Very disappointing. I was suppose to have a tasting for my wedding cupcakes but the owner had completely forgotten about our appointment. I made the appointment with her weeks in advance. She told me that she had some last minute orders come in and threw some cupcakes into a box and I never heard from her again. No follow up call or anything. She did apologize for forgetting our appointment but she didn't bother giving me a phone call to try to get me to come back in. The cupcakes she did give us were dry and we were unimpressed. As a bride there is enough to do and planning a wedding is extremely stressful. We have found a new bakery that is much more professional. read more

It was good, but not great... I had a cookie and a cupcake. I probably would come back if I was REALLY craving something sweet...

A great place to eat with a small group. The seating area can get loud at times as noise bounces around the sparcely decorated room. The kitchen is not that large, so when our group of nine showed up, they told us that they would have to bring out food in smaller chunks. We enjoyed the food, and the pasteries were delicious. If you are looking for a small town type atmosphere, then this is the place. read more

They have the most amazing cupcakes at Blue Vanilla! I also got my daughters birthday cake here and it was so delicious!

This place has saved my booty so many times. I am not a baker (but a pretty decent cook) and whenever I need to bring dessert I stop here and friends and family are always amazed! Carrot Cake is phenomenal! read more

We discovered Blue Vanilla a few years ago when they opened a store front in Des Moines. It was our go to for anything, we placed orders for all kinds of treats to go with family gatherings. When I got married I had them make my wedding cake, not only was it DELICIOUS but she made it everything I had hoped for my big day. We had 3 different flavors with different frosting's. Everyone loved the cake! Sad to report they closed their store front but are still offering catering. I placed an order for Super Bowl Sunday and it was even better than I had imagined. We ordered for 8 people and it was enough to serve 12 and for a great price. She delivered to our house, was punctual and a good sport for our dogs going crazy. I highly recommend using them for any event!! read more

This bakery is awesome and very consistent! Amazing customer service! Go here for special order cakes and cookies!

I don't have a lot of experience at this place. Breakfasted here once before. I thought the scrambled eggs and potatoes were good. Just had a egg salad sandwich, however, that was a huge turnoff. The egg mixture was so wet (too much mayo?) that it felt like I was eating yolk pudding between two slices of bread. The egg stuff glopped out everywhere...yuck. Won't order this again. read more

I have been here several times. Such great people!!! I ordered cakes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and everyone loved them. Lunch is great; the baked goods are all delicious. You can't go wrong!! read more

One day while perusing through Yelp, I came up with a list of bakeries/cafe places in Seattle neighboring areas that had good reviews and sounded interesting. Today was another dreary day so we decided to take a drive and check out one of the places on my list- the Blue Vanilla Bakery in Des Moines. First off, it was a little difficult to find as it's in an alley and all the letters but 2 have come off their sign. I was in the mood for some delicious pastry type of delicacy so I was extremely disappointed when their display case was mostly empty except for a few cookies and 3 or 4 types of cupcakes. What? Where were the scones and cinnamon rolls I had read about? What about the sticky buns or even a slice of pie? Nope, none to be found. I did have a very good latte and a nice half sandwich and soup ($8), but since I was expecting a bakery I was disappointed. read more

We LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! Food is to die for, staff are so friendly, we love love love the atmosphere. My mom and I sneak away here and enjoy lunch, coffee or a treat. This is a MUST try. YOU WILL LOVE IT!!! I can't wait to go back!! Des Moines is lucky to have this place. read more

I'm really interested in this new little spot in Des Moines. I like the atmosphere a lot and the decorating is chic and fun. The people are always friendly and hard at work. Pastries are pretty incredible and coffee is very good too. I think if their signage and location were a little more visable they'd have a lot better business, but for now it's my secret spot to grab a quick mocha :) read more

We ordered our daughter's first birthday cake from Blue Vanilla. The cake was gorgeous and delicious! They were super helpful with design and I loved how it turned out. As pretty and perfect as the cake looked, it tasted even better! I cannot describe how good it was. Would recommend these guys whole-heartedly and look forward to using them again. read more

I wish that I could exceed the maximum rating for my experience with this REMARKABLE caterer. I was is in a desperate search for multiple pies for a 4th of July event where everyone attending is a "FOODIE". Pie seems to be in vogue these days and I have tried all the trendy new pie spots from Ballard, Capitol Hill, Queen Ann, Downtown Seattle and West Seattle . ALL of my experiences were OK but not outstanding . Something is always missing. I happened upon a review for BLUE VANILLA BAKERY AND CATERING and made the call. Margie Nelson, the proprietor, addressed all my concerns about what my idea of a great pie should be. She articulated a similar vision. My husband picked up 6 pies which were freshly baked the morning if the 4th. As he walked up the to the front porch, he said," I think you may have found someone who knows what they are doing." These were the MOST BEAUTIFUL PIES I HAVE EVER SEEN...golden with a gorgeous crust At the function, several people came up to me and asked if it would be OK if they cut into the pies first . The comments that followed were: 1, "This pie crust is so buttery and flaky. What is their secret? The crust is delicious...I usually just eat the filling" 2. "WOW... they pack a lot of filling in the pie. Are these deep dish? So many berries and fruit! I like that it is not loaded with too much sugar... the right balance of sweet and tart . 3. "How do they keep the bottom crust so flaky? Usually they are soggy" 4. " I haven't seen or tasted a pie this good since grandmother passed away...she used to win awards for her pies" These were just a few of the comments. This has been my third year for providing the pies and in none of the previous years did the pies receive any praises. All were purchased from high-end, trendy boutique bakeries. SIMPLY OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!! read more

Wow, what great food for a catered event! We do half a dozen work retreats, football parties and gatherings for 20 to 40 friends and guests each year at our home. More often than not, we have guests who are vegan, vegetarian or just want to have healthy choices that, by the way, also taste great. Well, after hosting many events, we have recently discovered a great local caterer called Blue Vanilla. In addition to all around great food, their VEGAN and/or VEGITARIAN main dishes, appetizers and desserts are so delicious that no one ever notices any difference. The raves come from everyone. If you are looking to cater a party at your home that is at a reasonable cost with great food, including healthy choices, this is the place to call. I waited to write this review until we had a chance to try a variety of appetizers, main dishes and desserts over several gatherings and, quite frankly, every item they prepare has been a wonderful eating experience. read more

This place is cute, quaint and conveniently close enough to walk the dogs too. I love that Des Moines has a new local coffee chop. The pastries I tasted were good and the coffee was great! However, I have a hard time making the time to come here because I usually want to treat myself to things like this early morning to start my day. With all of the morning Des Moines walkers/joggers etc, it still surprises me that they dont open until 9am on a saturday and are closed on Sunday. After a long and busy hectic work week - there's nothing more refreshing than for me to grab the dogs and go for a 7am walk into Des Moines for a nice hot cup of coffee and delish pastry on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. You get your caffeine and early Morning excersise in!! Especially with Spring among us - there will be even more early morning walkers/joggers etc. With that fresh morning sunrise and smell of the water off the puget sound. I'm usually home by the time they open and Im ready to get my day going. So I've been able to go to Aunti Irene's or Marine View Espresso instead. Plus most coffee shops open around 5 on weekdays and 7 on weekends. I get closing early on weekends but people love their morning coffee. I bet they would see a jump in business if they hired someone who liked to open early for all those morning peeps! If they were open at 7 on Weekends, Then I would give this place a full 5 stars!!! read more

Blue Vanilla offers awesome homemade baked goods that I actually dream about. Lemon loaf, Pumpkin Loafs, Cupcakes, Orange Rolls, cookies. It's my slice of heaven!! Breakfast is amazing too!!! And the coffee!!! And the breads!!! All so terrific!! read more

I have NEVER been so compelled to write a report about a negative experience in my entire life. I tried to use Blue Vanilla Bakery a year ago for a baby shower cupcake purchase...I went in, in person, to inquire about ordering she asked if she could help me and no sooner than I said I would like to possibly make an order that she told me she was too busy with a wedding that day to help me...REALLY? Then why did she ask if she could help me I wonder? Ok fast forward a year and I thought maybe I should give them another chance due to the mostly positive Yelps. I ordered a 1/4 sheet cake in a birthday theme...I ordered over the phone with Ashley and she took a good deal of time listening to my request for a adult female 60th birthday cake with either balloons or flowers in the design/motif and with a message of "Happy Birthday + the name" in colors of hot pink, royal blue and yellow...What I received for the tune of $65.00 for a 1/4 sheet cake and one cupcake was SO terrible!!! It had no decorations on it, let alone in the colors I asked and no flowers/balloons motif. The cake had only the happy birthday with name and 4 pink pearls one on each corner. I was shocked and should have refused to take the cake. I would have been embarrassed to serve the cake the way it looked. The person who boxed the cake for me claimed that this cake looked exactly like the notes...and that was her final word and she walked away. Ashley also promised to set aside one cupcake for me for a special person at my party and once again the Blue Vanilla failed on that...someone rushing by says all they have is what's in the case over there. My sister was with me when I picked up this cake and she has minimal cake decorating experience and we had to go to the store and pick up cake decorating supplies to make this look even the slightest bit presentable to our guest of honor (it cost us another $25.00 for these supplies as I thought I bought a completely decorated cake and didn't bring any of our own decorating stuff to the venue)! It appeared that the personnel working there really had time for who they wanted to help and not the customer they may not have recognized before. I had to put in an edit because I forgot to mention that the cake itself was only so/so...I had two flavors one layer of vanilla and one of chocolate, the chocolate was moist and edible...however the vanilla was dry as if it had been over-baked or left out a little too long. My guests were kind about it but most did not finish their cake and the leftovers went into the yard-waste bin this morning where they belonged. I urge you seriously to consider using ANY other bakery for your specialty cake/cupcake needs. This double negative experience for me sealed the deal....I give it a ZERO STAR review!!!! read more

If you are in the mood for great tasting pastries and other baked goods or for just good old fashion home cookin', I highly recommend The Blue Vanilla Bakery. We have had nothing but 5 star service and food at the Blue Vanilla from our first trip as non-regular intruders from Seattle last year to our most recent visit over this last weekend. The orange rolls, jam scones, pumpkin scones, lemon bars, and raspberry oat bars are outstanding, all made with the light, delicate touch of a baker at the very top of the profession. Breakfast and lunch fare are equally superb highlighted by bona-fide Swedish Pancakes and homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and Jam in the morning to a just scrumptious Hawaiian Pulled Pork sandwich at lunch time. And then there are those amazing pies, each consistently made with a light, flaky, "to die for" pie crust (the very best for sure!), along with a filling that is fresh, flavorful, and not overly sweet, letting the unique flavor of the filling -- what ever that may be---carry the day. We especially liked Blue Vanilla's Pumpkin Pie (the best I have had in the Puget Sound area) along with their Apple Pie, and have ordered several of each for the Holidays and special occasions. I cannot wait until berry/cherry season unfolds and see what pie delights and other goodies await me in this great new bakery. read more