Went to the San Mateo Backhaus and was very impressed! I've been to the Burlingame location and I…read morelove this one equally. The baristas are super efficient and nice to talk to. The interior was limited seating but the back patio is spacious. I got a croissant and an iced americano. The crossing was delicate, flakey, warm, buttery and tender- so delicious! The coffee was very satisfying, with a bold, smooth flavor. Great experience- also bonus points because this location is walking distance to the Central Park Japanese Garden.

The plain croissant was excellent--beautifully flaky with a delicate sweetness and satisfying…read morecrunch on the outside, while remaining soft and pillowy on the inside. The chocolate croissant was just as good, featuring the perfect balance of sweet and slightly bitter chocolate wrapped in layers of buttery, flaky pastry. The latte, topped with a leaf design, was rich, smooth, and flavorful. It provided the perfect pick-me-up while making a headache disappear. The café offers plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors, with additional space upstairs and downstairs. Friendly staff, a welcoming atmosphere, delicious pastries, and good coffee make this cafe well worth a visit.

I've driven by this place a hundred times and there's almost always a line of 20-30 people outside…read more This morning I decided to wait in that line. Super funny that the couple behind me commented that they go here all the time and there's never a line. After about a 40 minute wait, I got to the cashier at around 10:20am. Half the pastries like the ube brioche were already out so I opted for just the lattes. I played it safe and got the Tahitian vanilla latte. I will say that it's good quality coffee. Didn't need to add sugar. It didn't come super hot though so as I took it away, I downed it pretty fast! I got my mom and aunt the ice latte version of the black sesame and the brown sugar. Sounds like both were good as well. The black sesame wasn't sweet, which was to my aunt's liking. Inside, it's very clean and not crowded. What helped is that there is a sign that tells the people in line that only 6 people at a time should line up inside. If I have the time, I'd line back up. 4.5/5 stars, but I'll round up.

Coffee as a craft. The baristas move efficiently considering the precision, technique, and…read morecomplexity of their drinks. My first time here and it lives up to its reputation. Okinawan brown sugar latte was a tiny bit sweet for me, but I'm a purist who's not a fan of over-flavored lattes that mask the coffee. All considered, this was still very good. Egg toast was satisfying. It is enhanced with the crunchy chile oil - which adds more flavor than does spice for those who are spice wimps like me. This is a nit, but I prefer milk bread with soft crust. The milk bread served with the toast has a harder crust. The space is brightly lit, yet comfortable environment. Some 2-person tables along the wall and bar seating. Better for singles or pairs than groups.

Call and order ahead, so they will have your sandwich waiting. We always go for breakfast, and get…read moretheir croissant sandwiches and a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. They are very flaky, so it's a good idea to eat sitting down and not while driving. The only thing I miss is their spam as an option: it hasn't been on the menu for a long time, and they keep saying they will get it back, but it's been over six months since they said that. Please bring back the spam!

This is a review for a pickup with Too Good to Go. Parking was easy. Not too busy inside. Staff…read moregreeted me and I mentioned my pickup. They quickly put together a selection of pastry and bread varieties for me in a nice box. Very nice. It's a small shop with limited seating inside and outside. I enjoyed all the options by my favorite would have to be the Guava Cheese. I will be back again.

I've ordered Shruti's Flavors of India cake a few times, and even though it is a long drive for me,…read moreit is 100% worth it. Her cakes are unique, well-balanced, beautiful, and absolutely delicious. They are light yet flavorful, moist, and not too sweet. And vegan! Even my non-vegan family loves her cakes. Communication and pickup with her is easy and smooth, and she provides clear and accessible instructions on cake care. Shruti is a very kind, sweet person as well. I would definitely recommend her cakes to anyone looking for a tasty, special, local and homemade treat. Thank you Shruti for your amazing business & cakes!

I've tried Shru's cardamom pistachio cake a couple times and both times it was absolutely…read moredelicious. I especially loved the coconut cream frosting. Might sound crazy but I could actually eat an entire of this mini cake and not feel sugar loaded or bloated - it does feel like all clean ingredients and i personally like it more than a regular dairy based cake. It's easy to tell if something's made with love or not - definitely lots of love in Shru's cakes. I can't wait to get my next one.

A donut/coffee/ice cream shop in the corner of a strip plaza in San Mateo. We had just finished a…read moremeal and were looking to follow up with something sweet so popped in here. They don't have a huge selection of donuts but you can get your classics here as well as some more unique options, such as mochi donuts, or donuts with unique flavors, like blood orange and raspberry. We decided to get a lemon mochi donut, a blood orange mochi donut, a classic chocolate, and a chocolate "cruellar" donut. All the donuts tasted freshly made, had a soft dense interior, and were very delicious. The chocolate ones in particular paired very well with a cup of coffee the next morning. They also have unique ice cream flavors here. We look forward to trying those on our next visit.

No line on a Saturday afternoon. Can and ordered the donuts with no problems. Inside is just take…read moreout and doesn't feel the cleanest but gets the job done. The strawberry shortcake donut was delicious. The strawberries were a little too tart but the glazed donut was delicious. Mochi donuts were ok but I probably wouldn't get again. Tried a chocolate donut log with egg custard. Do not recommend the custard filling. It isn't done lengthwise and wasn't tasty. Donut itself was soft and fluffy. Overall, I'll come back for a sweet treat. I think service at this one was better than the other cause just less customers.

Only recently came across Claire from IG because of one of the food bloggers I follow and it's safe…read moreto say that she's a winner in our book! She was definitely a drive from San Jose to San Mateo but well worth it. When you pull up to her house, it may be difficult to find parking as other customers are picking up-- I ended up waiting for 1 person to pull out of her driveway so that I could park. The street is pretty packed with cars. Can I first say what a pleasure she is in person? Claire is super sweet and she's the reason I love supporting small business. We ordered the Mocha Crunch cake. Current prices are $50 for an 8". It's cash only so be prepared. The cake itself is on the light side (not as light as Asian cakes but I wouldn't call it dense either). Unlike some other reviewers that found it dry-- I highly disagree as it was not the most moist cake I've ever tried-- But it wasn't dry either. It was right in between and good enough for us. The Mocha flavor was lightly infused in the frosting and filling. It wasn't super overpowering but it was definitely there. The crunch topping was perfect and so unique. The only other place I've tried a crunch topping is in a latte from Kamurocho in Pleasanton. They have a "Honeycomb Latte" that is amazing. We served half the cake at one gathering and we ended up bringing the leftovers to another gathering. The cake was devoured. If you haven't tried Claire's Crunch Cake's yet, do yourself a favor and support a small business and meet the sweetest woman.

3.5 stars. Ordered a take out cake, 6" mocha flavor…read more The cake looks bigger than a 6" as it's pretty tall, so don't worry that it will not be enough. We had a party with 10 people and we couldn't finish the cake! The crunch was really good and special, the cake itself doesn't really present the mocha flavor, as a result, after a few bites, the cake became too sweet. We were all hoping the bitterness from the mocha coffee flavor can balance out the crunch but we were disappointed. Interestingly, we then moved onto eating a chocolate cake from Marvel Cake and the chocolate was able to balance out the sweetness and cleansed our pallet a bit. We all felt that a cup of coffee would be perfect with this cake. The cake inside could also be a bit more moist. So all in all, the crunch got the thumbs up but the overall cake not so much.

I found out about this bakery on NextDoor, someone was saying the best cinnamon rolls were sold…read morehere. I had to go! Sad facts, the Hillsdale mall closed Cinnabon and the annual fair no longer sells cinnamon rolls. I'm super thrilled that Made Out of Dough is here, and I hope for years to come. We tried scones and the chocolate mousse. No complaints. Parking is street only, so be careful crossing Old County Road. No bathrooms, so if you are like me, take your goodies to-go. My goal is to go here once a month.

The ladies there were so friendly! My grandson and I went there for the first time to get a Too…read moreGood To Go deal. We got our order and then bought even more goodies! The scones were delicious. Both the sweet and savory scones were moist not dry. The Maple Bacon was very good! We will definitely be going back to try more items.

Stopped by this cute bakery on a nice Saturday with the love of my life last week. We ordered:…read more * Ham and cheese morning bun (8.9/10) I thought it was good, nicely salted. * Strawberry croissant (9/10) super flakey and very jammy. * Focaccia veggie sandwich (9.2/10) I actually enjoyed this sandwich a lot! I like how they utilized radish here as a sandwich feeling. It was a refreshing bite for a warm day. * Vanilla latte and cold brew were delicious. I like that the cold brew didn't taste acidic. The service was friendly and we got our food in a reasonable amount of time. We also managed to find a seat outside so overall the experience was great here for a chill brunch.

Cute little spot in downtown. Long sometimes can get long and seating may be limited. They offer…read moreboth outdoor and indoor options though. Service was super friendly and knowledgeable of the different pastries. I ordered a warm chai latte, a classic and this bread that had a fruit/pistachio. Flavor was interesting. Nice decor inside with lots of lighting. Perfect place to study, catch up with friends, or grab quick bites after a workout class :)