoon treat. After visiting cupcake bakeries in New York City and Seattle, we thought this might be an exciting new thing for us to do periodically in our own city.
Walking into the shop, it didn't feel like anything special. It felt "cold" and impersonal. There was nothing cutesy (or "polka dotty") about it. There was the fluorescently lit cupcake case, a few nondescript tables, a children's play table, a couple of cupcake paintings on the wall (a take-off on Andy Warhol's Cambell soup prints would have been cool)...and that was pretty much it. The colors and funness of their logo felt like they should have been used throughout the store more.
As for the cupcakes, they were decent, but nothing extraordinary. I expected a case full of a huge variety of choices. Not six. I tried their cupcake of the day, though, which was Chocolate Pistachio. It wasn't labeled in their case (why was it excluded from the rest of them?). I only knew what it was because we had looked at their website before going (at least that's kept up-to-date). The chocolate cake part of the cupcake was a bit dry, the chocolate frosting creamy, and the pistachios (although yummy separately) didn't really add anything to the mix. And then there was the bill. $2.50 per cupcake? Ouch. -
Review from Tracy D.
9/1/2010 1 Check-in Here
The first time I had these cupcakes was on my birthday a year or two ago. My oldest sister picked up a variety for me and put some candles in to sing to me with the fam, cute!!! The next time was when I picked up a dozen for my friends birthday.
I can't remember every flavor I tried, but I know that red velvet, lemon, tuxedo, vanilla and honey almond were all ridiculously good. The cupcakes are really moist and the frosting is delicious and not too sweet, for me at least. I liked these better than cupcakes I've had from some of the more well known NYC outlets. -
Review from Chantel L.
Orlando, FL
8/22/2008
The idea of a cupcake shop is a good one, especially since Charlotte does not have a lot of bake shops to choose from. However, save your $2.50. Their cupcakes are really crumbly and their frosting seems to be make with vegetable shortening instead of buttercream. In fact, the frosting fell off the cupcake because the structure of the cupcake was so weak. One could do better at home with a box of Betty Crocker.
I went in today and I had to wait for 10 minutes because they were all out. The ambiance is cute, but the staff are somewhat unfriendly and they play the music very loudly. -
Review from Ceci P.
Charlotte, NC
8/5/2009
One thing I always seek out in my travels to other cities is a good cupcake and, needless to say, I was excited when a cupcake place in Charlotte finally opened up!
I've been here a few times, trying different cupcakes each visit. I do think that almost $3 is a lot for one small cupcake. That makes it hard for me to want to buy more than one because I'm a low-budget kinda gal. Makes me think of the giant cupcakes at Crumbs in NYC that are deservedly $3 to $4 apiece because they are, well, giant and delicious.
I agree with other reviewers' sentiments when they say their cupcakes were a tad on the dry side, or the frosting was a bit sweet. But to be honest, I'm usually so excited to be experiencing a new cupcake that it goes by too fast to really matter.
I really love their red velvet cupcake, the frosting is cream cheesy and they put a little pecan on top. Yum!
I'd like to say this review is really 3 1/2 stars. Keeping me from giving four stars is the service. Usually they're nice, but the last time I went in, the annoyed employees looked at me like I was crazy or stupid when I asked them which cupcakes were their faves (a general and completely rational question to ask them). That made me feel kind of weird and unwelcome, and I remember sheepishly and quickly choosing one I didn't really want just so I could leave and not have these high-school kids looking at me like that anymore.
Then I learned I locked my keys out of my car and it was a super hot day, but that has nothing to do with the quality of a cupcake.
All in all, I do recommend trying Polka Dot Bake Shop! It is a cute place. Cupcakes invoke fun and I hope their employees can have more fun knowing they are there to serve happy customers who want to treat themselves to something yummy, -
Review from Becca A.
Charlotte, NC
6/26/2010
I've been looking for good gluten free cupcakes in Charlotte ever since I moved here in February. When a friend recommended Polka Dot Bake Shop, I didn't want to get my hopes up because, in my past experience, Gluten Free cupcakes were generally dry and crumbly.
I was cutting it close to closing time and called the bakery on my way over to place an order to it'd be ready for me to pick up. I chose 2 chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and 2 chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting. The girl on the phone was very helpful and even promised me that they would stay open a little later if I couldn't make it there by 6:00. She also mentioned they were giving away free banana cupcakes so that people could try them out.
When I arrived at the bakery, the cupcakes were neatly boxed with the banana cupcake in a bag on top. I tried the banana one in the car and it was DELICIOUS -- just like banana bread. The other cupcakes were equally as delicious and even though my plan was to freeze a couple, I ended up polishing them off by the weekend.
Bottom line -- while I can't vouch for their regular cupcakes, the Gluten Free cupcakes were amazing and I am constantly recommending this bakery to everyone I see!Listed in: Gluten Free
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Review from John P.
Charlotte, NC
5/5/2011
These cupcakes are amazing! My wife & i had them make cupcakes for our wedding they are so good. Everyone loved the grasshopper cupcakes (special order now). I have tried so many and have never been disappointed. Check their calendar to see which kinds are being made and go early!
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Review from Matt M.
Washington, DC
7/18/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Best cupcakes in Charlotte and the employees are very friendly. Try vanilla and red velvet, amazing icing. They have helped me out in a jam and let me pick up large orders both before they open and after they close.
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Review from ann j.
Charlotte, NC
6/3/2010
They make THE best vanilla cupcakes I have ever tasted! Light and airy with bits of vanilla beans throughout, you just can't go wrong. Why did I only give them four stars? I must admit, I am not a big fan of the frosting -- it's just too sweet. luckily, it's easily removed from the cupcake, and the cupcake tastes perfect unadorned.
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Review from Erin K.
Charlotte, NC
1/4/2008
These cupcakes are like nothing I have ever tasted- like wonderful clouds of cake in frosting in your mouth. They only have a few kinds to choose from each day, but all the varieties I have tried have been great. They will run you at least $2.50 a piece, but are great for a little pick me up!
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Review from P M.
Indianapolis, IN
10/1/2011
I have never been to the Polka Dot Bakeshop but I just bought a box of their SWEET POTATO CRACKER with chipotle and smoked paprika. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? Well it was disgusting! I bought them at Fresh Market in Indianapolis and I wonder if the buyer from the store even sampled them. A piece of cardboard with pepper on it would have had more sweet potato flavor than these crackers. Go back to the drawing board with these. They are TERRIBLE!
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Review from Rebekah P.
Charlotte, NC
8/7/2008
This place is so cute. It's the perfect setting for an afternoon snack. With all the varieties of cupcakes to choose from I don't think you could get board. As I have said many times, I love sweets and you are hard pressed to find something that is too sweet for me, but I could understand if some of these would be to sweet for the unconditioned palate. Either way, it's always fun to come visit this place and get a sugar fix.
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Review from Jason L.
6/25/2009
Their speciality is cupcakes but they also have cookies and brownies. The vanilla cupcake's a little dry but the chocolate and red velvet are both sublime. There are also a lot of other flavors. The cupcakes are perfect for a party or special occasion.
