Great pretzels, great vibes, cool place, must visit in Albany if you enjoy German cuisine

Had a wonderful time during their baking class- easy and fun and took home the baked pretzels.

This is a really cute neighborhood pretzel shop that's extremely fitting in little ole Albany on Solano Ave. They have only been open for 3 months with limited business hours from 12pm to sell out. I'm not a pretzel expert but I do love checking out local specialty businesses like these. They have a variety of pretzels - savory and sweet. I got their funghi thyme, castroville, and asiago. Being a mushroom lover, I knew I would love funghi thyme the most and greedy me wanted more mushrooms on my pretzel! The asiago was delicious as well and would recommend. Heating them up at 225F in the air fryer for 6 minutes was perfect for me (they recommended 10 minutes). Hot, toasty, crunchy yet slight chew. A little pricey at $4 - $5 each, but each are handmade and made with care. I like how they flavor mainly one side of the pretzel so you can still taste the original flavor of the pretzel, which they are clearly experts at. read more

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I've been wanting to stop into Squabisch for a while now and finally made it in today! It fulfilled all my pretzel dreams and more. We tried the prosciutto and asiago, blackberry crumble and the pretzel brat. They were all soooooo good! I wanted to take them home and warm them up a bit but I was too hungry and they tasted too good that we finished them before getting home haha. That's also why I didn't get any photos of them first! Next time we'll grab a few more to eat later. I would 10/10 recommend stopping in the grab a soft pretzel or 5 or them. They have a good variety and switch up their menu often with new yummy flavors. read more

They best way I can explain this place is imagine a mall Pretzel place, BUT how its actually supposed to taste when its made with love and care. Very delicious pretzels with a unique set of flavor options. We just carried out while walking and had a chives and butter pretzel and a jalapeño cheddar. The chives and butter was so unique because its sliced in half, like a sandwich and then stuffed with the good stuff. The topped pretzel was also super delicious. Through everything the pretzels are sturdy but still nice and soft. GO HERE! read more

Unfortunately when I got here a bit before 11AM, they were closed even though the door was unlocked and I walked into a room with hot pretzels fresh out of the oven. I took a picture of their new hours but I find their hours really inconvenient. I would think that lots of people would like a pretzel for breakfast and want something a bit more substantial for lunch but they open at lunchtime (noon) so I wish their hours were more in line with when people would like a snack or light morning meal. Maybe I'll come back at noon another day but not anytime soon. read more

Squabisch - New later hours - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

My coworker was craving pretzels so we drove all the way from dixon to here. There was no line which was good. there was a good selection of pretzels. I think i was expecting a warm fresh pretzel. The one I ordered was a little hard. There is no seating to enjoy your pretzel. We sat down but the seating belonged to the restaurant next door. This place does have potential though because of the variety. read more

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Fantastic pretzels! They have a bunch of flavours you might not expect at a pretzel shop. I love that they offer pretzel making classes as well! I had a spectacular time a couple years back making pretzels with friends. Highly recommend. The owners are awesome :) read more

I have been waiting to try this place for sometime and happy to have finally made that day come true. I ordered the pretzel brat and the garlic & pecorino pretzel. Both are very savory pretzels. The garlic & pecorino was very cheese forward. The cheese is baked on the bottom of the pretzel. This would make a good snack. The pretzel brat I wish was larger, as I eat mines in 4 bites. Though it was 4 delicious bites. I enjoyed the taste of the pretzel and how it was wrapped around the brat. I found myself unpeeling it as I ate it. The flavor of the brat was also good, as I am not really a sausage person. Service was fast and friendly, as there was no line when I went. read more

I really enjoyed it here. Such sweet service. The pretzel was yummy and so was the coffee. A really nice little breakfast treat, and such great variety. They deserve recognition for what they've cultivated at this location. Thank you friends! read more

Squabisch - Pretzel art - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was gifted a cheese spread from Wisconsin that I thought would pair perfectly with a pretzel. Now that some time has passed since this place's grand opening, there was no need to worry about a wait. Same goes for parking, normal Solano parking gambles. I was in and out in under 5 minutes, my walk here from my parked car might've been longer. I ordered some originals and was on my merry way to recreate a movie theater experience at home. As before, they were good. Only down side was that a noticeably long hair was baked into the pretzel and it was rather unappetizing. As someone who has made pretzels and has hairy arms, I know things happen. I would just hope next time there is some quality control because I noticed it as soon as I took it out of the bag and think the workers should have too. Tip, check your pretzels before leaving the area. read more

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Okay, I promise I'll review again after I've tried another flavor! Today I had a chance to finally pop by for a pretzel and I was so excited. Even more so when I pulled up and there was a spot right in front, AND no line. What?! On a Sunday?! It was about 230, so they'd been open for 2.5 hours so I was hopeful. Upon walking in they have a display case of what's available, which I appreciated because then they don't have to scratch stuff off the menu or tell you everything is sold out etc. Sadly all they had remaining was the vegan salted, the cranberry sugar, and the jalapeño cheese. I got one of each of the jalapeño and cranberry ones. The pretzel itself was fine, just fine. Not sure if it was because they were a couple hours old. But I just couldn't help but think, "Hm, I don't feel like these are craveable really... not sure I'd return". Service was friendly though so points for that. Okay. The flavors. I will say the jalapeño one was generously topped with jalapeño bits stuck on with melted cheese. The cheese was the best part for me. But between the two, the cranberry one was best. With a burst of that fruity tartness from the whole cranberries, I enjoyed that one most. read more

Squabisch - Exterior - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

Delicious new spot on Solano. I arrived 10 mins before opening at noon, and there was already a line! Line moved quickly though. There isn't any seating inside - just a shop to come in and purchase a pretzel(s), one house hold at a time. The owners were selling the pretzels (I believe), and were very kind. I got an asiago cheese pretzel, my husband got more creative flavors: the chevre, pair and carmelized red onion and the black forest ham and swiss cheese pocket.I highly recommending grabbing a cut with mustard to dip the pretzels in! This spot isn't for a full meal - it's really just a quick snack. read more

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Delicious pretzels and really cool pretzel designs displayed throughout the store. Great place to grab a snack or quick bite.

There's no denying that this place makes *amazing* pretzels, whether you get a plain or one of their creative flavors with toppings. We sampled the The Ruben and the Fungi Thyme which were both super savory and paired well with the salty/chewy pretzel. My only complaint is that the pretzels are a tad expensive ($4-6 each) which I actually wouldn't mind if they were bigger in size. That said, I'd definitely come back here next time I'm craving pretzels. They have a great location on Berkeley's beloved Solano Avenue. read more

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I was not much of a pretzel fanatic until today, and now I am a convert. Saw a rerun of Check, Please Bay Area over the weekend, who did a great review of this business. They have limited days when they are open so I marked my calendar for today at 11am, thinking that there would be a line down the block, not. A nice neighborhood pretzel bakery, welcoming staff, I think the person who assisted was the co-owner based on what I saw on TV. Nice list of options. I thought, I spent the time and ga$ to come here, why not get at least 4? I just finished enjoying the butter and chive, and look forward to scheduling the eating of the dulce de leche, Kalamata and Meyer lemon, and of course the classic before they go stale. Go try out a few. Yum! read more

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Great pretzels of all types and flavors. Friendly owner. Don't forget to ask them to heat the pretzel up for you. read more

Squabisch - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

A bit expensive as far as pretzels go but they're a nice treat once in a while. Funghi was nice and mushroom-y, castroville was too salty but good. The raspberry bun was my favorite, I'd go for the sweets next time. Orders are served at room temp, nothing a toaster oven can't help. Parking is difficult, the line does get long, wouldn't go if I was on a schedule. read more

Squabisch - Funghi - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Love this place! I have tried several of their savory pretzels since moving in down the street. The pretzels have enough bite to them without being hard, great chew, and just the right amount of salt. My all time favorite is the anchovy and caper pretzel. I will be stocking up the next time this one is on the menu. Had the Stilton cheese pretzel over the weekend which knocked my socks off, so good! Highly recommend giving them a try, you'll be back for more. read more

Squabisch - Anchovy and caper pretzel - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

Just had my first gluten free pretzel from Squabisch. Now open on Wednesday's, I was excited to finally try this spot. I try to avoid gluten and inflammatory food in general, so stopping for a pretzel was a treat. The space is inviting and friendly. Many options if you're not gluten free. If you are gluten free, salt is your only option. For $5 I figured I'd try it. It was OK. I'm not the best judge of this spot since I'm not really the target market. I just had to try it since There is always a line and there's been a buzz. Sorry to say, I don't think I'll need another $5 ok-ish gluten free pretzel, and that's the only reason for 4 stars. If you're there with a group and prefer gluten free it's nice that there's and option. Otherwise, if you are gluten free, save the $5 and your appetite for something yummier. read more

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Fresh, flavorful and fantastic pretzels. They're also very nice people. I come here every weekend. I used to get their pretzels at the Farmers Markets so I'm glad they now have a brick and mortar store. Plus they're Square sellers which I appreciate, paying is easy peasy. read more

I read all the positive feedback and thought I would give it a try. I was so very disappointed. The specials on their menu flavored pretzels was only about an inch on the pretzel and the rest of it was fairly hard and dark brown on the outside. I went specifically for the chocolate raspberry pretzel but it wasn't available. I ended up with a cinnamon sugar pretzel which was not a pretzel, it was only a ring. I would have thought they would put the cinnamon sugar on after it was baked but not, it was burnt to a crisp on the ring. I won't be returning. The gentleman that helped me was not friendly and the lady behind him stared at me the entire time I was there and didn't say a word. Bad product. Bad customer service. read more

Pretty good but why aren't they served warm?? Otherwise, excited about this new addition to Solano. Great for when you want a quick and easy snack but don't want something as sweet as a donut. read more

I think if you wait 45 minutes like I did for these twisty guys, then you've spent your time well. Each ($4-6) was fresh and yeasty. I enjoyed the pear/chevre and the good ole classic pretzel most. The owners are so nice and go as fast as they can with like 3 people in there. Not sure what authentic tastes like, but these pretzies are soft and crisp! read more

Attended the grand opening of their new location on Solano. There was a moderate line which moved fast. I loved what appears to be a family operation, everyone helping out with various tasks. I had the classic, the jalapeno & cheddar, as well as the cranberries & sugar. All were very yummy. Not as large and fluffy as I've had elsewhere; the pretzels themselves seemed authentic, although in no way am I an authority. It was fun to see so many different flavor options. I'm a sweets person as much as a salt person, and I also love cranberries, so the cranberries & sugar was the winner of my order; the pretzel had a wonderfully and not overpoweringly sweet coating and the cranberries were not overwhelmingly tart. I'm looking forward to coming back! read more

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Not as great a pretzel as I had hoped TBH. Went over there and drove for 45 mins just because I was really wanting a pretzel and there are so few places that do them. Went for the large one - not cheap, was OK but just OK. Little dry but mainly just lacking in the taste. read more

Walked by and saw a pretzel store. Lots of different options available. Service was good. Also has frozen options to take home. Would try again. read more

Great pretzel if not a bit overpriced and smaller than I thought. Great service!

O my lord. I am a devoted follower of Squabisch. I have been eating their pretzels since their days at the Kensington Farmers Market. AAAA fire pretzels and brats. They make so many creative and classic creations. Do oneself a favor and stop in on Solano Ave. Your tastebuds & soul with thank you. read more

Stopped by on a Sunday afternoon to grab a few pretzels on the way home. MENU: They serve a variety of German pretzels ranging from $4 - $6. SERVICE: The server was friendly. It's a small little shop, and there is no indoor dining. PARKING: Street metered parking. IMPRESSION : We had their jalapeño and cheddar pretzels, prosciutto, and Salted Caramel. All three were pretty tasty. However, they were not warm and were a bit dry. read more

German pretzels with toppings. I love a good pretzel and always try to make a stop when in the area. They have a variety of flavors, both sweet and savory. These are different from American soft pretzels sold at the mall. These taste leaner with less butter which I enjoy. I've tried a handful of flavors and enjoyed them all, but my favorite is Asiago and the bacon and cheese. Price range from $4-6 a pretzel. The last few times I've visited, there's never a line and parking is easy to find. read more

What a great find! Absolutely wonderful pretzels of all kinds. Great staff. Drove from Novato and worth the drive for a great product. read more

Squabisch - Food - Pretzels Near Me - Berkeley, California

I live off these pretzels. I'm not joking, I have one a day, usually in place of lunch or as a midnight snack. Not exactly a health food, but far better than takeout or potato chips or something. By their own admission, these aren't quite German pretzels, but they're definitely not the flabby, buttered mall pretzels either. They aren't even the Super Pretzels you get at the game (though those are probably the closest analog). These are a very solid, dependable pretzel you can eat and love anytime. They have all sorts of inventive flavors, but I'm a plain salted classic man myself. Can't go wrong with the original; it's classic for a reason. Though I always ask for ones with more salt on them, since that's what separates a good pretzel from twisted bread to me. The real play here is to get their frozen pretzels. They're day-olds that they freeze at the end of the day, so you can feel good about combating food waste. But the real benefit for you is that they're half the price as the fresh ones, and taste even better than fresh if you pop them on your toaster oven for 15 minutes. Like, if you gave me the choice of one of their normal classics in the shop, or a frozen fresh out of my toaster oven, I'd choose the frozen. The only drawback is all the salt falls off in the packaging and freezing process, but you can just spray it with some water before baking and sprinkle on some course salt. This also allows you to control the salt level to your taste ("make it rain" is my philosophy) and the water spray helps the texture during reheating, so that the outside isn't tough and the inside is soft (this also works for any stale bread--spray the outside with water and reheat in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes for a fresh baked taste!). read more

Great for a quick bite when you happen to be nearby. The pretzels don't quite measure up to the cart pretzels from my NYC youth, but still good enough when that old craving hits. Decent prices and nice selection, although I stick to the basic plain and the torpedo roll so can't comment on the more exotic offerings. Definitely better than a ballpark pretzel. Overall, I'd say its a solid 7 out of 10, but giving it 5 stars because I hope they can stick around. No other place like it nearby that I have found. read more

We went to private class for a teambuilding event as there's been a high turnover in our team recently. Let me tell you, we had the BEST time! Everyone enjoyed themselves and we learned new things about each other. We greatly appreciated Uli and Sabine's stories and sharing this great experience with us. read more

The pretzel rolls are awesome instead of the pretzel after observing the twists had needed to rise further. (Educated guess: It may have been an initial flagging of heat that short changed the pretzels, in which case investment in a laser thermometer should work, perhaps available on the same block at the retail bakeware shop Spun Sugar.) Chewy, sweet like a flavorful Hollah, with playful grace notes of salt crystals to add just the right level of salinity. $3 each. There was a minor misunderstanding. I had purchased an item for $4 by preorder for pickup Saturday after 10:10 am at The Bread Project at 1615 University Avenue, but thought it was for Friday, arriving at 10:30 am to discover another business happily filling Asian inspired orders. I felt silly having misinterpreted the order confirmation's use of "tomorrow". My apologies for the earlier review. Thank you for your wonderful reply. read more

I'm so confused on some of these reviews. These pretzels are cold and dry. My throat still hasn't recovered from being sliced and diced attempting to eat one of their pretzels. Plus they range between $5-$8! You're better off eating a bag of Rold Gold's. read more

The pretzels are delicious, hopefully they won't always be such a hassle to get! I arrived five minutes after they opened and stood in line for 25 minutes. When I got inside, they were already out of two of the flavors I wanted. I pointed out that they had been open for half and hour and, instead of an apology for the inconvenience, I got a perky "Yeah, it's crazy!" The second person said that one customer had bought all of the stock of one type. Crazy indeed! It does seem insane to me to sell all of one thing to a single customer when you have 40 people standing outside who might want some, too!!! I'm told this started at a farmer's market, so maybe they don't understand that when people come to a store, they expect you to have what you say you have. A couple of pointers for a storefront business: 1. Out of respect for the people who stand in the blazing sun for your product, maybe put a limit on the number of one type of pretzel that any one customer can buy; or 2. Make enough to last for the paltry 3 hours that you are open. 3. Run more than one checkout stand. This way, people won't have to stand in line so long, and maybe they will be in a better mood if you they find out you haven't done 1 or 2. I want to support a small business in my community, so I'll come back, but only once more. If it's like this again, I'll just keep going to the bagel shop; more flavors, well staffed and I have always been able to get the flavors I want... read more

Squabish is so awesome. I highly recommend coming here. the flavors are unique and you'll be thinking "Auntie Anne's who? Wetzel Pretzel what??" Hah just kidding - I still have a love for mall pretzels. BUT Squabish is so unique fun and delicious. I love the flavors of their pretzels and they change weekly so keep your eyes peeled. The pretzels are chewy but surprisingly light, I was expecting something super dense but was so surprised. I could easily easily eat 2... maybe 3. Yeah... I probably don't want to admit that buuut its true. I want to try ALL THE FLAVORS! I can't wait to take my family when they visit, they're gonna love it. read more

Love a good pretzel so was very excited to try Squabisch but wanted to wait until the lines had died down a bit. Went on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm and was delighted to find no line and nothing had sold out. We ordered the funghi, the rueben and a chocolate and raspberry. The funghi was fine, but was far more cheese than mushroom so didn't have much mushroom flavor. The Rueben was delicious as was the chocolate and raspberry. Would happily come back for either or both of those again! read more