Karen provided a cake and dessert bar for our Asheville wedding recently, and we would wholeheartedly recommend her to couples looking for a talented and detail-oriented baker for their wedding day or other special event.Karens desserts are works of art. Everything was not only delicious but beautiful, and we got so many compliments from our guests. From the first day we met Karen for a tasting she quickly grasped our vision and tone for the wedding and worked to ensure that our desserts were a part of that. One example of her attention to detail--after our tasting, she sent the leftover desserts home in a box wrapped with ribbons in our wedding colors!Karen was wonderful to work with and helped to make our wedding planning fun, easy, and stress-free. We would absolutely recommend her for your next special event--her artistry takes dessert to the next level!

We ordered a Tiramisu and Chocolate Hazelnut cake from Karen for our wedding and she was a delight to work with!! Very professional, responsive and her cakes are just AMAZING :D!! They taste as good as they look!!

Karen is just the nicest person you could ever hope to work with for a beautiful wedding cake! From the initial communications to the lovely tasting to the final gorgeous end result, every step with Karen was a delight. Our layers of italian zuccato/strawberry creme/and hazelnut chocolate were fantastic and the gluten free option for my husband was even better. She is such a considerate and kind being and I highly recommend!

I am beyond thankful to Karen for creating my daughters wedding cake. The cake was delicious. It was a pleasure to work with her.

I am beyond impressed with Karen’s talent and professionalism. I ordered a cake for a friend’s birthday in Asheville (I’m in Texas). Beautiful cake and I’m assured it was delicious..Just sorry I didn’t get a bite. Thank you Karen.

Whew! In summer it’s time to sit and enjoy something sweet here. We had the tarts. Chocolate and peanut butter and caramel on one with chocolate and cheese on the other. This was my first time visiting this restaurant but it won’t be the last! Try it out!

Karen listened patiently and was very quick to respond! Her cake was absolutely gorgeous and so incredibly delicious! 100% memorable...her artistry is breath taking!

Karen made our wedding cake and it was perfect. It looked great and was some of the best cake we ever had. She made a vanilla cake with raspberry filling and a chocolate cake with ganache that were out of this world. You wont be disappointed if your cake is anything like ours.

When planning my daughter’s wedding in Asheville, NC Karen Donatelli was the perfect choice for preparing desserts for the reception. Sara wanted a somewhat non-traditional twist and Karen did a beautiful job of creating a perfect personal tiramisu wedding cake surrounded by an assortment of the most beautiful and delicious pastries! Not only were the confections divine, but Karen presented everything so creatively with beautiful trays and pedestals and flowers and greenery the florist provided. Thank you Karen for your sweet treats! We look forward to stopping by your new location for some of your divine desserts! Photo credit: Hartman Outdoor Photography / Michelle Elyse Photography

Having read a brief bio (in one of the Asheville tourist mags) on Karen Donatelli, I was pleasantly surprised when I accidentally stumbled upon the bakery. Even more so when I got to actually meet her. She was extremely nice and helped us with our selections. Karens passion for her work is evident in the quality of the cakes and pastries.They also serve up really good coffee/espresso. Truly a feast for your eyes and tastebuds!

Karen is so attentive and so talented. She has helped us many times...showers, graduations, holidays. We have spme food allergy peeps and she is very creative in accomodating and adapting. Amazing creations that look too beautiful to eat.My birthday cake was the prettiest cake I ever saw. Several friends said ecactly the same thing!!! Top shelf bakery😍

My wife and I have been coming here for years and the pastries have never disappointed. They have a large selection of sweets and everything is amazing. Make sure to try their fruit tarts!

My husband and I have enjoyed Karen Donatelli’s fabulous treats several times now. Today, we stopped in with a special request... We picked out 2 desserts, handed Karen an envelope containing the gender of our baby, and asked her to select a the dessert based on the gender. She truly made this day even more special with her kindness, warmth, best wishes, and of course delicious and beautiful dessert! And… It’s a GIRL!!! Thank you so much for a wonderful experience, Karen! We strongly recommend stopping in and trying any and ALL of her decadent treats!

Everything here is delicious! We ordered our little wedding cake from Karen and it was perfect.

Visiting great friend in Asheville. Have her cake for dessert. INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!

Karen made our wedding cake and people talked about how great it was all night! Great experience!

The best bakery in town. Yummy

My sister is using Karen for her wedding cake. We went to the bakery for the tasting and everything we had was excellent- it was hard to narrow it down! Karen is very helpful and understanding, it was great working with her. Not to mention her cakes are to-die-for!

Best petit fours anywhere. Fabulous French pasteies. Great service.

How lucky we are to have such a BeauTiFuL Baker! Thank you for sharing your LoVe through SuPeR AmaZinGLy YummY Desserts! I will continue to spread the Donatelli LoVe!

Beautiful tasty pastries... Fresh flowers on every table!

The staff here is professional and helpful. Its a beautiful little spot for an elegant dessert. Everything was delicious!

Delicious pastry, friendly staff, its so good to stop and enjoy a moment after walking around in town.

Key lime tart was delicious. Iced chai latte had a slight kick to it! Amazing.

The pastries are made in house and delicious!!! Service is pleasant and the best. Definitely step in for a bite in when you are in Ashville.

This place had AWESOME desserts. Beautiful designs. The tastes......superior. They deserve an A+. Yummy. We had to buy some desserts to take back to our hotel. So good.

Thank you for making our celebration extra special! Karen and her team were wonderful to work with and they have great attention to detail! I had emailed a few inspo photos to Karen and she responded right away, great communication! Our confections not only looked amazing, but tasted delicious as well. We will certainly return when our travels bring us back to the Asheville area. Could not have asked for a better experience :)

We visited the bakery this morning and I was really impressed with the variety and beauty of desserts. Everything tasted as stunning as it looked. I wish I lived in Asheville, so that I could come to this paradise from time to time and try every single thing from the menu. I highly recommend this spot. You won’t regret.Huge respect and lots of admiration to the owner(s) of this place, where everything is just perfect. Thank you for this amazing experience.

We hired Karen to do our wedding cake. The Baileys Irish creme and Chocolate Hazlenut was a huge rave at our wedding! Karen was amazing to work with and so kind. One of the little extra things she did was during the taste testing brought out a separate plate for my daughters Zebra that she brought in with her. I highly recommend Karens cakes, after our first taste testing the rest of the places we tried just couldnt compete. The lightest and most decadent moist cake Ive ever had. ❤️

The desserts here are fantastic! I love their cookies, especially the chocolate chip. My favorite thing I have had there is the Lemon Tart. It is deliciously balanced between sweet and tart and the meringue topping was crispy but super soft on the inside! If you are looking for a sweet fix, you should definitely stop by this place :)

Every staff member here is so friendly and helpful. Karen goes out of her way to make sure you get what you want. The desserts are all amazing but the apple pie is absolutely to die for! We willingly make the hour and a half trip weekly and Karen always has it ready for me. Everyone should try something here if not everything! Delicious!

Customer service was great, and I loved Karen Donatelli Bakery’s chocolate croissant. My favorite bakery is chocolate croissant by the way. I cannot describe the taste. You need to try it! I love this bakery.

Very courteous service. We felt very comfortable and welcome. Food was amazing! My favorite is the lemon curd.

Best European style bakery in town. The almond croissants are the best and get sold like hot cakes, so be there early if you want one. Also, if you want a light and delicious lunch, they have quiche every day.

Karen made the cake for my wedding last weekend and it was absolutely gorgeous. The design was simple and elegant - exactly what I wanted. Not only did the cake look incredible, it was absolutely delicious. All of our guests raved about it. We chose the marbled white chocolate amaretto flavor and it was out of this world. Karen is wonderful - you will not be disappointed!

We used Karen Donatelli for our wedding cakes and wow! She was so easy to work with and delivered the most delicious and beautiful wedding cakes we have ever seen. We got so many compliments on our cakes! Along with our main 4-tier cake we had two Star Wars cakes and we were beyond impressed with how they turned out! Thank you, Karen!

Awesome bakery. Awesome pastries. Awesome Espresso. Totally love this place. Always try to make a stop when I’m visiting Asheville for the weekend. My only complaint is that they are closed on Sunday! Wonderful. Thank you for the great pastries!

If you want the best of the best you better go straight to Karen Donatelli! She made my wedding cake and it was absolutely beautiful but most of all delicious! The wedding party went crazy eating leftovers that night.Quality aside, Karen is so friendly, warm and delightful. We lucked out big time having such a pro do our cake!

Absolutely amazing chocolate cake. To my surprise there was coconut in it and it was the BEST cake Id ever encountered! Thank you Karen! I wanted to give you a hug but didnt want to interrupt your wonderful work. First bakery that Ive seen with a good chocolate selection.

Karen did our wedding cup cakes and they were devine! They were so elegant and tasty. She was so amenable to all our requests and she set up a HUGE tasting for us that was fit for a king. She can do a range of desserts for all budgets and delivered the cup cakes to the venue. She was even understanding when we had to change our wedding date a WEEK before due to a hurricane. She was so nice and very responsive. I loved working with her and I would recommend her to anyone!

Very excited about this beautiful cake!

After there was a mix up in the dates from another Bakery, I had no cake for my sisters birthday. I called Karen Donatelli Bakery and was told Karen had a lot of special orders but let s see if she can squeeze in an emergency coconut birthday cake. She did! it was gorgeous with fresh berries and was delicious. Karen saved the day. I will forever be grateful

Cool old school pastries and coffee shop. The lunches looked good too! The chefs wear little white hats... I mean- thats who you want making your croissant, amiright?

Finally found an incredible bakery. These desserts are works of art. What a great place for a special occasion!

Very lovely place! Met Karen in person! She is lovely and elegant. You will understand no wonder all the pastries are so good because they are made by someone with love and care! I always admire people who are dedicated to what they do and do a good job at it. Karen definitely excel at that and I will definitely come back when I visit Asheville next time!

Generous and affordable. A kind vibe. Oh and really really yummy

Delicious desserts for those who want to splurge a little. The staff is super friendly and the ambiance is inviting.

This place is by far my #1 go to for desserts. Everything that is in the case is absolutely a work of art that taste as good as looks!

Cute breakfast and pastries spot in a perfect location! Ordered the mocha cake for my oldest daughter’s birthday and it was almost too beautiful to eat.*story about the owner* I took my youngest daughter here for her birthday one year and she wanted chocolate milk. The waitress apologized and said she didn’t think they could do that. Karen Donatelli herself came out and wished my daughter a happy birthday and made her some chocolate milk with ganache! She was a lovely down-to-earth woman. I visit every time I’m in Asheville.

Such an amazing experience. Me an my wife were thoroughly impressed. It was so delicious we wanted to give them hugs.

It was okay, I mean everything was beautifully decorated. But the flavors were just okay and the pastry tasted stale. The staff was very friendly though.

Best desserts place ever...

Karen, your artistry is amazing!! My birthday cake was absolutely over the top. I love peace signs, VW Buses, etc and the cake you created was one of the most beautiful and delicious cakes I have ever had. Thank you, Karen! You never disappoint, only demonstrate how talented and creative you truly are with each delectable treat!

It’s hard to describe how beautiful the cake we got was, as well as delicious. It was a work of art and truly appreciated.

Everything Ive had here is fabulous and bursting with flavor! I had lunch for frist time there today and ordered the quiche. It was excellent as was the little raspberry tartlet I had for dessert. I come here every time I visit.

Delicious baked goods. I love their sugar cookies and eclairs! Only downfall is parking. However, you do what you have to do when you love a product.

Excellent place for desserts and pastries. They definitely show that food can be a form of art.

I got so many compliments on my wedding cake and dessert bar done by Karen! Her cakes are truly works of art. Many of my guests commented that our cake was the best wedding cake they have ever had, and I agreed!

Stopped in for a coffee and saw the amazing desserts so we had to try a few. Had a raspberry mousse and some strawberry pastry. Both were AMAZING!!!!! They were very light and not extremely rich. You can tell that they are made fresh and with lots of love! When We are back in Asheville we will stop in again. The only thing but not a negative. The coffee wasn’t great. But was still ok.

I got my wedding cheesecake here, and it was the most amazing cake Ive ever had.

OMG soooooo good! You cant beat this place if you like croissants or delicious desserts.

I had the opportunity to meet Karen who personally carried my cake to my car. My sons graduation from TCR high school and because her sons attended and graduated from the same school in the past, she knew exactly the colors the design of the cake. She gave me a quality design that only an inspired artist has...her imagination was incredible. Lets not forget about how delicious the cake was. It melted like butter in the mouth of all my guest. Funny because the next day family and friends wanted to come back over for more cake not realizing they ate most of it.....thank you so very much to Karen and her staff for making my sons graduation cake with such inspiration! I have lots of events and trust me when I say no other bakery will be called on, only Karen Donatelli! Thanks again,Gwendolyn

We absolutely loved our wedding cake made by Karen! It not only was extremely beautiful, but it tasted delicious! Karen is super creative and also a sweetheart to work with. We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding cake or experience!

Everything is outstanding, pasties, coffee and sandwiches! DELICIOUS!!! Centrally located very lovely and cozy space. Paid street parking.

Very eloquent handcrafted pastries and deserts. Delecious. Authentic European style coffee and deserts. We are local and we will be back

Karen and her staff recently did two cakes for me for very special occasions and they were fabulous! She goes out of her way to make sure that the cake is extra special. I will always use her for my special events!

Simply the best. Everything Ive ever ordered here was delicious, baked with love and care, and beautifully presented. My favorite bakery in Asheville without a doubt. Karen and her husband have built one of Ashevilles top downtown destinations. Dont miss it!

I ordered a birthday cake from this bakery blindly; I live out of town and had no idea who to call. But they were so helpful and nice. I picked up the cake and it was beautiful!! Karen, the owner, even brought the cake out and made sure that I was happy with it. I ordered a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries with a cream cheese icing, simply decorated.( it was for my friends 50th bday) Everyone said it was the best cake they had ever had along with the prettiest. It was fresh and moist, not at all too sweet. The inside of the bakery was beautiful as well, I would have loved to be able to stay and sit for awhile, but had to rush away. I would definitely recommend this bakery for anything you may need.

Wow, if your sweet tooth isnt satisfied upon your departure from this establishment, its probably had a root canal performed on it some time in the past. A menagerie of choices and some I liked better than others but not a bad choice in the group.

I came in with a last minute request for a birthday cake and was provided with a piece of art. Absolutely beautiful and delicious. Thank you Karen!

I absolutely love this bakerys chocolate bombs. All of their desserts however are delicious. I always pay this place a visit when Im in Asheville because I cant resist enlightening my taste buds with their wonderfully made food.

Best bakery in WNC. Everything is always fresh and perfect. Food is wonderful, service is great and its the perfect place to meet downtown for a little something special. Alone or with a group of friends you celebrate the day when you spend part of it here.

I had the pleasure of tasting a friends birthday cake made by Karen, and it was the best ever. It was light and fluffy, not too sweet, and was an incredible work of art. It seemed a shame to have to cut it. A feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Now I know where to go when I need a cake.

Amazingly delicious cake and cupcakes. Her designs are fantastic. Highly recommend.

Karen Donatellis made the most wonderful 3 tier wedding cake for our June wedding at the NC Arboretum! We chose three really fun flavors and Im so glad we did. The pineapple mandarin was our favorite! Many of our guests tried cake from each tier. The cake was perfectly baked and the filling was to die for. Karen is the sweetest person to work with - she made us feel special and at ease during the entire planning process. I will miss phone calls with Karen! I didnt think I cared so much about the wedding cake until we had the best one Ive ever tasted! Karen was one of our best vendors and made me thankful we got married in Asheville!

I had my heart set on a particular desert, and they were extremely accommodating in preparing a few for me a little early. The designs are beautiful and each desert is a work of art. Its absolutely worth dealing with downtown.

I ordered a cake for my gfs birthday. Karen came through great! Cake was beautiful, her staff was very polite and helpful during ordering process, kept me posted, and friendly at checkout. Will definitely use Donatellis bakery again!

Never been here. But worked with Vincent Donatelli at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. I can only imagine the amazing pastries and breads being produced.

Karen Donatelli makes the best croissant and brioche in the Southeast by a landslide! I come here once a week after teaching a particularly exhausting class. Lifts my spirits like nothing else. Every single pastry is delicious.

Every time I visit Asheville, I go to Karens bakery and I buy out all the almond croissants. They taste just like those you can get at the pastry shop in Paris! No, my husband said they taste even better than those you get from Paris!

Wow. Another beautiful concoction by these incredible artists and people. And a good price! Thank you so so so much for saving me once again. Louly Peacock

The pastries were HELLO!!!! OUT OF WORLD. !!!!!! We will definetely be back. The staff friendly and helpful explaining pastries. How its made and whats in it. Thanks Karen for great experience

Great location and pastries and desserts. Stopped here for a quick coffee while visiting Asheville and was met by a smiley server behind the counter of amazing looking desserts. The lady in front of me in line had bought a cake and the chef who brought it out immediately offered to carry it to her car. I ordered a tasty brownie with chocolate on top of it and it was very good and fresh tasting. Coffee was very good also. I sat at a table and relaxed for a bit. Very nice and quiet atmosphere (helped with only a few other customers there at the time). I would definately return here and would love to try more items on their menu.

Such a lovely cafe with a lovely team. They brightened my day and are true artists of coffee and baking. I will be back often. ❤

The only croissants worth eating in avl.

Absolutely delicious panettone for Christmas. Beautifully packaged. Reasonably priced. Fresher than fresh with bakery made candied fruit to boot. Thank you!

I have been going to Donatellis since they opened. I love the pastries and cakes. They are beautiful and very good! But, I have to say that the lunch that is served has deteriorated lately. I always get the Chicken salad croissant with fruit. Got that last week and the Croissant was small and the amount of chicken salad was so small that I couldnt find it in half the sandwich. Please, upgrade your lunch to how it was at the beginning! As it is now I will no re-order and will just stick to the bakery items and coffee.

Karen i want to say THANK YOU for the WONDERFUL cake that you CREATED for my big 60t birthday! Deborah and i enjoyed it sooo much!

Great baked goods, great service, and a nice atmosphere. My girlfriend is making us come back after dinner.

Upscale goodies and fantastic coffee. All appear to be handmade, fresh each day. Very friendly staff.

Karen Donatelli is the most amazing patisserie/coffee shop in Asheville. Get there early, because they often run out of croissants or other popular items within a few hours of opening. Though Ive actually never tried one of their cakes, their tartes, truffles, chocolates, eclairs, and all other sweets are amazing. The incredible detail that goes into each individual dessert is astonishing--each looks like a work of art. Theyre so beautiful that you wont want to eat them, but believe me, they taste even better than they look!

We decided to have cakes for lunch today, and Donatellis was the perfect choice. Delicious coffee and superb pastries.I only wish we had room for more!

The most beautiful Buche De Noel cake- and all our guests declared it tasted just as phenomenally. Thank you for giving us a chance to continue our tradition here in Asheville!

Karen is such a sweet Lady. She made sure that we were taken care of during our visit. She even made my son feel important. Surly we will visit here again.

This is always a great place. To take a break from the streets and get a marvelous treat. ...... Again scrumptious, Delicious, amazing

Cute cafe with an amazing selection of cookies and pastries. Loved it.

Excellent pastries and delicious hot and cold drinks. Karen and her staff are super friendly and will go out of their way to serve. Coffee is great as is the chai latte.

Beautiful and decadently delicious pastries, great Cappuccino and a cozy atmosphere.

I normally dont eat sweets,but when I do I get the desserts here. Karen is a true French pastry chef. Excellent!

Always a lovely experience. French pastries, limited lunch menu, coffee/espresso & tea. The desserts are amazing.