I don't know if it's just bad luck but we always have a cake catastrophe from here. Last year they called an hour before and said they didn't have our cake in stock but we could switch. So we did (but when I went to pick up someone else was picking up the same original cake we wanted). This year I called to confirm 1.5 hours before pick up and was told that the cake was ready with our name on it, and then 15 minutes before I was called and told they didn't have it. I did want the cake we ordered in advance so we delayed pick up 3 hours. Unfortunately the cake was so warm all the frosting melted and the cake did a sleeping beauty move with the layers sliding off and the lettering running (this happened sitting flat on a table)! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Lettering ran - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Ironically my neighbors next door actually live next to this bakery. Yup, thats a fact that will make your head spin since I don't live anywhere near here. Lucky for me, its how I was introduced to this bakery. The neighbor showing up at your front doorstep with fresh baked goods in cute little boxes is always a welcomed sight. Truly blessed to have neighbors like this. Its like stepping back in time when all neighbors did this sort of thing. Beautiful fruit tarts. Oh, they must know how my dad and I love a good fruit tart - perhaps caught me walking past their house with one from Safeway as I'm known to do. Raspberries and blueberries and cookie goodness. I've talked myself into thinking that fruit tarts are borderline health food. I'm not sure thats fact but don't rain on my parade. Save your facts for some angry Facebook rant. Anyway, whats more important than good health? So how on earth do my neighbors live next to here when I don't? I'll give you a hint - I live in mixed use neighborhoods - some people live there... some people work there... some people do both with the extra space of their wildly large hidden and out of sight mysterious basements. This whole fruit tart at my door reminds me of how I was introduced to my whole luxury baked goods fetish. As a kid the neighbor lady across the street (sort of like a grandma to me) would bring these delicious cakes from Victorias in San Francisco when she went to her hair dresser there. "You haven't lived until you've tried Victorias Princess cake" she would insist. Every time she would bring it over the same line. It never got old.... Well, I can tell you that you haven't lived until you've tried the almond macaroon from Lavandar. That is my favorite item here and I've tried everything. Pigpig. I don't know what you do with your fruit tarts. I don't know what you do in your basements. Really its none of my business... but here's a thought... maybe be neighborly today and show up at your neighbor's doorstep with a little box of baked goods. Yeah, thats a great plan. Lets not be a little piggy and eat them all yourself. read more

See all

I am in southern California but wanted to send a surprise to a friend of mine who works out of Richmond. I found Lavender Bakery & Café online, looked at their very impressive menu and visited their Instagram page. Finding exactly what I wanted I ordered a Lemon Bar, a Lemon Cheesecake and a Flourless Raspberry Mousse Dessert. Unfortunately, when the Door Dash driver got there they picked up the wrong box. That box included 2 Guava Mousse Desserts, a very generous slice of Cheesecake and a Chocolate Hazlenut Mousse Dessert. My friend sent me a picture and I could see it wasn't the correct order. I messaged Lavender Bakery on IG and within a few hours Ali got back to me. Very apologetic and offered to resend the correct order. Since it was on a Friday I asked if it could get sent out on Monday. Ali replied, OK, we can send on Monday. Talk about customer service. Out of no fault of their own, they offered to resend the correct desserts AND have it Ubered over to my friend. All at no extra cost to me. ALL of the desserts were absolutely perfect! The lemon desserts were sweet and tangy. The biscotti crust on the lemon cheesecake had a crisp texture to it. The Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse and the Flourless Raspberry Mousse Dessert were decadent and perfect! I will spread the word on this amazing experience and the most delicious desserts! And as soon as I am up there, I will visit to say thank you in person. Ali, you are amazing. In this world where people fail at customer service every day, you, my friend EXCEL!!! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Guava Mousse Dessert, Hazelnut Mousse Dessert and Cheesecake. - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I came in around 3:30 pm and got a last-minute cake for my dad's birthday! They were sold out of my first choice which was the twice-baked Cheesecake so I opted for the Hazelnut instead. It was very chocolatey and rich and my dad loved it! The hazelnut pieces are a tad bit large though and it may be better to sprinkle candied diced hazelnuts on top rather than the granola. But the gold on the cake shined in the light and it was very pretty. Additionally, I got a vanilla cupcake and a fruit tart as gifts, but they looked delicious and very decadent. The total came out to be ~$69 for the cake with writing ($2), vanilla cupcake and fruit tart! Parking was very straightforward! It was metered alongside the street and very easy to find. The service was also nice too! They had a long line and got me in and out in 9 minutes. The cashier also gave me a new fruit tart after they noticed that the strawberry was wilting, which I really appreciated. I will be back to try their other selections for myself in the future! read more

See all

I could not be happier with the way my custom cake turned out. It was beautiful and looked just as I had expected. I was in awe the moment I picked up the cake. It not only looked amazing but tasted delicious. Everyone complimented on great it was. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. It was a fantastic experience! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Custom book themed birthday cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

A good friend of mine bought me this lovely cake for my birthday ! Petite, aesthetically pleasing, and most of all tastes amazing! My favorite color, and flavor! Now my go to bakery in the EastBay! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Vanilla lemon cake! So cute and just the right size for small party of 6! Tasted as food as it looks! - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

amazing service, very communicative and friendly! And my cake was just BEAUTIFUL!!! everyone loved the design and enjoyed eating the cake as well! read more

See all

Ridiculously amazing cakes!! If you like chocolatey chocolate or amazing fruit mousse cake - this place is one of a kind! You won't be disappointed!! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cake! - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good variety of pastries and desserts to fit anyone's tastes. Many options for birthday/special occasion cakes!

The cakes we ordered from Lavender were amazing! Not just the cake's presentation's, but the cakes themselves were delicious. Everybody loved them. 5 star read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I just went to this place with my whole family and the food is truly excellent. The sandwiches have a delicious flavor, great quality, and a wide variety. We took home some country bread, baguettes, and sandwich loaves - super delicious and a highly recommended place. read more

There are lots of different pastries here that are great but my favorite is for sure the vegan macarons! I can't wait to come back again next time! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Vegan Macaron-Special - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was admittedly grumpy for petty reasons when my boyfriend and I biked here on a Sunday afternoon, and I didn't think I'd like this bakery. Here's what we got: Guava mousse: my boyfriend is a sucker for guava and we enjoyed sharing this together Lemon tart: loved the sweet and sour tartness of the lemon tart Fruit tart: it was large and delicious! Pistachio Turkish Delight: I love Turkish delights, and really enjoyed this. I was just sad they ran out of the rose pomegranate flavor. Restroom was out of order when we were here. They have a nice outdoor seating area to enjoy, and it was pleasantly shady when we were here. read more

See all

A nice selection of carefully made baked goods. Traffic in the area is heavy but it is worth the effort to shop here.

My family requested Lavender Bakery's pecan pie Again for our Thanksgiving meal. It did not disappoint. So full of flavor, combining sweet , salty , and a crunch too. I love Lavender Bakery. Just walking into their bakery on Solano Avenue in Berkeley is a visual delight. Beautiful large glass lit cases display so many other pastries and beautiful custom cakes. i highly recommend their quality and the variety offered. Making me hungry now. read more

Lovely bakery! Everything is so delicious! My favorite is the almond croissant! Coffee is excellent! I plan to order a special cake for a birthday party in July. read more

I love that they are open late(r). They have a terrific selection of iced sugar cookies in the cutest shapes like ladybugs and flowers. If you are taking a hostess gift or get well treat, this is definitely at the top of my list. So many (maybe too many) other pastries and cakes, I'm not sure where to start. I've only had their sugar cookies, macarons and a few of their tarts. Their main focus is made to order occasion cakes, BD, wedding, graduation, etc. It can be pricey but for the attention to detail and quality, it's appropriate. read more

I had a cinnamon roll and cup of tea, sat at a lovely shaded table outside, just enough foot traffic to be interesting but not disruptive. I splurged and ate a whole second cinnamon roll! The cinnamon is rich and robust, unlike many lesser versions. Will find my way back here on purpose. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cinnamon roll & tea - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ordered the strawberry cake for my mother's 95th birthday party nice never had a cake tag at tasted as good ever. We were full from a delicious dinner, and no one could imagine having desert afterwards, but we did due diligence bc it was her birthday cake. It was so light, refreshing, and delicious, that somehow that cake disappeared before our eyes. The best! The only review I had was from yelp before ordering. No prior experience or word of mouth. I was SO lucky! read more

This is a Euro-inspired cafe on Solano. I highly recommend stopping by if your carbs or sugar are low. They do a great job on pastries and tarts, but also have a variety of drinks and cakes. Everything here is baked fresh. They wake up early to make all the items new everyday. My goto order here includes the Burnt Almond Cake. Its constructed with vanilla (2 layers) and chocolate (1 layer). They use a delightful Amaretto custard filling. Its doused in candied almonds. And topped with whipped cream. The ambiance here is European and light. Its a nice place to simply relax on a Saturday afternoon. Parking is always available within 1 block. read more

We got another amazing cake for our daughter's 5th birthday! They never cease to amaze me with their ability to recreate the exact design I want (3 years in a row!). The cake tastes amazing - we always get tons of compliments on how great it is. This year the kids just stood in front of the cake and stared at it for a good 10 minutes amazed/wanting to touch it! We will be back again next year! Thank you Lavender Bakery! read more

See all

Not impressed with the pastries and the price was too high. There is no sitting inside and I ordered an almond croissant and they gave me an apple pastry only found out after leaving the place. read more

Amazing desserts, made with a careful touch it's clear the pastry makers put love into their work. Black tea was also perfectly balanced in temperature and flavor. Good location and a clean interior with lots of outdoor seating and good people watching. Highly recommend! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Special chocolate raspberry dessert - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

I went to Lavender bakery around 5 this evening, perfect time to go by the way, and walked straight up to the counter with my daughter and husband. We were greeted and helped. I appreciate her giving us some time because we came hungry and wanted everything The place smells great and the window really does get the mouth drooling. We ended up getting fruit tarts, a pistachio eclair, and 2 cookies (chocolate chip and walnut cranberry) but they aren't pictured because we ate them right after. Everything we ordered was tasty! They don't skimp on anything there, tons of filling, tons of chocolate chips, and the tarts were super fresh. I'll be back. read more

See all

Amazing service! I got a box of four and tried the butter cookies, apricot and peach chesson, and banana bread. They were all soft, warm, moist, and perfectly baked. The shop is very clean and chic, with everything you need to understand the prices and flavors. It's a great place to satisfy your dessert cravings. I highly recommend checking out their desserts! read more

Found this spot last minute and so happy that I did! We got the tiramisu cake and it did not disappoint. The staff was real friendly phone etiquette was on point . Definitely will be getting more birthday cakes from here. My mom is not an easy lady to please lol whose mom isn't ! But she approved Thanks read more

Everyone loved the cakes, both the custom chocolate cake and the grand marnier cake. We were so impressed. The texture, presentation, and flavors were all very well executed. My French father-in-law, whose milestone birthday we were celebrating, said the grand marnier cake was one of the best cakes he's had -- it was the perfect balance between the grand marnier and chocolate, not too boozy, and the texture was moist and lovely. Everyone was speechless on the presentation of the custom cake. It was beautifully and thoughtfully crafted. Thank you so much to the cake maker(s)/creator(s) and Lavender Bakery for taking the time to make this special and memorable for us. We will definitely be coming back. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - 9 inch grand marnier chocolate cake with ganache. - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

amazing customer service, answered all my questions and communicated very will with me as a customer :) the cake itself was so beautiful and was delicious. i had a custom order with a reference and it they nailed it on even mixing pieces from one reference and another. i highly recommend this bakery and i would 100% come back in the future :) loved my experience with these lovely people. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - wreck it ralph themed cake :) - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Disappointed to learn they don't MAKE the cakes. They just add water and bake them from premade bulk mixes. See the video. read more

I grew up in this area, was excited to see what new gf places have come around here now. While feeling slightly misled my "gluten free options" it includes macarons and chocolate flourless cake. You also have to be aware of macaron flavors, they have an Oreo one, with cute little glutenous Oreos on top, right next to the regular flavors. So if you have severe sensitivity I would not recommend it. While my gf child true love is macarons. She was very happy to get the bigger ones. She got vanilla, chocolate, caramel and raspberry. She just couldn't get over how creamy the filling was! She things they are some of the best she's had, and she's had the best of the best. Well... 2 days later we had to come back to get more! This time she got one of each, including mango passion fruit and pistachio. I was mean and made her share with everyone, by far the most popular was the raspberry. Service was great and friendly. Great, cute little corner location! But easily missed while driving up Solano, since they're at an angle toward the street. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Deliciousness. Vegan brownies? Butter cookies? What more does one need? A definite treat for the tastebuds!!! read more

I ordered a cake for my niece's birthday and it turned out beautifully. The cake was a special order cake and I liked how from the start they worked with me to make sure it's what I wanted and it came out exactly like the model image I sent them. The staff were really nice as well confirming each part of the design and making sure it's accommodating. For this cake, the cost can be considered a bit pricy but it was worth it for the perfect design and flavor. It was $250 and the cake used fondant. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great bakery with quality ingredients! This bakery was so easy to order a cake from. They have many options on their website that they already keep as staples. You can also order custom! I was able to order a very special cake as a proposal dessert! The flourless raspberry chocolate cake is decadent and beautiful! I highly recommend for a rich cake that is also light and airy. Just the right balance in flavors as well. Really well priced for the quality! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - The mousse is so good! - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Ordered this cake for my birthday wanted it smaller was told my design couldn't be done on a six inch cake. This cake was $150 I ordered the marble flavor which it looked nothing like pictures I saw from other cakes was mostly vanilla not marble. The cake itself had no flavor at all very dry and hard also the icing just tasted like straight butter. It didn't come with a cake box which wasn't told to me when I purchased the cake that I would be getting it in a cardboard box. The writing on my cake that I wanted didn't match the picture I showed them can't even tell what it says on top. I left the cake out of the fridge to see if I would be less hard and the icing would taste better. Still the same dry and lacking flavor by the second day the cake was crumbing into pieces so basically it was there just for pictures didn't even get to enjoy eating my birthday cake. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Heart Cake-8 inch - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

A good friend of mine came to visit and brought a couple boxes of baked goods from Lavender Bakery...what a nice gift! There were a variety of items, all really tasty, including some vegan treats for my wife.​ read more

Omg those carrot cake cupcakes are beyond delicious. So fresh, quality ingredients and not overly sweet. I can't wait to try them again.

I have come here every year for the past 6 years for my kids birthday cakes. With the exception of a couple pandemic years we have always used their custom cake designs. Without fail year after year they have created show stopping designs that turn out better than my expectations. And because you can select your flavors of cake, frosting and even preserves you can actually make cakes that grown ups enjoy! As for the service they are always reliable, communicative, even when I've come in with last minute changes they are always supremely friendly and graciously accommodate me. Lavender also has this great neighborhood vibe. When I go in for a casual coffee and croissant the staff recognizes me and say hello. It's like the best of both worlds. We have this amazingly talented bakery that also feels like a mom and pop neighborhood cafe. Five stars well earned. read more

See all

Very nice staff. The selection is plentiful and the place looks clean and inviting. Keep in mind Lavender is pricey and as the saying goes "You get what you pay for". I highly doubt you'll have any regrets though. If you want to reward yourself or to impress someone special put this place on your list. I ended buying a cake and I don't think it's important to mention what kind of but the fact that the cake i selected you could taste the quality of ingredients and the work that was put into it. Can't wait for another occasion to back and buy another cake read more

I live not far from this bakery and finally popped in to try a Chausson (danish). OMG it was horrible. Entering this place was weird because there was no yummy bakery aroma. The place was cute and the staff were nice, but the pastry was hard and dry, just awful. I tried to eat it, but finally threw half of it out. Skip this place, as there are so many good bakeries around town. read more

Lovely place! We got here at 4pm and I thought there would be more options if they close at 8pm, but luckily they still had a burnt almond cake and it was wonderful! Their butter cookie was really nice too and had some kind of apricot jam inside or something. Their cookie sandwich was nice and my husband LOVED their banana bread and pear frangipane tart. I would love to return and try some other options too. read more