Basque Boulangerie Café

I’m local and we often get bread there. Which is all right. But then we ordered something different, to go: ham and cheese quiche that comes with a portion of fruits. First it took forever for then to give us the order, there was no one in front of us, and then what they do? Pack the quiche and the fruits in the same box, when I opened later, it was disgusting. All the juice from the fruits destroyed the rest. Very unpleasant, very unhappy.

Very nice experience on both mornings, love the fresh croissants. Pistachio cheesecake is good. Photo is egg bacon panini, also glad I try their cheese stick. It's the only one shop spell my name correctly!

What a gem!! I took my mother out for lunch and we came across this boulangerie. I had the avocado/egg/tomato toast($9.00) and it was so fresh and delicious. Mama had the prosciutto & Brie with pear, ($12.00) warmed awww amazing. The price and service are incredible. If you around visiting Sonoma I highly recommend you to enjoy a meal at this place.

My friend Frank brought me some french bread from this place, it was what real yummy sour dough bread should taste like! Not like the generic bread they sell at the grocery store. I am going to see what other yummy bread they have and go pick some up myself. I highly recommend!

I wanted to like this place, but the food was just underwhelming and bland. The lemon blueberry scone was very dry and had very little flavor. My ham quiche had almost no ham in it, mostly onion, and was a bit rubbery and lacking flavor. The crust was tough on the bottom and the crimped edges were hard as a rock. The steel cut oats were just okay. My group also ordered scrambled eggs and they tasted like hotel, industrial eggs. Most likely poured from a carton. The atmosphere inside is pretty nice, but very echoey and loud. There are tables inside, as well as outside on the sidewalk. The two employees inside were not unfriendly, but they did not make us feel welcome when we entered the cafe. This is counter service only. Overall a disappointing food experience.

I just found out this Cafe has been Sold! It's no longer Owned by the Original Family. I was very Disappointed that My Order of Clam Chowder To Go Cup was Cold! The Presentation was very good. It did come with Delicious Sour Dough Toast. My only "Disappointment" was the Clam Chowder was "Not Hot!" Perhaps more Training on how long to "Reheat Soup." I wanted to Walk over to the lovely Park and Eat. I decided to Sit Inside. Next time I will Order the Wonderful Baked Goods! 👍

Grabbed breakfast here on our last day in Sonoma. Cute place. Very good coffee. We enjoyed the pastry and the oatmeal. Certainly not inexpensive though, so be ready for some sticker shock. We visited in February so too cold to sit outside... I imagine that would be pleasant on a nice day.

Stopped here twice for a breakfast. The staff were very kind and engaging. The food was great. I got a breakfast sandwich and then the oats along with LOTS of pastries for the road. Big fan. Fast and easy spot to drop in for a good breakfast and good cup of coffee (or latte).

8/17/25 Highly tempting carb/loaded pastries ... looks like a local favorite. Shout out to Derek, fine young man who convinced me to get the bread pudding. Nice, clean, cute shop. Was looking for a bakery & we landed here. This shop is in the main drag where are plenty of shops to peruse or simply just stop in & try. The bread pudding caught my eye coz it's Hubby's favorite. Derek tells me he hears good things about it although he's never had it himself. Took a gamble & got one. It is heavy for its size. Visited the lavatory, clean & well maintained for a place that's been a local & tourist hangout for quite sometime, it definitely needs an update but it is adequate. Good visit, even met a few tourists & chatted with them, friendly place.

Walked by this cafe while walking Sonoma. It was busy so I thought it would be good but I was so wrong. Ordered prosciutto and Brie sandwich and Matcha Latte. Sandwich has one thinly sliced prosciutto, pieces of pear and minimal Brie. It was not worth the $12.75. Matcha latte felt underwhelmed. Does not taste much Matcha flavors and they did not use any syrup. Bland and no flavors. The worst Matcha I ever had. Would not recommend this place for sandwiches or drinks. Do not think I would be back if I'm in the area again.

I'm ever a big fan of Basque Boulangerie. It was originally called Sonoma French Bakery (established in 1956), but revamped and renamed itself in '94. But it's the same French bakery its always been.. classic pastries and bread, good coffee, fantastic sandwiches, and the most heavenly smell emanating from it's ovens and into the square. My dad used to be a regular patron of this bakery as a kid, so I think it's extra fun to still visit. Even though I have to eat gluten free, haha!! I'm extremely grateful that they always have a couple gluten free pastries available. Their gluten free muffins are incredible -- fluffy and buttery and not too dense, just like a classic muffin. I had blueberry on my last visit and it was perfection.

Wow, exceptional food with excellent selection... price point was terrific, especially given the shop was on the square.

The breads are good, the people are nice, the vibe is pretty swell but holy hell the actual food is terrible. Everything's super greasy and overpriced, so you might as well go literally anywhere else to get your money's worth. I'm always tempted into buying a meal and I always end up sad and lonely because of it. My latest regret was this behemoth banana slug of a breakfast burrito. Greasier than Russell Brand and harder to swallow than bad news. Myah, see? But I digress. No bueno.

We stopped by while on a vintage motorcycle tour. The quiche and frittata were PERFECT. The cappuccino? PERFECT. I couldn't even wait to have the beehive cake before I posted a positive review!

This place was not clean at all I was served on a broken plate and the food had no flavor at all the prices are expensive for what you get cappuccino was good thank god will not come here again

This establishment proves that location is everything. Long lines are mostly due to its central and front facing location. The pastries and sandwiches are average and Nothing stands out. The coffee is mid range - other shops are bolder and broader in taste. The service is exactly as haughty and arrogant as reviews here have claimed. Condescending and irritable, the older gentleman worker, who seems to be a leader of sorts with the workers, was terrible to customers and his tone was belittling and offensive. Take a short stroll in any direction AWAY from here and you'll find better coffee, pastries, and most of all, SERVICE

They should stop selling beehive cake, based on my experience and the prior reviews. I didn't enjoy it.

Oatmilk mocha: Solid 4.5 Espresso: solid 4.5 Morning bun: wasn't Twofish/Searanch level but it was good. 4.0 Frenchtoast: for the price, excellent. 4.5 Atmosphere: busy, tight, warm, great people watching/interacting spot. Can be claustrophobic for some though, be aware its cozy. Warmth and hon4.0 Prices: really solid for marin/sonoma/napa. 5.0 Guests loved their food. 4.5 Service; for how busy it was service was a 10 Love this place, maybe the anchor of the square. Get your loaf of bread for your cheese and wine picnic basket here with a sweet treat or espresso.

Wandered in needing some caffeine and a snack before dinner. The Basque Boulangerie was friendly and welcoming. The coffee needed some pick me up but the Morning Bun was great. A bit sugary over a bit thicker croissant like dough with a sweet crunch at the bottom where the sugars caramelized. Not overly sweet and hit the spot. Water jug with little metal cups. A few tables inside and out. There's definitely some regulars as a Vet was greeting and y asking up folks outside. Just part of the ambiance. Enjoy!

Faux French cafe with really bad food. Avocado toast was a slice of dry bread with 4 tiny avocado pieces, 1/2 hard boiled egg and 3 slices of tomato. Croque madame was a grilled ham and cheese with the egg inside no bechamel, no side salad. Disgusting place. So disappointing to be in Sonoma and eat crap like that. To the owner: This is what a Croque Madame looks like. Not the crap grille ham and American cheese you served

The avocado toast was the best! So yummy and so fresh. Pastries (specifically the scone) was dry. The lady working the counter was nice, but the lady giving out the food was kind of rude-ish. Overall... I would go back for the avocado toast!

Lived here in the county over 60 years and first time to this local mainstay on Labor Day. Cinnamon Bun and regular coffee was good. The Croque Madame and Frittata were mostly terrible. Frittata looked good but was tasteless. Croque Madame was a deli sliced piece of ham with a fried egg inside buttered sourdough with bechamel, sounds good but missed it altogether. The egg was inside and over cooked. Should be on top and able to break the yoke over the sandwich. Texture and flavor were just not there. Maybe just stick with the pastries. Restroom was two stars as well. Toilet was walking on the floor. Needed upgrading and attention at 9:30 in the morning. Time for the management/owners to wake up to the retail side of things.

I have never been in an establishment and treated so poorly. Customer service and great food is what this place is lacking

Highly recommend. We visit here every month or so. It's part of our Sonoma routine. Surprised by negative reviews. We've always had great coffee and pastries. Sandwiches are good. Counter staff are polite and helpful. Their bread is delish, and we've scored bargains late in the day. Even the iced coffee was great -- it was really hot in Sonoma yesterday!

This place used to be good but seems really dirty. Was in recently and mentioned the price they were charging me is more than the posted price on the menu. The manager said they changed the prices but not the posted prices. They would not honor the posted prices. I would avoid this place

If I could give zero stars, I absolutely would. My friends and I were hyped to get cheese sticks from Basque, and as we were walking up to the door, one of the workers inside practically *rushed* over. We thought she was being nice, maybe opening the door for us--nope. Instead, she aggressively yanked the door right out of my friend's hand, flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed' like it was some power move, then slammed the door in our faces and just walked away like it was no big deal. Meanwhile, there were plenty of people still eating inside and outside! Even if the place was closing, there's ZERO excuse for treating customers like that. A simple "Sorry, we're closed" would've been miles better. Other customers saw it too and called out how rude and disrespectful she was. This was downright unacceptable. Wish I could leave a review on the food but I unfortunately did not get the chance.

Really bad since the change of ownership, no cookies after 10am incredibly rude staff as well as the quality just in the trash. Miss the old basque :(

I visit Sonoma on occasion and always stay at the Ledson hotel next to this bakery but had never been until today. I read reviews and was expecting dry, overpriced pastries but those reviews are incorrect. I ordered about 10 pastries, I only wanted four but couldn't decide. Then ordered four coffees. I was expecting it to cost what I would pay back home in Reno at the bakery I like to go to but it was half that price! Then the taste test. The pastries were delicious and not dry at all. I first at a cheese danish and, it tastes perfect. Not too sweet and not dry! The scone was how I like them too, like how I would make them. This place is great! Do not hesitate in coming here if you think it's overpriced and the pastries are dry because they are not!

Great service and great food. Workers were very nice and the food came out very fast.

Fantastic baked goods, incredibly super nice people. Their breakfast pastries and cookies are both wonderful, and the sidewalk tables on The Square are a great spot to enjoy it all.

Anyone buying a sandwich should open it up and inspect it before you leave the counter. I ordered the Tri tip au ju sandwich, took one bite out of one half and tasted little/no meat. I uncovered the second half and found the same, basically a very thin slice of meat, certainly not what you would expect for $13. The owner/manager argued with me in front of an entire line of customers waiting to order, inferring that I ate the supposed 3oz of weighed meat for the sandwich. Instead of just saying I'm sorry, I'll get you a new sandwich or refund your money, she made a scene defending what was in front of her and again inferring that I at the meat. So check your sandwich, I bet she is intentionally cutting the protein in order to bump her profits.

My Boyfriend said every time he walks by this bakery, there's a line out the door- so as we walked by and there were only a FEW people inside, I knew I HAD TO CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!!! Such a cute, quaint little cafe with GIANT PASTRIES! I wasn't even hungry, but the delicious looking pastries and beautiful smell of coffee made me order! I also love their coffee sign for those that don't know coffee menus. (See pix) hee. The lady restocking in the back was very patient with me since I couldn't decide which decadent pastry to order, and then the gentleman that helped me actually order a couple minutes later it was incredibly polite and understanding of me taking so long. Lol too many choices, and I wanted mini samples of everything! Lol. I got a chocolate macaroon and it was simply delicious!! I also got an iced almond milk latte, and that was the perfect pairing! I have never been to this area before and love all the little vignettes and murals along with the park like setting. There was a docent at the local museum, and he told us how, this area was once owned by captain Vallejo or was it general Vallejo? I know of the name, I just forget but he designed this square to look like it does in Mexico. It really reminds me of the DF/Mexico City. I will definitely be back to this quaint little coffee shop again!! I hope I don't find a line next time also! Lol if I do, I'll just wait, but it will be well worth it!!

Personally recommended by a friend of mine and I believe it's a local institution, but I did not enjoy. The pastries felt like they had the wrong texture -- not sure if that means humidity or not as fresh as they could have been. I was not able to try the sandwiches or coffee, just pastry.

The place is worse and we got a lot of attituded service. The order was taken by the store manager women who refused to tell her name, why is you hiding your name for? She even not provide the receipt until I asked for it. They auto charged 4% tips from $21 worth of order ? The food we ordered do taste below average compare to the France store name they have. The tomato soup is salty, the Turkey Panini sandwich tasted bad and the Coke soft drink was watery. This is a bad store to come for your meals. I usually do not like to post a negative review because I try to avoid hurting a business, but this one I have to do it so others do not have to go thru this crap wasting their time and money.

I don't know what kind of circus this place is running, but calling it a "coffee shop" is an insult to actual coffee shops. I waited 20 minutes for a lukewarm latte that tasted like burnt water and regret. The barista acted like I was interrupting their day by ordering something off the menu . Tons of eye rolls, attitude, and not a shred of basic courtesy. Lady was Extremely RUDE. Beyond belief! Save yourself the time, money, and rage -- go literally anywhere else for your caffeine fix.

Could the staff be any more rude? Must depend on tourists not repeat business. New resident who tried twice.

Service was excellent & food was delicious.. i'm a first time customer and a newly minted fan!

A delicious coffee and a lovely Veggie Madam sandwich, perfect for a quick lunch sitting outside across from the Square. Very thoughtful service, glad we came across this place today.

First time here and I don't know why! Coffee/espresso is awesome. Jeremiah's coffee. Had the Croque Madame. SOOOOOO GOOD!!! The pastries look amazing! Definitely will be back!!

This place has been run aground since change in ownership years back. As a chef, I can no longer use their products since they lack consistency and quality control. As a local, the cafe lacks any kind of passion in their craft and only caters to tourists that see it as the only place on the square for a pastry and cafe. Wake up Basque, Monday bakery just opened last fall right around the corner on Napa st. and produces far superior pastries and coffees. For the time being, I will have to search for another bakery to meet my business needs and when my five year old requests a delicious pastry, I will be looking elsewhere.

Very disappointing and the food was awful. Chicken salad was without flavor and the club sandwich was poor quality with cheap quality turkey lunch meat, soggy tomatoes and fatty bacon with way too much mayo. The beehive cake was stale. This place must be under new management because it is not the once thriving quality cafe bustling with locals, crowded tables and excellent food. I will never go back.

The man taking orders was rude and impatient. I asked for a refund and he refused. He asked me to leave without giving me the food I paid for. Will dispute the charge and file a complaint with CRD.

Excellent place die a quick bite. Food is good, coffee is good and the staff are very friendly. Highly recommend coming or going!

Stopped by for an iced coffee in the afternoon. Coffee is strong and very good. They have a lot of breads and pastries. I ordered a slice of beehive cake to bring home because it reminds me of the German Bienenstich, bee sting cake. It was pretty good but was too much cream and not enough cake. I would go back it's a nice cafe.

Can't say much about the coffee here (except my buddy said his iced latte was fine) but the mango frappe with oat milk was awesome. The problem is the straws they provide is too tiny! So it gets crushed by the opening in the lid and you basically spend your time sucking and sucking lol! So the solution is to remove the lid and stick the straw straight into the cup without the lid and then it's fine. Also the lemon bar was nice but the morning bun and Raisin Bran muffin were both on the dry side. Location is very nice -- you can sit outside across from the Sonoma Square park.

Omg idk what happened to this place. The lady with the glasses is extremely rude. So sad to see an establishment go down hill drastically. The manager is extremely rude to the other employees. She's also incompetent and think she's correct argues with the customers abut how she think she right. So sad! I won't be back . No more cheese sticks for me!

Some of the best coffee we stopped here after a balloon ride. Sausage Emporium was also suggested if you want a hearty breakfast.

This is a great little cafe by the square with some good food and coffee. With friendly service and a nice view outdoors, this place is going to be a repeat visit for me.

We stopped here on a Thursday morning for a little pastry & drink. We came a little later in the morning but I was surprised to see their selection of pastries was very limited. We ordered a bread pudding & lemon tart. The bread pudding was warmed upon serving it was very tasty & not sweet, which I prefer. The lemon tart was lacking the tartness that I love in a lemon tart, it was good but I would have preferred more lemon flavor. To drink we ordered a mimosa & a white mocha. My mimosa was delicious it had the perfect amount of OJ & Bubbles. My mom's mocha was very good, next time she'll order it extra hot since it came out warm. Staff is friendly & orders came out quick.

Blueberry scone was hard and dry, old and clearly not fresh. Its making me write more characters to post a review but nothing else to add

When we first entered the bakery, we were the only one there and were barely greeted as if we were bothering the only two people behind the counter. One of them absolutely could not speak a word of English and thank God I'm fluent in Spanish so I could communicate. The pastry case was almost bare with the exception of a few muffins and the ones that we bought and tried, were very dry. It made me think they were from the day before. It was 1130am when we got there so I am sure there was not a crowd of 100 that had preceded us for the display case to be so empty. I have not been to Sonoma in a few years and that is not how I remember this bakery . Upon inquiry I found out that these are new owners and that explains how it went down in quality. Needless to say, I will not go back and it's sad because I always enjoyed it there. The new people need to do better if they want to keep the clientele coming in. I hope the owner reads this and makes some improvement starting with the attitude of the guy behind the counter.

Pretty good cafe/bakery. Had the turkey panini - pretty big and plenty to eat. Tried a raspberry danish - was dry and not very full of flavor.

Ever since the original owner sold out the quality of the bread has changed to crap. The sourdough and baguettes have lost the airy consistency and flavor is bland. The ciabatta was awesome but now resembles a regular loaf (not flattened) and tastes like all the rest of the bread...bland! I vented to the owner in the past and was assured that nothing changed but it has. You guys had a winning bread and ruined it. Tourists may be fooled but not locals. I now only buy bread from Cousteau or Model bakery.

No good for lunch! Expensive and Bad service. Ordered a green salad they didn't have the greens. Ordered a turkey bacon avocado club, there was no avocado. Plus they charged $2.50 more than the online google menu says. I pad $32 for a sando and salad that were meh at best. Maybe they're good for pastries and coffee?

I stopped in for a light lunch on a Friday. Had the avocado toast. It fit the bill. While I was waiting for my order to come up, several sidewalk tables come open. I grabbed one. Nice place to enjoy lunch across from the Plaza.

You have to go early for the pastries because they sell out by mid day. Their pastries were fresh and delicious. The staff is friendly and the place is cozy. I love seeing the old photographs and you really get a sense of the history and old family bakery feel.

We come up to Sonoma every year and this bakery is known for their beehive cake but for some reason they don't make it every day or even every other day. Seems like since it's one of their products that brings people in the door they would offer it more often. We sampled some other muffins and cookies. They were good but not special