Pearl’s Cupcake Shoppe

We had Pearl’s do cupcakes and a cutting cake for our wedding and we could not have made a better choice! All of our guests loved the cupcakes, and it was great having a variety of flavors for the guests to choose from. We had the peanut butter cup, black and white, plain jane, and cookie cupcakes and they were all hits! The bakers at Pearl’s even made a special pair of cupcakes for one of our bridesmaids who has a severe nut allergy and transported them separately as well! We were very impressed with the level of service and the quality of this great Richmond bakery!

I’d like to start by saying Pearl’s cupcakes, and even its macarons are amazing, and even though I’ve been back since it’s the customer service I had a problem with. Now most of the time I’ve come here the people behind the counter have been extremely nice and friendly, however one day I came after I got out of work to pick up some macarons. I came around 4:30 p.m. which is just about closing time for Pearl’s and I asked if I could have the raspberry and vanilla macarons. The person behind the counter went to explain to me that they were all out, but instead someone else interrupted her and said «We’re all out, you should have been here sooner, we can’t make anymore, and we’re about to close». Not only was I left speechless but so was the girl behind the counter so I just said «Thank you,» to the girl behind the counter and walked out. Like I probably would have purchased a cupcake at that point but I was just so taken back by how that other person responded I didn’t know how else to react but leave. Like clearly she didn’t want my business. This person also seemed like a person of authority like a manager or an owner. Which I think is even worse to talk to your customers like that in front of your staff.

We ordered a cake from pearls and indeed got a few compliments on it at the party. However, we found the cake to be extremely pricey and they did not hesitate to continue to increase the price for every little change that we asked them to make. We also asked them if they offered any discounts at all as it was way above our budget and they refused graciously. Definitely not a place to order cakes on a budget!

I had never been to Pearl’s cupcake shoppe in the past, but saw that they had alot of great reviews and pictures of pretty special occasion cakes. I was specifically looking for a cake shop that could make pretty cakes for my daughter’s first birthday party (a smash cake and a regular birthday cake). I decided to give Pearl’s a try and so glad I did! The ordering process was easy and the person behind the counter explained all the different varieties to me. She also explained the different price points. I wasn’t sure how to order the smash cake, I just knew I wanted it to be very small but their smallest cake was pretty big. So the counter person suggested she could use a large cupcake they have, flip it over after cutting the rounded top, and that’s the smash cake (decorated of course). What a great idea! So about a month later (I ordered in advance), I picked up cakes and they were beautiful! They got such rave reviews at the party that I ended up also ordering a baby shower cake from them for a future party. I’ve also tried a few cupcakes and they were great.

I really loved this cute shop, Definetly your hometown shop! So cute and old fashioned. I was a little disappointed in the selection, the coffee was home brewed style, no specialty coffees or teas, which I like with my cupcakes! I was excited to see the gluten free options but I’ve seen better. I’ve only eaten one of the 6 we got so far and it is on point!, we had the gf peanut better chocolate! The flavors meshed so well and was the perfect ratio of the two flavors, however I like my cupcakes melt in your mouth moist and this was not quite to that level. I’m kind of a cupcake snob. But I’m looking forward to trying the rest! And I definitely recommend stopping here if your in town! I’d go back!

So, so good. Consistently good. They are our go-​to treat for office birthdays. They never let us down! The thing I love most about them is that they are not sickeningly sweet. Wait… That might be a bad thing because we all probably eat more than we should. But that’s what birthday celebrations are for!

Without a doubt, these are the best cupcakes in Richmond. Do not go anywhere else to get cupcakes.
As for flavors, really you cannot go wrong. I am obsessed with their red velvet, plain jane, and if they have it– their «C» is for cupcake cupcakes. Best advice: get a bunch of different types and cut them in half to try a few different ones and share with others!

Love everything about Pearl’s. It has a sweet, old-​fashioned charm to showcase the sweet, old-​fashioned and delicious cupcakes and other goodies. Always feel transported when I’m in here, maybe it’s the beautiful old display cabinets or the lovely wallpaper, but something very old school in the best way about this wonderful bakery.
And white Chinese carry-​out «bags» to take your goodies home. Brava! Long may you wave, Pearl’s.

These are probably the best bakery cupcakes I’ve ever had. A friend of our’s got an assortment for their wedding a few years ago that were delicious, but I just had them for them again for the first time since then and YUM. I had forgotten how good they are.
I honestly usually hate bakery cakes and cupcakes because I think they all just taste like some generic sweet thing, but all of Pearl’s flavors are unique and tasty.

Holy crap. Best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Like I’m actually searching my brain right now to think of a time I had a better tasting carrot cake. I only had one cupcake. That’s all I needed to know this place is everything.
Thank God my trainer doesn’t follow me on Unilocal

I wish I had a photo to post of my cupcake, but it was gone by the time I pulled out of my parking spot outside. AMAZING! I ordered the Top Hat, which is a white cupcake with chocolate frosting. The cupcake itself was perfect, and the frosting was decadent without being too sweet. Pearl’s has a great variety and selection without being too fancy and over the top with their flavors like some bakeries can be.

Read Unilocal reviews and gave this place a try. I have high standards when it comes to cupcakes and my favorite shop is in the DC metro area. However, I will say that Pearl’s is my top place in Central VA. I have already recommended this shop to my friends, coworkers and colleagues.
I love how the frosting stays fresh (doesn’t harden) even after a day. I wish I knew if it hardens after 1 day but all of the cupcakes were gone. Lol.
Honestly, there is too much frosting and not enough cake for my personal taste, but I know people who love frosting and will enjoy this cupcake.
I tried the Strawberry, Champagne, Oreo, Black&White and Coconut. All thumbs up.

Yup, the cupcake is good! My professor introduced me to the world of Pearl’s, so I haven’t been to the shop, yet. I had the Pearl Goes Co Co. Chocolate on the bottom, some cool-​whip like frosting, and coconut flakes on top. I don’t like fatty layers of frosting, especially when it is way too sweet. But Pearl’s was different. This frosting was a cool-​whip like texture. The cupcake portion itself was moist and flavorful. I’ll be trying another cupcake next week, so hopefully the verdict on cupcakes will be consistent. A cupcake is good in my book if one half of it doesn’t ruin the balance between cupcake and frosting.

The best tasting gluten free cupcakes EVER! I don’t know if they are celiac/​allergy friendly.
The death by chocolate one! OMG SO GOOOOOOOOODDDD!!!
I’ve also had a gluten free chocolate derby cake from here and my gluten free disliking husband ate it up. The best!!!

I LOVE bakeries and since moving to Richmond I’ve made it my mission to try as many as possible. I’ve sampled goods from three bakeries so far and been sorely disappointed by the city’s offerings — until now.
I was never one to jump on the cupcake craze train. (Or even wave at it as it went speeding past.) I like cupcakes, but I never saw what the big deal was until I tried Pearl’s. This is absolutely the best cupcake I’ve ever had. I opted for the Black & White. Moist, flavorful, deeply chocolate-​y chocolate cake, divine melt-​in-​your-​mouth buttercream icing, and the ideal proportion of said cake to said icing: Perfection. I took it home and had it with an ice cold glass of milk. I honestly don’t know how the experience could have been improved.
The bakery itself is adorable, and the girl who served me was everything someone working at a bakery should be — very sweet and friendly but definitely knew her stuff. I will most definitely be making the trek out from the Fan for Pearl’s the next time a sugar craving grips me.

I have had pearls cupcakes on occasion for birthdays and such but had never had a cake from there. I went over budget for the cake I ordered but it was 100% worth it. It was the hit of my dads 60^th birthday party and could not have been more perfect. My mom was so impressed she stopped in to personally speak to the baker/​creator. I would highly recommend pearls and will be having them make my other special occasion cakes in the future

One of the best bakeries I’ver ever been to. I’m not from the area but my sister was graduating from VCU and customized a cake for her. They have so many flavors and the options are limitless. I ordered a two tier cake with the top tier in the flavor Mac Attack and the bottom tier in the flavor tiramisu. I got a customized design on it and the bakery did a great job bringing my idea to life! Both flavors are delicious! I recommend both! The lemon in the Mac Attack isn’t too heavy, it’s a right amount of tart with the crunch from the nuts.
The staff here is so sweet and amazing. The manager (I think) noticed that my sister and I both had orders from here but kept both orders a secret from one another. :D My sister customized cupcakes for me for my birthday and my oh my they were gorgeous! Not only were they pretty, they were delicious as well! If I was ever in the area I would definitely stop by again!

Perfect! The pistachio and the red velvet were absolutely to die for and the light, gooey cream on the coconut topping was superb and I loved the less «hardened, dense» consistency. I can’t wait to go back and try something else! They have different, special flavors every day and even a lot that aren’t on the site, and they are all just so creative and wonderful. Blows the water out of any other cupcake shoppe in the area.
**I went for a second round, and I could not STOP eating the carrot cake cupcake, and their chocolate hazelnut was absolutely superb as well. These are literally cupcake perfection, and I ordered a dozen for Christmas with the out-​of-​town family, as they have festive flavors starting that week, and all of these people need these cupcakes in their lives.**
**I went here for breakfast one morning, out of curiosity, and their ham and sweet potato morning biscuit is INCREDIBLE. Literally, I don’t think Pearl’s is capable of baking anything that isn’t at the top of its class. I want like a dozen of those for a week’s worth of breakfasts, they’re that good. I grab cupcakes for all special events from here, and really want to frequent more to try some of their other confections and other breakfast items (though if that sweet potato biscuit is there again in the morning, it’ll probably just be that.) I can’t believe any bakery can be THIS consistently good, but it is.**

So this is my second time at Pearl’s cupcakes. The first time I wasn’t so impressed: Twisted citrus cupcake was quite tasty. The only drawback was that all three elements: the icing, the curd filling and the cake had the same texture which overwhelmed the palette.
This time I decided to stay away from the curd filling and tried to get something with their raspberry filling (per a suggestion from my boss who absolutely adores Pearl’s). I ended up getting the peach melba cupcake (as their selections rotate daily). The cashier was friendly and patient while I made my decision and answered all the questions I had succinctly.
The cupcake was $ 2.99 (including tax).
I was hesitant at first, but I took my first bite and it was heavenly! Proceeded to undulate between savoring and devouring the remaining bites of the cupcake.
The cake had just the right amount of moisture and did not overdo it on the fresh raspberry filling. The buttercream had the perfect consistency and flavors. The top was adorned with one fresh raspberry and believe it or not they gave it just what I needed texturally. Great care was put into the construction of this cupcake and it shows!
I absolutely love Pearl’s and now I am addicted just like my boss and the myriad other Richmonders who feel the same.
I will be back and will recommend Pearl’s for all special occasions including weddings!
Thank you Pearl’s!

Cupcakes aren’t my favorite things, so I’ll keep this short and to the point. I’m not a cupcake connoisseur, but here are some opinions from a cupcake peasant.
What I had:
— — — — –
We went twice. The first time I got a Strawberry Lemonade cupcake, which had strawberry cake, strawberry icing with lemon zest, and a surprise lemon curd filling. (Well, surprise to me because I didn’t read the description, haha). Second time I tried a cake pop and a Strawberry Fields cupcake, which was essentially a strawberry cupcake with strawberry icing and topped with a strawberry. All the items were delicious, sweet, but not too sweet to hurt my teeth (sometimes sugar does that). My fiancée has enjoyed everything she has gotten so far as well.
Pros:
——
+ Two cupcakes here cost about $ 6 together. While still more expensive than donuts, they are a bit cheaper than other cupcake spots in RVA.
+ There are plenty of flavors outside of just chocolate and vanilla. I had a strawberry lemonade one for example. (And it was great!)
+ They offer other goodies like Cake Pops and Candy. The Cake Pops come in Vanilla, Chocolate, and Red Velvet. (Possibly more)
+ Attempting to go Gluten Free or Vegan? They have a decent selection of cupcakes. If you have Celiac I’d ask them about cross contamination though.
+ Staff is nice.
+ Location is nice and in a very friendly part of town.
Cons:
——
— Icing. Rather, the quantity of it. Maybe some people love about a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ratio of cake to icing, but it’s a bit much. I understand that decorating them adds a large appeal, but at the end of the day, it’s food that you eat. That said, it tastes good.
— The massive list of cupcakes on their website is just what could be there. The actual number of varieties available is about 15. Granted, it’s still a lot, but just go in with an open mind that you might not get a flavor that you spotted online.
Overall:
— — — -
Reiterating, I’m not a cupcake person, but find myself wanting to get one whenever I tag along with my fiancée. That’s gotta count for something, right?