Coastal Cupcakes

There is a few cupcake shops in Wilmington but I thought I’d try this shop first. I was surprised with how few options they have out front. But I suggest you ask if they have any other favors in the back because they do!
I wanted a chocolate cupcake but with something special. She told me about three different chocolate cupcakes she had in the back. I went with the Irish car bomb chocolate cake. I liked it because it was not overly sweet. You could taste the alcohol a little too which I liked. The actual cake of the cupcake was a little hard for each cupcake.
I tried the coconut and key lime pie cupcake. I enjoyed the key lime pie cupcake a lot!
Otherwise, I have had better cupcakes. But I will admit that it’s worth coming here to try the key lime pie cupcake!
Prices are not bad either.

OMG! Today I had this crocake and key lime cupcake and I almost died… I am someone who has eaten my fair share of cupcakes and have been pretty disappointed but when I tell you that cupcake was so light and moist with just the right amount of tangy and sweetness… YES!!! It gave me life. And the crocake almost sent me in a pleasure comma. It was crispy, super buttery, not too sweet, with just the right amount of chew. Diet Killer!!! I will have to try more but in moderation otherwise I could develop diabetes.

Coastal Cupcakes is simply the best! I was able to place an order for delivery for my sister’s birthday from the west coast. The staff was able to arrange a dozen cupcakes to be delivered to my sister’s job. The delivery fee was minimal. Service was superior!

I got there close to closing and was treated very well by the girl behind the counter. She was sweet and very helpful. I ordered 6 key lime (bc I read they were the best), red velvet, carrot cake and banana pudding. The cupcakes looked very nice and my husband thinks his carrot cake was great but I felt the key lime tasted like lemon pound cake. It was good but not the best I’ve had.

Of all the sweet shops in the county– this HAS to be my favorite! The cake texture is perfect, not grainy, and the icing is unbelievably delicious! Make sure to try the chocolate with cream cheese icing and the red velvet!

I’d heard a lot about this place so I finally made a point of stopping in there yesterday to try them out. The price was a bit more than I’m used to paying for a good cupcake, but well worth it. I ordered an assortment and my taste buds have thanked my totally! The fresh taste is consistent all the way through the cake itself and the individual icings used on the cupcakes were perfectly mated. The red velvet was suitably chocolate, the key lime was crisp with citrus, the baileys actually held the creamy flavor of baileys and the coconut!!! Oh that was out of this world!

Love their cupcakes! The cream cheese icing is the best. I love the red velvet and coconut cupcakes. So glad they’re opening back up regularly! They usually have a couple specialty flavors aside from the usual, but sometimes I wish they had a little more variety. Acceptable variety for a small shop, though.

Upon entering this seemingly decent baked goods shop, I had high hopes of it meeting at least somewhat good expectations. Not from the area, I took a walk downtown and spotted this little shop, now I wish I had kept walking.
The variety of cupcakes seemed creative enough, but there is nothing else they offer aside from that. I ordered their red velvet, which in my time has yet to be disappointing by any means… ridiculously dry.
If this is your only product, you better work on the recipes.
Staff in front were less than helpful after I complained. All I got were blank stares as opposed to any kind of reasoning in my awful purchase.
Better off going to Crispy Crème in my opinion…

YUM YUM YUM! These cupcakes have never disappointed me — always fresh and yummy! Red velvet is my favorite. Also love the pineapple/​gluten free!
The Wrightsville Beach location is very cute and staff is always friendly.

I have to say I was so disappointed with Coastal Cupcakes. It was my mom’s birthday, so we decided to go get cupcakes rather than a cake. We bought six (chocolate chip, chocolate with vanilla frosting, and apple fritter) they were so incredibly dry. They were maybe the least exciting cupcakes I have ever had and definitely not worth the price. I may be back in the future to see if my visit was just a fluke, but it will be a while until I return.

Yay cupcakes!!!

I always make it a point to visit when I am in Wilmington. They do a great job on special orders! The cupcakes are not your typical cupcakery cake. They are dense and yummy frosting!

There is no character here at Coastal Cupcakes. No place to sit and enjoy their treats. Just a ‘git-​ur-​own’ fridge with drinks? Lame.
I was going to try their cupcake but decided to try what looked like a mini moonpie. It was tasty, albeit a bit dry. Chocolate outside with coconut icing inside and almond slivers.
*Meh.
It was tasty and easy to eat on my walk around downtown but I would have sat and noshed my cupcakey thing inside their shop and enjoyed my experience more.
Maybe I got there late (around 5:00) but they didn’t have any cakes on display except a few on a round platter and the associate said they had other flavors in the back… well…why aren’t they out here?! Weird.

I bought 6 cupcakes before a long car ride from NC to PA. Most of the cupcakes survived the trip but others were to good looking not to eat! I loved the cupcakes and hated to share them! I can’t wait to go back and get more!
Make sure you get a punch card so you can get free cupcakes!

Phenomenal.
Greeted with a smile, given the option of all sorts of flavors – which I chose key lime and angel food raspberry.
Both of these flavors were excellent. I could have eaten a dozen of each!
Coastal Cupcakes also has red velvet cake which kicks the butt of most red velvets I have tasted.
Always good customer service, and fast. They take orders in advance. Very accommodating!
This is definitely the better of the two cupcake stores in Wilmington. Hands down. Don’t bother going to the other one when you have the option of going to Coastal Cupcakes!

I think I can sum it up based on the article I read about the Coastal Cupcakes staff in the New York Times the other day. One of the owners remarked how she doesn’t eat cupcakes anymore. Well, it shows. This store used to be great, with some really flavorful cupcakes and a chocolate genache that was incredible. Now, however, the cupcakes are dry and uninspired. Save your money and go to the *other* cupcake store downtown.

I have visited both locations. I have a serious sweet tooth. I have rarely met a dessert I didn’t like (well perhaps custard based ones). But certainly not a cake based one, yet somehow, even when driven by the desire for a cupcake to combat a rainy day, I came away on both visits to this store empty handed. I couldn’t justify the cost for the size of the cupcake and apparent lack of panache.
You could make these yourself at home with a box of Duncan Hines.
The frosting looks well, uninspiring. Just google gourmet cupcakes and you can see the bar from which to measure.
My friend, who accompanied me to both locations, is more forgiving, and decided to part with her cold hard cash. I decided to test my cynical theory at the expense of my friend.
Let’s say, we did not fight over the remnants.
The best thing about them is the box. Seriously. The packaging is pretty cool. Perhaps that’s where the $ 2.25 per cupcake goes!
Improvements that could be made:
Staff who looked like they cared you came into their shop to buy their overpriced goods. The ambiance and attitude is part of the product you know.
The actual product could stand a total revamp. The icing should call out to you like a sugary siren in the darkness. You should be enticed by the crusty curves and color.
Taste. I want to taste butter, delicacy, and decadence. Not box cake done well. I want love in a paper cup that I can disrobe in lustful anticipation.
I will have to go to Raleigh for that.

I have yet to be impressed by any of Wilmington’s cupcake shops. The cupcakes here are too plain and basic, IMHO. The chocolate icing is nice though: rich, dark, and buttery.
Staff are fast and friendly, but there is nowhere to sit inside and only a bench outside. I think they should at least install a counter with a few stools.

I had heard through friends that there cupcakes were amazing, but I was randomly downtown and stopped in. I got a dozen cupcakes for a dinner party. I picked through the assortment that they had for the day.
Red Velvet with Cream Cheese, Vanilla Coconut with Cream Cheese Frosting, Hot Chocolate with Whipped Frosting, Chocolate with Chocolate frosting, and Chocolate with Cream Cheese Frosting. The most unique and delicious was the Hot Chocolate with Whipped frosting, it truly tasted exactly like a cup of Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows. We all shared to taste the assortments and cut them into small bites. Every single one was unique and tasted great. The coconut, for those who like coconut was very nice. It had coconut shavings on top of the icing, which presented nicely and added texture as well.
The cost of a dozen is $ 23 and some change. Which at first (before trying) I thought was a little expensive for a cupcake. I will say my prejudgement was completely removed when I tried them. I found they were worth the cost, and the flavor profiles were certainly there. I’ll certainly be revisiting, and utilizing there offerings for dinner parties and special events.

We happened upon Coastal Cupcakes while showing some guests around town. We were about to take them back to Sunset Beach when this glorious little bakery presented itself to us, and suddenly we had the ultimate snack for the hour-​long drive. I’ve been to plenty of cupcake shops where the emphasis was placed on appearance and purchased their mianiature works of edible art only to be dissapointed when the flavor didn’t live up to the façade.
Not so at CC. These suckers taste every bit as luscious as their appearance suggests. Suffice it to say, we purchased a dozen and they never made it to Sunset Beach.