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- Hours:
Tue-Sat 11 am - 7 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
952 reviews for That Takes The Cake
Review Highlights
"He let me sample the red velvet cake and it was divine."
(in 455 reviews)
"The "Gentlemen Prefer Reds" is definitely my fave."
(in 127 reviews)
"I loved the Nutella and the Prom Queen the best."
(in 135 reviews)
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952 reviews in English
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Review from Joyce E.
Daly City, CA
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
After a day of roaming up and down Union Street, I came here right before closing and I believe it was the owner who rang us up? He was pretty chill and explained which cupcake was everyone's top pick and things like that.
They ran out of most flavors, but had tons of cupcakes left! I ended up getting the Hella Nutella, Red Velvet, and Fresh Banana to take home to my sisters. My boyfriend and I shared the The Three's Company one which had chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cake/frosting. The cupcakes are average size and definitely less expensive than most cupcake shops and trust me, I've been to a few. My total was $12 something for 4 cupcakes. The Three's Company one was moist and just perfect! The chocolate flavor tasted like nutella which was a nice complement to the sweet strawberry and vanilla flavors.
The store itself is very clean and very dainty Prices are surprisingly reasonable for a swanky cupcake shop on Union Street. The people working are very friendly and the cupcake selection is crazy!
I'll be back so I can try all of these yummy cupcakes! -
Review from Kathleen G.
Austin, TX
2/4/2012
I purchased a Bloomspot coupon for 1 dozen cupcakes at That Takes The Cake. The 2nd week in January I called them to place an order and the person that answered the phone told me that they were closed and they just happened to be there and answered the phone. This was on a Monday. I told them I would like to place an order to be picked up on the following Thursday and they told me they would not take it, but I could place it on their web site. Fine, I thought, I'll do that. So for the rest of the day Monday and all day Tuesday I tried to place an order on their web site, but the site was broken and would give you an error message every time you tried to order. On Wed I emailed them directly to let them know that the web site had not been working and could someone please contact me so I could order a couple of dozen cupcakes to pick up on Thursday. Never got a response until over 2 weeks later, which of course was to late. And even then it was just sort of like, hey, oh well, too bad. So today I thought I would walk over to the store and pick up my cupcakes. It CLEARLY states Walk Ins Welcome right under the How to Redeem heading. So I walked in and gave them my order for a dozen cupcakes, they boxed them up and when I handed them my coupon they told me I had to place the order 72 hours in advance. That is ridiculous, they had the cupcakes and the Redeem instructions say Walk Ins Welcome.
There are many cupcake shops in my area of San Francisco and I don't need this type of customer service to get a good cupcake. Not a good experience. -
Review from Emily P.
San Francisco, CA
2/3/2012
What a wonderful spot! There are a lot of cupcake places in San Francisco, so it's hard to know which to try...but this is the kind of place that stands above the others because of their great customer service. Oh, and the cupcakes are freaking delicious too.
I had bought a LivingSocial deal there, which had expired a week before. I'd tried to go a couple times before it expired, but both times they were closed (they're a mom & pop shop that bakes everything fresh every day, so they close after their last cupcake is sold). So even though the promotional value of the deal was no longer valid, I figured I'd just go use the value I'd paid to get a few cupcakes for a friend's birthday. I picked out a few amazing looking cupcakes and pulled out my wallet to pay, but the guy who was working there (the owner, I think?) said not to worry about it, and took my deal a week after it had expired. What?!?
That kind of unexpected gesture and over-the-top customer service is what really makes a place. It left me smiling long after I'd left the shop, and means that despite the fact that there are no fewer than three other cupcake places between my apartment and That Takes the Cake, I will continue to make the trek to support this awesome little shop. Among the many cupcakes that I would recommend are: lemon drop, strawberry blonde, hella nutella, this banana one filled with peanut butter, and mint chocolate. Next to try: green tea! -
Review from Court C.
San Francisco, CA
I came back last Sunday and it seemed as though the cupcakes tasted better than before. I have a friend coming in to town, and I will surely pick up a dozen that we can munch on all weekend.
Listed in: Sweet tooth
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/10/2011
I came here for the first time and practically ALL (but 12) of the cupcakes were gone with the wind.… Read more »
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Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012 1 photo
THIS is what happens when you give someone who's on a diet a Red Velvet Cupcake from That Takes The Cake: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
It was the MOST action my mouth has gotten in...
A lady never tells. *giggles*Listed in: SWEET TREATS!, FOODGASMS - It's like SEX in…
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Review from Julie L.
Boston, MA
2/2/2012
I love sweet deliciousness.
The main reason to visit That Takes the Cake is their red velvet. It is amazingly moist, cream cheesy sweet, and decadent. It is the best red velvet in the city and deserves 5 stars.
However, their other cupcakes weren't so special for me - especially the filled ones. I was highly disappointed by the samoa, which sounded like an amazing idea. In general, I find the chocolate based cupcakes to be much better than the vanilla/white based cupcakes. So order the red velvet and you won't be disappointed! -
Review from Hannah C.
1/10/2012 2 photos
Trubate and Scoutmob deals brought me here. I picked up 8 cupcakes. And nooo I didn't get high all on my own. I shared these sweet treats with my loving nephew.
Most of these were $2.95 each, the filled cupcakes were $3.25+ each and the minis were $1.50 each.
Cupcakes I bought.....
Top to bottom (L): hella nutella, imPeach my hunger, gentlemen prefer reds,
(R): santa's mint, professor's favorite, key lime-o-licious. http://www.yelp.com/bi...?
select=70SotjuC9pG4a8uxA2coGA
snow balls and cherry blossom http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The flavors......
Hella nutella - vanilla cake filled with Nutella topped with Nutella butter cream and caramelized hazelnut pieces.
imPeach my hunger - vanilla peach cobbler filled cake with vanilla buttercream frosting with a dust of cinnamon.
Gentlemen prefer reds - red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting
Santa's mint - peppermint cake topped with chocolate butter cream and mint candy.
Professor's favorite -ginger and spice cake topped with lemon butter cream
Key lime-o-licious - lime cake topped with cream cheese frosting with graham cracker and green sanding sugar.
Snow balls - coconut and almond cake topped with cream cheese and coconut.
Cherry blossom - lightly flavored green tea cake topped with lychee buttercream.
And the Verdict.....
Too dense: Snow balls tasted good but it was very dense. Heavier than a brand muffin. You might put a dent if you throw it against a wall.
Forgettable: Cherry blossom - too subtle. I didn't taste any lychee flavor in the buttercream.
Disappointment: Hella Nutella - milk chocolate buttercream frosting drown out the Nutella fillings. Would've preferred Nutella frosting too. Not really a fan of the Professor's favorite - tasted like a brand muffin.
Standout: Santa's mint - totally had that mint flavor and it was perfect for Christmas. Gentlemen prefer reds - who doesn't like red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? It was really good.
Our favorite: key lime-o-licious had a light lime flavor that complimented perfectly to the cream cheese frosting.
The two guys who worked the front were friendly and helpful. -
Review from Vincent K.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
I've had their cupcakes multiple times and been here twice myself to pickup, and each time they were able to provide great moist cupcakes at decent prices (even without the coupons) for 2 occasions.
Let's be honest, the days of the cupcakes craze isn't going away, and if anything, its at least eliminating the competition. Instead of having 30 different chains with different varying specialties, odd flavors, and different textures and appeal to the audience, we've narrowed it down to the simplistic flavors that are guaranteed to satisfy all our cravings. The days of big cakes aren't over, but the cupcakes takes a big chunk of the dessert industry that it should be recognized.
That Takes The Cake is a very worthy contender in that market and I'm glad they're doing well at this point. (well hopefully the groupon and living social deals aren't an indicator of a downhill slide)
I've actually had 1 occasion on using the coupon and it worked out perfectly. Bought a good amount of cupcakes including the Red Velvet and Banana Creme one as well as an Apple Pie one to try and all were very delicious. The ones with fillings cost a bit extra but are pretty darn appealing to those with sweet tooths. -
Review from Monica M.
South San Francisco, CA
The minute I walked into this place, my nostrils filled with the sweet smell of cupcakes :].
First, I want to get out of the way a situation I had in which I received my order wrong. Long story short, I placed in order for 2 dozen mini cupcakes (2 different flavors). They got 1 dozen of the flavors wrong and gave me something else instead :(. I guess I should have checked, but I had SF parking and traffic, was rushing, and trusted they'd have the order right. When I talked to the guy, he was confused, but called back later. Bottom line, he was sincere and apologetic, said my correct 1 dozen will the ready to pick up the next day and I can keep the wrong 1 dozen they gave me.
Giving them 5 stars beause their cupcakes are so delicious (one of my favs from all the places I've tried), and when they messed up on my order the guy (I forgot his name) was good about it. I did have to drive all the way over there and struggle with traffic and parking again, but, hey, their cupcakes are pretty damn good (plus they let me keep the wrong 1 dozen). -
Review from carolyn y.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
GUESS WHAT I PICKED UP TODAY!
.. YOU GOT IT. Some Gentlemen's red. mm.mm. I haven't eaten it yet because it's still in the trunk waiting for me. But this review is for the service they provided me with today! I was going in hoping to use my living social coupon because tomorrow is the last day! But while in front the sign says no more cuppiecakes. :( I was all sadden and the guy asked me if i had an order to pick up. Well, I did but I wasn't sure he got it because no one emailed me back! He said I could either have 6 red velvets or an extention if i wanted an assorted 6. So, I just stuck with the red velvets because I loove red velvet and didn't want to waste anymore time waiting for delish cupcakes! He was busy with his personal life but was kind enough to help me. Thats the kind of service you can depend on! THANKS A BUNCH!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/3/2010
Been there,
Done that,
LOVE IT!!
Gentlemen Red ooooooooooorrrr red velvet.
HEY, isn't that the same… Read more »
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Review from Joanna T.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/5/2012
I took advantage of a recent ScoutMob deal to try That Takes a Cake again.
The day before the last day of the deal, I showed up in the afternoon around 3pm. As I got to the door, I noticed it was closed with a sign, saying "Sorry, we sold out of cupcakes today."
If you can imagine a Mr. Bill facial expression 'Oh NO!' on my face, you would envision what the employees inside the store saw when they looked at me reading that message.
Luckily, I came back the next day (early!) and got a mystery cupcake and a Saucy Sally cupcake. The mystery cupcake was a yam cupcake with brown butter frosting. This was fantastic - not too sweet and sort of healthy (you know, yams are a vegetable!). The Saucy Sally was layers of three different types of cake (white, dark and red velvet chocolate cake) with chocolate frosting - ingenious.
Nom, nom, nom...I'll be back for more.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/29/2009
I recently showed up for their anniversary celebration and enjoyed my first cupcake. Yummmmy! The… Read more »
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Review from Denise W.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2012
This one star review is solely for one of the worse services I've ever had.
Since when did cute cupcake shops bring about mean and bitter people? When I spoke to a man on the phone, he was absolutely rude and inconsiderate. Here is what happened: In order to use the Groupon deal, you are required to call 48 hours in advance to place an order. I called multiple times without an answer and when he finally returned my messages, it was too late to place an order, which I REALLY needed for a holiday party. He was not sorry at all and pretty much implied "too bad" throughout the phone call. He actually seemed more piss than anything.
When I finally did place an order (3 days in advanced), I told them to surprise me with a variety of flavors since I did not know what they have and I'm not about to have them list all twenty. And of course, they give me the crappiest flavors. Best way to jip their customers.
Yes, they were voted best for their cupcakes but they need to get off their high horse and treat people with respect. It is as if they hate the customers who give them their business. What an irony. -
Review from Cindy B.
Updated - 1/8/2012 3 Check-ins Here
I have been back a few times since my last review and one thing I thought was that the dollop of frosting has been getting smaller. Just to make sure it was not my imagination, I looked thru the photos on Yelp and it confirmed my observation. The butter cream has tasted less overly buttery now but stiff with too a bit too much powder sugar.
Most of the cupcakes I have tried ranged from ok to pretty good:
Cherry blossom: I liked the lychee frosting mostly but green tea cake was very mild in flavour that I could not tell it was green tea besides the colour.
Razzle dazzle: The chocolate cake was more moist than others I have tried and the raspberry frosting was one of the better ones.
Mint chocolate: The mint cake was a good idea and I enjoyed it combined with chocolate frosting. (Most other places have chocolate cake with mint frosting.)
Ginger spice: I offered one to my friend and he picked the ginger spice cake. A little later, he sheepishly told me over the phone that the cake was so dry and hard as a rock. He cut thru the whole thing with a knife trying to find one softer bite in the center, but the effort was ultimately unsuccessfully.
As for the service, I have never has problem with anybody. They were all really friendly whenever I came to the store.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/1/2010
Based on the yelp trend, they seems to be getting worse.
The lady behind the counter was friendly,… Read more »
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Review from Jack H.
Mill Valley, CA
12/22/2011
Not a fan....tried to redeem a groupon...site ordering failed, called but could not leave message, sent e-mail, no response. Once I did talk to someone , they told me they were booked for the weekend ,and offered a lot of excuses....not my problem!
Don't put the offer out there if ya can't handle the biz!....dissapointed -
Review from Victoire W.
San Francisco, CA
12/23/2011
Sticking with Kara's. One apathetic server in early afternoon. Didn't look like he cared about the business or the cupcakes, was just there to take your money. Cupcake was okay but dry and not special enough for me to feel like walking into hbo's the wire again
Then today, tried to use the scout mob. The previous times I tried, they were all sold out and closed up by the time I got there. Which isn't a bad thing, I just don't have time to wait in a line for cupcakes in the morning. But I got here around 2pm. Same guy, there were only filled cupcakes and mini cupcakes left. The scout on was for unfilled, so I asked if he could do mini cupcakes, since I had come over to union. He just shook his head, no smile, just said "nope." btw, filled are $3.25, unfilled $2.95 and mini $1.50, and there were only a handful of any sort of cupcake at all left, so he wasn't going to be filling some huge order in lieu of me.
The combination of the handling of scout mob and the apathetic, disengaged salesman have made me decide never to come to this place again. Im also recommending other places to my friends. Maybe the owners are nice and all, but they should find a server who better represents the level of care they'd like to exhibit in their business. -
Review from Sara G.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
What terrible customer service. Never thought there could be so much arrogance wrapped up in a cupcake. Amazing.
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Review from Clarice W.
Lawrence, KS
12/24/2011
I don't want to be a stickler but I honestly think this place is overrated. I tried the egg nog, cherry blossom (green tea with lychee icing), banana, and pumpkin. There's really nothing wrong with any of the flavors - in fact the egg nog and green tea were really yummy and light - but the cupcakes themselves are super dense and not that moist, almost like a bread. The pumpkin and banana cupcakes just tasted like pumpkin/banana bread with frosting on top, which is just not what I'm looking for in a cupcake. I also didn't particularly like the frosting on the cherry blossom, it was very sweet and granular. Each unfilled cupckake is $2.95, which is pretty pricey given that they're not very large cupcakes, either.
The owners of the store are very nice though. We arrived at 11:30am to find that the shop was still closed and several people with pre-orders had been waiting outside for a good half hour. The owners took it upon themselves to call every one of those customers to let them know they were stuck in terrible traffic, and they also called the owner of the store next to them to inform their customers of the delay. Now that's good, responsible service!
I'm not saying there's anything majorly wrong with That Takes The Cake, but there's nothing particularly right about it, if that makes any sense. Just keep in mind that if you're looking for a delicate, fluffy, moist treat, this place might not satisfy that craving. -
Review from Ann L.
I went for the FREE two non-filled cupcakes Scoutmob deal, think Sat 12/24 is the last day, go Early for best selection. Got there a bit late on Fri 12/23/11 around 2pm.
There was about 6 people ahead of me, & the pickings were already slim.
Good thing I still could get my 2, I picked: Alfred Hitchcock - vanilla cupcake w/ chocolate frosting. I thought cake was just ok, chocolate frosting was pretty good. Picked Eggnog the other flavor left. Hubby got to try it, but he doesn't like frosting so he took off the frosting & ate the cake part. He liked it ok.
Thank you That Takes The Cake & Scoutmob! I walked & it's far from Bart. Driving might be hard to find street parking, good luck.Listed in: desserts
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Review from Kate J.
San Francisco, CA
12/20/2011 1 photo
I used a Scout Mob coupon to get two free unfilled cupcakes today! I got there around 2:45pm so the pickings were slim, once they run out of cupcakes they close the store. I chose the 'opposites attract' peanut butter and chocolate cupcake the the 'mint chocolate' holiday peppermint cupcake.
I ate the peanut butter one first and it was a pleasant surprise to find mini chocolate chips in the cake! It was not overly peanut buttery, it was the perfect ratio chocolate:peanut butter. The cake was moist and the amount of frosting was perfect.
I did not really like the peppermint chocolate. It has a yellow cake that tasted of peppermint and chocolate peppermint frosting. I think it would be a but more cohesive if the cake was chocolate too. The cake was moist as well and was still a high quality cupcake.
I'll definitely stop back in! I'm dying to try a filled cupcake, they looked delicious! -
Review from Frances B.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/18/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Brian is AWESOME! My bestfriend bought a groupon for this place, but has since moved to Los Angeles. She just realized she still had it and forwarded it to me to use up in Nor Cal since she knows I was born to eat cupcakes from That Takes the Cake. Only bummer was that she realized that the groupon expired the day before she gave it to me. So...I called Brian and told him my situation. He said it was no problem and that he'd honor my expired groupon. I never got to make it in that day (and actually plan to go there this saturday, a week after the groupon expired), so I will see if he will still honor it this weekend. Nonetheless, great business practices = loyal customers! Thank you BRIAN!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/23/2011
Cute, small and absolutely delicious cupcake shop on Union in San Francisco. My hubby and I drove… Read more »
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Review from Madeline M.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2011
I've tried just about every cupcake place in the city and these are by far the best. Very moist cupcakes with just the right amount of icing. Interesting flavors and very nice couple that run the place.
Highly recommend! -
Review from Amy L.
12/10/2011
Honestly, I'm not a fan. I had a trubate deal, so I'd been meaning to go for awhile, but never got a chance to because I'm not around this area too much. But I finally got a chance today, and well, I'm not impressed.
Parking was a bit difficult, so bring coins for the meters. I thought I'd be super indecisive about the cupcakes I want [my trubates deal covered up to 6 cupcakes], but the guy behind the counter wasn't too talkative. Our interaction was pretty cut&dry, which is fine, but he didn't look like he enjoyed his job too much. I put 17 minutes worth of coins in the meter, and when I exited the store, there were 13 minutes left. I ended up getting one Hella Nutella, two red velvets, and three carrots.
The Hella Nutella was... boring. Anybody who knows me knows that I live for Nutella, so for me to not enjoy anything Nutella-related... well, it takes a lot [or too little flavoring, I guess]. The texture was... just strange. My friend, KD, enjoyed the carrot cupcake, but I wasn't a fan of the texture, nor the cream cheese frosting. I had the same complaint with the red velvet - the cream cheese frosting is just too sweet. The boy agreed with me - not worth it.
Sigh. I was so excited, but in the end, it was pretty mediocre. -
Review from Min T.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
Came here for the Scoutmob deal (2 free unfilled cupcakes). This was my first time here, and having tried Karas and Sprinkles many times in the past, this place was in for a good match. I got the red velvet and the seasonal pumpkin spice. Both were good and moist, albeit a bit on the smaller side.
As for customer service, it seems like it's really hit or miss judging from the reviews of others. The African American male who was behind the counter was SUPER friendly to my friend and I, so I'm hard-pressed to think they were referring to him. -
Review from Pam K.
Menlo Park, CA
1/18/2012
Here's the thing: Cake is good, moist and the frosting delectably creamy and not too sweet. But the service could use some help...
We sent an email to Brian (owner) to place an order for a dozen cupcakes to be picked up on 15 Jan. When we showed up, the store clerk could not find our order. Luckily, there were still cupcakes left, so we just pick a dozen.
Back in Dec 2011, we were led to this store with Living Social's deal, after 4 phone calls that end up on their answering m/c, we drove 50 miles from San Jose to SFO to buy the cakes. But it was sold out, thats why we emailed our order ahead of time. But still our order fell thru the crack. Maybe its time they get extra help to handle the volume of business. Customer service is still important for the longevity of a business besides good tasting cakes... -
Review from Nancy S.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2011
Probably one of the best cupcakes I've ever tasted, that's including Sprinkles too!
I came across this shop once when my girlfriends and I were on our way to dinner at the French restaurant next door. We were a bit early, so decided to check out this cupcake shop. One of them said it was voted the best cupcakes in SF last year, so we definitely had to try some!
We ordered the Samoa, Red Velvet, Mint Chocolate and Hella Nutella. The owners were a really nice and sweet couple and they noticed we're new customers, so he gave us all a free mini red velvet as gratuity.
O-M-G, the red velvet was soooo moist and tasty - probably one of the best I've had! If a mini cupcake tasted so good, we were thinking that no doubt the other cupcakes would be just as good.
After dinner, we (4) all shared each cupcake. I think the Samoa was my favorite out of the four. Hella Nutella was pretty normal, vanilla with nutella filling, which is another reason why I like this place so much because they make cupcakes with fillings and sometimes even cocktail-flavored ones.
They make their cupcake flavors according to season. I remember once when I tried ordering the orange and strawberry flavors, they said they weren't making it since the fruits weren't in season. Shows how much they care for good ingredients.
Since I couldn't get a strawberry cupcake, I ordered the vanilla with strawberry frosting. The strawberry frosting was so fresh that it tasted like strawberry ice cream! It just tasted so good in my mouth! I had to fight my boyfriend for another bite. He really liked the Banana.
Overall, I think this is one of the best places for cupcakes in the city and there are many interesting flavors to try! -
Review from Tiffany F.
San Francisco, CA
11/6/2011
In the midst of the influx of cupcakeries that have popped up in the past few years, I think this is among the best ones! Mainly because they're the only cupcake place I know of in the city that has green tea cupcakes (the Cherry Blossom - green tea with a yummy lychee frosting ) and filled Nutella cupcakes (I repeat, a cupcake FILLED WITH NUTELLA....can it get any better?)
The family that owns this place is super cute and friendly too. Definitely try this out! -
Review from Ally C.
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
If I were to choose two of my most favorite things in the entire world it would be:
1) Free Food
2) Cupcakes
With that said, a couple weeks ago Scout Mob offered a deal that brought together the two of my most favorite things in the entire world and made me feel whole again. Yes, they offered 2 free non-filled cupcakes at That Takes the Cake, my most favorite cupcake place of all time. Can you believe that? Neither could I. It probably was the equivalent to winning the lottery (through the eyes of a cupcake enthusiast.)
The selection of cupcakes was immense. The easy part was accepting the offer, however having to chose which cupcakes to use for the deal was more than difficult. I was bombarded with a plethora of tasty colorful enticing cupcakes all frosted to a beautiful perfection. How could I just chose two? The idea was merely impossible, so I ended up buying an additional cupcake along with my free stash -- hella nutella, tuxedo and gentlemen prefer reds. Each cupcake was absolutely moist and each bite taken exposed a burst of deep rich flavor. Just when I thought I was head over heels with tuxedo, the next bite of gentlemen prefer reds won over my heart, but then it wasn't until I took a bite out of the hella nutella that I truly knew I was in love. I am obsessed with nutella and to have a cupcake filled with nutella will definitely win me over any other choco-banana-strawberry filled entity. Hella nutella definitely took the cake this round. I'll definitely be back for more. -
Review from Amy K.
Walnut Creek, CA
Updated - 10/8/2011
In response to your response:
According to KGB Deals, who sold the voucher, it is okay for one person to buy more than one voucher as gifts for other people. Therefore, if two different people come in at the same time and each have their own voucher in hand (regardless if the same person bought them), they should have both been able to use them. One voucher per person per visit. You didn't want to sell me the cupcakes. Don't be sorry just be honest.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/19/2011
The Absolute WORST Customer Service Ever!!
I would give this place no stars if it was an option. The… Read more »
Comment from Keisha W. of That Takes The Cake 10/7/2011
Hey Amy, I'm sorry that you are unhappy with our decision… More » -
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Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2011 1 photo
When it comes to cupcake toothpaste, candles, lip glosses, pet names, iphone + pandora advertisement that pops out everywhere!, key chains, hats, and shirts....they all suck! When you mix Takes The Cake + Mission Mini's + Little Skillet's Red Velvet Cupcake...Just Amazing!
The following three take the cake:
School Days- PB&J (just like the sandwich)
Sassy Sistah- Chocolate, Red Velvet & Vanilla
Coconut
Ok, lets make it four..
+ Hella Nutella
Don't take the cake, but delicious:
Key Lime Pie with graham crackers
Chocolate with reeses
Fresh banana
Cupcakes are $2.95, mini are $1.50, and filled are a bit more expensive. They have two tables to sit down, always have deals going on, add ribbons to boxes if its a gift, and offer a variety of flavors. I would love to see more cupcakes with cool designs for holidays. The owners are so sweet, just like the cupcakes. -
Review from claudia h.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2011
This place is trying to make a quick buck and they clearly do not need the publicity as you can garner from the number of reviews. I purchased a $15 for one dozen cupcakes deal on bloomspot yesterday. The certificate stated 'walk-ins welcome'. So I walk in today assuming I can redeem my certificate. I show the gentleman my certificate (on my phone) and he tells me I was suppose to pre-order my dozen cupcakes for the certificate to be valid. I show him my bloomspot deal and we read the conditions together. He clearly sees the 'walk-ins welcome' wording but still proceeds to tell me, with an attitude, that the certificate is only valid if I pre-order and if everyone walked in with the deal then they would run out of cupcakes yadayada. Ok fine, I tell him but it would be nice if they can next time clarify that and not state walk-ins welcome if that was not the case. He then proceeds to blame me because I didn't have the certificate printed even though I showed it to him on my phone. I'm not quite sure what the difference was and he obviously could not offer a reasonable explanation or even an apology for the confusion. There was also no one else in the store and a shelf full of cupcakes so it didn't appear they were going to sell out.
I'm conflicted with what this business is trying to accomplish by offering deals on bloomspot and groupon. Their business practice is shady and really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also, I've tried the cupcakes before and they aren't bad but after this I will definitely think twice about supporting them. -
Review from Beatrice W.
San Francisco, CA
12/24/2011
Tried this place because of Scoutmob. I tried the Cherry Blossom (green tea with lychee frosting), Tis the Season (Eggnog), Cow Hollow (pumpkin with cream cheese frosting), & Fresh Banana (banana with cream cheese frosting). All in all, their cake and frosting flavors are solid. But the cupcakes are less airy and more dense, like a bread (i.e., pumpkin bread, banana bread). It's just a matter of personal preference, but I prefer airy cupcakes. The cupcakes are decently moist, but I have had moister cake. These cupcakes are not huge, they barely puff above the top of the cupcake liner, so at 2.95 per unfilled cupcake, it is a little on the pricey end. All that said, the owner was very nice so that was a plus.
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Review from Andy S.
12/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very solid cupcakes. I enjoy their variety of flavors and the fact that they also have minis! They have a very 'traditional' look as opposed to their competitors- they look like the 'cupcakes I used to eat when I was a kid'- with their frosting stylization, occasional sprinkles, and classic design. However they have an interesting mix of flavors and taste much better than my old-school cupcakes! Also, they engage in many different quantity & discounting programs as well. I prefer several of their competitors a bit more (Susie Cakes is my personal favorite...) but I enjoy That Takes The Cake very much and they are a part of my 'cupcake rotation'.
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Review from Michelle L.
San Francisco, CA
10/8/2011
I purchased a Trubates coupon for $9 that got me $20 in exchange, and I thought it was such a good deal given the high ratings on Yelp. But boy was I disappointed when I finally redeemed my cupcakes today. Okay, it may be the flavors that I got (I went to the store pretty late and there were barely any cupcakes left). But regardless of the flavors, the cake itself was REALLY dry. The frosting did not "WOW" me either... The cupcakes also lacked in presentation. Even my mom (who knows NOTHING about cupcakes) smelled something fishy about them, and claimed that they were made from Betty Crocker's mixes. Sad to say, she might be right - or well, the cupcakes tasted like they were from a box.
However, the guy was super nice and let me use my Trubates coupon even though I didn't print it out. But for $2.95 a cupcake, no thanks... I think I'll pass. I would much rather spend another quarter at Sprinkles or Love at First Bite. For such a dense city, I have yet to find a decent cupcake place in San Francisco... strange. -
Review from Shortys Mom m.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2011
I would first like to say... These are extremely yummy cupcakes!!!. They are moist, favorable and perfect.
Down the street you have American cupcake, who only give you different flavored icing, and bland cake, which is dry. They sell excitement of funky flavored icing, but a bad cupcake.
Kara's and Susie's are only okay.
What i love about It Takes the Cake, is the flavor the cupcake bread and icing has. The icing is very yummy and just the right amount. I hate too much icing, it takes away from the cake, it is like they know that, and put the right amount.
Truly a delight eating these cupcakes.
To touch on the customer service, i have never had a bad moment. Brian the owner has been nothing but friendly to me, and accommodating. I know that most the people i work with have said the same thing. He is always happy to see us and just is a true pleasure to do business with.
I think it is awesome that a mom and pop shop is pushing through these times, and i like to support as many as possible, especially when they have AWESOME cupcakes.
And to the yelpers who say they taste like out of the box, you are sadly mistaken. You can taste the preservatives in cupcakes that come out of a mixture in a box. It Takes the Cake are fresh, full of flavor, and Yummy!!!. -
Review from Melody L.
Irvine, CA
12/26/2011
My deal saavy roommate had another one of those scoutmob deals, so we came to get free cupcakes! It's a small cute shop in the Marina, with a giant water bowl out front for dogs. Cupcakes are pretty and having interesting flavors and names. I got the cookies and creme cupcake, and my roommate and I sat down at the only available seat inside the shop - a small table with two chairs - score for us! The actual eating of the cupcake was kind of disappointing - my oreo cookie on the top was a little stale, and I thought that my cupcake part was dry and not that memorable at all. The FROSTING on the other hand, was probably some of the best frosting I'd ever had. Not sure if it's enough to save the cupcake though..
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Review from Marissa H.
San Francisco, CA
9/12/2011
Eh, they're ok. Don't think they're anything overly special.
Had the vanilla w/ chocolate frosting - if you can't do the simple, standard ones properly, why bother? The vanilla cake was ok, moist and large. The chocolate frosting was extremely sweet. It left me with a toothache half-way thru the cupcake. Good amount of icing in relation to cake.
Lots of flavors to choose from but I went an hour before closing & they only had the vanilla w/ chocolate "normal" sized cupcakes left & 2 varieties of minis so they certainly sell out each day. -
Review from Nancy O.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/28/2011
Must update my last review to say they've brought back the REAL DEAL STRAWBERRY cupcake.
Yay!
These cupcakes are consistently moist and absolutely delicious. I keep wondering why I see so many online deals for their cupcakes when they seem to bring in a steady stream of business anyway. But that's beside the point.
If you want some delicious cupcakes, come here!
Cupcakes tasted: Sprinkles, Kara's, Sibby's, Mission Minis, SusieCakes, Cako Bakery2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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10/4/2010
I'm still a fan, but on a recent trip I tried the strawberry again (sigh). They've moved to a more… Read more »
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Review from Eva H.
San Francisco, CA
Service: 2/5
Food: 4/5
Wait: 4/5
Price: $$
Presentation of food: 4/5
Presentation of restaurant: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
I would've given them 4 stars, but I had to -1 because the service wasn't as bubbly and friendly as I hoped it would be like all other cupcake places. They seemed rushed and just business, it was like "what you like" they grab it, charge you; "okay bye". No 'oh hey how are you doing, how's your day so far, any special occasions?' NADA. Zip. And I had came here 3x already. Because their cupcakes ARE YUMMY (kind of small though), for the price I thought it be a size of Sprinkles cupcakes or Kara's. It's a smidge smaller than the average cupcake store cupcake. It's more like a HOME BAKED size. -
Review from Michael W.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/23/2011
Update: I love their cupcakes but what I really can't stand is driving all the way across town to get cupcakes and either they are closed or out of what I want. Very annoying. If they want to be successful and keep my business, the need to have dependable hours and products.
I've replaced the with CupKate's.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/9/2010
We were looking for the city's best cupcakes for a birthday party and sampled just about every… Read more »
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Review from Andrea B.
10/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cupcakes were pretty good, but service + location wasn't great.
The cupcakes were really moist and pleasant, and I really liked the amount of frosting on each cupcake - not too much or too little. Not sure about all the "they were really dry" reviews - they were all super moist. THERE ARE SO MANY FLAVORS. They were very sweet, but what do you expect? They're cupcakes. One is the perfect portion before collapsing into "I have diabetes" fears.
My family and I tried like one of every kind they had, and they were all great. Another plus - I got a dozen, and they came in the coolest cupcake case. I will keep it for transporting homemade cupcakes.
The service was sort of cold, and the location sucks balls. It's hard to get to, and there's no parking. Real pain.
