Lavender Bakery & Cafe

Lavender Bakery has been one of my favorite bakeries (to die for cheesecake and pies) and I wanted to try their custom cakes for my in-laws' 50th anniversary party. They offered a complimentary cake tasting box which I thoroughly enjoyed and decided on marble cake with chocolate hazelnut ganache. Moist, flavorful and not too sweet. I had submitted some inspo cake pics and they did an amazing job! The cake was beautiful with the requested gold and blue with gold flecks. The Cal Bruin wedding bears they made were so cute and memorable. Truly a remarkable bakery with talented cake decorators. My FIL loved it so much he put the cake photo as his phone wallpaper!

I picked their chocolate hazelnut mousse cake for my mom’s birthday, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The mousse was silky and rich, with crunchy hazelnut pieces adding the best contrast. The glossy finish and sweet message made it feel extra special. It tasted elegant, celebratory, and full of love—just right for her day.

I ordered a custom 3 tier cake for my wedding. They gave us a complimentary tasting with a lot of options. I decided on different flavors for each tier. We were able to get it delivered all the way to Meadow vista for an extra fee. They were very professional and communicating with them was easy. Delivery to the wedding venue was a breeze since they contacted my coordinator. Lastly, the cake was delicious my guests kept on talking about how good it tasted some even raved that it was “The best wedding cake they’ve tasted”.

There was a miscommunication on my side of how I wanted my cake order, but day of pickup they were SUPER accommodating and made it just how I wanted on such a time crunch! The customer service was excellent (10/10) and they were very understanding about the miscommunication and went above and beyond to make adjustments. Not to mention, the flavors are nice and subtle and not too sweet, everybody at the party loved the cake! I always love coming here and will continue to ☺️!!

Lavender Bakery & Cafe always delivers a lovely experience. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and they’re happy to help with recommendations. The pastries are consistently fresh, flavorful, and beautifully made. I enjoy the cozy, relaxing atmosphere every time I visit. It’s a perfect spot to unwind and enjoy delicious treats. I highly recommend this charming café.

The pastries at this cafe are quite delicious. However, one downside is that there aren’t many outdoor seats available. Parking is also a bit tricky — you’ll likely have to park on the street, which is metered. Today, I ordered the burnt almond dessert and the vegan chocolate cheesecake. Both were tasty and fragrant. The chocolate one was rich and sweet — I personally liked it, but I preferred the almond dessert more. The staff were lovely and friendly, which made the visit even more enjoyable.

Great tasting bakery treats! Lavender makes beautiful custom and standard cakes, and all the bakery goods are just fresh, tasty and beautifully decorated. I’m happy to have this as the closest European style bakery nearby. Best for take-out, pickup or pre-orders, some seating space available but mostly for groups of 2-4 not larger.

Lavender is a paradise for anyone with a sweet tooth! This was my first time visiting, and so many of my friends had highly recommended it. The variety of pastries on offer was impressive, making it tough to choose just a few. We ended up trying a selection, and each one was absolutely delicious. The flavors were rich, and the textures were perfect. We also ordered their signature Lavender tea and Black tea, both of which were refreshing and complemented the pastries beautifully. The ambiance was cozy, with a charming atmosphere that made the experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend Lavender to anyone looking to indulge in some amazing treats and enjoy a peaceful tea time. Can't wait to go back!

Every time I pass by this lovely bakery, I'm greeted with irresistibly delicious, freshly baked goods. Thank you to the wonderful staff for the excellent service as always!

Fantastic neighborhood bakery and cafe. Displayed are a variety of mouth watering pastries and cakes, to be enjoyed with an excellent cup of coffee. The cakes are creative and beautifully done. There is always something to choose from to match that special occasion. The owners and staff are informative, friendly, and kind hearted. They will greet you with a smile as they welcome you into the store. This place is a real gem. Please support your local business and enjoy the best pastry and coffee in town.

Super yummy delicious i would come here again i had the tiramisu cake so delishy the coffee flavor is immaculate

Deliciousness. Vegan brownies? Butter cookies? What more does one need? A definite treat for the tastebuds!!!

Cute corner cafe we came across in Albany! Oh my goodness the options were endless! So many beautifully decorated desserts displayed. Even though we came close to closing time, they still had so many things out on display and that's not including all the items listed on the menus above them. Service was friendly and attentive. We each ended up getting two things to try. I loved the Oreo cheesecake. Sinful bites that I took my time on! And the meringue lemon custard slice I got wasn't too sweet or too sour. Definitely had a different twist with the chocolate cake on the bottom! Run, don't walk, and get your sweet tooth satisfied here!!

i I have bern wanting to try this bakery . do ordered only 2 pastries for valentine's day dessert... I ordered an eclair and a french napolean .. what I ate was pretty good but i was disappointed that i received a persian napoleon not a French napoleon ! the eclair was good , custard satisfying but i did not enjoy the crumble on the napolean was dissatisfied and disappointed

I was in Berkeley today and wanted to find some desserts to celebrate my wife's birthday. I went to yelp and found this highly reviewed bakery. I ordered 4 different slices at $8.45 each. Overall, it was kind of disappointing. It wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't great either. Will most likely not visit again.

We got another amazing cake for our daughter's 5th birthday! They never cease to amaze me with their ability to recreate the exact design I want (3 years in a row!). The cake tastes amazing - we always get tons of compliments on how great it is. This year the kids just stood in front of the cake and stared at it for a good 10 minutes amazed/wanting to touch it! We will be back again next year! Thank you Lavender Bakery!

Lavender Bakery & Café is an absolute gem! From the moment you step inside, you're greeted with the delightful aroma of freshly baked pastries and the warmth of a cozy, inviting atmosphere. The attention to detail in every dessert, from the flaky croissants to the beautifully crafted cakes, is simply outstanding. The flavors? Pure perfection. Their pastries have the perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and freshness--every bite feels like a little piece of heaven. The fruit toppings are always vibrant and fresh, and the textures are just right. You can tell that everything is made with high-quality ingredients and a whole lot of love. Beyond the food, the staff here are incredibly kind and welcoming. They truly make you feel at home, always happy to offer recommendations and ensure you have a wonderful experience. It's rare to find a place that consistently delivers not just amazing treats but also exceptional service. Whether you're looking for a quick coffee and pastry, a stunning custom cake, or just a peaceful spot to enjoy something sweet, Lavender Bakery & Café is the place to go. It's more than a bakery--it's an experience of pure joy. Highly, highly recommend!

I was immediately drawn to this bakery and cafe just because of the name! I love anything with "lavender" in the name. I lived my lavender latte and pastries! Service was friendly and fast!

The pastries are absolutely amazing- I've had them for dessert and breakfast and everything has been impeccable. The strawberry whipped cream cake is light, airy, and sweet. Pastries, like the apricot turnover was perfect, pistachio and strawberry eclairs were decadent, the napoleonis were incredible , and all the pastries have been consistently delicious- light and sweet!

TLDR: Downright gorgeous delectable pastries, cakes and baked goods abound. Friendly service with tables inside and out to enjoy your newly found treats. Our Experiences: We don't happen by this corner of Berkeley much anymore, but Lavender Bakery makes the top end of Solano Avenue/Thousand Oaks even more attractive as a foodie destination these days. Our favorite here so far is the Burnt Almond Cake - available in a regular 8" cake size, and a single serving size. Covered in toasted almonds (not quite burnt, which is good), inside, you will find layers of chocolate cake interspersed with an amazing amaretto custard filling topped off by whipped cream and covered with clumps of toasted almonds. I saw the big 8" cake first, and then scanned for the single size, whose tray was already empty.... But.. don't panic if anything looks "sold out" from the display case. The friendly clerk checked for me, and pulled out the first of the next batch of single servings for the BAC straight from their kitchen! Wohoo! We also tried the Guava Mousse, which looked beautiful like all the rest, but the guava essence was a wee bit on the subtle side compared to the creme. Prices are quite reasonable for what you get too. I definitely look forward to coming back again soon for another Burnt Almond Cake and some of the other really great choices they bake every day!

We came here to let our kids choose some sweets- 7, 5 and 1 to celebrate NYE. The desserts look appealing but when they finally went to eat them, literally, none of the kids wanted to eat their sweets because they were just not good. My 5 year old who loves real whip cream and sprinkles, literally wanted nothing to do with his sprinkle cake. And when I went to try to find the cake in what seemed to taste like canned whip(it had an artificial taste to it and was not as smooth as good quality whip cream) the cake was SO minimal. It was basically a fake whip cream blob covered in the sprinkles that taste and feel waxy on your teeth. He literally ate one bite and wanted nothing to do with it. Then the cream puff that my daughter had was super soggy and the chocolate was not rich. She also took a bite and didn't want it. Then the cheesecake was mushy, not flavorful and just not good. Overall, I would pass and just head to Whole Foods, the ingredients are most likely better, it's cheaper and yummier. I don't know how this place has such good reviews but the fact that all 3 items we got were all NOT good, I don't think it was just a bad day.

This review is purely based on their lack of gift card service. I don't recommend getting a gift card here because apparently they can expire and have no system in place to track and apply gift cards. I received a gift card in 2021 but since I don't live in the area I finally found myself there again and had what I believed to be a $30 balance remaining. Unfortunately, the young ladies helping me had a very difficult time trying to confirm the amount because their system does not allow them to find the gift card balance thru swipe or manual entry. Ultimately, they said the system was showing them the gift card was expired. Sadly, I will not be returning.

I ordered my niece's 2nd birthday custom cake from Lavender Bakery. I did fill out the form online but it was much easier to get someone on the phone by pressing the option for sales and go over the details on a call since I don't live near. My questions were answered and there was clarity at every step with pricing regarding the add-ons. The cake was exactly how I wanted and yummy too! Highly recommend!

I was excited to try this place out and maybe it was just the items I got, but I was pretty disappointed. Visually they have stunning offerings, cakes, pastries and macarons etc. I got the pistachio eclair, the strawberry eclair and the pistachio macaron. The pistachio macaron was delicious, perfectly soft and the perfect amount of pistachio flavor. The eclairs fell completely short. The pistachio one didn't taste a thing like pistachio and if it hasn't been labeled as such I would have never known that was supposed to be the flavor. The inside was regular cream and if there was any pistachio flavor on the icing on top, the chocolate bits they add completely canceled it out. The strawberry one started promising as the first bite did taste like strawberry but as I continued to eat the flavor went away. Again, maybe it was just the eclairs and everything else tastes better.

Not impressed with the pastries and the price was too high. There is no sitting inside and I ordered an almond croissant and they gave me an apple pastry only found out after leaving the place.

We ordered the tiramisu cake for a family members 21st birthday and was highly disappointed when we opened it up. The bow was very unprofessionally tied together. The bow tie seem like a dog chewed it up on both ends and it look like they didn't have enough for a loop. Also the dam lady fingers are messy and some are facing wrong direction. SMH. lol. It will be my last time ordering from here. We honestly ordered here because Masse's on Shattuck Ave was closed for winter break.....highly disappointed please be careful when ordering from here...good luck yallzzz...

Best hidden Gem in Berkely. Was in Berkely and was looking for a pastry shop. decided to come here and never thought I would find a place with such good, sweet treats. I had no idea what to even order besides everything. Order a little of every pastry: cookie, tart, cake. It was all delicious and customer service was friendly. would definitely come back and try other treats.

I'm very pleased so far with Lavender Bakery. They're making my wedding cake. The staff is extremely friendly and they have good communication. My fiancé and I had the tasting and it was a great experience.

The cake that I received was absolutely beautiful and delicious! They were professional and were great at communicating with me to get the exact cake I wanted. Will definitely be back to order again

COME HERE IF YOU WANT THE BEST PASTRIES!! Lavender Bakery is one of my fav pastries place. Staff is very nice and I'm just never disappointed with their service. Everything just looks soo good it's hard to decide I'm craving a good sweet right now as I'm typing this Haha.

Love this local bakery! I stumbled upon it while searching for desserts to celebrate a birthday. When I walked in, all I saw was the large display cases of deliciousness. All staff were friendly and ready to assist; they were helpful given it was my first time and I was trying to decide. The cakes were reasonably priced in hindsight given the high quality, but it was too much for my small family so we opted to get by the piece instead and try everything! Hands down our favorite was the burnt almond cake for the texture and flavor uniqueness. It had custard inside which is always a win in my book. We also tried the guava mousse, dark chocolate opera, hazelnut mousse, and chocolate ganache which was also a favorite. We will be back for more cakes soon!

Four star double latte and 5 star rose Turkish delight. I was in Berkeley for a month and this was my thrice weekly indulgence. I couldn't bring myself to try anything else I loved it so much. What' a sweet little local spot. I really enjoyed watching people gather for socializing. It felt as if I'd gone back to a simpler time. Very nice young ladies at the front counter. I only wish I could get Lavender to email me back. I'm trying to order a few pounds of the Turkish delight for delivery.

This place is so cute, the staff is so helpful but best of all, the desserts are amazing. The desserts are not only delicious but also beautifully done, like a piece of art.

I forgot to right a review but I've gotten my birthday cake here and got the strawberry short cake. It's my favorite cake ever, I like cakes to be light and not over filling along with not being overly sweet too. That is exactly what I wanted and they delivered.

They made a beautiful and delicious monster truck cake for my son's birthday! Very easy to place the order online and then every time I called someone picked up right away. Delicious and beautiful

Great coffee and Oreo cheesecake. Yeah, I ordered Oreo cheesecake so what, don't judge me.

Well to start the prices are high compared to its portion and taste and the environment ! There are only few sits outside on the walk side! Service was normal! The pastries look good but I don't recommend this place as a cafe!

Lavender has become our go-to spot for delicious pastries because of their amazing quality and variety. For our recent celebration, we tried their almond cake, and it did not disappoint! The balance of flavors was just right, the filling was rich but not too sweet, and the burnt almonds added a delightful crunch. We're so happy to have found this gem of a bakery!

Overall this is an excellent bakery but it you are a fan of their scones, you might be as disappointed as l am to try their new scone recipe. Frankly It's awful. I didn't even finish it.

The customer service was great. They had street parking available. There were quite a few dessert options to try. We tried the chocolate cookies and a chocolate cake. They were bit delicious. My brother said they bought a cake there before but couldn't temper which one. They assisted, by looking up the order. The chocolate cake was rich and delicious. It was beautifully decorated.

Our most recent cake from lavender for our sons grinch birthday party. Beautiful as always and delicious.

Amazing desserts, made with a careful touch it's clear the pastry makers put love into their work. Black tea was also perfectly balanced in temperature and flavor. Good location and a clean interior with lots of outdoor seating and good people watching. Highly recommend!

I placed an order ahead online on their website to get cake for my partner's birthday. Note that if you're ordering online, the earliest date you can request it for would be the next business day (not same day). I ordered the following: Guava mousse cake (6 inch - serves 6-8), which cost $45 Mango passionfruit mousse dessert, which cost $7.95 I noticed that for their mousse cakes, not all flavor options are available in the full cake form on the website. Some of them are only available as the individual/small serving in their desserts section. The order was ready at the time that I had requested, and pretty smooth to get it picked up. The staff asked me if I wanted a bag for carrying it, which I said yes to. Unfortunately, because I was carrying it home on bus plus a lot of walking, it did still get jostled which is why it doesn't look pristine in the photos. However, both cakes were delicious. I don't like the spongy/main part of more traditional cake, so I am glad it was a small proportion of these cakes, as most of it is the mousse. The guava mousse was really good if you like guava flavor, and quite sweet. The mango passionfruit was also good, but I felt like the passionfruit flavor overpowered the mango; the top part of this one was definitely the sweetest part. I appreciate the wide variety of sweets sold by the bakery. If you sign up for an account on their online Square ordering site, you can get offered discount codes for future purchases, and you can also add your birthday since they have hinted some kind of birthday promotion.

I stopped by here on the way to Three Stone Hearth to pick up macarons. I lucked into a parking spot right on Solano. I was also hoping to take a photo of the storefront of the new grocery store across Solano, Of All Places, that I had read about in Nosh last week, but I didn't have a good angle. I went inside the bakery and over to the side where the macarons are displayed. Sabina was helping another customer and we exchanged smiles. I saw they had several flavors, most importantly, the rose. I decided on rose, chocolate, pistachio and caramel. When she was free, Sabina came over to help me. I told her the flavors I was interested in but she misheard me and thought I wanted some of every flavor. We agreed that the rose flavor was the best. We sorted out the misunderstanding and when she recommended the lemon as being more tart I totally trusted her. I look forward to trying them soon. Most important, she knew the difference between macarons and macaroons. She was a pleasure to deal w/ and all the macarons will go in the freezer in their box for me to enjoy at my leisure.

Went for a birthday treat selected four great slices under $9 each. Enjoyed all of them. A bit challenging to find parking but it was a rainy Saturday so everything was chaotic.

We loved this bakery when it was La Farine, so had hoped Lavender would be as good. It's been fine for pastries and their whole wheat bread is good. However we were pretty disappointed with a birthday cake we purchased this month. We didn't order ahead, so that might make a difference. Instead we chose from the cakes they had in store. We would have had more than enough with a 8-inch, but the only 8-inch cakes were dense chocolate - maybe tortes. Very flat, and the same price as the big layered 10-inch. They had small one-two person cakes for $8 and I would have been happy to try a few different ones, but my daughter wanted the big cake experience. She chose a strawberry shortcake, which was white and fluffy and pretty. We didn't love it. The shortcake was very bland and the filling was a pink cream with only a hint of cut up strawberries. The frosting was overwhelming - and so much of it - with white chocolate on the outside. I wasn't expecting that and had thought it was almonds. It was tall and the layers slid apart before we had cut into it. It was underwhelming and I didn't even bother to take the remaining half cake to my office for co-workers. I mentioned it to a friend and she said her experience with the cakes was similar - and fairly expensive. Sorry to be negative, but thought I should weigh in. The staff are lovely and I will continue to go there for bread and small desserts/pastries.

I went to Lavender bakery around 5 this evening, perfect time to go by the way, and walked straight up to the counter with my daughter and husband. We were greeted and helped. I appreciate her giving us some time because we came hungry and wanted everything The place smells great and the window really does get the mouth drooling. We ended up getting fruit tarts, a pistachio eclair, and 2 cookies (chocolate chip and walnut cranberry) but they aren't pictured because we ate them right after. Everything we ordered was tasty! They don't skimp on anything there, tons of filling, tons of chocolate chips, and the tarts were super fresh. I'll be back.

Lavender Bakery. The best place to enjoy the real Parisian experience... Rude, dishonest--everything to make it as authentic as possible. You want to wait even when you are the only patron in the store? This is the right place. You want to visit a bakery where half the shelves are still empty well past 9 a.m. (something I have never seen in Paris, where I lived for years)? This is the right place. You don't wish to be acknowledged as a human being? Once again, this is the right place. You want their staff to add items to your order and, if you catch them, be blamed for it? This is the right place. You want to pay a premium price to be served what I suspect are sometimes yesterday's goods? This may be the right place for you. I used to go on a regular basis. It got worse and worse. Today was my last time.

I have come here every year for the past 6 years for my kids birthday cakes. With the exception of a couple pandemic years we have always used their custom cake designs. Without fail year after year they have created show stopping designs that turn out better than my expectations. And because you can select your flavors of cake, frosting and even preserves you can actually make cakes that grown ups enjoy! As for the service they are always reliable, communicative, even when I've come in with last minute changes they are always supremely friendly and graciously accommodate me. Lavender also has this great neighborhood vibe. When I go in for a casual coffee and croissant the staff recognizes me and say hello. It's like the best of both worlds. We have this amazingly talented bakery that also feels like a mom and pop neighborhood cafe. Five stars well earned.

Wonderful breads! Their epi is epic, beats all other ones I have tried. The almond croissants are irresistible and most of the time don't make it home! I love their coffee!

Ok. Well, although I find Lavender's plain butter croissants tasty, I have found over the years that it's a pretty spotty place. The last and absolutely final time I went in, a customer had a big jumping dog in there. The counter girl told me with a lot of snotty attitude that dogs are permitted in the shop. I'm a dog owner, a working baker and a food safety professional. That is a big fat NO.

Ali and team went above and beyond in creating the vision I had for my wedding cake since a little girl. When we arrived for the tasting, we were greeted with hospitality, a comfortable intimate corner to enjoy our tasting, and a latte on the house! We were served samples of several cake flavors which made it extremely hard to pick a favorite! We wanted a really simple 2-tier cake for the wedding but had a large number of guests, so Ali worked with us of what was realistically needed for a wedding guest number our size and the pricing was very reasonable considering we asked for custom cartoon characters on our cake. Overall great experience from tasting to final product. Our guests really enjoyed the cakes and took some home. The cake was more beautiful than the sample picture I provided.

Never trust this place with your wedding cake. first of all, the communication when you're trying to place your order is horrible. No returned your calls, and come to find out no one writes your order down correctly. For my wedding, I ordered a four tier naked cake with cascading flowers down it(similar like the red one) I got a flooded buttercream Cake with swirls all around it ( the white one). When I called to express my disappointment, they offered a fraction of what I paid for. I didn't order that cake for my wedding. If I can help anyone avoid such a disappointment on your special day, please go somewhere else.

I grew up in this area, was excited to see what new gf places have come around here now. While feeling slightly misled my "gluten free options" it includes macarons and chocolate flourless cake. You also have to be aware of macaron flavors, they have an Oreo one, with cute little glutenous Oreos on top, right next to the regular flavors. So if you have severe sensitivity I would not recommend it. While my gf child true love is macarons. She was very happy to get the bigger ones. She got vanilla, chocolate, caramel and raspberry. She just couldn't get over how creamy the filling was! She things they are some of the best she's had, and she's had the best of the best. Well... 2 days later we had to come back to get more! This time she got one of each, including mango passion fruit and pistachio. I was mean and made her share with everyone, by far the most popular was the raspberry. Service was great and friendly. Great, cute little corner location! But easily missed while driving up Solano, since they're at an angle toward the street.

Great Custom Cake for our 15 Years Anniversary The team at Lavender Bakery got exactly the vision we wanted for the custom cake. And the overall look surpise our expetactions! Thank you Lavender Team for a Great Memory Rafael

The pastries at this place are always freshly made, and their taste is absolutely delightful. Each bite feels like a little piece of heaven!

Very nice staff. The selection is plentiful and the place looks clean and inviting. Keep in mind Lavender is pricey and as the saying goes "You get what you pay for". I highly doubt you'll have any regrets though. If you want to reward yourself or to impress someone special put this place on your list. I ended buying a cake and I don't think it's important to mention what kind of but the fact that the cake i selected you could taste the quality of ingredients and the work that was put into it. Can't wait for another occasion to back and buy another cake