I can't believe I haven't written a review for a business my kids and I frequent all the time!…read moreWe've been coming to Always Yours since it opened. Hands down they have the best drinks, cookies, macarons, cakes, and now salt bread! I always come to get treats for my kid's teachers (for their birthdays, teacher appreciation week, just because, etc.). I've brought friends visiting the Bay Area to this bakery, which they have loved. Always Yours also has fun cup sleeve events, macaron classes and afternoon tea from time to time. We love supporting small businesses and this one is definitely worth supporting! P.S. with all these drink places popping up in the area...we still think the drinks at Always Yours not only taste better, but also are of higher quality.

I recently heard about the salt bread at Always Yours, along with the banana pudding matcha latte,…read moreand knew I had to try both. We heard that there had been some long lines recently and that the bread can sell out fast, so he went ahead of me to get in line before they opened, but he said there actually wasn't a line this time. We went on a Sunday afternoon and got two each of the regular and chili oil scallion breads. Once I got to the cafe, I ordered the banana pudding matcha latte. We sat on the bench outside to eat our bread and noticed that it tasted just a *little* like it had been sitting out for a while. I wouldn't describe it as stale, it just didn't have as soft a texture as we expected. However, it tasted absolutely delicious. I'd recommend getting both flavors if you can. The chili oil one wasn't spicy, in my opinion, it just had a kick of chili flavor. The banana pudding matcha latte was a little less successful. The pudding was great, but it just sat on top of the drink. When I mixed it into the matcha, it still wasn't coming through very strong and the drink tasted almost entirely of matcha. It was disappointing because I love banana so much. I think I'd be better off just ordering the banana pudding in the future. I'd like to come back here on a Saturday to see if the bread is a bit fresher, and I'd order the banana pudding rather than the latte.

This bakery was recommended on the SFBI list of bakeries and pastry shops, so I had to try and stop…read moreby on my way back down south from the east bay. It's in a corner of a very cute gourmet food hall and had a good selection of goods left in mid-afternoon on a weekday. Service is also friendly and prompt. I had to get the kouign amann because I always get one wherever I can, and also picked up a plain croissant, currant scone, and panna cotta. The KA was decent; I would call this one a diet KA because they only put the sugar on one side so it was more like a brulee'd croissant. I also have to admit that, while this shaping is very attractive, the direction of the lamination makes eating this feel like shards in my mouth. However, flavor was excellent. The plain croissant is very plain. It's decent but I've had better. The scone and panna cotta, however, were delightful. Both had lovely soft textures and wonderful creamy flavors. The scone held up for two days and wasn't even a bit stale when I finally had it for breakfast. Highly recommend this tucked-away bakery in the Castro Valley!

I want to start off by saying that this is my first review for a non-gluten free place. I am being…read morere-tested for celiac disease and engaging in the "gluten challenge". Seven Hills Baking Co was my first stop as I haven't had sourdough since childhood. I got their classic sourdough loaf. Even though it wasn't warm anymore it was still amazing. It was quite hard to cut into with a serrated bread knife, which I'm not sure whether that's normal or abnormal for gluten sourdough. However, the inside was lovely and soft. Nice strong sour flavor, spongy dough that was almost moist (not at all dry). I want to note on the gluten free front that seven hills baking co offers a few items which they advertise to be gluten free. Though the ingredients may be gluten free, the items are baked in the same kitchen, the same oven, and then put side by side with the gluten in the display case. Furthermore I don't believe their ingredients are all certified gluten free. Therefore I do not recommend seven hills baking co for anybody with celiac disease. Do not buy your friend with a gluten allergy or celiac these items. There is most certainly cross contact.

Everything is soo flaky, fluffy, and flavorful!…read more Loved every pastry I've purchased here. I also get their ube latte and match latte.

One's Cafe is getting quite the buzz out here in the East Bay. They started with a super small one…read morein Castro Valley (the one I visited), but I just recently drove past their newer Alameda location that looks like a bigger space. The Castro Valley one is super tiny, no indoor seating and really only enough room for about 2-3 people to line up to order for the inside. It's a bit too tight in there for me. They do mostly Asian inspired pastries, mostly using croissant dough in all kinds of creative shapes and sizes. Even though many things don't fit my preference as I'm not big on savory pastries or ones that have meat in them, they do make some attractive and unique looking pastries. So I get it, why people line up for this. But I have tried several sweet type pastries and here are some notes. Custard Tart ($4/5*) Probably one of the best egg/custard tarts I've ever had. This is one of the simpler things in their display case. This is literally a flaky pastry and a well made custard filling. Most everything else in that display case is 2-3 times bigger and much more going on with fillings and decorations. I like simple pastries so this hit on my sensibilities big time. The custard was smooth and not too sweet, very Asian in sweetness. And the best part was the crust, it was so flaky, light and buttery. 10 times better than any egg tart I've had a Chinese or Portuguese bakery. Almond Danish ($7.50/3.5*) This is one of their more elaborate creations, even tho this is somewhat simpler than many other pastries they have. But this name doesn't really correlate with what I tasted, there is a lot more going on. The pastry part is in the shape of a muffin, but the texture is flaky like a croissant, maybe slightly more dense than a croissant. Then there may be a small amount of almond paste in the middle, but there were a lot more of this coffee cream. This was too big for me to eat in one sitting so I split it in half. It was decent but it definitely isn't an Almond Danish. Lol Strawberry Croffle ($5/5*) I love true Belgian/Liege waffles made with a yeasted dough but cooked til crisp in a cast iron waffle press. Not sure if this is Liege style but it carried a lot of the characteristics of one. Crisp from caramelized sugar being cooked in the exterior, nice chew in the center and garnished simply with a strawberry cream. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Cold Brew ($4.25/3.5*) I didn't love it, but it wasn't bad. It tasted better if drunk with one of their pastries. Alone I wouldn't do it again. But as a companion with a pastry, sure. I'll round to a fiver cuz service is usually pretty nice and efficient. And even tho 75% of the things here are too busy and complicated for me, the simple things I have tried, really schmacks. So a fandom has formed.

Love that you can pre-order the malasadas from their site and pickup at Denicas locations ie…read moreDublin. Holidays they offered chocolate bombs Ordered from here twice, orders are always ready by your pickup time. It is hit or miss on flavors for me. I think most are overly sweet and I find myself trying to scrape off the extra sugar on the outside. Some previous star flavors: lemon curd, eggnog, halpia coconut. I love ordering these as gifts for ppl cuz i think most dont mind the sugar haha

Found out about these wonderful malasadas from my sister who mentioned they were selling them for…read morepre-order and pickup from Denica's Real Food Kitchen in Castro Valley and Dublin (Walnut Creek location is closed). Isabella, the owner offers 4 flavor option per week: Thursday - Sundays only with pickup starting at 10am right now...wonderful flavors like pumpkin, espresso, and guava...they also had ube which i know is all the rage but passed on that..not a fan and don't get it. Lol Filling were lightly sweet (which I prefer) and hints of each flavor...my fave was the espresso: custardy, creamy, coffee flavored with the next being the pumpkin. Guava has a very mild flavor and could've used a tad more flavor but it was good! All lightly dusted with granulated sugar *** 4 - 4.5 stars *** I would recommend picking up your order when they're ready as no fried item tastes as good as it sits and best when they're fresh...I picked up mine about 12:30 and 1/2 of the sugar was melted and exterior got a little greasy but still a yummy product! Unfortunately, you can not walk into Denica's expecting to get some malasadas...must go to Instagram and DM her your order which will set you back $12/3. Yeah, yeah will log in for food! Flavors change weekly! Enjoy!

This is more than just a cake shop!…read more I was looking for a new coffee joint when I stumbled across Bake it Up. It's located in the Lucky shopping center and has plenty of parking outside. There isn't seating inside but there is a few tables outside if you'd like to sit and enjoy. This place has been here for about two years. They have a great variety of tasty coffees and other drinks if you're not into coffee. I got a breakfast bakery item but they have plenty of cupcakes and cakes to choose from. The owner was so nice and helped us make good decisions on what to try. I will be back to try some of their dessert options.

So glad there's another (because there isn't many) quality coffee spot near Hayward/San Leandro…read more This place has good items! We tried: Arabic Leche latte 10/10 Pumpkin tiramisu latte 8/10 Pumpkin spice latte 8/10 Banana pudding 7/10 (it's a cake base, so if you like that you'd probably rate higher) Biscoff tiramisu 10/10 Give this place a try. The owner is a woman who is super sweet. The seating is limited and outside. Prices are expected from a small business...

I found this place by accident actually. It's next to h- mart, and I had to used the restroom and…read morefound this place. It was closing soon, and I love anything ube. I bought it, but I was not able to eat it until next morning. Even tho I ate it a day old, it was still fluffy and soft. The ube cream was super creamy and airy as well. I was very impressed how amazing it tasted. It was not overly sweet, perfect sweetness. I Can't wait to return and try other flavors, now that I know it's worth the money.

I came to get a ube latte with the sushi bento I got from H Mart market. This store is located…read moreinside H Mart, convenient! All the cakes look so yummy! Service is fine. Perfect location to have at food court. I will be back!

Service: 5 Placing order/inquiry was pretty easy. She is…read morevery responsive and handles short notice orders. I was looking for a cake less than a week from pick up. Sent in order/inquiry via email and she was able to communicate effectively all the details that needed to be addressed in the span of a few days. Cake quality: 4.5/5 I originally chose s'mores and guava but because I wasn't sure if two layers would be too much for 2 people serving, I decided with 1 layer and 1 flavor. S'mores flavor was a marshmallow delight, which included a marshmallows buttercream for frosting, chocolate flavor cake, and marshmallows and graham cracker center. I loved that the frosting and cake were not overly sweet but felt that there could've been a bit more graham cracker. Overall: would highly recommend! If you are looking for a fast turn around time, and solid in quality flavor and design, please consider paperrock fork bakery! Also, Cheers to Elmeisher--She really cares and aims to make every cake wonderful and her best work yet. Can't wait to try her bakery again :)

I ordered a cupcake pull apart Dinosaur cake for my sons 2nd birthday!…read more I sent a dinosaur image I got from Google and asked if they could add a party had with his age on it. I honestly wasn't expecting it to turn out this good but wow! The artwork with the buttercream nailed the original image. Flavors: I opted for 4 flavors cookies n' cream, funfetti, Vanilla strawberry filling and chocolate! The chocolate cupcake with the chocolate filling were to die for. Super rich! Will surely be ordering from this place again!

Salad bar was delicious. The design-your-own salad has so many fresh choices. Great friendly…read moreservice. Definitely worth $20, enough to share! Overall this is a great marketplace. Genius design-- many different restaurants and seating options, along with a butcher, bakery, and cafe. Owned by the same folks as the Alameda Marketplace. Perfect place for lunch with a friend, or to do some food shopping, or to have a coffee-- so many different choices. You should check it out.

I've been here twice now and have enjoyed both experiences…read more - Parking available via street parking or the parking lot connected to the marketplace - Downstairs: shopping and restaurants (I.e. pizza) - Upstairs: restaurants - Stairs and elevators available to go upstairs

Peach iced tea was refreshing and sweet, perfect for the summer. The crab croquette was ok, it…read morewould probably be better if it was warmed and crispy. It was quite greasy and took away from my experience. My personal favorite was the pasty with strawberry and blueberry, it was delicate and subtle. Service seems like they could have another worker in the front, although they were friendly and worked as efficiently as possible, customers came in waves so they appeared a little swamped at times. Ambiance is nice, good for catching up over coffee, studying, or hanging out. There is a decent amount of tables here and the cafe is clean and welcoming.

I've been a loyal Paris Baguette customer for years, and it's still one of my favorite bakery…read morechains. My family always gets cakes from here for special occasions, and we also stop by pretty often for pastries and drinks. I ordered an iced matcha latte with strawberry syrup at the bottom of the cup. The drink is on the sweeter side, but I personally like sweeter drinks, so I enjoyed it a lot. The matcha flavor was still nice and balanced. I also got an almond pastry (warmed up), a chocolate supreme croissant, and a strawberry croissant. Everything tasted fresh and flaky, and I honestly love their pastries in general. The ambience is decent as well. One thing I'd recommend is going earlier in the day because there's usually a bigger pastry selection. I've also noticed that the Dublin location tends to have a bit more variety in pastries and slightly better service.

The BEST desserts in San Leandro. Dessertchu is located inside Moussaka Mediterranean Restaurant…read more I've been here multiple times and they have so many options from cheesecakes, cakes and brownies. Niles and Luna the owners are the sweetest people on earth and their desserts are SO GOOD. The Dubai chocolate cheesecake and the slutty brownie is our favorite. Every time we come, there's so many options to choose from and I love how creative they get with their flavors!

My friend got me some desserts for my birthday. Pistachio…read morericotta cake was too sweet for my palate but it is as soft as you would imagine. Almost reminds me of the texture of tres leches. Biscotti brookie was a large portion and also very sweet but a good texture.