Ordered a variety of goodies including a passionfruit chiffon cake which we were really getting excited about. We used to OD on anything with passionfruit when in Hawaii: donuts, pies, cakes, mousse... First thing we noticed on opening the box was tge reduced size of a couple of items. The kouign ammans, croissants and the scones here were as good as always. They've really miniaturized some of the products. The little poundcakes for instance, are less than half of their previous size but only reduced $1 from $4. One bite, maybe. The passionfruit cake, unfortunately, was perhaps a distant relative of passionfruit. It had the color and consistency of a passionfruit gel but was devoid of any of its usual delightful tropical tang. The flavor was diluted and bland. Maybe the passionfruit was adjacent...in the kitchen...but was not apparent on that cake. Big disappointment. read more

I love me some French patries and these are delicious! Favorite was def the hazelnut kouign amann--just the right amount of sweet, pastry was crisp on the outside and light and flaky inside with a delicious hazelnut paste inside and whole crunchy hazelnuts on the outside. The chocolate babka was also ridiculously good--even though I didn't break into it into at least 30hrs after being purchased. Pistachio twist was only ok--drier and more crispy. Son had a passion fruit Madeline which was tasty--it seemed like a regular Madeline dipped in a passion fruit glaze. Will def be back. Service was quick. No line on a Sunday afternoon around 12 or 1 and lots of selection. Some small tables inside too. read more

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We were staying near by, wanted some pastries and lattes for a quick breakfast, and found this place via Yelp. I was surprised to pull up and see a line out the door - apparently I picked *the place*. The line moved quickly, the staff was efficient, and the pastry selection was massive. We ended up getting way more than attended because everything looked so tempting. Well-made latte, delightful pastries, cute ambiance. We'll be back! read more

A popular icon at farmer's markets (where there is always a long line), Starter Bakery has recently opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in the Rockridge area. This area is not short of good bakeries, but until recently has lacked a bakery where one can have a coffee and enjoy baked goods in-store. I am so glad that we have one right here now, across the street from Trader Joe's on College. The gentleman behind the counter is always very courteous. He greets us as if we were old friends of the bakery. He is always open to questions and offers helpful advice without any pressure. Over several visits, I had a very memorable hazelnut croissant with hazelnut cream, a strawberry rhubarb croissant, raspberry pistachio cream croissant, and various seasonal fruit tartines. All were exquisite without being overly sweet. The croissants were very light and airy. 1 or 2 treats with a latte or tea is my ideal way to start the day. Of course, their famous kouign amanns and twice-baked croissants--are ubiquitously present. There are lunch sandwiches, Quiches in individual or regular sizes, brioche and other sandwich breads, and a coffee/tea menu to round up the store inventory. An olive oil sourdough sandwich bread got my attention, which sounded like a very good combination. I bought a loaf and have been hooked on it ever since. It is soft and chewy. You can taste sourdough with an undertone of olive oil. It is simply sublime. Make it into an almond butter jam sandwich, avocado fried egg toast, or an Italian sandwich and you will have an instant gourmet meal. The store's open design welcomes customers to walk in for either grab-and-go or to sit down, and enjoy a cup of latte with pastries or a quick bite of a lunch sandwich. It adds a nice touch to the already charming Rockridge neighborhood. read more

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Great selection of pastries when you first walk in, it's protected by a glass case. The service was really good and helping us decide what pastries to select. The ambience was like a café feel. However, I did dock one star because I didn't think that the price matched the taste of the pastries. I personally prefer the b patisserie or arsicault for kouign ammans! I also do preferably patisserie for the sponge cake I got as well read more

Starter Bakery - pastry selection - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

Two words: kouign amann!!! Just DO IT pleeeease! They are soooo sooo good here! Truth be told, I had never heard of Starter Bakery until they opened this location. A new bakery on the block?! Sign me UP! I'll never say no to baked goodies. Well... I may try but most likely won't succeed. I've been waiting for Starter Bakery to open their doors since I saw their signage go up on the building. Finally stopped by to try them out a few weeks ago and I'm impressed. Kouign amanns are one of my favorite kind of pastries, so when I saw that they made them here, I knew I had to try them. Luckily, this is what Starter Bakery is known for and their kouign amanns definitely do not disappoint! Here's a list of what I've tried thus far: Kouign amann: BOMBSY! As I mentioned before, you NEED to try the kouign amanns here. They are so buttery, flaky, and crisp. Like a dense croissant with extra butter and sugar that's shaped like a cake donut. Extremely rich and decadent but worth every single calorie that they hold. I'm a classic gal when it comes to kouign amanns and I prefer to enjoy them in their traditional state. However, if you're feeling a little adventurous, they have all kinds of different flavored ones. Haven't tried any of the flavored kouign amanns yet, but my staff really enjoyed the chocolate ones. Also, it kind of goes without saying but: warm these babies up! They are softer and taste amazing when their warmed. Pecan sticky bun: Heavenly! Just the right amount of sweetness to not go overboard. Lots of lovable pecans on top and that ooey gooey stickiness all throughout. Of course, this is another one that just begs to be warmed up. Loved it to pieces. Salted chocolate chip cookie: Good but nothing special. Couldn't really taste the salt and it wasn't as soft as I expected. It was actually a bit hard and crunchy on the outside and didn't stay soft after I warmed it. Twice baked ham and cheese croissant: Disappointing. Not sure if it was just a bad batch, but the croissant was hella dry and the cheese was hard. The ham inside had so much gristle that I couldn't even eat it. And why is it being twice baked anything? For the cheese?! I feel like that's too much and this is why it was so dry. No need to bake it twice when most people are just going to reheat it again anyways. This was the only item that I didn't care for out of everything that I tried. The staff seems to kill the lines quickly which is nice. When they were in their soft opening, the lines were crazy. But they aren't so crazy now that everyone has tried them out. Haven't tried any of their café drinks but they do have coffee and tea. They also have tables inside where you can sit and enjoy your food. Although the twice baked ham and cheese croissant was a miss, I've pretty much enjoyed everything else that I've had from here thus far. Excited to have Starter Bakery in the neighborhood and I'm already craving for more kougn amanns and pecan sticky buns. read more

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Starter Bakery started off as a farmers market stand only and now they are opening up store fronts! I pick up a bag of pastries almost every week from my local farmers market. They are always delicious and the pastries change based on what's seasonal. My go to favorites are the miche bread and the hazelnut Kouign Amann. The bakery is quite small but there's a few tables to enjoy your pastries if needed! read more

Starter Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

What a selection! Glad the bakery guru that helped me today knew her stuff. On her advice, I got a pretzel croissant that was really delicious. The meat & cheese jalapeño focaccia was wonderfully fluffy inside, and when heated up, was to die for. A little banana cocoa nib cake was packed with chocolate and fun to share with a group. The veggie sandwich that I saved for later was fresh, acidic and unique, having hazelnuts in it. I'll look forward to indulging in more focaccia or pretzel croissants when they have them. Great spot! read more

I love starter bakery, have tried the croissant, twice baked almond croissant, and the seasonal tartine pastry. All very good, pastries are on the pricier end but they are definitely good quality and very tasty! Can't wait to continue going back to try more things. read more

I am very petfectionisttic about my writing and normally proofread multiple times before posting and after to make sure nothing slips through. That didn't happen w/ this recent review and I didn't even read through it once. Yelp only allows me 24 hours to Edit. So here is what I intended to say: We were at Bad Walter's having ice cream and when we finished we walked over to Starter. Nina has family member who will be visiting and are vegan so we were curious whether Starter had vegan pastries. They had, but were sold out. Nina plans to go to The Butcher's Son and get some muffins when they open tomorrow. When I started writing this review I was reminded that Starter has a small storefront attached to the old Pyramid Brewery building. I've never been there or I might have remembered, but I told Nina about it. While we were in Starter I saw some triple ginger scones smiling at me. Those who know me know I have never met anything ginger I haven't loved, so I smiled back and requested two, which I will cut in half and freeze for later. Walking back to the car we passed by a garage that was for customer of the businesses on the College block. Adjacent to the garage was a massive, gorgeous tree that had been preserved when the garage was built. I don't know if there was a fight over it, but I'm sure the neighbors had strong feelings about it. read more

Love this bakery-- great variety of baked goods and airy space with tables to hang out! I got the seasonal item-- a croissant filled with custard and vibrant fruit, so so good!! I would come back and try more items. Highly recommend!! read more

Starter Bakery - Baked goods - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

I stumbled upon Starter Bakery when I was shopping at Trader Joe's. They have a large selection of pastries to choose from. Because the food is quite pricey, I didn't go too crazy with the spending. I bought two chocolate Kouign Ammans for $5 each. My brother said it was delicious, and I ate mine for breakfast the next day. Even though it was no longer freshly baked, it was still delicious. I regret not buying more pastries. Next time I will buy more pastries to share with my family. read more

Starter Bakery - Chocolate Babka - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

Starter Bakery is now open in Rockridge! (3.5/5 Green Stars) Currently they are having a soft opening, but it appears to be fully functional with a full menu and coffee bar. I forgot to take photos inside, but first impressions were that it's clean, bright and spacious. I've had several Starter Bakery items before in other cafes and recommend their signature item - the kouign amann. I like their pretzel buns but they aren't on the menu at the moment so I'm not sure if they'll be sold in Rockridge. But you can find them not too far away - at the Star Grocery on Claremont Ave. Today, I tried a vegetarian quiche - it looks very pretty, was very nicely baked and is pretty reasonably priced at $6. For now I'm giving the Starter Bakery 3.5 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. I'll update it as I get more information but one of the main issues is the lack of information on ingredient sourcing. It would be nice to see some vegan pastries. Still - if you want baked items made with traditional ingredients and minimal packaging (paper bags) then it's a good bet. read more

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Wonderful variety!!!! Particular favourites: chocolate babka, ginger scone. A definite "go to"!

Wonderful seasonal blackberry kouign-amann (fully cooked, flaky, and with layers), solid smoked salmon sandwich, good raspberry citrus pie (the jelly on top stretches cutely! cut through the pie with the side of your fork to avoid this), though I wonder what that would be like with a flaky as opposed to a cookie crumb crust. The East Bay executes again, unlike a certain feted bakery across the bay. The drip coffee is fair for the price and also outdoes that of many coffee shops here and there. The space is airy and high-ceilinged, there is wifi, and there are purse hooks under the tables, which are much appreciated though seldom used. read more

Delicious. I was impressed. I also Like that they seem to use a bit Less sugar than most bakery dessert places and that I appreciate. read more

Starter Bakery - The quiche lorraine, zucchini cake, etc. - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

I've been coming to Starter Bakery for a while now, and it never disappoints. Most recently, I tried their quiche, chocolate babka, olive bread, kouign amann, chocolate croissants, ham and cheese croissant, and ginger molasses cookies. Whether it's sweet or savory, everything here is amazing--there's a reason I keep coming back for more! The location is open, light and airy, perfect to grab a coffee and pastry to relax or catch up with a friend. The variety of pastries they offer is almost overwhelming (in the best way). Trust me, you'll have a hard time picking just one. Let me highlight a few favorites: -Olive Bread: Perfectly balanced with just the right amount of salty goodness baked into the bread. -Croissants: Flaky, buttery, and absolute perfection, whether sweet or savory. -Kouign Amann: A masterpiece of caramelized layers that's beautifully crispy and rich. -Chocolate Babka: Soft, sweet, and chocolatey--what more could you ask for? Every item is executed with such care and balance of flavors that it's clear they put in the hard work to create fresh, high-quality products. It's the kind of place where you can taste the passion in every bite. Tip: They're on the Too Good To Go app but you pick up from their warehouse in Berkeley, where you can score pastries at a discount. The catch? You don't get to choose what you get--but honestly, everything is so good, it's a win no matter what. If you can't make it to their main location, you're in luck: Starter Bakery also supplies pastries to local Philz Coffee locations. TL;DR: Whether you're craving sweet, savory, or something in between, Starter Bakery delivers every time. Do yourself a favor and stop by! read more

Checked out starter bakery today after it being recommended to me as a friend. Upon walking in I was immediately *pleasantly* overwhelmed by the selection of pastries and sandwiches. I opted for the ham and cheese croissant which was simply divine. It was perfectly crispy and flavorful. The caramelized onions inside were so tasty, and is something I have never before had in a ham and cheese croissant. The line was pretty long, but went by really fast. The interior is spacious and had a clean light and bright feel. I will definitely be returning to starter bakery in the near future! read more

I only ordered the Savory Puff and it is to die for! I will come back with an appetite so I can write a more comprehensive review. Next time you're waiting in line at Zachary's (right across the street) get a savory puff and thank me later. read more

One of the best bakeries in the bay area. We driven up from San Jose just to go to this spot. I thought that going early on a Sunday there would be a smaller line. I was wrong. Basically everything is great. I even took home a loaf of sourdough. read more

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Let's start off by saying your baked goods are yummy but every time I go to the San Ramon farmers market always disappointed with service! My muffins are ALWAYS shattered. Today the giggling was nuts and the distraction of the employees was not cute! Maybe some training would be good! read more

Starter Bakery - One muffin find other crushed every time ! - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

I've gone to the Starter Bakery on College Avenue many times. I like to get there early, as they can get very busy with long lines. The pastries are scrumptious and the oat milk lattes are very good. It's a little pricey and the baristas that make the lattes take FOREVER. They're either not at the coffee station, shooting the s#%* with another employee or making drinks for other said employees. I went in last week right when they opened on my way to work and I almost asked for a refund because it took almost 10 minutes to get a latte made (even though there were only 3 other patrons). I've come by another time right before they open and wait outside and an employee walks over with a frown on her face and turns the "open" sign around and walks away. No opening the door and greeting your customers that are literally waiting patiently outside? It's too early for that type of tude. read more

Pretzel croissants. Sooo good. But you never make enough and the store is always sold out! Today was our 3rd attempt to procure the mighty pretzel croissant in the past 2 weeks. My husband queued up before you opened to find them already sold to someone who ordered them online. All of them! So sad. Yes, your other pastries are delicious. But they are not pretzel croissants. Give the people what they need! Make more pretzel croissants!!! Deducting a star for the lack of inventory. read more

I didn't go in-person so I can't speak as much to the service and ambiance. I can, however, speak to the amazing kouign amann I had from this place. It was beautifully glazed and lightly sprinkled with what I think are pistachios. Biting into it showed that it was multilayered and flaky with just enough sweetness and lots of butteriness. It was good, and in the future I'd very much like to check out the bakery it came from! Overall based on the pastry itself: 5/5 read more

Starter Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

It is a small, pleasant, and clean bakery with friendly staff and a fairly extensive menu. To give a more accurate review, I would need to try more of their products, but from the ones I tried this time, I was slightly disappointed with their Brioche - Pecan Sticky Bun. They were too dry, but the nuts added some flavor. Their Salted Chocolate Chip cookie was average (I didn't taste the salt), but I would definitely recommend trying their Molasses Ginger cookie again. read more

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Starter Bakery is AMAZING! My mom and I stopped here on Saturday after having lunch across the street at Zachary's. Although it was my first time, my mom had been there before and said it was great. All of the pics in my yelp feed since the bakery opened looked tasty. Of course I was excited to see if the treats were as good in person as in the pics. We got a chocolate Kougin Amman and a slice of the key lime pie. Both were fantastic! Service was friendly and fast. They also had a coffee menu but we didn't try that. I'd come back for sure next time I'm in the neighborhood! read more

Starter Bakery - Chocolate Kougin Amman and key lime pie - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

Waited outside on the tables at the front door with the dogs as husband went in to get coffee and two pastries. There was no line at 9am on a Saturday but sometimes we see a crowd. There are three tables outside and some inside the spacious space. You order at the counter and they provide compostable packaging. Today we tried the chocolate babka which was flake with a syrupy top and not too sweet. The ham and cheese croissant was also well balanced and pasted with mustard. He said coffee was just okay compared to the other choices on College Avenue. Very close to Rockridge Bart or you can park on the street, bart parking lot for free weekends or neighborhood parking. read more

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Anyone else like exploring coffee shops? Me too. I wanted to try their chocolate babka and decided to get their almond croissant as well. The babka was fluffy and not to sweet. The almond croissant was sadly, disappointing. It was a tad dry, lacking on the filling, and not flaky. Overall, great service, good coffee, pastry was ok.. read more

I love Starter Bakery. Their Kouign Amann is the best in the Bay, better than Arsicault's and B Patisserie's. It's flaky, salty, sweet and crispy. The various fillings they add to it are a plus, but really I am satisfied just eating it plain. If you go on a busy morning you may be able to get a fresh out of the oven one as they seem to bake them as needed to fill their pastry case. Michael and I visited their bakery a couple of weekends after they opened and the line wasn't too bad. We each had a KA. I had the seasonal one and he had a chocolate one. Mine was great with strawberries and a caramel pastry cream. Delicious. We just had the drip coffee and it was fine. No bitterness. I like to drink coffee black and no sugar. Very drinkable. We've had many of their other pastries in the past like their savory quiches, croissants and sticky buns. The KA is definitely their best item. I'm not that crazy about their almond croissant. It could be crispier. It's a little flat. I realize it's twice baked but if you compare it to Market Hall's or Seven Hills (from Castro Valley), it's not as good. Love that the cafe has some seating. We were able to enjoy our coffee and KAs leisurely on a Saturday morning. I'm a slow sipper of coffee, especially on weekends, so it was nice not to rush. read more

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Starter bakery is known for their kouigh Amann and it was not disappointed . I've tried a variety of them and they are all really good . The store is very cute and have seating. There are street parkings and a big parking lot across the street . read more

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Love the energy, personality of the staff, and Brian is the best of all. The food is amazing, never had bad service or order was incorrect.The variety that comes with this business is so much different from other bakery which makes them so unique. read more

Excellent Pastries I have been buying pastries at Starter Bakery on College since it opened and always feel that the quality and range is excellent. My personal favorite is the butter croissant but the kouign amann and variations on it, blueberry muffin, and seasonal tartine also regularly make it on to my shopping list. Service is friendly and, while I have not stayed to try the coffee yet, the ambiance seems great as well. One piece of advice: if you are buying a number of pastries, ask the server to ensure that they are boxed carefully and not to try to pack too many into one container - sometimes a server can be a bit over-zealous on the boxing and pastries arrive at their destination not looking their best, even if they still taste delicious! read more

Amazing pastries! Every item I've tried is better than the last. You can also buy them at Koin coffee!

I'm reading this newish bakery is all the rage around here, so I had to check it out. I think you better get here early or a lot of the stuff will be sold out. I picked out something that looked scrumptious, I dunno even what it was called, it just looked good. It tasted really good too, so airy and flaky inside with a nice crust outside. Prices are kinda high, well compared to regular mainstream bakeries. I wish I had a high end bakery like this where I live. read more

Starter Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

Had the almond croissant at a farmer's market. I didn't finish it. Not worth the calories in any way. Having just had fabulous ones in Paris and NYC this one was dry with almost no almond paste in it. I see them every week at the farmer's market and sadly I take a pass. read more

I had a chance to try their pastries for the first time, specifically the strawberry & passion fruit kouign amann, and the cardamom pistachio twist. There was a creamy part toward the middle of the kouign amann that I thought was some kind of flavored cream cheese, but it might've actually been some of the passionfruit puree. Overall it tasted similar to a croissant but denser and I appreciated the sweet flavor and the fresh strawberries. I also enjoyed the cardamom pistachio twist a lot, it's also quite sweet. The pastries were both around $5 each. read more

Starter Bakery - Strawberry & Passion Fruit Kouign Amann - Bakeries Near Me - Oakland, California

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Love it!!! I love kouign amanns and to find a place that has them all the time, I am a FAN!!! I have been getting emails and texts re: this bakery...have ordered through Locale previously. But really wanted to see the bakery for myself as I am in Oakland/Berkely from time to time. The Gilman location seemed to be complicated with ordering and picking up...so I opted to take my chances just going to the College location. As their pickup ordering also indicated everything was sold out. So I went there and was pleasantly surprised...I was able to get my kouign amanns and a pecan sticky bun!!! Will be back soon! read more

Very impressive pastries and bread! The coffee was perfectly fine, but nothing special. I had never had kouign-amann before and their chocolate one and hazelnut ones were very tasty, sweet, kinda denser than a croissant, but very flaky still. The ham & cheese croissant was very flaky, large, and packed full of nice ham and gooey cheese and had a nice little sauce and jammy onions on top. The sandwiches are lovely on nice rolls with super fresh and flavorful ingredients. The prices are a bit high, but you do get what you pay for! read more

I come to San Ramon farmers market and buy from starter bakery every week and lately I am wondering why I still do. There are plenty of other great bakeries present and although I love the starter bakery goods, the customer service is the worst and it's no longer worth the hassle and irritation. They are incredibly slow and moving with zero sense of urgency. I alway know this so I come prepared to let it go, but it seems as if they couldn't care less that the line is building and building. I feel like it's no longer worth it because if they don't care about being friendly and reasonably paced I can't deal. They also refuse to help anyone until 9am on the dot even if the products are ready they will just stand there and not even acknowledge anyone or let them know their intention to open at a certain time. Disappointing. read more

Awesome bakery to go to when i visit family in the bay area. Great variety of items to choose from