Hungry Ghost is a Mecca that all gluten enthusiasts must pay homage to at least once in their lives. In addition to some of the best quality breads and baked treats you'll ever have the pleasure of eating, their ethics and mindful presence sets a tone that is intuitive and inclusive. Support this business and the satiation of your cravings. read more

I had to go in here and see what all the fuss was about! 5 stars maybe not... but 4 is not enough. The French bread was magnifique. It was a little larger of a loaf than what I am used to in France but wow - the taste was there. AND it is actually still good to eat a few days later if wrapped with any level of care (not like the knock off higher end breads at the grocery store which is stale in a day or two). I also bought a chocolate cookie. REALLY good. I had an immediate flashback to my Grandmothers cookies that was so unexpected I was "moved". Must have been an old Yankee recipe or style of chocolate chip cookie. I will go back for sure. Yes, this is a hipster kind of place but pretty much most of Northampton is. I leave you with this, "le pain est parfait, bon appetit." read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - Bread, bread, bread! - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

This part of Hampshire County is bakery central. However, The Ghost, as it is familiarly called, is the best. The other baked goods are superb as well. I've actually given pastries to coworkers as birthday presents. read more

On the bread alone -- YUM! Really good hard on the outside, soft on the inside bread. We got a Challah and it was a great quality. But it was not really challah in the sense that I've known. So, not quite sure to make of that. Plus service was just kinda there. Felt rushed and impersonal. Can you recommend something? Can you interact? Can you seem thankful for the business? A smile? So, down a star. And it's nothing to speak of inside. You're taking this to go..... read more

Big fan of the chocolate chipotle cookie, savory tarts, banana tarts, chocolate chip cookies.. so much 2 choose from.. Many years ago I had their pizza and was disappointed but after a few year hiatus from eating their pizza I can say with certainty they upped their game. They really know what they're doing! read more

Sourdough. Delicious. My absolute favorite. Dare I say better than the sourdough in San Francisco? (Okay, okay, but it's at least as good as Bakery Boudin...happy compromise.) These people are as wonderful as can be. They bake incredible edibles, and they even want to start a local grain collective, in order that local bakers can use local flours. read more

Grab a bottle of your favorite wine... plus your favorite someone or favorite book... Go to Hungry Ghost and buy as much of their bread as you can carry... Walk across the street and buy a hunk of cheese at State Street... Go to Look Park... Sit under a tree... Uncork the wine, break your bread and nibble on cheese... Know joy... read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

Very nice bread. It's a little pricey but I suppose you get what you pay for. Back home in New Haven, we have Chabaso Bakery which makes very similar bread: hard on the outside and very chewy on the inside. It's the type of bread that is great for dunking into a hot pot of tomato sauce. Just add a bit of butter and mmmmm oh so good. This bakery is located a couple blocks away from Main Street. It's right on the edge of the Smith Campus. To be honest, I was a little afraid to step inside because I heard stories about the "bread nazi's" working inside. But my experience went very well. read more

The bread is so good it's ....... scary. ( yes, that was a pun intended). Seriously, this place makes the best bread on the East Coast. If you're traveling in town, pick up a loaf, get some hummus and go to Provisions for wine and you will feel like you just has a day in the South of France. The bread is a masterpiece! read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

The bread is to die for! Truly amazing texture and taste. Each loaf is a masterpiece haha so much so that my Dad always has me grab multiple loaves for him before I leave for home. read more

Love the bread. Basically fantastic Luckily didn't go there too much or I'd weigh 5000 pounds. read more

The hours stink. They don't take plastic. They don't always have the type of bread you think you want. But... What they do have... Is amazing. Simply some of the best bread I've had that I haven't made myself. (I'm still getting the hang of the texture.) Frequently still warm from the oven. The help has gotten dings but I've never had that issue. they've always been nice, if a bit frazzled or stressed. read more

Delicious scones! Not easy to park , but worth there! And would call for the scones beforehand!

We have been known to drive 45 minutes just for the cookies, and we don't even smoke. You may see us scuttling to our car so we can rip apart a loaf - any loaf - by the handful as quickly as possible. Sometimes I drive to Noho with a stick of butter in the front seat just for this reason. Out-of-state visitors now request their bread to accompany our dinners. There is nothing here that isn't transendental. This is not a good thing, because I am now disappointed when I eat most other bread. Love the Bread and Puppet vibe. read more

I was so longing to purchase a loaf of French Batard. After making the short trek to their bakery, I purchased a chocolate chip cookie and vegan cookie, both of which were delicious. As my wife, son, and I were enjoying our cookie, it came to me that I should share the loaf with my son who lives in New Haven. I took my my loaf in it's brown bag back to the employee and asked if she could cut it in half so that I could share a half with my son. The employee said she could not cut it. No problem. I asked for a second bag which she kindly gave me. I began to cut the loaf with my hands when a man, I am assuming the baker, who perhaps is even the owner, began chastising me for breaking the bread in half. I told him I just wanted to share the loaf with my son. He didn't care about my wishes as a customer. Instead, he continued to tell me that I was wrong for breaking the bread, especially in front of him. I repeated my wish for sharing the bread with my son. But he continued to insult me. I told him I could no longer enjoy the loaf and left the two halves on the counter. I am one who does not believe the customer is always right, but this man's insults were unprofessional. Their bread is absolutely delicious. If you are in the area, by all means, go and purchase a loaf of their French Batard. Just don't tear off a piece in front them. read more

I LOVE Hungry Ghost. But lately they burn the pizza every damn time. It is so, so irritating. Once I even asked them to please undercook it. BURNED. My favorite pizza, but I think I'm kind of done with them. :( read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

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This place is small but they have some great baked goods! I got their chocolate cookie and ham-cheese croissant. The cookie was big, soft and chewy. Even after the next day, it was still chewy. The croissant was flaky and you can taste the butter in it. It was absolutely delicious! Service was great! They are a bit pricey though. read more

Cute location with a garden out front and a beautiful mural. Selection of small-batch whole wheat bread, pastries, and pizza. Even in the evening there were still a few options left, although if you want the full selection make sure to go early. read more

This is probably the best bread I have had in Massachusetts. Really good cookies too. Get the Colonel Buckwheat, it's phenomenal!

Amazing pastries and bread!!!!!!! Love the banana cream tart especially. This is definitely one of our favorite bakeries to go to.

The best bread in western Massachusetts, and maybe the whole state. The French Batard is the centerpiece of my Christmas dinner. All the breads are awesome. Go There NOW!!!! read more

I wish I had had a better experience :/ After reading so many positive reviews (including Yelp's), I was so excited to come here! Unfortunately the week before my visit my doctor had put me on a gluten-free/lactose-free elimination diet, so I was holding out they might have one gluten-free option (Small Over has a few for example), but if not, my boyfriend was going to be trying out a few goodies for the both of us. I asked about gluten-free options, with trepidation, because I do think it's a bit of nonsense to make this type of request in a bakery, but again...other bakeries have the option! Anyways, the response was UNKIND. After perusing the stock, the girl at the front counter said "You're kinda in the wrong place for that." Thanks. I know baked goods are rarely gluten-free, not even sure they should be. That being said, she was rude and dismissive and unnecessarily so. My boyfriend did get something and it was tasty, not any more tasty than other bakeries here, but not bad. When the elimination diet from hell is over I'd like to try one of their pizzas still. That being said, I don't believe I'll ever be a regular here based on my first time customer service! read more

The James Beard-nominated bread is great. What else can you say about it... What's more surprising is the pizza. When they expanded at the end of 2011, they started making wood-fired pizza of the gourmet variety. I'm the fourth generation of my family to be raised on New Haven pizza and HG is the closest thing to that. In fact, with the recent expansion of the Frank Pepe's franchise and its decline in consistency, HG pizza gives Pepe's a run for its money. One doesn't think to go to a bakery to get decent pizza. But made with fresh ingredients, HG pizza is more flavorful than at many other places in the area--which is surprising, given the plethora of restaurant choices. And crust, which makes or breaks a pizza, is from HGs The one downside is, due to HG's size, there's no dine-in option for those evenings where you want to get out of the house. It's cash-only--I made the mistake one Saturday of forgetting my cash and the aforementioned "put-off hipster" was extremely nice in letting me delay an immediate search for an ATM and giving me an IOU instead. They were closed until the following Tuesday, so I came back and paid for my pizzas then. read more

M and I had walked past the inviting scents and quaint screen door of Hungry Ghost Bread many times on our way home from downtown, but didn't stop in until one day last week. We picked the rosemary loaf, but unfortunately neither of us had any cash or checks, and they don't take plastic. We were told that there is an ATM across the street, but after a moment of hesitation, and calculating the likelihood that the fees alone would be as much as the delicious looking and smelling loaf of bread the young gentleman behind the counter offered to write us an IOU. An IOU? I found the suggestion not only helpful, but utterly charming. He wrote M's first name on a scrap of paper along with "$5", and we were on our way. The service alone would make me a repeat customer, but the bread sealed the deal. Between the two of us, M and I ate almost the entire loaf that night, and polished off the little bit that was left the next day. With the perfectly chewy crust, and the pillowy rosemary-seasoned interior, it was irresistible. I went back a couple of days ago to pay our IOU. The woman who helped me asked if the person who took the IOU had written my name down. I said he had, and she told me that they "don't keep track of those things too well" and that I was all settled up when I handed her the $5 for the original loaf of bread, and $6 for the loaf I bought that day. I was expecting to get the rosemary again, but they hadn't baked any that day. As some of the other reviewers noted, they bake on a schedule with only one or two kinds of bread a day. I got the kamut loaf, which has pumpkin seeds in it. Delicious. This is truly versatile bread, suited for sandwiches, toast, to be spread with butter or dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or just eaten plain! The service is odd in the best possible way, and most importantly, these people really know their way around an oven. read more

Bread is excellent, baked goods (especially savory hand pies, tarts) are delicious. Get the mushroom/truffle pizza!!! Customer service is great- I've never experienced any rudeness but I am also not needy... read more

Holy *&$*#&@#&$ this place is so good. The 9-grain (8? 9? I think it was 9) bread is so, so delicious and I can't even believe how much I love the vegan cowboy cookie. I hate peanut butter and I love the cowboy cookie. I am at this very moment deeply regretting that we did not pick up more of each and a few of some others before heading back to RI. All the more reason for another western Mass trip. By the way, the space itself and the oven are just so cool. And I love Liz B.'s description of the staff, I think it's right on. read more

If you're looking for a legit bakery that's doing great things with flour, water and yeast then a stop into Hungry Ghost is a must. They use flours local to Massachusetts and the spelt sourdough was a perfect hydration. The Molasses Chew and Oatmeal Raisin cookies were BIG, delicious and cheap! It's a bare bones. Cash only, a tiny little area for waiting in line and then you can move along outside to sit on the wall and eat your leavened goodness. read more

Chewy, perfectly textured, perfectly seasoned bread is an art form, a craft. At Hungry Ghost Bread, you won't go hungry if you partake of their incredible loaves! It's the kind of bread you tear off in luscious chunks rather than slice and butter. We loved their Olive & Semolina Fougasse with a fluffy, moist chewy center, and just-right toughness outside to create the perfect mouthful. The olives were salty and ohh so good! I can't rave enough about their bread (which is baked on a schedule -- go to their website), or their way of baking it -- in a large, wood fired oven. This is the best bread EVER. The cookies, on the other hand, were not as good. We had the ginger cookie, which was beautifully adorned with chunks of crystallized ginger, but it wasn't quite flavorful enough for me, despite its luxuriously tender texture. Oh, well. But, the bread, oh, my! It's amazing. read more

Really amazing bread! Don't be scared off by the fact that they act a bit like "the Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. I don't think I know anyone who hasn't been abused by the people at the Hungry Ghost, but we all keep going back because the BREAD IS SO GOOD; It is worth the abuse. Since my writing of this review a several years ago, they have expanded the space and they have employees who are slightly more friendly (the owners no longer have to shoulder everything on their own, and they have earned it). It is now a less hostile place. If you want wonderful bread, it is the place to go in town; if you want the entertainment of being abused, move on; while they aren't warm and fuzzy, they aren't outwardly aggressive anymore ;) I am a happy customer. read more

The bread is wonderful, and the oven formidable. However, there's not much else to it - with about 4 feet of standing room for customers, it's definitely a takeout place! Plus, all the employees seemed absolutely miserable; maybe something was going wrong that day, but it sort of stressed me out. Beyond their bread and their absolutely perfect name, I respect Hungry Ghost more than I love it. read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - The eponymous ghost? - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

These folks know what they're doing when it comes to quality bread. I've never had a loaf I didn't love, and with the prices of the better-branded supermarket breads on the rise, the cost differential makes Hungry Ghost less of a splurge these days...but rest assured, a loaf from here still feels very much like a treat. We're currently working through a loaf of spelt which we just tried for the first time on the recommendation of one of the bakers. It's sweet and nutty with a perfectly crispy crust and a soft, flavorful interior. Highly recommend it. The French batards are consistently perfect. I haven't had their pizza yet, but the other non-bread baked goods I've tried have been eh...I would recommend Woodstar or Shelburne Falls Coffee for scones and cookies, and 40 Green Street for croissants (they are straight-up phenomenal). Unlike some others, I have actually found the staff to be really friendly, helpful, and thoughtful about their recommendations. read more

Old world bakery utilizing ancient grains. Rebellious and uncomforming to the enriched white flour bakeries of the day. A take it or leave it attitude. Yes, we are open. Yes, we have bread. Off the beaten path, set atop a hill, eerily and haunted. When the wood smoke rises, the signal is sent. Hearty and earthen, remembrance of how we used to eat. Exceptional bread accompanies an exceptional moment, and those who provide exceptional moments, provide life. read more

Hungry Ghost Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Northampton, Massachusetts

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This bread is so good that I would sit and eat cheese and wine with it, dipping the bread in olive oil, and call it dinner. Eventually, the bread would expand and my belly would be overfull. It was actually pretty painful, but it was always worth it. Thus the frequency of this occurrence... Northampton is such a lovely place, full of delicious. Definitely use up the bread day of, as it has nothing to preserve it, and will stale in a day. But do go there, its more than worth the cost of the organic flour it takes to make such a wonderful loaf. read more

Really delicious baked goods. Arrive early if you want the best stuff. Their French rounds are amazing!

Holy cow. May be the best bread I've ever had. Warm from the oven. Got delicious molasses cookie too. So sad I do not live near this bakery. Absolutely worth a special trip! read more

Hands down my favorite bakery in Northampton (and possibly the entire Pioneer Valley)! Perfect stop for a picnic spread. They always have some seasonal specials like bread pudding and fruit pies. The maple banofee tart is to die for! Think crisp pastry shell filled with caramel, maple cream custard, bananas and topped with whipped cream -- heavenly. It's a tiny shop, so you'll have to take your scrumptious cookies, cakes and breads to go. Oh, and there's no parking lot either, so plan on street parking or just walk over :) read more

The bread at Hungry Ghost is nothing short of amazing. Most loaves are of the round, crusty sourdough variety. My go-to everyday standard is the eight-grain, but I love the new chewy, sour integral, and the French batard as well. The integral, which I picked up for the first time yesterday, reminds me of Pain Poilâne in Paris. The staff are friendly but not chatty. This isn't a place to hang out, just to get the best bread this side of the Atlantic. At $5-6 a loaf, it's not cheap, but it's well worth it. read more

I went to college in the area, and would often buy a loaf despite a generous meal plan and a steep hill. And eat it all by myself in a day and a half. I've visited since graduating/the renovation, and only loved it more. There's more options (cookies! crackers! savory pies! pretzels! chilled baked goods! sometimes all at the same times!) oh, and Pizza. I have driven to Northampton, from Boston, where I had maybe 2-3 things planned for the trip, and Pizza here is always one of them. The cheese is good, but so is the Vegan cheese. We've particularly loved the eggplant parm and the sausage. Yes, meat, real meat. I was shocked to see it on the menu. Hints: If you forget cash, go across the street to Serios if you don't want to walk all the way into town, there's both an ATM and the option for cashback. All the bread is good, so don't get obsessed with one kind of loaf. But If you are obsessed anyway, call ahead and reserve. Either eat the pizza immediately, or give it a while. There's a strange middle place where it's not bad, but not as good as piping hot or room temp. read more

I love Hungry Ghost. This used to be a chiropractor's office, but about two years ago Hungry Ghost moved in and I have not been able to stomach bad bread ever since. I have not had a single loaf that I did not enjoy here, but my favorites are the challah and the rosemary, both of which are only made on certain days of the week. Grab a flier with the weekly schedule next time you are there so you can plan ahead; both these breads are in fairly high demand. read more

Best bread in town, hands down. Good pizza, too. However, pretty much the worst customer service. I go to a different bakery now. Ever since they got a James Beard award or a write-up in Yankee Magazine or whatever it was, they simply ooze condescension and arrogance. They act like they're being put off by parting you with your money, so I take mine elsewhere now. read more