Sprinkles Cupcakes opening shop in San Diego

[RB Hound]

The Sprinkles Cupcakes chain (they of $3.25 cupcakes, albeit good ones if you believe the buzz) is opening up a shop in the Shops at La Jolla Village (i.e. the Whole Foods / CVS shopping center). They are moving into the old Cold Stone and short-lived TF Yogurt storefront - should be open next month sometime, from the sound of things.

With Cups in the Village, CBS Cupcakes in the UTC Mall (not all that good, IMO, but works in a pinch) and now this place in La Jolla Village Square, the La Jolla / UTC area is becoming cupcake central. Cupcakes - the frozen yogurt of 2010.

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CBS Cupcakes
4485 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92122

[royaljester]

Okay tried it today and it was actually very good. I've never liked cupcakes but I guess I've been having bad ones all my life lol. I take back what I said earlier about cupcakes and the people who eat them.

The wait isn't long at all if you go at the right time like this morning. 5 people. At night I've seen 50 or more people. It's just like Disneyland - I always go Tuesday or Wednesday on a school day, when only toddlers and tourists visit.

[Fake Name]

 
 
Tourists at Disneyland?

I think with the exception of several animatronic pirates, a dog with the cell keys and the can-can girls of Its A Small World- is not every visitor a tourist to the Happiest Place on Earth?

[royaljester]

I grew up in LA, and especially when school is out it's at least 50% locals. I never considered myself a tourist lol.

[daantaat]

which flavor(s) did you try?

[royaljester]

Well it's funny because we must have mixed up our orders with someone else. One was chocolate on top, white cream filling, then velvety chocolate at the bottom. Their cakes are excellent by themselves, and the chocolate is top notch. It's what you'd expect for good Belgian chocolate.

The other cupcake had chocolate sprinkles blanketing a kind of coffee mousse, then plain cake below. The only downside there was a bit too much mousse for me, but probably perfect for cupcake lovers. Their sprinkles were actually good and fresh, not the generic commodity hard stuff you'd buy at the supermarket. Great attention to detail, you can tell it was freshly made.

I'd say $3.50 is about right, I'll be getting it occasionally because they're cheaper than diamonds.

[ipsit]

Was just discussing the cupcake epidemic with a friend who claims that its origins can be traced back to a single event - the time that Magnolia Cupcakes was featured in Sex and the City. Anyone know if this is true?

[RB Hound]

True or not, you probably have just ensured that I will never step into Sprinkles, or in any cupcake centric place again (though Cups is pretty hard to avoid, as it is the nearest public restroom to Geppetto's in La Jolla - and I feel guilty using their restroom without buying *something*).

[daantaat]

that is pretty accurate. It was the scene where Carrie and Miranda were sitting outside of Magnolia Bakery and commiserating.

[Island]

I don't know, might have to give credit to Oprah for this one. She featured Sprinkles cupcakes on one of her Favorite Things shows. Barbara Streisand sent her a doz and she loved them so much she had to tell the world and of course anything with the O stamp of approval becomes a hit. Googled it and that was for her 2007 favorite things show. Google also revealed there is a very popular Sex and the City bus tour in NYC? That's more sickening than a bacon cupcake. Also said Magnolia was dropped from the tour this year. Oh the drama!

[royaljester]

I'm actually ashamed to live in a country where people buy cupcakes and eat them. It's about as appealing as putting bacon on meat.

We have over twenty frozen yogurt places, and none of them are even that good. Pinkberry is one of the better ones, but all the good chains are in cities like LA (Ce Fiore). Try and compare for yourself.

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Pinkberry
209 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

[globocity]

"I'm actually ashamed to live in a country where people buy cupcakes and eat them"

You ever bat an eye at the sight of people paying $4-$5 for sugary, crappy coffee drinks?

Although the sudden popularity of cupcakes seems over-the-top, I'm much more ashamed by the ubiquitous fast food restaurants. Those are more of a threat. Getting off soap box now.

Went to Sprinkles once in Scottsdale. I wasn't impressed enough to go back to deal with the lines or prices.

[royaljester]

Well cupcakes aren't the only one, but they're really just categorically bad. I've sure had good coffee before, including blended. That's the only difference here.

Same with fast food. Kua Aina's a great fast food chain. So I wouldn't say fast food is categorically bad like cupcakes, though they sure are a threat in general. There is no such thing as a good cupcake! I'm not even talking about the price.

[globocity]

"There is no such thing as a good cupcake!"
Look, if you don't like cupcakes, you're not going to be open enough to finding one you deem good.

Little Red Hens and Sugar Sweet Sunshine in NYC make damn good cupcakes.
Here, I like Influx's.
Peace out.

[MrKrispy]

You take back your libelous comment about bacon right now!

[royaljester]

Yeah, I went too far..just trying to stir up the pot. ;-)

[Mother of four]

Fun to make cupcakes, but have no desire to spend $3.25 for one, that is totally insane!! Gee, maybe i should go into the business!!!

[littlestevie]

I used to make cupcakes with my mom when I was about 7 y.o. It was fun then and its fun to make with your kids. But for me it just does not translate over into going to a store and buying some cupcakes. I guess I must be really missing something.

[foodiechick]

Yeah, I think you might be kind of out of the primary demo - Female 6 to 35 years old. ;D

[littlestevie]

Yeah, maybe thats it. But I do love Elizabethan Desserts!

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Elizabethan Desserts
155 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA

[MrKrispy]

I am still hoping someone takes the initiative to open a Muffin Tops store.

[Island]

It would at least be unique. Sprinkles is a little late to the party isn't it? I love me a sweet treat, but the cupcake thing is old. Or maybe it doesn't officially jump the shark until San Diego gets a cupcake truck?

[mcsweet]

I agree with you, the cupcake thing has been done to death, unfortunately that is the culture we live in; SUV's, the iphone... However, Sprinkles was the very first ALL cupcake place (in Beverly Hills). It has slowly branched out into 5 cities now. I stood in line for 20 mins about 3 years ago because I happened to be in Beverly Hills 2 blocks from the place and decided to see what all the talk was about. After eating the cupcake I was not to terribly impressed, it was good and it did take me back to when I was in middle school and I used to make cupcakes at home. They tasted exactly like the home baked ones. Good, but I don't know if waiting 20 mins in line for one is worth it.

Back in June I was in Beverly Hills again and decided to go try one again (I have a sweet tooth). I stood in line again only now that the owner/creator is a judge on the food network, I waited 30 min (in a line 10 feet out the door). After I got back to my car I took a bite of my favorite, dark chocolate with white/vanilla frosting, all I can say is WOW!!!!! I could taste a significant difference in the quality of the ingredients. It was very good! Not something I could have produced in my own kitchen. Still, I don't know if I would wait in line again, but if I was in the Shops at La Jolla Village, and there was a short line, I would for shore.
Hope this helps!!

[daantaat]

I just had a vision of that Seinfeld episode...

[Encinitan]

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/09/23/le...

Economists consider the proliferation of cupcake stores as a bourgeois anachronism: a throwback to the time (in long-ago 2007) when people would overpay for the privilege of buying a status symbol—and then eat it. "The Cupcake Bubble," NEWSWEEK's Daniel Gross recently called it.

[Island]

Thanks for the link. Cupcakes were the new coffee. Agree. Long lines of sheeple waiting for an overpriced cup of coffee at Starbucks. Idiotic.
And bacon is the new cupcake? Yep I'll agree with that too.

[SDGourmand]

How about a coffee cake cupcake with bacon frosting..

[bizzwriter]

Wonder if they'll survive the Great Cupcake Shakeout of 2011...

[RB Hound]

That's funny - sort of like the yogurt places this year.

It's interesting how soon the TF Yogurt in this storefront had come and gone, but I suspect that they got a sweet lease deal and were just milking it for a while. They have a nearby store in Regents Park, and it always seemed sort of strange to me that they opened that second store.

Nearby Frutti Yogurt went out of business earlier in the year, too - I strongly suspect that Yogurt World opening on UCSD's campus killed those places, which also were competing with Golden Spoon at Ralph's (albeit that is your old school frozen yogurt). TF Yogurt on Regents might be hanging on because it is conveniently close to the graduate housing and the Regents apartment/condo complex - with no nearby competition.

In about three years, we might be having this discussion but with "upscale" burger places being the theme.

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Frutti Yogurt
3211 Holiday Ct, La Jolla, CA 92037

[mliew]

Yeah its funny how many people were late to the yogurt game in SD. Seemed that just as the trend was dying down a ton of new yogurt shops opened. I guess it takes a year or so of planning to open up a shop so even if you have the idea by the time it actually materializes the fad is already over.

I wonder how Pinkberry is doing overall. Is the trend still going in LA?

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Pinkberry
209 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

[stevewag23]

"Seemed that just as the trend was dying down a ton of new yogurt shops opened."

Sheep get slaughtered.