Steven W.
Yelp
This is one of the lesser known local bakeries filled with awesomeness.
Parking is street only. Sometimes there will be a spot open right on front, sometimes not but there is a pay lot more or less right in back of the building that always has room.
It's not the largest space inside, but it does have a fair amount of table/booth combos should you chose to lounge on site. The window displays are pure old school European bakery and when the owner feels up to it can be quite creative. They do offer a limited lunch/breakfast menu which looks to be light fare-pasta, egg dishes, salads, sandwiches etc, but in reality is quite substantial. The portions are large, and are just stuffed with ingredients. They can be quite filling. While the food menu is pretty great I don't go to a bakery-which is what this business is-for a sammich, or soup. I go for the pastries, and occasionally when I feel lazy, the breads.
The pastry here is outstanding. The baker/owner is an italian baker originally from Milan that got lured to this area and eventually decided that the only way he'd get the super awesome Italian pastries he loved was to open a bakery and do it himself. It goes without saying that any of the Italian stuff is entirely worth your time and expense. The croissants are buttery perfection and yeah if you wanted a rustic tuscan loaf, tiramisu, panetonne, sfogliatell or cannoli this is THE place. Just to mix things up they do some mean bear claws and almond filled thingys as well.
The also do some coffee products-american style drip and of course espresso, but they are handicapped by being located right next to what is arguably the best coffee shop in the area. Regardless the coffee is a little bit cheaper and almost as good, and who doesn't want coffee with a bear claw?
Pricing is on the higher side (other then the coffee, which is quite reasonable.) as this is very much an artisanal kind of bakery with lots of labor of love put into the product. Bare bones coffee and a sweet can be had for under ten bucks, but lunch/breakfast menu item can get into the ten-fifteen dollar range in a heartbeat. A loaf of bread and a couple of croissants will be in the ten ish range. Less for basic croissants, more if you go for the millionaire bacon stuffed option. Service is usually solid, but at times they have trouble getting good people for the front counter role which leads to new teen employee levels of confusion about the products.
All in all this is an excellent lesser known bakery choice, very much worth the time, parking and expense for the sheer luxurious treats they offer.