Starter Bakery

My friend got it for me and I was honestly impressed, the texture is sooo good! And it’s not too sweet at all for me. I’m definitely gonna stop by in person next time.

Excellent house roasted coffee, espresso and lattes. Baked goods arrive daily from Starter Bakery, a local artisan bakery. Love authentic SF vibe.

Traditional kouign amann was yum! Dense, crispy sugary treat 🥰 Missed the seasonal berry offerings, hope to catch it the next time!

Too many delicious looking pastries to choose from! The almond croissant has a good amount of paste in it and is very almond-foreward. The babka was chocolatey and soft even on the second day. The pecan brioche was nice and not too sweet and almost like a cinnamon roll (would love to try a version with cream cheese in it). Both savory pastries I got were also good, and I almost audibled to a sandwich or quiche because they looked tasty too. My chain was good although I wish I could have reduced the sweetness just a bit All in all a great bakery with friendly people! I will definitely be back to try their bread.

It is a small, pleasant, and clean bakery with friendly staff and a fairly extensive menu. To give a more accurate review, I would need to try more of their products, but from the ones I tried this time, I was slightly disappointed with their Brioche - Pecan Sticky Bun. They were too dry, but the nuts added some flavor. Their Salted Chocolate Chip cookie was average (I didn't taste the salt), but I would definitely recommend trying their Molasses Ginger cookie again.

I followed these reviews and went to Starter Bakery for the first time and the reviews were spot on, so let me add to them. Super excellent baked goods, super excellent staff, pretty all-white high ceiling interior, kind of a plain exterior building, but in a great neighborhood. What a great place.

Starter Bakery is such a gem! Their chocolate croissant is absolutely classic—flaky, buttery, and so addictive that you’ll be thinking about it long after you’ve finished. The latte is good too, though a tiny tweak could make it perfect. Overall, a really enjoyable spot—definitely worth a visit if you love pastries and coffee!

Fantastic experience, we love starter bakery items! This is the first time we went to the actual store in Oakland to try their items and we were blown away. We tried their chocolate babka, double baked almond croissant, savory puff, hazelnut financier, pistachio twist and cappuccino, we will be coming back!

Checked out starter bakery today after it being recommended to me as a friend. Upon walking in I was immediately *pleasantly* overwhelmed by the selection of pastries and sandwiches. I opted for the ham and cheese croissant which was simply divine. It was perfectly crispy and flavorful. The caramelized onions inside were so tasty, and is something I have never before had in a ham and cheese croissant. The line was pretty long, but went by really fast. The interior is spacious and had a clean light and bright feel. I will definitely be returning to starter bakery in the near future!

Starter bakery is a spacious, modern bakery located a block away from the Rockridge BART station. There is a lot of indoor seating as well as outdoor seating. Starter Bakery's pastries can be found in many coffee shops around Berkeley and Oakland but I was super excited to discover that they have a couple of their own locations. The service is quick and friendly. The staff go above and beyond to make your experience enjoyable. One day I went at 7:30AM and the scones were not glazed yet but the staff glazed one fresh for me. I go to Starter frequently and it is my mid-week sweet treat. Everyone deserves a little treat to get them through the week! Anyways, these are some of the pastries I've gotten so far: -Twice baked ham and cheese croissant: I was so blown away by this croissant. The croissant itself was flaky and served warm. On top of the croissant there is this delicious combination of ham, caramelized onions, a hint of Dijon mustard -Dried orange and cranberry scone (seasonal) This scone flavor is one of my favorites! There is a perfect balance of sweet, citrus, and freshness. The scone is moist and the glaze on top compliments each bite. -Raspberry Kouign Amann (seasonal) -Dried ginger and pear Kouign Amann (seasonal) Every Kouign Amann that I've had from Starter was delicious. The fillings have strong flavors and the pastry itself is crisp with a taste of caramelized sugar at the bottom. It is not overwhelmingly sweet and there is a pleasant balance of sweet/savory. I will continue to come back to Starter Bakery and next time I want to try their breads and sandwiches! I've been to a couple of bakeries in the Bay Area and Starter is a stand out.

A warm and wonderful neighborhood bakery! Their all-stars (though I haven't tried everything) - Sourdough -Baguettes -Focaccia -Blueberry muffin -Cardamom pistachio twist -Passionfruit madeline -Recent savory pastry -- ham, gruyere & pear (PLEASE MAKE THIS PERMANENTLY A PART OF THE MENU!)

Love this bakery-- great variety of baked goods and airy space with tables to hang out! I got the seasonal item-- a croissant filled with custard and vibrant fruit, so so good!! I would come back and try more items. Highly recommend!!

On my list of top bakeries in the area along with Grand Opening (still a pop-up out of Mister Jiu's - but best pastries I've ever tasted), East Bay Bakery, B.patisserie, Fournee, Backhaus, and Ariscault (in that order of preference). I know most people would put ariscault first, and I'd agree if I were a traditionalist, their classic and chocolate are both excellent but I don't like their almond croissant and like more interesting flavors, so in my personal preference they fall behind some of these other ones). I have also tried pastries from jina bakes, sunday bakehouse, bake sum, kaya bakery, rotha, manresa, midwife and baker, neighbor bakehouse as a point of reference all excellent as well but slightly below the first list for likely personal subjective reasons . Starter is 100% going on my top list. Beautiful croissants, I esp liked the pear, pistachio croissant b/c the pears were perfectly poached and the pastry was not soggy, an issue I usually have with fruit in pastries. Latte was great, the staff was so nice and explained all of the specials. Highly recommend!!

I love me some French patries and these are delicious! Favorite was def the hazelnut kouign amann--just the right amount of sweet, pastry was crisp on the outside and light and flaky inside with a delicious hazelnut paste inside and whole crunchy hazelnuts on the outside. The chocolate babka was also ridiculously good--even though I didn't break into it into at least 30hrs after being purchased. Pistachio twist was only ok--drier and more crispy. Son had a passion fruit Madeline which was tasty--it seemed like a regular Madeline dipped in a passion fruit glaze. Will def be back. Service was quick. No line on a Sunday afternoon around 12 or 1 and lots of selection. Some small tables inside too.

Waited outside on the tables at the front door with the dogs as husband went in to get coffee and two pastries. There was no line at 9am on a Saturday but sometimes we see a crowd. There are three tables outside and some inside the spacious space. You order at the counter and they provide compostable packaging. Today we tried the chocolate babka which was flake with a syrupy top and not too sweet. The ham and cheese croissant was also well balanced and pasted with mustard. He said coffee was just okay compared to the other choices on College Avenue. Very close to Rockridge Bart or you can park on the street, bart parking lot for free weekends or neighborhood parking.

A popular icon at farmer's markets (where there is always a long line), Starter Bakery has recently opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in the Rockridge area. This area is not short of good bakeries, but until recently has lacked a bakery where one can have a coffee and enjoy baked goods in-store. I am so glad that we have one right here now, across the street from Trader Joe's on College. The gentleman behind the counter is always very courteous. He greets us as if we were old friends of the bakery. He is always open to questions and offers helpful advice without any pressure. Over several visits, I had a very memorable hazelnut croissant with hazelnut cream, a strawberry rhubarb croissant, raspberry pistachio cream croissant, and various seasonal fruit tartines. All were exquisite without being overly sweet. The croissants were very light and airy. 1 or 2 treats with a latte or tea is my ideal way to start the day. Of course, their famous kouign amanns and twice-baked croissants--are ubiquitously present. There are lunch sandwiches, Quiches in individual or regular sizes, brioche and other sandwich breads, and a coffee/tea menu to round up the store inventory. An olive oil sourdough sandwich bread got my attention, which sounded like a very good combination. I bought a loaf and have been hooked on it ever since. It is soft and chewy. You can taste sourdough with an undertone of olive oil. It is simply sublime. Make it into an almond butter jam sandwich, avocado fried egg toast, or an Italian sandwich and you will have an instant gourmet meal. The store's open design welcomes customers to walk in for either grab-and-go or to sit down, and enjoy a cup of latte with pastries or a quick bite of a lunch sandwich. It adds a nice touch to the already charming Rockridge neighborhood.

I love Starter Bakery. Their Kouign Amann is the best in the Bay, better than Arsicault's and B Patisserie's. It's flaky, salty, sweet and crispy. The various fillings they add to it are a plus, but really I am satisfied just eating it plain. If you go on a busy morning you may be able to get a fresh out of the oven one as they seem to bake them as needed to fill their pastry case. Michael and I visited their bakery a couple of weekends after they opened and the line wasn't too bad. We each had a KA. I had the seasonal one and he had a chocolate one. Mine was great with strawberries and a caramel pastry cream. Delicious. We just had the drip coffee and it was fine. No bitterness. I like to drink coffee black and no sugar. Very drinkable. We've had many of their other pastries in the past like their savory quiches, croissants and sticky buns. The KA is definitely their best item. I'm not that crazy about their almond croissant. It could be crispier. It's a little flat. I realize it's twice baked but if you compare it to Market Hall's or Seven Hills (from Castro Valley), it's not as good. Love that the cafe has some seating. We were able to enjoy our coffee and KAs leisurely on a Saturday morning. I'm a slow sipper of coffee, especially on weekends, so it was nice not to rush.

I didn't go in-person so I can't speak as much to the service and ambiance. I can, however, speak to the amazing kouign amann I had from this place. It was beautifully glazed and lightly sprinkled with what I think are pistachios. Biting into it showed that it was multilayered and flaky with just enough sweetness and lots of butteriness. It was good, and in the future I'd very much like to check out the bakery it came from! Overall based on the pastry itself: 5/5

It is a small, pleasant, and clean bakery with friendly staff and a fairly extensive menu. To give a more accurate review, I would need to try more of their products, but from the ones I tried this time, I was slightly disappointed with their Brioche - Pecan Sticky Bun. They were too dry, but the nuts added some flavor. Their Salted Chocolate Chip cookie was average (I didn't taste the salt), but I would definitely recommend trying their Molasses Ginger cookie again.

Great selection of pastries when you first walk in, it's protected by a glass case. The service was really good and helping us decide what pastries to select. The ambience was like a café feel. However, I did dock one star because I didn't think that the price matched the taste of the pastries. I personally prefer the b patisserie or arsicault for kouign ammans! I also do preferably patisserie for the sponge cake I got as well

Starter Bakery started off as a farmers market stand only and now they are opening up store fronts! I pick up a bag of pastries almost every week from my local farmers market. They are always delicious and the pastries change based on what's seasonal. My go to favorites are the miche bread and the hazelnut Kouign Amann. The bakery is quite small but there's a few tables to enjoy your pastries if needed!

I stumbled upon Starter Bakery when I was shopping at Trader Joe's. They have a large selection of pastries to choose from. Because the food is quite pricey, I didn't go too crazy with the spending. I bought two chocolate Kouign Ammans for $5 each. My brother said it was delicious, and I ate mine for breakfast the next day. Even though it was no longer freshly baked, it was still delicious. I regret not buying more pastries. Next time I will buy more pastries to share with my family.

Two words: kouign amann!!! Just DO IT pleeeease! They are soooo sooo good here! Truth be told, I had never heard of Starter Bakery until they opened this location. A new bakery on the block?! Sign me UP! I'll never say no to baked goodies. Well... I may try but most likely won't succeed. I've been waiting for Starter Bakery to open their doors since I saw their signage go up on the building. Finally stopped by to try them out a few weeks ago and I'm impressed. Kouign amanns are one of my favorite kind of pastries, so when I saw that they made them here, I knew I had to try them. Luckily, this is what Starter Bakery is known for and their kouign amanns definitely do not disappoint! Here's a list of what I've tried thus far: Kouign amann: BOMBSY! As I mentioned before, you NEED to try the kouign amanns here. They are so buttery, flaky, and crisp. Like a dense croissant with extra butter and sugar that's shaped like a cake donut. Extremely rich and decadent but worth every single calorie that they hold. I'm a classic gal when it comes to kouign amanns and I prefer to enjoy them in their traditional state. However, if you're feeling a little adventurous, they have all kinds of different flavored ones. Haven't tried any of the flavored kouign amanns yet, but my staff really enjoyed the chocolate ones. Also, it kind of goes without saying but: warm these babies up! They are softer and taste amazing when their warmed. Pecan sticky bun: Heavenly! Just the right amount of sweetness to not go overboard. Lots of lovable pecans on top and that ooey gooey stickiness all throughout. Of course, this is another one that just begs to be warmed up. Loved it to pieces. Salted chocolate chip cookie: Good but nothing special. Couldn't really taste the salt and it wasn't as soft as I expected. It was actually a bit hard and crunchy on the outside and didn't stay soft after I warmed it. Twice baked ham and cheese croissant: Disappointing. Not sure if it was just a bad batch, but the croissant was hella dry and the cheese was hard. The ham inside had so much gristle that I couldn't even eat it. And why is it being twice baked anything? For the cheese?! I feel like that's too much and this is why it was so dry. No need to bake it twice when most people are just going to reheat it again anyways. This was the only item that I didn't care for out of everything that I tried. The staff seems to kill the lines quickly which is nice. When they were in their soft opening, the lines were crazy. But they aren't so crazy now that everyone has tried them out. Haven't tried any of their café drinks but they do have coffee and tea. They also have tables inside where you can sit and enjoy your food. Although the twice baked ham and cheese croissant was a miss, I've pretty much enjoyed everything else that I've had from here thus far. Excited to have Starter Bakery in the neighborhood and I'm already craving for more kougn amanns and pecan sticky buns.

Anyone else like exploring coffee shops? Me too. I wanted to try their chocolate babka and decided to get their almond croissant as well. The babka was fluffy and not to sweet. The almond croissant was sadly, disappointing. It was a tad dry, lacking on the filling, and not flaky. Overall, great service, good coffee, pastry was ok..

Starter Bakery is AMAZING! My mom and I stopped here on Saturday after having lunch across the street at Zachary's. Although it was my first time, my mom had been there before and said it was great. All of the pics in my yelp feed since the bakery opened looked tasty. Of course I was excited to see if the treats were as good in person as in the pics. We got a chocolate Kougin Amman and a slice of the key lime pie. Both were fantastic! Service was friendly and fast. They also had a coffee menu but we didn't try that. I'd come back for sure next time I'm in the neighborhood!

Starter Bakery is now open in Rockridge! (3.5/5 Green Stars) Currently they are having a soft opening, but it appears to be fully functional with a full menu and coffee bar. I forgot to take photos inside, but first impressions were that it's clean, bright and spacious. I've had several Starter Bakery items before in other cafes and recommend their signature item - the kouign amann. I like their pretzel buns but they aren't on the menu at the moment so I'm not sure if they'll be sold in Rockridge. But you can find them not too far away - at the Star Grocery on Claremont Ave. Today, I tried a vegetarian quiche - it looks very pretty, was very nicely baked and is pretty reasonably priced at $6. For now I'm giving the Starter Bakery 3.5 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. I'll update it as I get more information but one of the main issues is the lack of information on ingredient sourcing. It would be nice to see some vegan pastries. Still - if you want baked items made with traditional ingredients and minimal packaging (paper bags) then it's a good bet.

Fresh and delicious, fast friends and full of variety. I love the European quick sandwiches with simple bread and cheese, the bread is fresh and this is an amazing snack. The pecan cinnamon, sticky rolls were to die for.

definitely the best bakery in the east bay. [4.8/5] twice baked almond croissant 9.6/10: maybe this is what heaven is like. i cannot describe how beautiful this eating experience was. it was perfect or almost. i wish it was slightly more flakey like arisicault but to be fair this is a twice baked. i left room for improvement just in case one day i change my mind. it was incredible. just the right amount of everything. i could not even save the rest for later and in minutes my bag was spotless. a must try. my friends enjoyed their other offerings like the chocolate croissants and tarts and loved those too!

Starter bakery is stellar! Delectable desserts (legendary kouign-amann), tasty breakfast treats (try the orange cranberry scones) and classic breads. Polite and helpful servers and a comfortable environment make it a worthy early morning go-to!

The pastries are incredible. They are well known for their variety of croissants and breads. The olive sourdough loaf comes pre-sliced and makes incredible grilled cheese sandwich at home. The outside gets super crispy and the inside is fluffy, which meets nicely with melted cheese. Almost anything, and everything that you will buy here you will enjoy and want to come back for probably the next day. The only thing that is kind of a bummer is the service is lackluster, and sometimes even rude. There may be all sorts of legitimate reasons why the service is so unfriendly, but for our do you believe one of the best bakeries in the bay area it kind of sucks to buy a big box of goodies, and somehow still have a bad taste in your mouth... it would be awesome. If the people selling the goods would be as excited as the customers that sometimes drive from a pretty long way.

Starter bakery is known for their kouigh Amann and it was not disappointed . I've tried a variety of them and they are all really good . The store is very cute and have seating. There are street parkings and a big parking lot across the street .

Love this place! I've gone here at least a dozen times since they opened in 2023. What's not to love! It's a cute but minimalist vibe inside. The coffee is great (pumpkin spice latte in the fall was INCREDIBLE), and the pastries are fantastic. My go tos are the chocolate kougin amahn, the breakfast sandwich (herby mayo is divine), anything that's seasonal because they are so good at crafting fun and delicious stuff, the chocolate babka, and more. I haven't tried the salads and have only tried one sandwich, but those look like great lunch options. The staff are very friendly and keep the lines moving. Could not recommend this spot more!

Wonderful seasonal blackberry kouign-amann (fully cooked, flaky, and with layers), solid smoked salmon sandwich, good raspberry citrus pie (the jelly on top stretches cutely! cut through the pie with the side of your fork to avoid this), though I wonder what that would be like with a flaky as opposed to a cookie crumb crust. The East Bay executes again, unlike a certain feted bakery across the bay. The drip coffee is fair for the price and also outdoes that of many coffee shops here and there. The space is airy and high-ceilinged, there is wifi, and there are purse hooks under the tables, which are much appreciated though seldom used.

The olive oil sourdough loaf is amazing. We use it for toast in the morning grilled cheese sandwiches or any type of sandwich for that matter highly recommend their college location love that they are closed for the holidays for their staff.

Wow this place is a gem. Everything we tried here was amazing. Place is very clean and service is friendly. This is a place we will make sure to visit every time we are in the area

We like several of their products but especially perfect (to us) is the Quiche Lorraine: Perfect crust (not soggy) and perfectly rich smooth filling that's not too cheesy or salty. Better than in France. All the puff pastry items are crisp and flaky. Pies are fruit generous and (thank goodness) not overly sweet. We would, however, wish for more passionfruit in the passionfruit items but then we are passionfruit fanatics. Their kouign amanns are very good but the ones from the dearly departed Montclair Bakery were much better. Those were our first encounter with kouigns outside of France. Those used to make us swoooon from the crispy buttery goodness. They were 3-napkin wonders often leaving sugary buttery crumbs all over. We do have one main beef with Starter which is having to reserve the weekly specialty items in advance which are then ONLY available for pick-up at the Gilman place. So we have to trek 6.5 miles on #80 or if traffic is heavy (when isn't it?), then deal with stop-go of San Pablo Ave. The College shop is 1.9 miles away from us. Why don't they just make all their products available at the retail store so we don't have to deal with extra drive?

I'm reading this newish bakery is all the rage around here, so I had to check it out. I think you better get here early or a lot of the stuff will be sold out. I picked out something that looked scrumptious, I dunno even what it was called, it just looked good. It tasted really good too, so airy and flaky inside with a nice crust outside. Prices are kinda high, well compared to regular mainstream bakeries. I wish I had a high end bakery like this where I live.

Starter Bakery was such an unexpected and great find! While visiting a friend in the area I wanted to get a wax (so I hit up nearby EWC) and happened to see Starter right next door. So glad I went in! The place was busy but well-staffed so I hardly waited long at all to be served. I got an excellent croissant, and unreal molasses or ginger cookie of some description, and a really solid latte. I'd definitely make a point to go out of my way to have this again if I was in town.

I had a chance to try their pastries for the first time, specifically the strawberry & passion fruit kouign amann, and the cardamom pistachio twist. There was a creamy part toward the middle of the kouign amann that I thought was some kind of flavored cream cheese, but it might've actually been some of the passionfruit puree. Overall it tasted similar to a croissant but denser and I appreciated the sweet flavor and the fresh strawberries. I also enjoyed the cardamom pistachio twist a lot, it's also quite sweet. The pastries were both around $5 each.

Love it!!! I love kouign amanns and to find a place that has them all the time, I am a FAN!!! I have been getting emails and texts re: this bakery...have ordered through Locale previously. But really wanted to see the bakery for myself as I am in Oakland/Berkely from time to time. The Gilman location seemed to be complicated with ordering and picking up...so I opted to take my chances just going to the College location. As their pickup ordering also indicated everything was sold out. So I went there and was pleasantly surprised...I was able to get my kouign amanns and a pecan sticky bun!!! Will be back soon!

Very impressive pastries and bread! The coffee was perfectly fine, but nothing special. I had never had kouign-amann before and their chocolate one and hazelnut ones were very tasty, sweet, kinda denser than a croissant, but very flaky still. The ham & cheese croissant was very flaky, large, and packed full of nice ham and gooey cheese and had a nice little sauce and jammy onions on top. The sandwiches are lovely on nice rolls with super fresh and flavorful ingredients. The prices are a bit high, but you do get what you pay for!

Very friendly staff and incredible pastry selection. My favorite was the seasonal kouign amann with pumpkin cream and pumpkin seeds on top for a little crunch. I also picked up the focaccia which was perfectly soft with a little onions on top with amazing flavor. Overall 10/10!

Went on the opening day and understand that the bakery provides their products to other businesses. We got there about mid-day and a short line was formed outside. There wasn't a lot to choose from once we got to order so we decided on a almond like croissant with some chocolate on top and supposedly had a some slight coffee tastes added. The croissant was super good and only wished there was more options to choose from. Will go back and definitely try some other things !

I'm so excited to have Starter Bakery in Rockridge. Let's get to this: Sliced olive oil bread is soft and works well as toast and sturdy enough to take on some turkey and it's accoutrements. Caramelized Pear kouign amann is flakey and buttery, with hints of orange and cardamom. The almond croissant is also a favorite of ours. Starter Bakery Folks, congratulations and keep on with the deliciousness! To the good patrons, they're just starting, so give them a bit of time to get adjusted, like 3 months. If you have to wait, that's usually a good sign.

There is no better bakery for my taste. I've sampled at least a dozen within my world and none come close to their chocolate almond croissants. The chocolate babka is second with pecan roll third. I am very reserved with eating such non nutritious sugar filled delicacies so I insist they be of the highest quality. 10/10 for me.

Everything at Starter is delicious! Unbelievable really... I go there at least 3x a week. The service can't be beat, everyone is very friendly & accommodating .

I love Starter Bakery! All their baked goods are heavenly. And the Kouign Ammans are sinful little French butter pastries that make me want to buy them all up and hoard them selfishly for myself and no one else! I finally made it in to their brick and mortar shop on College Ave; it was just ok; kind of just meh. And definitely doesn't match up to the amazement of their bakery goods. The place needs some pizzazz. And the servers were very blasé.

My husband FaceTimed me from the Oakland location. The service was fast and efficient. We got to enjoy the baked goods when he brought them home! We had an Almond Croissant, the Cardamom- Pistachio Twist, a plain Kouign Amann, and two Raspberry White Chocolate Croissants! One RWCC was big enough to share between my husband and I, which we found it to be delightfully stuffed with more raspberries and white chocolate! My daughter had the second one, and definitely did not share ;) The Kouign Amann is sweet and crispy on the outside, and deliciously flakey on the inside, as I've heard they should be. The Cardamom-Pistachio Twist was a similar texture to the KA, but the flavor made it stand out! I love cardamom, and the Twist reminded me of a less sweet baklava with the crunch and pistachios, perfect for my adult taste buds! The Almond Croissant was had a lot of almonds on top, and the croissant was nice and flakey. If anything, the AC could've used a little more almond extract in the almond paste inside it. They all would go well with a cup of coffee! Thanks, Starter Bakery!!

Fast & friendly service! There wasn't much of a line when we stopped by on Saturday morning. We ordered the butter croissant, kouign aman, chocolate babka, and the twice baked croissant. I really wish there was an option to warm up the goods. There was plenty of indoor seating but we had our dogs with us so we had to walk around the neighborhood as there is no outdoor seating options. I loved the chocolate babka and would get that again. Would skip on the coffee here.

The seasonal quiche was phenomal with the butternut squash inside. I loved how the quiche was light and fluffy and not overly greasy at all. I also ordered a cappuccino which is perfect. Both of those totaled $10, which I feel is a fair price. The service was great and I also had a sample of focaccia which was divine!!!

Great coffees and the pastries and bread are on another level! I'm so glad they opened a brick and mortar

Top notch! really the best around here. I was never disappionted. really inovetive as well. highly recommanded.

This is my fav bakery in the Bay Area. Everything is delicious. Best bourbon pecan pie I have ever had. Cookies are nice and chewy. Nothing is too overly sweet and is just right.

I was excited for their new storefront so I went there on their grand opening day on 4/4/2023. They opened at 8 but I got there at 9:14am and waited in the long line. It was moving very slowly but a nice old lady was passing out samples and it wasn't raining hard so I didn't mind. When I finally got into the store around 10:20am, there was a lot of stuff out of stock already, the kouign amann were all out of stock except the hazelnut flavor, amongst a lot of other things. To be honest I only went to the grand opening because I was craving their twice baked chocolate crossiant but I was disappointed to find out they don't even have it at their new store. I'm hoping more things will be in stock next time.

The pastries at Starter Bakery are delicious! There is a great variety and it's hard to pick favorites. I had a pastry with powdered sugar and chocolate drizzled on top. The filling was out of this world. Be sure to try the blueberry muffin with crumb topping. You won't regret it.

For reasons unknown, the hours for this bakery aren't posted online. In fact, you can't find them anywhere, not even on Starter Bakery's website. Which is inane. When I called, there was an automated message that gave the hours for the Berkeley shop, but not the Rockridge shop. It's almost like they don't want our business...? Very strange. That said, Starter Bakery is a great addition to Rockridge downtown area, right across from Zachary's Pizza. We have enjoyed every pastry we've tried, although some run a bit sweet. I highly recommend getting a box of assorted pastries and letting your family plow through them. You can sit inside or take your treats to go. We have also tried a few of their breads, which we first sampled at the farmers market, and you can't go wrong with those, either. The problem is, one never knows when they're going to be open (again, that thing about the hours not being available) so it's sort of a crapshoot whether or not the doors will be open when you arrive. The Berkeley hours are something like 9 AM to 3 PM - but they're only open a few days during the week, and close early on Fridays. Don't make a special trip unless you call first to make sure they're open!

Oh dear, so many levels of deliciousness. We had been getting the plain Kouign-amann (which are amazing but then decided to try the hazelnut and chocolate ones. With coffee at home, I was in pastry heaven. The cardamom/pistachio pull-aparts are also exceedingly awesome. Bread-wise, the sesame levain we have tried, and it is fantastic. Finally, the service is authentically friendly, which is noticeable, as Bay Area service - especially in SF and the East Bay - can be so too-cool-for-school-you-don't-deserve-to-be-treated-well. Here they treat you kindly regardless of who you are. An all around fantastic addition to the neighborhood.

I live in San Jose, this bakery is located in Oakland. My wife and I drive up purposefully for this bakery. I think that says enough. Everything is delicious from their croissant, Kouign-Amann, focaccia, seasonal viennoiserie. Each pastries baked perfectly and flakey, not dry but still moist and soft. Delish!!!!