Saturday at 6pm no body in. I was very discouraged to go in. No customers is an opinion as taken from Shikspeer Shakespeare "sleeping is an openion"
K Haverty
What a little gem in Santa Monica. We walked right past this bakery, on our way to a donut shop, and after looking at their donuts, turned around and came right back. I’m so glad we did because this place is lovely. We ordered a classic eclair, pastry pocket and a rainbow cake slice. The rainbow cake was super cute and delicious but the pastry pocket was out of this world. I will be returning tomorrow to sample more pastry before I leave Santa Monica. Our total was $23 and worth every dollar.
Tony
With such a celebrity name, you would expect that it would be fresh and tasty. I really had high hopes but unfortunately, this was a huge letdown. FYI I was already suspect when I saw that the cake slices were in individual packages, that's a huge red flag. But nonetheless I was eager to try. We tried the red velvet cake, the carrot cake, strawberry and hazelnut eclair and the cannoli cheesecake.The red velvet was the best of all of them. It was moist, flavor was balanced and tasty and the cream cheese was light but decent.The carrot cake was dry, flavorless literally no spice no carrots and the cream cheese frosting was lacking.The eclairs were old, dry and the dough was bland. The filling was decent and the best was the strawberries and whip cream.The cannoli cheesecake was good but old and mushy. The two combined seem like they were fighting with each other rather than trying to harmonize.Staff were friendly and helpful. The store was clean. This was a once in a lifetime experience.
Dee B
I was really looking forward to a lobster tail and was kinda disappointed. I mean, they prob ship the stuff frozen to CA; if they don't, that's what it tastes like..3 day old pastries that came out of the fridge. Ah well, one and done. Cheesecake was the best out of all the pastries we tried. Employees were friendly and the store was clean.
Thiago Oliveira
Expensive. $5-6 for a cannoli. Had the $4 cupcake it was not too sweet and the frosting was well balanced. Nice decor.
Todays Present
I loved the lobster tail options, but they definitely were not fresh and crispy. They were soft and mushy outside. The cream inside had a delicious flavor. The cookies were okay. It's a nice location. The service was excellent. The girls working there were very friendly and helpful.
Bene Garcia
Late post: A fun place for fans or pastry lovers. Satisfies the sugar rush. The cannoli was also good- the shell had a good crunch, the filling was also creamy good. Best? No, but I'd say worth a shot and worth a weekly. Worth a visit if you can't go to the east coast, or if you're looking for a good cannoli
Randi M.
Buddy is a sell-out. I'm sure at one time his desserts were made from scratch using butter and unbleached flour, real fruit and no artificial flavorings. Sadly, those days are long gone. I've always wanted to try the location in Vegas, but I won't wait in line. I was in Santa Monica for a Dr. appt and ran across this location as I was walking 3rd street. The store was empty around 6pm. The cakes are displayed nicely. Full cakes and then a pretty slice on a plate in front. Silly me, I thought that was how I would be served. A hand sliced piece of cake. Wrong. The cakes are all pre-packed. I'm sure they are shipped in frozen from one central kitchen. The slice wasn't fresh and it tasted like a piece of cheap supermarket cake. Except it wasn't cheap. I paid 9 dollars for a slice. Total waste of money.
Candace F.
Open until 7pm. I like the vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Very popular so there's usually a line. Cannoli, cakes & cheesecake.
Marianne C.
Waste!! I was excited to try a cannoli , it was horrible. This is not a fresh bakery with fresh pastries. Even the carrot cake was the worst I've ever had , it was stale and came pre packed . Go elsewhere, don't waste your money here .
I am just not sure how to rate this one. Maybe it was experience at the New York location that I was just so excited to finally visit the west coast location. I ordered a chocolate Éclair and a lobster tail. I took a bite of the lobster tail and it was cold like it was still be thawed. It was not soft and fresh with the famous cream I remember in New York but rather hard and the cream was not room temperature but just too cold. Maybe my memory of my New York was all part of my experience with Carlos Bakery
Mark W.
As huge fans of Cake Boss & Buddy vs Duff, we were really looking forward to trying Carlos Bakery. Buddy Valastro should be embarrassed of this place. Last visit: 9/25/2022 We grabbed a Chocolate Eclair and a Cannoli, figuring those would be safe bets. Well, its a pretty safe bet Buddy doesn't come here for QA because the eclair tasted store bought (like from a grocery store), although the cream filling was fresh. 3.5 stars. Cannoli was the real disappointment. The mascapone had hardened into a chalky texture, and someone managed to be sweet enough to make our tongues fuzzy, yet with no distinct flavour. 0.5 stars. We actually gave up eating halfway through and ended up throwing it away in the garbage. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love desserts... we hadn't tossed away a dessert in over 20 years. Overall 2.2 /20, 0.5 stars
Chris W.
I was not impressed of the cannolis, I went in expecting magnificent, wonderful, tasty, spot on, and got none of the above. I guess I could've gone and bought a store-bought cannoli that would've tasted the same. Yes I got a plan, Run-of-the-mill, cannoli like my grandma used to make this was not even close. When I asked the sales person if they were fresh she said they were made that morning I don't think so but who am I to judge as I've only had cannolis since ICall me on my cell flyers holding onto my baby basket 58 years ago. I don't know buddy this one was a kick in the a** not good.
Zarifa I.
The first time I had cake from Carlo's Bakery was in Las Vegas where I had a slice of the red velvet cake and I was stunned by how delicious it was! My boyfriend even said it was the best cake he has ever had. Needless to say, we were both super excited when we found out that there is a location in California. I ended up ordering a 6 inch red velvet cake from the Santa Monica location for my boyfriend's birthday. It was about $50, which is a bit pricey, but I am pretty sure is due to the cake boss hype. Despite what other reviews say, in my opinion, this place is 100% worth the hype. The cake itself was really cute and taste wise, it was soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting was to die for. My boyfriend even said that the cake this time tasted better than when we had it in Vegas. Given the price of the dessert here, I wouldn't come here all the time but would definitely stop by for special occasions or if I happen to be in the area. There are parking garages in the area so I recommend parking in one of those and taking a quick walk to the store. I came on a Tuesday around noon and the store was completely empty and I was able to get in and out really quickly.
Germán Peña
I went with high expectations, but was very disappointed. What I ate was not fresh. Rather it was hard and old, it did not taste good. There are much better patisseries like the Danish ones in Solvang, Portos or Tropicana. I will not come back.
Saturday at 6pm no body in. I was very discouraged to go in. No customers is an opinion as taken from Shikspeer Shakespeare "sleeping is an openion"
What a little gem in Santa Monica. We walked right past this bakery, on our way to a donut shop, and after looking at their donuts, turned around and came right back. I’m so glad we did because this place is lovely. We ordered a classic eclair, pastry pocket and a rainbow cake slice. The rainbow cake was super cute and delicious but the pastry pocket was out of this world. I will be returning tomorrow to sample more pastry before I leave Santa Monica. Our total was $23 and worth every dollar.
With such a celebrity name, you would expect that it would be fresh and tasty. I really had high hopes but unfortunately, this was a huge letdown. FYI I was already suspect when I saw that the cake slices were in individual packages, that's a huge red flag. But nonetheless I was eager to try. We tried the red velvet cake, the carrot cake, strawberry and hazelnut eclair and the cannoli cheesecake.The red velvet was the best of all of them. It was moist, flavor was balanced and tasty and the cream cheese was light but decent.The carrot cake was dry, flavorless literally no spice no carrots and the cream cheese frosting was lacking.The eclairs were old, dry and the dough was bland. The filling was decent and the best was the strawberries and whip cream.The cannoli cheesecake was good but old and mushy. The two combined seem like they were fighting with each other rather than trying to harmonize.Staff were friendly and helpful. The store was clean. This was a once in a lifetime experience.
I was really looking forward to a lobster tail and was kinda disappointed. I mean, they prob ship the stuff frozen to CA; if they don't, that's what it tastes like..3 day old pastries that came out of the fridge. Ah well, one and done. Cheesecake was the best out of all the pastries we tried. Employees were friendly and the store was clean.
Expensive. $5-6 for a cannoli. Had the $4 cupcake it was not too sweet and the frosting was well balanced. Nice decor.
I loved the lobster tail options, but they definitely were not fresh and crispy. They were soft and mushy outside. The cream inside had a delicious flavor. The cookies were okay. It's a nice location. The service was excellent. The girls working there were very friendly and helpful.
Late post: A fun place for fans or pastry lovers. Satisfies the sugar rush. The cannoli was also good- the shell had a good crunch, the filling was also creamy good. Best? No, but I'd say worth a shot and worth a weekly. Worth a visit if you can't go to the east coast, or if you're looking for a good cannoli
Buddy is a sell-out. I'm sure at one time his desserts were made from scratch using butter and unbleached flour, real fruit and no artificial flavorings. Sadly, those days are long gone. I've always wanted to try the location in Vegas, but I won't wait in line. I was in Santa Monica for a Dr. appt and ran across this location as I was walking 3rd street. The store was empty around 6pm. The cakes are displayed nicely. Full cakes and then a pretty slice on a plate in front. Silly me, I thought that was how I would be served. A hand sliced piece of cake. Wrong. The cakes are all pre-packed. I'm sure they are shipped in frozen from one central kitchen. The slice wasn't fresh and it tasted like a piece of cheap supermarket cake. Except it wasn't cheap. I paid 9 dollars for a slice. Total waste of money.
Open until 7pm. I like the vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Very popular so there's usually a line. Cannoli, cakes & cheesecake.
Waste!! I was excited to try a cannoli , it was horrible. This is not a fresh bakery with fresh pastries. Even the carrot cake was the worst I've ever had , it was stale and came pre packed . Go elsewhere, don't waste your money here .
Restaurantji Recommends
I am just not sure how to rate this one. Maybe it was experience at the New York location that I was just so excited to finally visit the west coast location. I ordered a chocolate Éclair and a lobster tail. I took a bite of the lobster tail and it was cold like it was still be thawed. It was not soft and fresh with the famous cream I remember in New York but rather hard and the cream was not room temperature but just too cold. Maybe my memory of my New York was all part of my experience with Carlos Bakery
As huge fans of Cake Boss & Buddy vs Duff, we were really looking forward to trying Carlos Bakery. Buddy Valastro should be embarrassed of this place. Last visit: 9/25/2022 We grabbed a Chocolate Eclair and a Cannoli, figuring those would be safe bets. Well, its a pretty safe bet Buddy doesn't come here for QA because the eclair tasted store bought (like from a grocery store), although the cream filling was fresh. 3.5 stars. Cannoli was the real disappointment. The mascapone had hardened into a chalky texture, and someone managed to be sweet enough to make our tongues fuzzy, yet with no distinct flavour. 0.5 stars. We actually gave up eating halfway through and ended up throwing it away in the garbage. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love desserts... we hadn't tossed away a dessert in over 20 years. Overall 2.2 /20, 0.5 stars
I was not impressed of the cannolis, I went in expecting magnificent, wonderful, tasty, spot on, and got none of the above. I guess I could've gone and bought a store-bought cannoli that would've tasted the same. Yes I got a plan, Run-of-the-mill, cannoli like my grandma used to make this was not even close. When I asked the sales person if they were fresh she said they were made that morning I don't think so but who am I to judge as I've only had cannolis since ICall me on my cell flyers holding onto my baby basket 58 years ago. I don't know buddy this one was a kick in the a** not good.
The first time I had cake from Carlo's Bakery was in Las Vegas where I had a slice of the red velvet cake and I was stunned by how delicious it was! My boyfriend even said it was the best cake he has ever had. Needless to say, we were both super excited when we found out that there is a location in California. I ended up ordering a 6 inch red velvet cake from the Santa Monica location for my boyfriend's birthday. It was about $50, which is a bit pricey, but I am pretty sure is due to the cake boss hype. Despite what other reviews say, in my opinion, this place is 100% worth the hype. The cake itself was really cute and taste wise, it was soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting was to die for. My boyfriend even said that the cake this time tasted better than when we had it in Vegas. Given the price of the dessert here, I wouldn't come here all the time but would definitely stop by for special occasions or if I happen to be in the area. There are parking garages in the area so I recommend parking in one of those and taking a quick walk to the store. I came on a Tuesday around noon and the store was completely empty and I was able to get in and out really quickly.
I went with high expectations, but was very disappointed. What I ate was not fresh. Rather it was hard and old, it did not taste good. There are much better patisseries like the Danish ones in Solvang, Portos or Tropicana. I will not come back.