Highland Bakery Downtown GSU

This is my go-to breakfast place downtown. Everything I’ve tried on the menu has been fantastic; my favorite is the tofu scramble…it has a nice mix of squash, peppers, mushrooms, and other veggies and it’s perfectly cooked and seasoned. The hot drinks have always been great too. The service here is excellent now (this wasn’t always true in the past, but it seems they’ve worked the kinks out). Great, friendly employees as well. Eating breakfast here is something I always look forward to.

One of the girls working the counter seemed a bit grouchy, but the guy was nice. The pastries I got (cinnamon roll, sausage roll) didn't seem fresh, but they weren't awful. The chicken was juicy but was a bit chewy and lacked enough seasoning; the ham was good, though. However, the star of the show was the peanut butter French toast. It was legit one of the best things I've ever tasted. It was crunchy on the outside due to the cereal, but gooey on the inside due to the generous amount of peanut butter and the fact that it's absolutely drenched in brown sugar butter sauce. The portion is also massive.

A bit pricey for the type of food that’s served but the food is so so good. Love the grilled cheese. The garlic bread that comes with tomato soup is amazing and cheesy . Always come here and ambiance is good. People complaining about tired baristas must forget it’s in the middle of GSU campus.

The food was amazing. The portions were generous, and they had gluten-free bread! Worked with all of my allergies to make sure that my latte and tofu and potato bowl were perfect 👍🏾👍🏾

They have the most unfriendly cashier girl I think I’ve ever seen. Whoever’s idea it was to let her work the front was a big mistake. She has a permanent frown on her face and her interaction feels as if you are bothering her.. Visited here with someone about 20 mins to closing time. We ordered our food and it came out around 9 mins to closing. Typically most places will let u take your time to eat at closing time. Not here. When I asked would it be ok to eat out food (and basically not have to rush), I was told we had 9 mins. She did not hesitate to let us know it was time to leave on the exact second closing time came. Won’t be coming back. Last location in highlands was waaaay better. I thought this would be close to the last but I was wrong

Great service with good portions of food. The Italian veggie sandwich with the white-bean chili was great. The roast beef is a classic that can't go wrong. It was also good.

Wow! My co-worker and I were running an errand on our lunch break when she pointed this place out. I love decor. I wasn't going to have anything but she insisted. Glad to say I did. I loved it. I'm making plans to bring my wife/foodie as soon as possible.

Service was great! Food was amazing and reasonably priced! The portions are good, I had ham & cheese sandwich half portion. It was also clean and neat.. I can't wait to visit again an try more.

Such good food! Really fast service even with a bunch of students in the place. Clean and open space. Staff was very friendly

Oh what a disappointment this place was on my recent visit to ATL. I used to love Highland Bakery it was a go to brunch spot back in the day, but I had never been to this location and they're honestly lucky they're close to GSU campus because that's probably the only reason they're still in business. I decided to check it out because it was nearby my hotel and I thought it'd give me back in the day brunch vibes. What a failure! I ordered the shrimp and grits and it was grits with a side of a few shrimp. The grits and the whole dish was flavorless, I ended up having to add hot sauce in it to add flavor. I also was trying to order their special which was a Lavender Matcha latte, they were out of the ingredients for that (so why advertise it as your special still) then I asked for a different type of latte and they were out of ingredients for that too. It was just all in all lacking. I am so disappointed that they didn't deliver like my spot back in the day did, but meh lesson learned. Will not be back here!

If I could give no starts to this business that would. First of all we drove far from marietta because of the ricotta pancakes my daughter wanted to eat . The pancakes were under cook to the point she didn't wanted to eat it The place is dirty with grease stains every where The service is the worst I have in years the server was not polite and have a terrible attitude. Please do not give your hard earned money money to this kind of business

I ate lunch here today. Pros: there was a person with a developmental disability working the register (with support) so seeing an inclusive work environment was cool. My curry chicken salad sandwich was really yummy. Cons: I ordered a "half" sandwich twice, in fact I said it 3 times to two different people...and I was still charged for a full and was served a full. I wasn't asked or offered a drink, so that was a bummer. I asked for a side salad as my side. My salad came out with no dressing either on it or on the side, so I had to go back and request that from the counter. No one asked if we had everything we needed when food came out. There are just a few steps in the ordering and delivering orders system that could go a long way.

Wow how this place has gone down in Quality. I remember coming here 15-20 years ago and enjoying great breakfast, coffee, pasties. Everything was bad. ( service decent). Bad coffee, boring pastries , not much choice, the omelette was terrible.

Extremely disappointed by my Highland Bakery experience. When I come to Atlanta I look forward to getting sweet potato pancakes from Highland Bakery. This time I went to a different location than I usually do because it was closer. I ordered sweet potato pancakes and the woman who took my order let me know they didn't have the ingredients to make it. So I just ordered shrimp and grits. And the grits were runny and tasteless. The shrimp was good and well seasoned so that's why I'll leave one star. Maybe they were having a bad day, but I'll be making a note to not frequent this location on my next trip. Bye for now...I have to go find breakfast.

This was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had!!! I had the rustic Italian and wow it was amazing absolutely full of flavor it tasted like pizza for breakfast it was incredible!

I just had my first Highland Bakery experience and thought it was fantastic! I ordered a sausage roll to-go, which was exceptional, but the real highlight is the warm and welcoming staff. Stacey, Steve, and the rest of the team were very gracious and hospitable. The also have a nice environment and ample space. I'm looking forward to visiting them again soon. Thanks, Highland Bakery!

The food is super gross and the employees don't make eye contact and expect you to tip.

Pretty average breakfast place. Had some time to explore this weekend and wanted to try a new breakfast place so headed over to Highland Bakery. In short, friendly staff, interesting atmosphere and average tasting food. Had their blueberry crumble cake and they offered to warm it - placed it in the microwave for 10 seconds in front of me and handed it to me. Ended up being this weird lukewarm mixture of temperatures but the flavor was good. My friend had their breakfast BLT sandwich which she said tasted like you'd expect, nothing out of this world. Overall probably wouldn't come back as there are better breakfast spots in the city.

Although there are other locations to this favorite brunch spot of in-towners, the original in Old Fourth Ward remains a favorite. One of the most beloved dishes on the menu is the sweet potato pancakes. At lunch, the curried chicken salad is a customer favorite. So is the crab burger. Staff is always friendly and courteous to all guests. Waits for tables can be very long on weekends. Many like to bring their dogs and sit on the patio. Don't have time to sit down? Get something from the bakery to go. There are lots of options for vegetarians too. This is definitely one of my favorites when I used to live here in Atlanta and now visiting over the weekend it is always my favorite go to! Famous dishes like peanut butter-stuffed French toast, sweet potato pancakes, crab cakes Benedict and cilantro corn pancakes are just a couple examples of the playful menu. Come hungry as the portions are huge. Waits for tables can be very long on weekends so bring your patients !

Had a nice breakfast here. The biscuit sandwich I got was huge and delicious and we also tried the omelette which came with potatoes that weren't breakfast potatoes (olive oil, lemon, oregano) but were very good. The only thing we were not crazy about was the cinnamon roll that had a huge mound of frosting on top and was a bit dry. Would go back.

I want to like Highland Bakery. I really do. This location of Highland Bakery, in addition to the one close to my house, is conveniently located for me, so I was hoping it would be a great breakfast and lunch spot. Unfortunately, after trying it four or five times, getting different things each time, I've been disappointed every time. First off, the coffee is consistently bad. I wouldn't consider myself a coffee snob at all, but much of the coffee I've gotten from Highland has been practically undrinkable. I've tried several of their coffee options and none of them have been good at all. In fact, I just threw my vanilla iced coffee away after a few sips because it had the overwhelming taste of chemicals. The food has never been good either. The omelets and build-your-own breakfast sandwiches come out nauseatingly greasy. Today, I ordered the Thai peanut salad with chicken. Instead, all I got was lettuce topped with spaghetti goop and regret that I paid for that. Sadly, this was my last time giving Highland Bakery chances. With the plethora of cafe options around downtown Atlanta and particularly, the GSU campus, my recommendation would be to take your money elsewhere for much higher quality.

I prefer their lunch menu items over their breakfast. The curry chicken sandwich is really good and it is layered with fresh garden veggies and the crunch of the grapes on the sandwich is a nice touch. The portions are fairly large as well. Their cafe au lait is one of my favorites in town. Service can be slow at times, but it is due to heavy traffic.

So.. Why would you expand when your food isn't even that great? I went to the Old Fourth location and it was okay and came to this location since it was next to GSU campus and my friends wanted to check it out. Going in, it was cute and all but the service was horrible. Walked in, not greeted, and had them point at a sign on how to order. Uhm, thanks?

I've been here a couple of times and I've not gotten something here that wasn't good. Would recommend to friends and family who's planning to walk around the GSU campus for a refreshing meal. And the faculty are nice and timely when ordering, speak English and spanish so anyone can come and order whatever is on the menu

This place is slooooow. It took 20 minutes to get a latte today (no food, just a latte). There was only one person in line ahead of me. This location is always incredibly slow. The drinks are good, but they're not worth the long wait.

Yum yum yum. What is not to like about the highland bakery? Stopped by for a work lunch, and I was not disappointed! This definitely caters to the work or student crowd. No worries if you need to be in and out quickly. Don't forget their sinfully delicious pastries and homemade energy bars! Recommendations: Latte Super smoothie Curry chicken - salad or sandwich Corn pancakes Soup and salad(tomato basil) Only downside is no real parking if you're not walking. I asked, and they said an alley was popular. I wouldn't gamble on that one. Staff is lovely. service is quick!

The most underwhelming bakery/restaurant in Atlanta. I was excited when Highland opened right next to GSU. As a non-native Atlantan, I didn't know much about Highland Bakery, but it was great to have a convenient option on campus. Problem is, nothing on the menu is very good. The only thing I would recommend is the chicken chili. But consistency is a major issue. I used to come in and get a cup to go--it was delicious with the melted cheese on top, some hot sauce sprinkled in, and that cheesy jalapeno bread on the side. So, when I had friends suggest we dine in for lunch there, I was excited. If the chicken chili is that good when I order it to go, it must be great when prepared for me to eat right then and there, right? Wrong. Several times I have ordered the chicken chili in store to be served a large bowl the color and consistency of canned cat food. Not a fan. I eventually learned to stick to coffee and pastries, though the coffee was never anything to write home about. The rice krispies are not bad. The hours are also a major drawback. Evening classes at GSU start at 6pm. I bet they'd make a killing staying open and offering coffee and quick bites to working students trying to eat before class. Alas, they close at 5. Seems like a missed opportunity.

The vibe -- A nice alternative from the traditional highland bakery. At this location you order at the front, they give you a number and bring the food to you. I appreciate this because often times students like me are on the go, and need the food asap. The menu is also still the same as the other locations, so if you have a dish you particularly know you like, you can still order it. The food -- Overall the food is pretty good. It is very cafe style, offering many breakfast and lunch options. They are open until 5 and I thought it was just wonderful how I could come in at 1:30pm after my class and still order my fried chicken Benedict. It was heavenly, just as I expected. Good temp, great taste, and food was delivered quickly with a friendly staff that assisted to take my dirty plates after I was finished. Will be back soon!

I know this place is new, but I feel like it's been long enough now. The people working here are not friendly really at all, and sometimes I encounter people who don't even know their own menu. Also the set up with the coffee on the other side of the room is really awkward. They serve iced coffee drinks with hardly any ice and they don't have any simple syrup to sweeten cold drinks, only flavored syrup behind the bar that they charge for, so your options are grainy undissolved sugar or paying for a flavor you don't want. Step it up, guys, I so want this place to be worth stopping in. **Updated to add a star because that cream cheese brownie was really, really good.

Highland bakery is attached to my school (GSU) which is great and convenient for college student like myself. My first time trying highland bakery, I ordered the omelet with potatoes which was AMAZING and actually couldn't finish it all because the serving was big. My second time visiting Highland Bakery, I ordered the French toast and eggs and yep you guessed it, it was AMAZING! The wait was not long for the food neither times and the customer service was great. I do plan on treating myself to another highland bakery meal again.

In the heart of downtown ATL on GSU's campus. Friendly staff and nice selections. I usually get the egg, veggie sauce and cheese croissant. Tasty and quick. I love their baked goods, the only thing is I saw a fly in the baked goods case one time.

Don't know why people frequent this place. Food is like a cafeteria and served on paper plates with plastic utensils. Ordered a breakfast burrito which was cold wrapped in a tortilla with salsa poured on top as sauce. Beans on the side were just canned Blackbeans. My fiancé had sausage with his breakfast that was partially frozen on the inside.

My first time here & it was wonderful! The gentleman who helped me, who I am assuming was the owner, was very sweet, made sure I was well taken care of, and made sure I had everything I needed before I even asked. I got the eggs Benedict with potatoes and it was delicious! This will be my new breakfast place for the next 3 years since it is right next to the law school! I also loved the coffee. Not sure why other people haven't had as pleasant of an experience.

Love, love, love their original Old 4th Ward location but the Downtown restaurant blows hard! The food quality is extremely inconsistent, one day my omelette is loaded with cheese for example, the next day it's barely a sprinkle. The servers and cashiers are unenthusiastic at best, typically they're rude and confused about how to work the register. Come prepared to bus your own table to find a place to sit and fight GSU students for a table since they're allowed to come in without ordering (sometimes they actually bring their own food) and study at a table for hours. If Yelp would allow me to give them zero stars, I would!

Oh how I wish I could give this place negative stars... sincerely, I would like that a lot. First, location is amazing, but doesn't matter. Why waste such a nice location, good brand name... by equipping it with most unfriendly staff? No smiles, no "thank yous" is okay, but please, not even acknowledging customers' "thank yous" or requests? But thats fine! If the food is delicious, all is forgiven. But it is sooooooooooo awwwwwwwwwwe-ful, awwwwwwwful, awwwful. Yup, awful. Its awful. The dish that my food came out was filthy, seems to me the potatoes were burnt earlier in the day and the cook just said "meh, lets keep it, we can just give it to the lunch or dinner customers" (shrugs unenthusiastically). The grits tasted like one of those prepackaged grits from over-the-counter. Actually, over-the-counter prepackaged grit boxes would be infinitely better. Dont go here and waste your money. Or do it, and come write a review like this one!

Always good! Salads, soups, sandwiches!!! A great convenient location. Can customize their options. They serve breakfast all day! I get about four refills of my drink while there, too!!! Lots of options for a sweet treat.

Highland Bakery is my favorite breakfast joint in the ATL. Some call me crazy, but it's true. The OG location for sure provides the best atmosphere, but almost everything on the regular menu can be made at the Buckhead Location. Don't be fooled into thinking that its only for pastries and coffee just because it is in a corporate office building.

Amazing food! The French toast tastes like a cloud! And the fried chicken Benny is AMAZING!

Docked off two stars for customer service. The employees are very unfriendly, especially the manager who gave me nasty looks when I asked the cashier for allergen information. I'm really appalled by this location. I ordered the Thai Peanut Salad and was completely disappointed. First of all, the tofu was way too soft and the salad dressing was disgusting. It looks as if all they did was mix peanut butter and vegetable oil to get the dressing--not very appetizing or pleasing to look at. Also the salad was super bland, so I couldn't finish it. As a Thai food fan, there was nothing "Thai" about this salad. Waste of my money and I'm never going back.

What a waste of money. Rustic Italian was not rustic and only Italian in the sense that it had red tomato sauce. Soggy bread piled with I have no idea what they were vegetables, bland tomato sauce and topped with fried eggs. Just a sloppy and not very appetizing mess. My Mocha was coffee with chocolate syrup that was never stirred in. Complete waste of time, avoid and spend your money at the many other great places to eat in the area.

It's okay. The employees are very friendly, and customer service is great, but the food is mediocre. Americano is burned, and food so far has been a little flavorless. I've been 3 times, early morning, now before posting this review. I've been to the Highland Ave location, and love everything there. This location just isn't cutting it. Hope it gets better. Will try again in a couple months if they are still open.

I just went over for breakfast and was really disappointed. I ordered the Highland Breakfast--2 eggs scrambled, toast, bacon, and grits. Eggs were greasy. Toast wasn't even toasted. And grits were soup (see pictures of standing water on top). Bacon was ok, so I guess there's that. But the whole plate wasn't even hot! I was the only customer in the restaurant, so I'm not sure what the problem was. But I could definitely find a better use for my $9. Plus I had to tip them upfront. That sucks.

Loved that they opened a location at GSU. I stop by to get my country fried steak eggs Benedict. Love that dish! The cheese sauce is soooo good. Their mocha was tasty as well! Order at the register, and they'll bring the food out to you. It's really spacious and not busy at all early in the mornings on weekdays.

I ran across this place while walking downtown. The crab cake burger was outstanding. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for a nice cafe to eat at.

So-so coffee; fewer options to flavor it than most have. Standard prices, decent location though.

Don't go in the mornings or they will tell you they're closed even if you arrive after they are already supposed to be open and have you waiting in the cold. Great start to my morning to waste a drive and my time. Please update hours management.

This is the most over priced sandwich I have ever paid for. A 12 dollar Rueben for three slices of meat is absurd. Won't ever be going back there again. And, it's my birthday!

We were visiting from out of town and everyone said we needed to check this place out, not sure what all the hype was about. Food was Not bad at all, but just average. If I lived in the area i could see stopping in frequently for coffee and a dessert but probably would go somewhere else for a sit in breakfast.

Waste of $5. I just wanted something light and warm in the cold weather. And I recieved just that. A lukewarm soup. Gross. Soups are supposed to be HOT. They brought me a fresh, hotter soup, but still gross. The beans are hard. They taste like they're from a can. It's a convenient walk from work, in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, but so not worth it. Never eating here again. #gross

This is a recently opened Highland Bakery location in Downtown Atlanta. It's large - two stories - and different from the original Highland Bakery, you order everything at the counter and they bring it to you. I have had lunch here twice and been impressed. Definitely will be back. The tomato bisque soup is so great that I have to order it if they have it that day. It comes with a cheese bread that is wonderful. There is always a place to sit but it's also typically full with people which is always a good sign. The parking situation is not ideal - there are some meter spots all around and lots - but best to walk/take the train or streetcar if you can!

This was my first trying this place and it was honestly really good. Definitely will be back!

Decent breakfast if you are staying downtown. Coffee is about average for Atlanta (as is normal here if you order a cappuccino you will get a latte). Reasonably priced so it is a solid option especially if traveling.

This location doesn't compare to the original location also I do think they need to change their open hours to 4:40 as the place is pretty much shut down by 4:40 so why say it's open until 5? And if you try and know they all turn around and pretend to not see you, happened twice already when trying to get a coffee at 4:40

The location is awesome but that is only good thing. The staff at this location was very unfriendly. I didn't receive good customer service from anyone. I was hoping that the food would make up for the lack of service. Boy was I wrong. The food tasted very mediocre. This is definitely nothing like the original Highland Bakery. I will not be visiting 25 Park Place location ever again.

Staff that obviously don't want to do their jobs , a lot of joking with cooks whom messed up my order twice . Probably won't go back.

I must say that I am disappointed. I had high hopes for this place. When placing my breakfast order, I noticed that the lady had a hard time comprehending that I wanted my eggs scrambled with cheese... And that I wanted to know if they had any outlets to charge my phone. She directed me to the top level (where there weren't any outlets) and the manager had to show her how to press the button that shows 'with cheese'. My food arrived rather quickly, but I noticed that it was oily and greasy. The oil from the potatoes ran into my eggs. The food tasted rather good, but not spectacular. The establishment has no wifi (to my knowledge), very little outlets, and the staff seem quite indifferent. My meal wasn't much, maybe $7 or $8? But, I don't think I'd return unless I was starving and this was the only viable option at the time.

The food at Highland Bakery is beyond delicious! I had the Ultimate Fried Chicken sandwich which had white fried chicken and pimento cheese between jalapeño focaccia bread. The cheese spread was tasty, the fried chicken was flavorful and crunchy meanwhile the bread was toasty and soft. My girlfriend had the Breakfast BLT which was also delicate. The rest of party had the French Toast and the Ricotta Pancakes. We will return when we visit Atlanta in the future!