The Dessert Lab

Very good! Had the chicken panini with herb spread and a side salad. Everything was fresh and tasty. Also tried the small cheesecake with chocolate chips and a mocha latte. These were both very good as well. One of the owners was upfront and a super nice guy. Talked business and really enjoyed the place. Will be back.

What a disappointment. I’m giving two stars for their vegan cupcakes. The ganache and the petite chocolate cake that I got were both dry and crumbly. The cappuccino tasted like a cheap latte.

Tried the mango cheesecake and the cookie sandwich with vanilla ice cream and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The cheesecake was by far the best cheesecake I’ve ever had in my life! I will be back to try the rest of them. Everything is fairly priced for the quality. It’s located next to a 7 – 11 in Newport and about 5 minutes away from Irvine! Can’t wait to come back and try everything else. Everything is made fresh daily and they also have lunch items and coffee.

This review is for a custom cake. I haven’t tried any of the cheesecakes. It’s probably my bad that I went with a cake rather than a cheesecake, but now I’ll never know, because I don’t see myself coming here again.
I happened upon this place, because I Unilocaled a few places that were close to my home, so that I could to go in person to place my order. I walked in on a Wednesday & wanted to order a cake for Friday. That was no problem. The guy behind the counter said that orders just need to be placed 24 hours ahead of time. I asked the guy what most customers bought in the 6 and 8 inches and he said it was pretty equal between the cakes and cheesecakes. I know most Unilocal reviews are about the cheesecakes, but I was skeptical, because I wasn’t sure if everyone that would be eating it liked cheesecake, so I went with a cake.
I asked him what the most popular flavors were & he just rambled off a bunch of different ones. I’m very visual, so I was surprised that they didn’t have a physical list of flavors. I’m not sure if the store doesn’t have one, which would be surprising, or the guy just failed to present one. Overwhelmed, I went with the vanilla cake with wild berry cream (vanilla cake because that’s pretty standard & wild berry cream because I remembered reading something about it in Unilocal reviews).
A few things concerned me. 1) He didn’t mention or ask what color the outside frosting of the cake would be. 2) I asked to have «Happy Birthday Paige and Jenna» written on the cake. Again, he did not ask what color I wanted it written in. 3) I asked if I could pick the cake up at 5pm on Friday. He said that was fine, because they don’t close until after that. I paid for an 8 inch cake ($ 35) and then he suddenly remembered they were closing early on this particular Friday. So I told him I would pick the cake up at 3pm instead… at least he remembered before I had left.
I went to pick up the cake and it was a different person behind the counter. The lady showed me the cake (see picture) and the writing was written in chocolate… so it was brown. Additionally, someone with sloppy handwriting had written the message. If it’s your job to make and decorate cakes, plus you charge $ 35, I seriously expect the writing to be written neatly, clean, and well spaced. The cake was frosted in white frosting and the outside border on top of it looked like someone had taken their finger and maybe just added some red/​purple color. So visually, I already was disappointed. The flavor of the cake was extremely underwhelming, as well. Sure, it was moist and fresh, I’ll give them that, but the wild berry cream tasted like plain butter cream with the slightest hint of berry. The only thing that was good about the cake was that it wasn’t too sweet.
All in all, I’d say this place is too expensive for the mediocrity of the service and the extreme underwhelming decoration and taste of the cakes.

Was looking for a specific cake and no one locally was carrying it. Decided to give Dessert Lab a call to see if they could help out. After explaining what I was looking for and discussing what they could do for me, we came up with a perfect solution. After dealing with a few other local bakeries and not getting anywhere, I was delighted to have someone so friendly and willing to work around my order.
I ordered the cake only a few days before I needed it. Pick up was simple: easy parking right outside the door, no line while in the shop, and had pre-​paid on the phone so was literally in and out. Cake was decorated tastefully to accommodate my request of fresh strawberries and was light and fluffy.
Will be back for my next cake order.

They have some really awesome choices. I’ve had the tiramisu (almost always sold out), pumpkin cheese cake, red velvet and an Oreo cupcakes.
It’s a owned by a great family who makes really great deserts.

This review is for the cheesecakes only. I tried cookies & cream (aka Oreo) and the red velvet. I was hoping to try more of the mini versions, but by the time I arrived around 5pm, the selection was limited. If there’s a particular flavor you want, you can call the store ahead of time to make it.
The regular sized cheesecake measures 2 and ¾ inches in diameter, which isn’t very big. The mini sized cheesecake is «bite sized» measuring 1 and ¾ inches. Because cheesecake is very rich, I didn’t mind the small sizes.
The red velvet tasted very chocolatey. I liked how it’s got a layer of the original cheesecake on top to mimic a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. The graham cracker crust was on point. Most cheesecakes have a soggy crust, but this was was still crunchy and added a different texture to the rest of the cheesecake. The Oreo cheesecake had cookie bits throughout the cheesecake and crust was chocolate graham cracker. I’m so happy with my selections even though I was hoping to try the banana and strawberry… Next time!

I ordered football theme cake pops and I was semi unsatisfied w them. First off, when I inquired about birthday pops and showed designs, they seems like they couldn’t do half of what I inquired about so I settled for the football shape pops. The appearance is was I was unsatisfied with, they looked rushed, the icing had clumps, the sprinkles weren’t unevenly distributed and some footballs weren’t the correct shape (they looked deflated). What I liked is the actual taste, they were really good flavor wise, I just wish they looked as appetizing as they were. I was also pleased with their timeliness in getting back to me. I reached out to many Newport bakery’s and they actually responded via email instantly which is why I chose them. I doubt I’ll come back for anything custom. Paying $ 4 per deflated clumpy cake pop wasn’t worth it

The Dessert Lab created the cake of our dreams QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY! They were able to take our order with very late notice and deliver exactly as promised. The price point was competitive and even though the cake was delivered to Orange County, the delivery costs were very reasonable.

The Dessert Lab is a very tiny storefront that large on flavor. I can only speak to the cheesecake offered here, but that’s plenty. They offer a variety of flavors, interesting ones at that, and because everything is in miniature form (my preference anyway), I was able to try more than I would have done had the serving size been larger. They do offer cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pudding, even savory items, but we stuck to just cheesecake. Now that I know this place is so good, I might try other things, although the cheesecake is truly to die for ! REALLY good thing this place is nowhere near where I live.
In miniature form, my husband and I split/​shared 6 flavors… lemon, mixed berry, mango, strawberry, black velvet, and French toast with bacon. (Yes, I even tried the one with bacon.) Each little cheesecake was soooooooo moist, creamy and packed a punch with its stated flavor, and they weren’t overly sweet, either. Each one… right on point. I was super impressed and then saddened that we didn’t try more things or bring home more flavors… or more of the SAME flavors of the cheesecake. Well, that would have been very piggish of us to do that, but yah, it was THAT good. Truly excellent quality, and again, I really enjoyed the small size.
As for price, when you get this good a quality that offers something unique, price shouldn’t be at issue. At least, I never mind paying for greatness. I can’t wait to make a return visit and try something new… or the same. I have a feeling everything will be top notch from this place. It might take me awhile to get back here, but I’ll surely let y’all know when I do !! In the meantime, go see for yourself. I think you’ll be happy you did !

Really good cheesecake pretty pricey $ 4 for a small bit size piece, but it was really worth it. Wouldn’t recommend coming here everyday because it’ll destroy your wallet, but definitely coming here when I wanna satisfy that cheesecake craving
Coffee was also pretty nice about 3 dollars for 16 oz of their drip coffee. Not a bad taste to it and their nutella latte was tasty was well.

Tiny bakery/​restaurant kind of off the beaten path, took me a while to make it here.
Service was very nice and while the selection was also very small (about 5 desserts to chose from and a handful of small plates) what they had was fantastic!
Very unique, very well made, very nicely presented.
Prices are a bit steep, but the quality and work they put into their food makes it worth it.
Plenty of parking and inside seating, support local businesses and stop in for dessert or a light meal!

My friends and I wanted to grab desserts after our lunch so we decided to check out this place. This restaurant also serves food and the curry burger caught my attention!
We took a long time to decide what flavor to get so finally, between the three of us, we got three different flavored cheesecake so we could all try. It was $ 3 for the smaller size and about $ 6 for the bigger size. I thought it was a bit overpriced but they were pretty yummy so if you’re a cheesecake lover, then it’s worth it!
Out of the 3, I would rank it chocolate/​vanilla marble as #1, then blueberry, and finally black velvet. Black velvet was just way too sweet for me.
When we went, a lot of the flavors I saw on Unilocal weren’t readily available and I was a bit bummed about that.
They also offer cakes so if you’re looking into ordering a birthday cake or wedding cake, check this place out.

Refer to Maila H. for a more thorough review.
**located a few miles away from John Wayne Airport.
~short n sweet~
I don’t know much to write here. The photos on Unilocal had more then I expected. It’s a tiny dessert shop with a couple of tables and a fair slection of desserts. They do sell hot drinks as well. The ginger tea was pretty weak. And the guy serving us was as blah as ever. Where’s all the cheery workers nowadays? Anyhoo.
I ordered the S’mores since that seemed pretty popular and it looked yummy. They have cheesecakes but I’m not a fan. My babes Mai didn’t seem she was in to hers, and we both left feeling unsatisfied and sick. I had this place on bookmark for so long. Now I can UNbookmark it, and never come back. We are planning another dessert date to make up for this one and hopefully it will be a better experience.
**I’m guessing their specialty is cheesecakes. They can custom order that for you.
**They do serve real food as well. I seen a menu of sandwiches.
Thanks for reading!
~*kenzie*~

My gag reflex was in full effect but for all the wrong reasons.
I love me some desserts and whom better to share my love for desserts with, no other than the Unilocal Dessert Queen and one of my Unilocal Bffl’s, Kenzie K.
After riding some fake ponies at the Irvine Spectrum and before heading to see some Goat Lover, we decided to make a stop at The Dessert Lab. Neither of us had been to The Dessert Lab but the reviews seemed legit so we made our way to Newport Beach.
Menu:
The Dessert Lab’s a cute little simple shop that specializes mostly in cheesecakes but also sells other desserts such as cookies, pies, smores pudding cups, panna cotta, cake pops, chocolate covered strawberries plus coffee & tea specialties.
A good array of flavors that include the following;
Red velvet cheesecake
Chocolate ganache cheesecake
Pistachio cheesecake
Mango cheesecake
Nutella cheesecake
Raspberry cheesecake
Apple cinnamon cheesecake
Plain cheesecake
My grub:
Instead of getting my favorite flavor cheesecake, Red Velvet, I ordered the pistachio and chocolate ganache. An amazing cheesecake should be delectable, rich, moist and highly enjoyable, however both the pistachio and chocolate ganache cheesecake seemed to be both the opposite. Instead the pistachio was overbaked and dry. As for the chocolate ganache, there was nothing indulging about it. It was edible but lacked flavor and creaminess. The cheesecakes looked much better than they tasted. I looked over at the Dessert Queen who had the same look of disappointment while eating her dessert, a smore pie.
Prices:
Cheesecakes are available in two sizes, mini and petitie. The average Dessert prices ranged between $ 2-​$ 7. In my opinion, it’s a bit overpriced for the small portions and lack of quality.
Service:
The guy behind the counter had a personality more dry than their desserts. He was helpful and prompt in getting my desserts but it wouldn’t hurt to crack a smile, even for a second.
Experience:
The best things come in the smallest packages but not so much here. Maybe I just came on a bad day but either way, I left unsatisfied and unimpressed.
On to the next… Happy Eats!

I’m not like super duper big on cheesecake but damn the ones here are actually quite tasty. For people like me who don’t prefer a lot, they have a mini size one which is the perfect portion. For about 3 bucks I believe, you get a nice looking cheesecake piece that fits in the palm of your hand.
I arrived here pretty late, like about 5 to 10 minutes before they close (they close at 7pm) but they were more than welcoming towards Van D. and I. We picked up just two small cheesecake (mini) to try. I think I had something strawberry and she had maple bacon?. I thought my strawberry one was quite delicious. It had just the right amount of cheese and strawberry ratio and the flavors balanced each other out quite well. The same goes to the bacon one. Both of them had a very nice crust. I’m not usually big on crusts of cake and pie but this one was really quite zesty.
PS I’d definitely want to come back to try more of their stuff. The place is really clean. There were other stuff too beside cheesecake.
PPS I’m actually polishing up this review and to the side I see fellow reviewers reviews… oreo cheesecake gasp!!!

OREO CHEESECAKE LOVERS OF THE WORLD, LOOK NO FARTHER!
Best «cookies and cream» (Oreo) cheesecake ever in the history of humankind + it’s in a cute mini size so it is just the perfect tasty indulgence!
Deliciously hearty Oreo crust under a creamy topping with Oreo chunks dispersed throughout and on top. Swoon!
It was my first visit, and I will definitely be back. If everything else is as good as the cookies and cream cheesecake, I may have discovered paradise…

When I first walked in I immediately thought, «whoa, look at those expensive tiny portions!» and was so close to just walking straight out. It was only when the Oreo cheesecake caught my eye (I’m such a sucker for these), that I thought I’d give the mini size a try. And when I say «mini,» its about the size of a dollar coin or a macaron.
I was skeptical, but ohmigudness, it was so delicious! I immediately regretted not getting another one. The tiny thing is so sweet and flavorful that the petite size is really all you need. I actually ended up saving the second half for the next day. I also got to try the Smores Pie, and this is to die for (I’d have to say this is my favorite).
It is on the pricer side, but you really get what you pay for in flavor and quality. I will DEFINITELY be back for myself and for special occasions. This location is a must-​try!

It is located inside the new mall where the new 7eleven store is on McArthur Blvd. A small modern interior bakery shop with a few tables inside, because they also have some sandwiches on their menu.
I didn’t get lucky enough to get all the flavors that I had in mind from observing all pictures on Unilocal (Black Velvet cheese cake, PB&J cheese cake, oreo cheese, French toast maple bacon cheese cake!!!, Pistachio cheese cake, Chocolate mouse cup!!, etc).
I got there at Noon on a Tuesday, there’s already not many choices. The display case was almost empty already. Only a few boring flavors left.
Chocolate chip, Raspberry, Lemon cheese cakes are ok. I like their original cheese cake is not too sour, not too gummy. They are still rich in flavor, moderately sweet and each flavor was pretty distinctive. I like the crust of all cheese cakes, they are different from other typical cheese cake places.
Also I tried the red velvet cookie with white chocolate chips, and PB&J cookies.
Not a fan of white chocolate, but red velvet cookie texture is soft, gooey (not too much), not too sweet and a little fluffy inside. PB&J cookie was actually pretty good! I liked how they kept the Jam gooey (Not like candid, but cookie texture is not doughy and wet either).
I was told to sign up for email, to receive weekly flavor list, because they rotate flavors of cheese cake randomly every week. I guess that’s how they stimulate the cravings by making individual’s favorite flavor is not always available, also, the shop is small, that’s probably why they can have all their flavors everyday. They accept orders for the day’s not available flavors, with minimum order of 12 petit cheese cakes.
The crew is friendly and informative. I’ll have to make a couple more trips to this place until I try all the flavors I listed above.

My friend bookmarked this place as a potential date spot. While the desserts were good, the ambiance was more of well, a lab. It was pretty sterile with clean cut white walls and glass. The place echoed and carried our voices while we talked. Great if you want to just stop by for a quick bite.
I love staring at desserts and I eventually ended up getting the Black velvet cheesecake which was rich with a chocolate enter, lined with a toffee layer (I think). I got the mini and as much as I love sugar and sweets, the mini was very dense and satisfying. The flavors were great and very rich and the center was very moist and velvety.
Everything they had looked really good and super cute. I’ll come back just to stare at them a little bit more.