We visited Cupcake Charlie's recently, just a week before they made their national television debut on Cupcake Wars. They have two locations, we went to the shop on the Plymouth waterfront.
I'm familiar with the area, but it still took me a bit of searching to actually find Cupcake Charlie's. It's on the Town Wharf, right behind the Ocean Spray Welcome Center. The bakery itself is pleasant inside with a large display case, several small tables and a working part of the kitchen open for guests to see. The decor is retro inspired with a 1950s vibe. The cupcake flavors are all labeled and there were plenty to choose from--all of which looked good. I ordered 4 cupcakes, one for each child I had with me, and a bottle of water.
The woman behind the counter was kind enough to give me 3 empty cups so I could split the water amongst the children. Once I paid, we took our box of cupcakes outside to one of the two {waterview} picnic benches.
It was a bit breezy outside and there was a fair amount of litter blowing around, though I think that was more of a Town Wharf issue rather than a Cupcake Charlie's issue.
The cupcake flavors we sampled included Peanut Butter Pleasure, Red Velvet, & Charlie's Chocolate Chip. The cupcakes got a big thumbs up from both the girls.
As for the boys...Will picked out the chocolate chips from the cake and then declared himself finished. You'd have thought I was torturing him, forcing him to eat a cupcake.
Cuyler liked his better, but wanted to take about half of it home. Convenient for mommies who just wanted a little bite. Or three...
Here again are my totally subjective ratings:
Location: Good location, right in the middle of everything on the Plymouth waterfront. Actually, it's at one end of the waterfront. Surrounded by seafood restaurants and historic sites, you can definitely make a day out of your trip. See the Mayflower! Eat a cupcake!
Shop Appearance: Cohesive, clean and retro fresh. The color palette is blue, pink, cream & brown. I loved the pastel stand mixers and the 'Life is Short...Eat a Cupcake' mantra and the checkboard floor definitely works in this shop.
However, I am not a fan of the actual Cupcake Charlie. Too cartoony for my taste. And he's very prevalent throughout the shop.
Cupcakes: These guys totally should have won their episode of Cupcake Wars. The cupcakes are delicious. The buttercream is light and sublime. The cake is moist, light and flavorful. Lots of flavors to choose from, great variety and fun little garnishes. It's amazing what you can discern from half of a cupcake. I may have also sampled one of their Orange Dreamsicle cupcakes the day before at our neighbor's pool. And it may have been totally yummy. Ok fine, it was awesome.
Overall: Definitely go for the cupcakes, feel free to skip the Cupcake Charlie plush toy.