I had a last minute need for a dessert and I was relieved to see Crispian opened early on a Sunday…read more I called in to see what they had and was told they had the passion fruit tart. I was able to make the purchase over the phone and pick it up around 10am. Everything was ready and perfect. I picked up a few other items while there and shared them at the luncheon. I'm going to focus on the tart because to be honest, it garnered a buzz for how good it was. Perfect balance of flavor, tart, sweet.... absolute deliciousness. This has been my go-to bakery and never has it let me down. I couldn't take praise for how good the tart was but I happily accepted the thanks for the sharing the find.

Wow, this place has some pretty delicious muffins and cinnamon bread slices, it was so tasty warmed…read moreup. I finally got a chance to try this place, go around, there's parking in the back, better than trying to park with the flow of traffic on Park Street.

Amazing. My friends and I were in the area for a car meet and popped into Firebrand to check out…read moretheir pastries and use the bathroom. First off, it's spacious. Between the inside seats and the outdoor bench seating, there's plenty of space for a lot of people and when the weather is nice, it's even better. The pastries display was absolutely amazing. Not just their bread offerings, but also their croissants and bombolinis, my gosh it's hard not to throw caution into the wind and order a little of everything. I opted for the matcha croissant, blackberry cream cheese danish, passionfruit bombolini, and vanilla bombolini, and all were amazing and not too sweet. The topper was the ube latte that I got along with everything. Overall, a great pit stop if you're in the area or if you just want to come here because of this place. It's sure to be a good, delicious time.

While in the area for the Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire, we came by Firebrand Artisan Breads to…read moreto grab some coffees and a snack. I love this area of Alameda, populated with so many fun breweries and family-friendly spaces. This was our first time at this spot and we noticed a sign (see below) for the best English muffins in the Bay Area so we had to grab one toasted with butter. Would love to try it as a brekky sandwich, but we didn't want to ruin our appetites for festival food lunch..the brekky menu looked amazing including biscuits & gravy, churro French toast sticks, lemon zest French toast, brekky pizza, and the pork & jam (crispy pulled pork, house made blackberry jam, fried egg, honey-buttermilk biscuit with country fried taters...sounds delish!!) They also have a beautiful selection of baked goods, pretzels, packaged breads to-go, lunch AND dinner options including soups, salads, pizzas, kiddo menu, sandwiches, sliders, and more. I had no idea! Service was quick, hours kickoff at 7:30a, and there's indoor/outdoor seating. Plenty of parking outside or across the street if needed. Can't wait to come back soon!

I was on my way to work and was a bit early. I had passed by the display case and saw a few…read morePastries. I had decided on a mini Carrot Cake and had taken it to go. It was perfectly sized and the cream cheese frosting was on point. They have all sorts of baked goods if carrot cake isn't your thing..I saw they had sandwiches and baked breads too .

My friend picked up some treats from this place. The keylime pie was tasty! The other pastries were…read moregood too.

===TL;DR=== - Mango $15…read more- Mango sun croissant ===TMI=== Alright, these fruit shaped pastries hype is real at this French Filipino bakery! Greeted with their lineup of dessert pastries in open case upon entering. This is giving bougie adult candy store. Prices are out of this world but omg, they're so delightful! Mango - honestly, start with this one. Foolproof, tried and true. This one's gonna make you feel surreal and want more (except your wallet doesn't)! Very tasty and not overly sweet. Mango sun croissant - soft and airy croissant exterior with satisfying mango passion fruit mousse filling in the middle. Both were yummy. Can only have them once in a blue moon. Otherwise, your wallet might cry. Oh, don't go too late or they'll run out of everything!

I've called here twice with inconvenient questions and both times the service was top tier. As a…read moreformer long time public service employee, while I endlessly pursued scholarly achievements, I know first hand it is not for the weak. This bakery is genuinely kind and helpful. Extremely professional, yet personable. We tried the mango, raspberry, coconut, and peanut. I recommend all of them, but to my surprise, the peanut was my favorite. The coconut was great, but the middle chunks of coconut, which I appreciate, just didn't do it for me. I personally think a softer - cream/cake center would've made it a 10/10. Very excited to try more flavors.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a silent auction and be the winner of the Semifreddis…read morebakery tour for up to 20 people. While it took some coordination on my part, we all made it and it's the best insider peek into this Bay Area institution that started in a small bakery that has grown so very much! Our guide Jennifer was a wealth of knowledge and so very fun to lead us through the history and operations of this business. The average person just doesn't appreciate all the work that goes into the foods that we eat. We saw the warehouse where the raw goods are stored and then onto the production floor! We saw the flour coming out into the massive vats, loaves coming out of ovens, focaccia going into convection ovens and all the steps in between. We were gifted an amazing bag of products that included a sweet baguette, sour battard, a bag of granola, bag of croutons, a morning bun, bag of cinnamon bread, biscotti and a bag of cinnamon bread. Unbelievable!!! They are such a family oriented organization that values community that they regularly donate product out. Items that come back from the stores and those that have an opps are sent out to become feed for chickens! I've always loved Semifreddis and now, I love them more. There are no public tours. Only way in is via a donated tour or via hosted events for 2nd grade and up classes. What a special day for me and 19 of my friends and family. Thank you!! Ps. No pics inside due to employee privacy.

Went here on a tour with Kaiser docs. Great behind the scenes view of their bakery. Huge fan of…read moretheir kalamata loaf and cinnamon twist bread now. It was also great to learn how much they give back to the local community too! We usually get their products locally at Encinal market or Berkeley bowl.

Stopped by Doodlecakes spontaneously for a sweet treat. I was in the area picking up some…read moresandwiches and noticed Doodlecakes after parking nearby. The shop is cute and cozy with a nice display of cupcakes available and prices. I opted to purchase 4 cupcakes to share and had asked the staff member for recommendations on flavors. Customer service was excellent, friendly and efficient. I will say the cupcakes are a bit pricey ($4.99 each) but the quality and taste are great. It's also wonderful that they have gluten free and vegan cupcakes available too. I enjoyed the cookie butter and cookies n' cream flavors, the cupcakes weren't overly sweet and had a nice texture and the icing was good too. I was curious about trying the pandan and strawberry crunch flavors, and will need to return for more cupcakes! Overall, a solid spot for delicious cupcakes! Definitely recommend!

I wanted to support an Alameda business for a recent event and came across Doodlecakes online…read more Rebekah was amazing throughout the process answering questions I had, keeping me updated on various flavors that were coming up, etc. The variety of cupcake flavors was awesome! The event guests had fun choosing what flavors they were going to eat and raved about the taste. I think my two favorites were the cookies and cream cupcake and the biscoff cookie cupcake. Highly recommend for any events you're hosting (they have regular cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cakes, etc.).

I got an espresso. It was a medium roast, their signature blend…read more It had great creamy texture and a good layer of crema. Bitterness overpowered the shot but I tasted some promising fruity notes. 2.5/5 Would come back to try pour over.

This is a great spot for some coffee. I love how the place is on the same block with Salvation…read moreArmy, so you can thrift and then get yourself a drink right after. I love their affogato, it was very refreshing, balanced, and a nice treat after a long day. Prices are fair and what you see in almost all the coffee spots. The place looks small from the outside, but it actually has a decent amount of seating both inside and out. I love the tall windows that let in so much natural sunlight, because it gives the cafe such a bright and inviting atmosphere. The staff are super friendly and welcoming. The food service is quick and well done. It's on a pretty busy street with constant traffic, so getting there by car can be a little hectic, but it is totally worth it once you're inside enjoying your drink.

What a great assortment of cakes and other treats! We had a…read morebeautiful tiramisu cake and cupcakes last week. Tastes so good, not overwhelming like other bakery types, and definitely sweet enough for our liking. My friends and I were surprised at how tall the cake was! Yes, it was two tiers, but my goodness, so tall!! Will be ordering Sue's biscottis soon.

Sue is famous for her treats! Very responsive via email for order updates. I think I mathed wrong…read moreand ordered WAY too many biscotti, but they definitely did not go to waste. Try her s'mores cupcakes :)

Wow! I decided to try cookiebar ice cream again, and absolutely loved it. Circus animal cookie is…read moreone of my favorite ice creams, and it's so hard to find. This version was so thick and creamy and just tasted delicious. Already dreaming about my next visit!

Cute little place to visit when you are in alameda. Service awesome my friend tried almost 4…read moredifferent samples flavors, I tried 2 samples. We ended with scoop each lychee black tea, durian, 2 biscoff. Important to note that this ice cream not too sweet.

My second time visiting this cute coffee shop/bakery, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first!…read more My friend ordered the matcha and the milk bun, and both were delicious. She's very particular, so I was especially glad that she enjoyed everything. The interior is beautiful--you can tell it was designed with so much attention to detail. I love the color scheme; the whole space feels very soft and whimsical. They also have a few non-food items like books, pins, stationery, and other little things that would make really cute gifts. Service was friendly and welcoming. I'll definitely be back! I'm

Gluten challenge stop #7. All I can say is WOW! We got the yuzu bun and a pandan bun…read more The yuzu meringue bun was amazing. It's like a morning bun, and the texture of the morning bun is light, fluffy. Lots of sugar on it, it shedded everywhere while eating. The filling is the star. It is a curd and has a strong a prominent yuzu flavor. They filled it VERY generously. You get curd with every bite. We both agreed the meringue on top, while good, was not needed. The yuzu curd is not too sweet, they really lean into the sour so it balances out the sweet bun nicely. The pandan bun is like nothing I've EVER had. It's the strongest pandan flavored anything I've ever had. You can smell the pandan before you even bite into it. It's a lot like a brioche bun (not dissimilar to challah in texture) with a pandan-flavored concha top. It has a cream-style pandan filling which is a SUPER strong pandan flavor. Generously filled, very generously. Will definitely return if I can. Their flavors are on a rotating basis. The woman at the counter was enthusiastic and polite, eagerly answered questions.