Starter Bread

Small bakery front where the star of the show are the sandwiches. Last weekend, we got the turkey pesto that was delicious. The blueberry corn scone and tahini carrot cake slice were pretty good but next time, I’d go for a cookie instead. The focaccia slabs looked fantastic for next time too. Only open on Sundays so get there around 9:45 so your wait won’t be too long.

A small family bakery, open only on Sundays for four hours, attracts a long line before 10:00. We tried some pastries, which were average, but nothing exceptional. However, their rye bread was truly special. Of course, it depends on your taste preference, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. So did the price $12

Worth the wait. Open Sundays 10-2, the line may take 30+ minutes but everyone is super friendly - everyone is hyped on what they’re waiting for! There is a bread subscription you can get through their website currently which seems like a great idea if you’re able to! This Sunday (09.22.2024) we got: Pretzel (comes with whole grain mustard) Olive twist (comes with chili oil) Eggplant Focaccia Slab with cheese and onions (it’s like a slice of pizza, sprinkled with fresh herbs, it’s so good) Blueberry Corn Scone Double Cocoa Rye Cookie (described as “the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life” by two people) Farm Boule loaf Marinated Zucchini sandwich on baguette with chèvre and chili (didn’t get a picture of this, it was eaten immediately) Everything was fantastic, wizardry and love in every bite. Follow your heart, you can’t go wrong here.

I go on occasionally on Sundays and have the subscription. This bread is the most direct comparison I have for the experience of what it is like to eat “real food.” If I eat two soulless slices from a loaf random grocery store bread, I’m hungry again pretty quick. If have two (albeit thique) slices of a loaf from Starter Bread, I’m good for half the day or longer. Being able to eat and actually have sustained energy is new to me but I think I could get used to it. Stop by on Sunday, but get in early to have the most options. You won’t regret it!

Can’t find better sourdough bread & baguette anywhere in Portland (and beyond). I am obsessed with their pretzels and the olive twist. So stoked to have them in St. John’s. Definitely our Sunday go-to spot! ⚡️

We've been members of STARTER BREAK's weekly bread subscription for years. I'm still amazed by Matt and Zena's dedication to making our food more real. When other bakeries around town are working hard to manufacture breads they can sell and mass produce (and become Portland's next FRANZ or DAVE'S KILLER BREAD that distributes nation wide), STARTER BREAD is baking new kinds of bread from locally sourced grains new every week! Who does that? These guys are the future. The rest of us are just playing catch up.

One of the best Loaf's of bread you can find in Portland! They sell out quick so its best to get there close to open! Great location in historic St Johns!

Really delicious gourmet freshly baked breads. Only open one day a week but worth it. They have delicious small items and great loaves of bread. The sourdough taste is distinct but not overpowering. I don't typically like sourdough but I like everything here.

Starter Bread has become a highlight of our Sundays! Stopping by the location in St. Johns is always a treat. At this point my partner and I have tried so many of their options and have yet to be disappointed! A heads up that there will be a line that starts shortly before opening (esp if weather is nice), but don't worry! It moves pretty quickly and you'll be at the front in no time! We typically grab a baguette to make into some kind of quick sandwich for our lunch that same day at home, plus one or two little bakery treats. The SLABS slap, highly recommend the mushroom or onion varieties they rotate. We've also tried some of their traditional bread loaves and are blown away every single time by the freshness and quality. The folks running this spot are also just the nicest! Don't miss this place!

Recently when I eat at a place I really like, I try to ask the people who work there what places they like the most in Portland. Someone mentioned Starter Bread once, so I took the bus over one Sunday morning and gave it a try. They're not open to the public very often. Just Sundays from 10am-2pm. The majority of their sales, from what I understand, are through this subscription service. Check out their website (https://www.starterbread.com/). Idk though. Maybe they sell to restaurants too. Anyway, I got a loaf, brought it home, sliced it up and toasted it on a skillet. It was great. Soft. Good flavor. Some sourdough, some wheat, some nuttiness. All pretty subtle though; nothing overpowering at all. And in reading through their website, apparently they are really, really into using high quality ingredients and stuff, so that's cool. I didn't like the crust though. Crunchy is ok, but this crust was hard and tough to chew. As for the stuff I ordered to eat for brunch on Sunday, I wasn't very impressed. The two cookies felt kind stale to me and lacked for flavor. They also weren't warm. Warm cookies are the best. It's tough for a cookie to excel if it isn't warm. I also got this little sandwich on a baguette with gruyere, apple slices, and some jam. I have very mixed feelings about this sandwich. On the one hand, the gruyere was absolutely delicious. It's been on my mind ever since I ate it. Like, I want to go back for more. The apple slices were super thin and delicious. The jam gave it a nice little kick. But the baguette I really didn't like. I feel like given the bakery's excellent reputation I've gotta be wrong, but it just felt stale and difficult to chew. Still, the gruyere was good enough that I really liked the sandwich overall. The other sandwich (yes, I eat a lot) was on this thick, rectangular, foccacia sort of bread. It had thinly sliced potatoes on top, cheese, and a hint of sauteed onions. Maybe some garlic too. I liked it, but didn't love it. The bread was soft and chewy. But! My big complaint is that none of the food was served warm! For all of these items, being warm and fresh just goes such a long way. "Fresh" I get that the logistics are difficult. But "warm" I feel like is fair to expect. Throw it in the oven or under the broiler or something for a few minutes before serving. Instead, they had everything pre-made and sitting out there to be handed to the customer room-temperature. So as a place to stop by for a meal, it's fine I guess if you're in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. But I evaluate them more as a bakery to buy bread to bring home. And for that, they do a really good job.

We arrived shortly after they opened and there was a long line. It moved quickly while we talked about true crime. The choices are limited. I got the foccacia with onions, Gruyère, and prosciutto, a baguette, and a polenta boule. Everything is sourdough (hence the name) so make sure you like that sourdough taste! The focaccia was incredibly tasty. The baguette was demolished by my kids upon returning home. The polenta boule was good but I think I would try something different next time. It was a fun outing to St. Johns!

Amazing bread. Go there right at 10 if you don't want to miss out on anything! Olive twist is extra fire!

I'll give this place a fair 3 since I'm not sure I got the right thing. Huge line outside when we got to the neighborhood to have breakfast nearby. After we ate, the line had died down so we stopped by. I got a scone which was very odd tasting. Like it had maybe baked in the same oven with other things that had garlic or onion. Also tried the onion loaf which was just tough and tasted sort of "day old." I'll give them another shot sometime and try other things.