Dozen Bake Shop

I have given Dozen a myriad of chances since they first opened in Squirrel Hill. I remember thinking, «Yes! Pittsburgh is finally getting some gourmet cupcake action up in this piece,» and the flavors really backed that — -on paper, that is. But in the mouth, not even close.
The first time, each cupcake I tried was hard, dry, dense with little flavor. The frosting was OK.
I gave them four more chances over the years, and also once at a friend’s wedding, who opted for cupcakes in lieu of the standard wedding cake, and she still talks to this day about how terrible of an idea that was.
When they started popping up in new locations, I just couldn’t believe it. Does Pittsburgh really have such low standards for these mini-​cakes? It wasn’t until I tried Vanilla Pastry Studio that I felt like maybe our town really does stand a chance to hold their ground in this country’s cupcake battle. To this day, when I hear people gush over Dozen, I want to go buy a dozen just to chuck at them.
I can’t comment on their savory fare, but it seems like people are really going nuts over their brunch. Maybe I’ll give them one more chance for that, but I’m avoiding the crapcakes.

Yes, one star, the counter person wasn’t very friendly, it might have been me, maybe he wasn’t in the mood for small talk, or maybe it was him. His short answers without explanations for my questions weren’t helpful. I was really in the mood for a vegan cupcake, I had no idea which were vegan, and he didn’t seem to want to help. So, instead I just got coffee and zucchini bread and ate it and left quickly. If it’s such an effort for the employee to help a newcomer to this business, then I don’t see this business sticking around, so I’m not returning.
It’s service like this that makes me never want to give the establishment my business ever again. The zucchini bread was pretty unremarkable, and the coffee tasted stale.

With the change in ownership, lots has changed. Much of the original Dozen charm has stayed the same, but my absolute favorite thing in the world, the magically silky quiche is just not up to snuff.
It’s still good, just not blow my mind good. And when you are used to having your mind blown, it’s sad when that goes away.
I think the business is successful and does a lot of great things, but it’s just not quite the place for me anymore.

I love cupcakes big and small, I love cupcakes I love them all!!! I am a huge fan of the recent surge of cupcake connoisseurship and inventive new flavors. The thriving baking business has given me a run for my gym membership. Am I a connoisseur of the cupcake? I have to say experience is knowledge. I love watching cupcake wars and seeing how these treats can be put together in so many mouth watering ways!
Dozen has allowed me to experience what I imagine these master bakers and judges invent for the competitions! I would love to see how Dozen would do! I have tried flavor after flavor and have yet to be disappointed except when they don’t have the ones I am craving. I even buy them for my dad when I go home for a visit because he loves them so much and he is a picky customer.
For a recent girls night I had several different kinds for sampling. Blackberry lemon, strawberry basil mojito, The Elvis, tiramisu, The vegan Mostess. All of these are filled cupcakes which I tend to stick to because of the abundance of flavors. I want more! They are always so delicious. I can’t even pick one favorite. Well maybe the maple bacon but since these are all so different it will just depend what mood you are in. When I have a wedding party I will order all the flavors I can instead of a cake and let my guests oooh and mmm the night away! Just remember cupcakes are super sweets so be ready for the sugar!

I’ve given this place 3 chances now and I’m done.
I’ve treated the counter people with nothing but courtesy, ordering 6 cupcakes and leaving a dollar in the tip jar each time. That’s $ 48 I’ll never see again, but I’m glad I gave it a good try.
Each time the cupcakes have been decent, but I don’t understand why people go berserk for them. I could easily find recipes online and make similar cupcakes at home (which is what I’ll be doing from now on, or making sure I patronize other bakeries).
The people who work the counter at Dozen need to take a customer service workshop like, NOW. Or get paid more to raise their morale or something. Each time I’ve been in there they’ve acted like I was bothering them (and I wasn’t coming in at 5 minutes to closing or anything like that and on every occasion I was in there there wasn’t more than one other customer in the shop).
Seriously, unless you’re too lazy to make your own cupcakes or you get off on being treated poorly, don’t bother going into this place.
Truth be told, I was glad to hear one of their locations (Oakland) closed. I know other bakeries in the area that actually care about their customers that deserve the business Dozen would’ve gotten.
Update: 9.23.13. Through the magic of Facebook, I discovered that Dozen is, in fact, closing. When I saw that, I couldn’t help but say: «Good.» I’m sorry, Dozen, I’m sure it’s difficult to be a small business owner in this economy, but maybe if you would’ve focused a bit on teaching your employees decent basic customer service, you could’ve survived. Best of luck in whatever you do next.

Alright, this place was recommended to me by someone «in the know» as having creative flavors/​decorations. My wife loves to make/​try ‘different’ cupcakes, so this seemed right up her alley for Mother’s Day.
I ordered in advance so that I could access all the flavors instead of just their daily menu, which was cool, because before I called I really just thought it would be whatever was featured on the day I picked up.
Unfortunately that IS what happened because they misfiled my order.
BUT…they made it right, offering a dozen cupcakes gratis in my two dozen cupcake order. I think that was super cool of them.
We weren’t able to try the full compliment of their offerings, but at least I didn’t go empty handed to the Mother’s Day dinner.
The cakes were really well-​made, very moist… but I found the frosting to be very sweet. My mother and I sampled the strawberry basil lime… and while my mother argued that she liked it, and that she thought the extremely sweet frosting helped to cut the extremely tart lime filling… she said it in that sort of slide whistle tone reserved for lying to loved ones whose feelings you’re trying desperately not to hurt.
«Did you like it mom?»
«I liked it.» (high note, low note, high note).
«LIAR!!!»
Anyway, the cupcakes got mixed reviews. I wasn’t blown away by the black and white or the strawberry basil. My wife didn’t rave about the salted caramel (but she seemed to legitimately enjoy it), my niece gave the so-​so hand gesture to the tiramisu cupcake, and although my nephew liked the Elvis, it had too much chocolate filling for him and my father both.
I really wanted this to be a happy ending, but I’m thinking I’ll try another place next time.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet. It’s my favorite bake shop in Pittsburgh, and the vegan cupcakes are all I go for most of the time. It’s a real treat to venture out here and get a delicious red velvet cupcake or a mostess!
The atmosphere in Dozen is quiet and cozy. I love how it’s decorated. I could easily curl up in a corner and sip a chai latte without distractions. In the winter, it’s seriously one of the warmest little cafes. Which is a good thing! I hate being cold.
The employees here are always super-​sweet and accommodating. I’ve never had a negative experience with an employee here, and that is huge!
I haven’t tried any of the food options, but I look forward to doing so in the future if there are vegan options available. Dozen is a great place I’ve heard much about from friends who don’t even LIVE in Pittsburgh! Yep, it’s that good. Plus, outside of California, vegan cupcakes are kind of a hidden gem. You have to work had to find places that will have them.
The only thing keeping me from giving Dozen a 5 star rating is that they are slightly dry. I’ve had moist vegan cupcakes, so I know it’s not an inability-​to-​achieve– moistness sort of thing. Step it up just a little, Dozen, and you will have vegan beating down your door for more cupcakes!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve actually eaten here. I’ve stopped in for a meeting here and there and just ordered tea and been on my way. But there have been many many changes in the last couple years, with the new owner.
I’m glad they’ve still kept the charm of Dozen in tact with some welcome new additions. They have a lunch special where you can order a half sandwich, side and soup. Since I was starving I opted for the full wrap and soup with only a $ 1 upcharge.
The sandwiches are made to order with lots of different choices. I like that they offer a choice of wheat or ciabatta bread and also a spinach wrap. I was thinking maybe my wrap would be just okay, with only simple turkey plus veggies like sprouts, roasted red peppers, tomato and hummus. But it was really tasty. I don’t know if it was the red peppers or hummus, but it was a winner.
The one thing I have ALWAYS loved from Dozen is their Tomato Basil Soup. It has been my standby soup I crave for years. If they would have gotten rid of that, I wouldn’t know what to do.
On to the cupcakes next trip…

Ducked in here to try sweet confections after first getting my hair done down the street at Pageboy Salon (do check them out) and dining at Tamari (ditto, check them out). It seemed only right to finish off a nice evening of discoveries (I’m rather new in town so am busy «discovering») with dessert.
I was greeted by sweet, upbeat Camille (appropo in a sweets shoppe) who helped me with all the cupcake offerings. I opted for the cheesecake cupcake and a cheese danish, which in no way resembles a tradiional cheese danish.
I actually did manage to wait until morning to eat the danish which was good but I do have to say I wanted cheese with each and every bite and, to that end, it was lacking. It was quite good, nevertheless.
I was going to wait to eat the cupcake later. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I popped it into the microwave to warm it up from being in the fridge and «Wallah!»… Just what the doctor ordered. They do prescribe cupcakes, no? It was so moist and yummy. I want more! If I had ordered 3, then 3 would have been eaten on the spot!
I didn’t think the price of a little over $ 5 was unseemingly for the rewards of both the danish and cupcake.
A nice find in Lawrenceville and I’ll be back.

Thank you Dena for inviting me back to try your made to order lunches! i anxiously awaited until checking your website and seeing you started doing food to order… down the block i went.
I was pleasantly surprised by how busy they were today. and not surprisingly everyone i saw was ordering sandwiches! good for us, and good for them.
so i got the same thing i always get… the vegan wrap. and they had a nifty little checklist for all the ingredients you want. instantly checked hummus and every veg they had.
i was happy with the wrap! the wrap wasnt soggy, the ingredients were all crunchy and fresh. the tomato was punchy with tomato flavor, always good compared to flavorless fast food ones. and my wishlist item for the menu would be sprouts! theyre great on wraps and sandwiches!
its awesome you offer vegan options, now just work on taking the sour cream out of your cous cous salad! its not necessary. use veganaise, or a vegan option if you want it to still bind and be creamy. normal people probably wouldn’t tell the difference, and i could eat it. ideas to look at: cold lentil salad, cold black bean and cous cous salad, a nice vinegary slaw, potato salad… wait is that the southerner in me coming out? haha, plenty of side options for everyone to enjoy!
Anyways, I’m happy they made the change, and from the look of it, and hearing they have been busier since starting it, its a good sign. give them a shot for lunch.
Again, thank you for getting in touch with me and getting me to come back. it worked, keep up the good work.

I stopped in here with a friend visiting from out of town. Now I’m not really a big fan of sweets, but she is and she insisted that we go in and try something. Inside is real cozy with a couple tables near the window and the kitchen right behind the counter so you can see the bakers at work and smell all the sweets as the bake in the ovens. I should have figured, but they also serve coffee and tea and a couple people were kicking back with the newspaper just sipping their brews.
We tried some of the non-​cupcake baked goods and all were really good. Not to sweet and balanced well. The prices are pretty reasonable too. I’ll definitely be back if I am in the mood for baked goods.

I usually don’t review places with this many reviews but I was so impressed I just couldn’t help myself.
It’s a cute little store (bigger than the Oakland location) that serves a scrumptious brunch. Me and my friends have a little brunch club and are always searching for great food. Dozen filled the request! The only downside is they serve only 4 or 5 items but I’d rather have an amazing 4 options as opposed to 20 sub par ones.
Quick Tip: Make sure to download the Loyal Tree App as upon first joining you get a free coffee and pastry and I STRONGLY recommend the cinnamon roll. Seriously, I’ve been thinking about it ever since I finished it.
One last note: Vegan friendly! My girlfriend couldn’t stop raving about the vegan hash.

I purchased the groupon for brunch this week, so my bf and I headed down to check it out. The service was a little bit disorganized, however the staff did their best. Our coffee was good and strong, and never an empty cup. The space was a bit cramped, but they work well with what they have.
I had the Dozen Rancheros (Huevos Rancheros)…Yum! The homemade salsa was delicious, and I very much enjoyed their chili. My bf had the vegetarian hash and added an egg. He liked it very much. He especially like the combination of regular potatoes and sweet potatoes/​
We also splurged and split a cupcake… delicious!
We will definitely be back for brunch at Dozen… bringing friends.

Again, this is another time where it would be helpful if Unilocal!had ½ star ratings… as I would rate this a 2.5.
Back before Dozen closed their doors for what was to be forever, their cupcakes were dry and on the heavy side. However, this review is based upon my experience last night at their newly re-​opened store.
The first way Dozen broke my heart was that their red velvet cupcakes did not have cream cheese frosting… just plain vanilla buttercreme. This is a «no-​no» in my book. I didn’t see the cupcake menu when I was ordering — but perhaps becuase it wasn’t at eye-level…but on a chair… um, ok… and the hipster behind the counter was put out by having to tell me what was available. He was not friendly. Another case of — ‘if you hate your job, quit”.
I ordered the chocolate peanut butter cupcake. Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. The cake was a little more moist than in the past, but was still a bit dense and coarse. It had a good chocolate flavor, but the texture did not win me over. The PB buttercreme frosting was tasty, but also seemed a bit heavy on the shortening.

Your nostrils perk up, and your mind and stomach begin to negotiate on whether there is room for more after just eating some breakfast once you walk into the establishment that is Dozen Bake Shop.
While their non-​cupcake baked goods look scrumptious, we picked up a dozen random assortment of their cupcakes for dinner at a friend’s house later that day.
I’m not sure what I am suppose to expect when someone tells me that a cupcake is great and even after watching so many Cupcake War episodes on Food Network though I know I like mine to be light. I had two cupcakes — the vanilla and cranberry. Both had nice flavors but ultimately felt that they were a bit doughy and heavy. However I am not a big frosting person and did like those flavors. They were nicely decorated. If I were to return to Dozen I would try something else.
And so my quest continues to find the mystery behind this cupcake hype…

I was new to the city when I discovered Dozen. It was a little pocket of Happiness, tiny and tucked between two stores on Murray Avenue. It sold cupcakes. And only cupcakes. Delicious cupcakes. The employees were sweet and kind and they knew their product.
Then a Dozen popped up in the Andy Warhol Museum. Then downtown. Then in Lawrenceville. Then in the South Side. Then in Oakland. Market saturation. And sometimes with market saturation comes Lack of Quality Control. And Shitty Employees.
Lawrenceville’s location, the Dozen Bake Shop, combined both the cupcakes and bakery/​brunch items. It was good. Initially. But things started to nosedive. Whatever business plan was in place years ago has failed slowly and remarkably. It all comes back to those two market saturation points: Lack of Quality Control and Shitty Employees.
Lack of Quality Control: Dozen really was the premier cupcake joint in Pittsburgh for many years. In 2007, they boasted clever flavors (Pancakes & Bacon! The Elvis!) and not-​too-​shabby vegan options (The Mostess!). But something’s happened along the way. I had a Cosmopolitan on Saturday night. Years ago, this variety was my favorite Dozen option. Saturday’s was disgusting. The cake was bone dry. The lime pulp was nonexistent. The frosting to cupcake ratio was disgustingly high: too much buttercream can ruin a good thing. This is not the first time I’ve been disappointed in the cupcakes (a few weeks ago, a plain vanilla cupcake was a similar gritty letdown).
What happened? Did the owner begin focusing on breakfast treats and move away from his staple? The few bakery and brunch items are standard and average at best. Only the French toast has really rocked my world… but recently the output has been pretty tame and not very interesting/​delicious. Did cupcakes become too «mainstream»? Because if they did, then that would explain…
Shitty Employees: Hipsters wouldn’t be insufferable if they weren’t so damned rude. They shouldn’t be working in jobs that force them to interact with the public. Especially when they represent a company like Dozen. Because people begin to associate your company with the people who represent it. And when employees act like they’re above the patrons who come to their place of business, there’s a problem. When they roll their eyes and huff because you’re Taking Too Long To Decide, there’s a problem. When they shrug or half-​heartedly answer questions because the Don’t Want To Seem Uncool In Front Of Their Ironically Sloganed T-​Shirt Wearing Buddies, there’s a problem. Guess what, dipshits? I want to eat my breakfast, and I don’t want to jockey for your attention.
There is a photo of me on Facebook from a couple years ago. I am on my buddy’s shoulders and I am pointing happily at the Dozen Bake Shop sign. I am tagged as myself. Dozen is tagged as ‘Happytimes MagicLand’. Sadly, those days are over.
And I am certainly over Dozen.

Dozens has the sort of bustling yet relaxed atmosphere that reminds you of the café in Amélie (sans the bar-​shattering bathroom love scene). Display cases filled with rows of pastries twinkle under bright lights and a friendly staff adds to the cheerful-​but-​not-​overly-​cheery feel of the shop, and, of course, there are the cupcakes.
Before getting to the cupcakes it’s only fair (fairest?) to say that I’ve had a lot of the other pastries they offer with mostly delicious results – the scones were buttery, cinnamon rolls sticky, and peanut butter cookies chewy – but man, those cupcakes get me every time. Every. Time. For those of us that don’t believe the cupcake has been replaced by the whoopie pie as King of Handheld Desserts, these are the most perfect «I think it’s a good idea to have three of these for dinner,» sugar bombs that money can buy. Order off the rotating menu if it’s not sold out because more exotic (think passion fruit, coconut key lime, margarita, and my personal favorite, the Tuesday-​only maple bacon) equals more tasty.
They also have light lunch fare if you want something less sugar/​more substantial. Their brunch – a Sunday only thing and a very busy thing at that – has some truly glorious quiches that go great with their coffee but would be perfect with a mimosa or Bloody Mary (I’m not too particular when it comes to breakfast boozing).
Bonus round: they have vegan options (Pittsburgh vegans will appreciate how rare this is) and you can pre-​order four packs of holiday-​themed cupcake flavors.

I’m prefacing this with the following items:
1) This review is only about the cupcakes
2) This review is only about the store on Craig St.
I don’t get it. People just ooh and ahh about these cupcakes. Twice I’ve gone to their store around 2−3pm for a cupcake. By then, they’re «sold out» of most of the options. You’re open till the evening and sell out at 2pm? Really?
I’ve had four cupcakes from here… four separate occasions… four different flavors. For the price, you’d think it would at least be moist. Plan on having a glass of milk with these bad boys because it’s a mouth-​drying experience.
I give up. Go next door to starbucks and get a muffin. It will be cheaper, more moist, and you’ll enjoy it more. I promise.

I’m with Bourdain: Down with cupcakes. They’re awkward, top-​heavy, and hard to eat. Yuppies, debutantes, and bored, spoiled housewives endorsing them as of late doesn’t make me want to eat them.
Now, Gobs are where it’s at, and I’ve been eating them since I was a lad, long before the young and affluent discovered them, as if they didn’t exist until a cute, 20-​ish (and single and marriage-​minded) event planner out of a sappy romantic comedy tasted one.
You know how it’s been said that the icing makes the cupcakes? Well, it applies to Dozen’s Gobs. The icing is the only reason for these to be. Like most of everything else I ordered today at Dozen, the cake tasted like it was 3 days old. I now have four or five left to eat. Hey, after the coin I blew on these in this economy, I’ll hold my nose and finish them.
I mean, the Get N Go down the street has way better, bigger, and cheaper Gobs than what you’d find here, some of the very best I’ve ever had in fact. And they have red velvet ones too, just like Dozen does. Chic.
Blame my Dozen encounter on a $ 10 gift certificate my mom got and just couldn’t get around to using herself.
I figured I might as well get my pre-​shift meal here too today, so I got a Chicken Salad sandwich.
I almost got a quiche, but my machismo said, «HELLZ NO, BRO!» I kid the quiche. My sister makes a good one.
Meanwhile, the sandwich comes with Miss Vickie’s brand kettle-​fried tater chips, which were pretty dern good.
The sandwich on the other hand suffered from bread that was tougher than the old, monied Fox Chapel broadsword who passed me on the way in and chicken that was a tad on the dry side.
Get this, the sandwich/​chips combo alone was over 8 bucks, no drink or dessert included! Deli on Butler’s massive Tutti is under $ 7 and can easily feed two people.
Most of the other stuff I ordered wasn’t sampled by me and the family until I got home from work.
2 Oreo Rice Crispy Treats: They should call them Styrofoam Rice Cakes. The Circle K a few blocks away sells Kellogg’s Rice Krispy Treats that own Dozen’s version like experienced gamers own n00bs. And again, they’re cheaper also. Yes, the neighborhood Circle K and Get N Go, not to mention Subway, have already trumped this oh-​so-​trendy example of slap-​in-​the-​face gentrification but good.
Dozen’s Crispy Treats (and other pastries) are big, I’ll give them that. I just cut one of them in half as I wrote this, but Circle K sells ones that are almost as big (but longer and flatter) and cost half as much. I’m not fibbing.
2 Brownies: These were ok, I guess. No icing topped these, just powdered sugar, but like the Gobs, they seemed a bit stale. Are organic pastries supposed to taste like crumbled-​up fodder to be thrown to birds?
1 Chocolate Chip Cookie: I had the nice, brainy-​looking dreadlocked kid (what a racket college is, eh?) put this in with my lunch as it just happened to catch my eye. How a bakery makes this confectionary staple is a test, and Dozen grudgingly passes. It’s soft and is refreshingly and surprisingly not that sweet or rich (which I’ll admit I greatly dig in a choco chip puck). So yeah, Dozen at least does those acceptably well.
2 Blondies: To their credit, they’re chewy and have a nice and crunchy coconut-​shaving exterior, but they’re also more sickeningly saccarhine than an episode of «Full House». Do blondies really need raisins in them???
2 Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch Thingamajigs: I forget what they’re actually called, but these were the highlight of my experience to be candid. They’re basically Rubik’s Cube-​sized blocks of fudge with some oatmeal (?) on the bottom layer. Not bad, not bad.
Oh, wanna know about the damage? I still have the receipt.
$ 31.92.
#$%&*???
I was almost gonna give them 3 stars until I was reminded of the bill.
And while we’re on that subject, the skittish (does a violent gay mafia own the entire Dozen chain?) hippy-​dippy people minding the store have a tip jar and a sign reminding us that we can put gratuities on our credit cards if we want to.
Mmmhm…
Each and every South Hills bakery I frequent powerbombs this joint into the Earth’s core. If they try to open one in my domain, they’re gonna find themselves on Bad Street. Stay outta my neighborhood.
Oh you don’t want none of Party Cake, Kribel’s, Pastries-​A-​La-​Carte, Bethel, or Potomac.
In the meantime, I hope another old-​fashioned sweet shop opens nearby and kicks Dozen’s ass. May it happen another 4 to 5 times throughout the city after that.

Thankfully, Dozen Bake Shop is not completely beholden to the cupcake trend.
They do have a few varieties of cupcakes that are made fresh each morning, including a delicious red velvet option and a vegan take on the Hostess cupcake, both of which I enjoyed sampling. But they offer a variety of other baked goods, as well as sandwiches, quiches, and other savory items. Also, they serve Intelligentsia coffee, which warms the soul of this Chicago transplant.
Dozen recently opened a location in the Andy Warhol Museum, and I’ve seen signs on Liberty Avenue downtown that they’re opening a store soon there as well. Can’t wait!