I have been purchasing RUSTIC BAKERY products for years but this was my first time visiting, I was super looking forward to it, but alas this will be my last visit. I will note that the food and drink were fine but the service was so ODD and strange and well.... terrible. Visiting friends locally we stopped for lattes on our way to their house. We were not in hurry, thank goodness, as the lattes took 15-20 minutes and there was only ONE customer ahead of us. We watched the person making lattes and she seemed confused and disorganized and slower than a turtle. The experience was causing us a lot of anxiety just watching the process but we smiled and just chalked it up as very strange! We had not planned on returning but our friend wanted to treat us for a quick lunch so we popped by again. We noticed they closed at 3pm when we walked in at 2:30 BUT we didn't think they would actually kick us out the door in the middle of our lunch at exactly 3pm. It took us 5 minutes to order and 20 minutes to get our food AND they forgot one of our dishes. We had to ask for our missing dish and at 2:57 the the manager came to our table and said they are closing in 3 min and we would have to leave the restaurant at that time. We were so confused we asked him "Like you mean, we have to vacate the building in 3 minutes?!" in which he replied "Yes". When we ordered our food at 2:35 the staff did not say to us, "you only have 25 minutes to receive your food, eat it, and get the heck out of here" maybe if they would have informed us we would have gone elsewhere. We ate as fast as we could but eventually had to get to-go boxes and walk away. Usually in a situation like this the cafe would let you sit for another 10 minutes to finish your food and not expect you to gobble it down in 3 minutes. Seriously Rustic Bakery, have a better end-of-day plan! read more

If you don't want to go to San Francisco to get a perfect croissant and/or pastry, this is your place. Cool hip interior. Southern Marin people watching as its best too. I'm happy with a latte and buttery, flakey croissant so much so I can see Paris in my mind's eye. If you want more than a pastry, then it gets iffy. Husband unit had the avocado toast with a 9 minute egg AKA hard boiled. For the price, the avocado amount was skimpy and the egg ice cold--yuck. Toast warm and very good. But for the price, this is a one star entry so skip it. Plus it took a very long time to prepare and it wasn't even that busy and not complicated. I was eyeballing other egg dishes and it looks like the egg sandwich was well done, fluffy with cheese and fresh greens, but without asking a total stranger for a bite, I can't guarantee the quality. Go for the pastry and coffee for sure. You can't eat atmosphere but I keep trying to anyway. I'll be back before the next Corte Madera shopping trip. read more

I usually go to the Larkspur location and walking in to Novato, couldn't believe this was the same Rustic Bakery. Where was the fantastic array of pasteries? The selection was paltry just a selection of 3-4 pasteries in the case (it was only 9:30am). And how could they not get a latte order right? Very disappointing. read more

Rustic is a great spot for easy lunches. Have never had the pleasure of venturing outside of their salads, coffee and pastries (not that I'm complaining, their food is amazing) but, from what I've heard and tried so far, they rock. Fresh and organic ingredients, always made to order. My boyfriend and I always get the Asian Chicken Salad because the sesame dressing is fantastic. We tried the Mediterranean salad this time (no onions and olives) and it was also so delish! I think each bowl of salad comes with a small packet of house made crackers (except if your salad comes with crispy pita chips like the Mediterranean salad). Even the crackers are heavenly! If you get on their mailing list, they send a coupon once a month that you can use when ordering online. It's always a great perk to be able to get a few dollars off. read more

Rustic Bakery - Top: Mediterranean salad (no onions, no olives) Bottom: Asian chicken salad (no scallions) - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

Very pretty and spacious after their remodel in late 2012---1 st time visit since then. Lines were busy, and display was full of treats! Perfectly less than 5 mins off the 101 PS. No more Boyes Hot Springs for la Michoacana....at 4 Pm on the 14th, a new store opened next door!!! Yay read more

Rustic Bakery - So darned addictive....on Valentine's Day - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

The best breakfast burritos in town. My children love this bakery I really recommend the breakfast burritos I also love the croissants and the churros . read more

Rustic Bakery, PLEASE answer your phone. Calling them with no answer has been a problem I've experienced for years now, and I see from other reviews that I am not alone in this frustration. I am a nurse and my breaks are few and far between, so this past Friday when I found a miraculous sliver of time that I could quickly run over to grab a salad and bring it back to work, I decided to treat myself (also being aware to order directly from the restaurant these days to help them avoid a cut in their profit from DoorDash). I placed an online order and arrived at my designated pick-up time. Not only did I stand around waiting 12 extra minutes after the promised time, my order was missing the extra avocado ($2.95) and dressing ($1.50) of which I'd ordered and paid. (Word to the wise, always double check that your order is correct before leaving the bakery.) And because I was now in an anxious rush to return to work (due to the lateness of my order), I left quickly, without checking inside my bag. The ChowNow app does not have an option to dispute an order, so I called later to follow up about a refund for the missing items, no answer. And no answer the following day. And so on. A critical Yelp review is now my best option for communicating with management. I am well aware the pandemic has put a strain on the service industry, but the phone answering issue has been going on for years before COVID. Please help your time-sensitive customers out here, Rustic. I'm going to be taking a long hiatus from to go orders, it's not worth it to me any more. read more

Rustic has good food, but Pricey and not generous portions. They subscribe to the "hire all immigrants to save on salary" philosophy which means the owners can spend more on quality ingredients than pay workers. This is fine for me although you get a snotty worker every so often. I'm a poor guy but I like to eat good as much as I can. And I guess the small portions help people not get too fat. My favorite sandwich is the tuna melt on whole wheat. It comes with a small side salad which I would hope so for a $16 sando. I also treat myself to their house made granola whenever I get a few extra bucks. A small bag of it is like $10 bucks but it is good. I see a lot of rich, well off and near do well types in here. If I could afford it I would eat here every day but as I said..... one person will spend about $20 on a meal with small portions but again that could be a plus. Leftovers don't always make good food anyway. Lines and wait times are long. All the locations are in upscale areas Tiburon, Ross, Larkspur. The one in Novato seemed out of place in a rundown downtown but it's still busy. read more

Yesterday, I had a meeting with someone, and we met at Rustic Bakery. I had NO idea! None! I loved that people can watch the bakers working their magic, and the employees were attentive and polite. The chicken salad sandwich was DELICIOUS! Perfect! read more

I should have known as people were peeling out of the place as we walked in. After greeting the woman behind the counter, she bluntly told us they were out of bread for sandwiches and other dishes. Also, out of all breakfast options. It was 12:20pm. The employees were nonplussed, rude. I wouldn't spend a cent there and validate the negative vibes. I hope owners read this and make changes. read more

The only word I can use to describe this place is WoW! The croissants are to die for! The chocolate is awesome and big for the price. Also had a ham and cheese and OMG...was fabulous! The staff was very helpful and attended to me. They made me feel appreciated that I was patronizing their business. The place was very clean and the outdoor seating was very nice place to sit with the nice cool breeze. read more

Still my favorite croissant. Just don't get the sticky buns. I'm writing this trying to let go of my last experience and chalk it up as a bad day but very disappointed that management did not reach out to me to offer a free pastry in lieu of the bad one. Regardless my husband surprised me with a ham and cheese croissant and it was divine. read more

Word of caution if you are using old Yelp menu photos - expect a significant increase in prices! The sandwiches and salads were also smaller than one would expect for the price. That said, my prosciutto sandwich brought me back to Paris - so delicious! Logistics: Street parking is free x 2 hours and relatively easy to find. Seating is limited, both outdoors and indoors. If you're in a rush you can order online on their website and pay/pick up in store. read more

Rustic Bakery - Menu as of 09/2017 - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

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DOUBLE CHECK YOUR ORDER! This is the 4th time I've ordered from them and they've messed up the order. Either they use the wrong bread, miss the avocado that I paid $$$ for, or forgot items. To the management, please train your staff to better follow instructions. Nothing pisses me off than to come home with my order and for it to be off. read more

Love this place. Wish there's one in the East Bay. The almond croissant is to die for. Have to get there early to get one though. I love their bread too. Have it sliced....great for sandwiches. read more

I have only been here twice. Both times I had the same sandwich, Saigon Sandwich, because I was craving for Banh Mi -- that was the reason I went there this time too. It's not quite authentic, but it is delicious. The bread and what I would expect from a good bakery, and plenty of picked veggies. The problem is the price... It's almost $12 with no sides. I would have loved it if they offered a slightly smaller sandwich with something on the side, or just simply lower the price for a smaller portion. I get it -- it's expensive to run a good eatery on the downtown main street. But I feel like there should be a bit of consideration so the customers don't feel like "boy that was an expensive lunch!" when they walk out. The place is tiny inside, and definitely not a place you can take time to enjoy your lunch... even though it was a Monday... maybe off-lunch time rush. Next time I will try something else, and hope to update the review! read more

First time here. Ambiance, decor, staff, and food were all top notch! I was a little skeptical in the moments before my food arrived. How could the menu read so beautifully and still deliver on flavor? Would my Caesar Salad be some bland, generic iteration that could be found at any other restaurant? Or would it go the other direction and be over-healthy and unsatisfying? I mean... kale? In a Caesar? Are you just trying to hit all the trendy foodie buzzwords, or is there real substance to back this up? Well Rustic Bakery is actually the real deal. The chicken Caesar salad was delicious, filling, and came with just the right amount of dressing (on the side). I normally don't like dressing on the side because I like a well-tossed salad with dressing adorning each and every bite. However, if the salad is served in a bowl, rather than a plate, as this one was, then dressing on the side is just fine, and is probably a better option for most people. Shredded chicken, pine nuts, kale, romain, and Parmesan all came together is this wonderfully balanced salad that I will go out of my way to get again. $10+ is usually more than I want to spend a lunch salad, but when it is as good as this, I guess I can make an exception. read more

Rustic Bakery - Perfect chicken Caesar salad with pine nuts and kale! - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

I stopped by around 2:30pm on a Saturday, and they were sold out of a lot of their pastries by then. I ended up trying: -Ham & Cheese Strata: Just ok. They give you a giant piece, but it was too dense, and not very flavorful- Skip! -Baby Kouign Amman ($1.95): Not very flaky, and there wasn't enough of the sugary crust- skip! The reason I'm giving Rustic three stars is because my parents loved their ham & cheese croissant. I will be back earlier next time to try their other items- make sure you come early for the full selection! They still had cookies available in the afternoon, but I wasn't in a cookie mood that day. They also have sandwiches and lunch options available. Parking was easy to find since there are a lot of street parking spots. read more

My FAVE bakery and lunch place! Their Chicken Caesar Salad is my absolute favorite...I like it with all kale. All their breads, pastries, salads and sandwiches are DELICIOUS!! I'm a BIG FAN! read more

Pros: good food in a really pretty setting - their avocado toast is the best I've ever had. Cons: their prices have gotten to be absolutely absurd. They charge $4.95 for a little tiny 6 ounce orange juice and pretty much all their prices are way higher than comparable bakeries in the area. Also, the wait for food is too long. I literally waited 10 mins for avocado toast and was pretty frustrated by the time I left. Overall this is a good place to eat if money is no object and you have plenty of time to wait... otherwise there are definitely better options. read more

Ya know what's frustrating? Going to a BAKERY that doesn't have pastries by 11 am. Sold out.. really. Ugh.

Love being able to see in the kitchen, and their baked goods look DIVINE. If you know their stuff from shops, you know their crackers are the best. Went rogue and tried a croissant today. It looked so beautiful + perfect. Buttery fingers just from taking it out of the bag. Exceptional flake. But... not sure if something went whacky with the proofing or what, but there was a huge bubble inside and then super dense dough at the bottom :-/ obviously they sell way more than croissants... I probably should've stuck to what they're known for. read more

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Our family just moved into the area and we are in love with Rustic Bakery. We order salads from them for our weekly lunches and we have also ordered quite a few of their pastries for small coffee events at our home and they never disappoint. My daughter is obsessed with their freshly made croissants, the bear claws and blueberry muffins. We have also tried their yummy prosciutto sandwiches. Wish they offered more gluten free but besides this they have always been fresh and tasty. read more

Horrendous front counter service- lack of acknowledgement much less a hello or welcome greeting. Then as my sisters and I wait patiently wait in-line the staff behind the counter served and acknowledged the man behind us and took his order first. When it was finally our turn to order and receive our food- they ran out of glassware so they gave us 2 small water glasses and a plastic cup; fine, folks are understaffed in the restaurant business bc Covid BUT then as we are beginning to settle in and enjoy our order I notice there was old lipstick (none of us were wearing any after our hike) residue on the side of one of the cups- so gross!! Won't be spending my money on this establishment any longer- lack of consistency and human decency!!! read more

As good as ever! The cinnamon roll and peanut butter brownies are amazing, as is the large chocolate almond croissant. My husband loves the soups and salads as well. He mentioned the oatmeal was fantastic, but he found it had lots of heavy cream in it. No wonder... Another plus - the staff has improved drastically. There used to be a bunch of sour pusses, but the current staff is very friendly. Prices still a high for my liking, but worth the occasional splurge. read more

The service here sucks. The staff avoid picking up the phone at all costs but when I finally got an answer to place an order for pickup, I was told they couldn't do that do to policy if I didn't pay by phone. are you kidding? People come and go and pay in person every single day yet I can't place an order for pickup to pay in person? RIDICULOUS. The staff are so rude. They never smile. I swear customer service has completely gone out the window. read more

Service wasn't great, albeit it was the end of the day. Because of that they had run out of a lot of their food. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and it was good but it sure worth $11.00. I like their crackers so was excited about visiting when in town. read more

Rustic Bakery - Outside seating. - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

Love the new outdoor patio space , such a great spot on grant for lunch. Chicken salad sandwich is my go to

First review of 2016 and I'm on a rampage. Customer service here is horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. No one says hi when you come in. They don't stop what they're doing to look up for a second. Even when you approach the counter, they keep working. I get that I came in 30 minutes before closing and they were probably getting everything cleaned up... but five people behind the counter and no one could say hello? Really? Even when I walked up to the cash register, I got a stare and someone wobbled over to me and asked me what I wanted. I reluctantly purchased a pecan bun and a brownie. The pecan bun was great, but the brownie was sub-par. Even though, the sweets deserve three stars combined, but the sugar wasn't enough to save this place from a one-star rating. No way am I going there again. read more

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Dropped by here on our way to the ocean. Cute bakery/cafe with a variety of baked goods. We arrived about 4:45 pm and they closed at 5:00, so didn't have much time to linger. Husband got a mocha - delicious. Daughter and friend opted for gelato bars. Saw that they have quite a bit of space in the dining area -- modern yet warm room with wooden features. They also sell packaged cookies and other yummy gifts! I had been eyeing their bread pudding amongst other things. Since we couldn't linger, the girl behind the counter packaged the pudding up for us and brought to us outside on the house! read more

Since my initial review two years ago, Rustic Bakery has become one of my go-to restaurants in Novato. They consistently serve very high quality food made from fresh and local ingredients. I've never been disappointed with anything that I've ordered, and am always impressed with the warmth of the environment and the quality of service. If you're looking for a great breakfast in Novato, this is without a doubt one of the top spots in town, but they serve wonderful lunch items, as well. The bakery expanded recently, and now has additional dining and baking space, along with a comfortable outdoor area in front of the store. It was a little squishy in there before the expansion, and now there's lots of room to spread out and eat. What to order? Well, everything is good. Start with the coffee, because it is fabulous. Whether you like it black or you prefer a latte, you're going to be happy with the coffee. For breakfast, the bread pudding is ridiculous. So good and totally indulgent. Rustic is also known for its house-made granola, so try the granola with some Straus Creamery yogurt and fresh berries. Delicious! Have you tried the brownies here? If not, you must. We've started mailing them out to friends and family members on special occasions, and we invariably get emails afterward proclaiming them the best brownies ever. I would agree. At lunch, I'm crazy about the grilled ham & gruyere sandwich. It's so flavorful and delicious! I also like the little baguettes they have in the refrigerated case by the counter. They're just right for a light lunch, maybe alongside the Spring Salad (so good with that yummy Pt Reyes blue cheese). In short, I love Rustic Bakery and am so glad to have this kind of wonderful food right here in Novato. read more

Rustic Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

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I am the lone voice of dissent for this place among my friends. The food is so-so, the service is tragic, pricing is high and the the selection is limited. "Then why do you go?" Only if I have to, and after I have offered suggestions of elsewhere to meet. Pros: Large windows to watch the bakers at work. Cute street front tables and planters. Cons: Rude, indifferent service - often talking amongst themselves and ignoring you. Food is often cold, or wilted or burnt or.... Noise level - VERY LOUD - can't hear my friends Coffee and food over priced for portions. Many others love it. I hope your experience is better than mine have been. read more

I've been getting the Roast Beef & Cambazola on Multi Grain for a couple of years now & I have always loved it. Until today. I will point out that today is the first time that I have had it since they reopened from their remodel. So, not sure if they have changed their weight guidelines on ingredients or if it was a fluke and I got screwed. Today there was at least 1/3 less meat and cheese on my sandwich, if not half as much, as it has had in the past. Unfortunately, I was too hungry to think about taking a picture but I visually noticed it right off the bat. The other thing I noticed was that the bread was very dry. And this was only at about 11:15am. I'm super bummed. Their prices are very high but I've never really minded because of the quality of the ingredients and the fact that it's organic. In addition to my sandwich, I decided to try a cup of the Minestrone soup. I'm not going to say it was terrible, but it wasn't great. I found it to be bland, but I am going to assume that it was not beef based broth, but probably vegetarian. Which is cool for vegans & vegetarians. The lack of tomatoes and kidney beans was apparent, but this is their version and I chalk it up to just not my preference. I thought the pearl cous cous was a nice addition, but felt the soggy bread wasn't necessary. They might have been croutons to begin with? But for a takeout order, maybe put them on the side? Lastly, I do love the gherkins! Nice touch! read more

I've had this restaurant bookmarked for quite a while now and decided to go here for a late lunch. The restaurant is located in downtown Novato right next to a Mexican restaurant. Maybe we should've gone there instead. When we got there there were about 3 other people dining inside the restaurant. There was a mother daughter hanging up some art. The selection was very limited and the restaurant is tiny. Think of it as a forth of a Panera Bread. They sell similar things, but Panera Bread has more selections. Since we were there we decided to just order and see how it was. I ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad and my husband ordered an egg sandwich. The salad wasn't chopped. I had to literally try to tear it up with my fingers and try to cut it with my fork so I couldn't get dressing all over my face. The chicken was dry and I had to spit it out a few times. If I wanted it to be moist I had to dip it in my dressing. My husband didn't like his sandwich either, he said his sandwich had a lot of sea salt on it which made the entire thing too salty. He drank all his iced tea and mine too. We will not be back. Sorry rustic bakery. read more

Just had the worst croissant ever. I eat gluten free and only dream of the perfect croissant. I dreamed of the ribbon-like dough that's folded into the middle of the croissant. I was feeling low and needed the touch, smell and feel of a perfect croissant. The pasty that I took home was not it. It was hard and dry and broken into a thousand hard pieces. It was uneatable and very disappointing. The location is lovely but the croissant I bought at the end of September was the pitts. Ask if they are fresh before you buy pastries. It's so absurd to have to ask, "are your pastries fresh", before you buy them. But, in this case it would have been worth my time. The good think is, I did not eat gluten to aggravate my condition. The bad thing was I wasted the money, and time in Rustic Bakery. Every bakery is not perfect but this was so bad that the bakery deserves a bad review. read more

Rustic Bakery - Worst a scone ever. I can believe they sold such an old thing. #rustic bakery #disppointin - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

This place is often pretty busy with people sitting on the little patio area. It's a cute little place for a quick snack or lunch. Great coffee selection. The pastries look sinful, but fresh! Wide variety of salads. Not too fond of the 'kids menu' options. Wish they had more. The Rustic club sandwich is my favorite here! A perfect balance of crispy bread, soft turkey, smooth avocado, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and just enough mayo. read more

Rustic Bakery - Rustic turkey club - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

This bakery is very good . It seems my service issues are being corrected . I really think the staff has evolved & they seem efficient. I had not mentioned in my previous review , how much I love the provisions they carry . I have given the granola and other treats to many friends and relatives, and always get raves . They seem to rotate some items , and many are holiday /seasonal driven . They carry the fantastic granola , in a huge bag , which I sent a few out for Xmas , again people flip for this , some say , " best I have ever had " Or "its like candy " Crackers also , so good . Nuts , chocolates and teas also , nice quality and value for price paid . Support your local bakery , Check out this small chain , it's a great cafe . Note : they are closing at 4 now , a few hours earlier then they used to . read more

Ordered the green salad and poblano cheddar soup. Service was quick but both me and hubby's soups came out cold, lukewarm at best. Sent them back, came out cold AGAIN, and we are definitely not ones to ever send food back. I had asked for my dressing on the side, it of course came on the salad. They returned the soups for a third time and they were warm (but not even piping hot.) Pro to all of this: we were refunded our $22 without even asking, the lady was apologetic. But why did we even spend $22 on a bowl of soup and miniature salad anyway??? The salad was soooo small and had nothing but the fresh greens and dressing. Way over-priced for lackluster food. Pro: got a hot mocha, which was delicious, hot and not too sweet. Definitely one of the better ones I have had We will probably be back, just because we live in the neighborhood. I might go for a large chop salad or sandwich instead, though. read more

Rustic Bakery - Poblano cheddar and small green salad, hot mocha not pictured (but delicious) - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California

I'm always on the hunt for good tuna salad. At Rustic Bakery via Door Dash I found a great one with beautiful fresh lettuce topped by two generous scoops of tuna salad. Delicious! It took a pandemic for me to realize that here in Novato (my home since 1965) we have Rustic Bakery where tuna salad is made with real albacore and a light use of mayonnaise. First-rate in every respect. My son, Adrian, who recommended Rustic (and treated me) had the Breakfast Panini. According to him, a perfect breakfast made perfectly. I can't wait to try the Trio Platter. I'll be sure to ask for the same Sides that came with the Tuna Salad Platter. Sourdough flatbread cracker and a slice of soft slough dough. Delicious touches. My first thought after I finished read more

Lunch at 12:30pm on a Friday afternoon. No problems. Friendly staff, food brought to table in a timely manner. I had the Marin Melt, Cowgirls Mt Tam & Pt Reyes Toma cheeses, really good. I bought 2 buns for dinner later (and cookies for dessert) read more

Rustic Bakery - Marin Melt, made with Cowgirls Mt Tam and Pt Reyes Toma cheeses, and yes it was good - Bakeries Near Me - Novato, California