La Farine Bakery

Unfortunately I don't have much to offer because when I called to ask about prices and what cakes this bakery had to offer, the woman on the phone was very rude and said, "Yeah, Ma'am you need to call tomorrow morning because you never know what is going to be on the menu." As they don't have a website either, this shows me disorganization and disrespect for their patrons.

My roommates and i absolutely love their baguettes. I will often take a run down to La Farine and get two baguettes (sometimes they have a buy one get one free deal) and run back in time to have beguette for dinner. Amongst the five of us, the baguette is usually gone in one sitting. As for their cakes, I think it's over priced and not really worth it.

La Farine, an Oakland bakery that opened in 1974 and has become a bread beacon in the Bay Area. Available as a baguette, petit pain, or batard, with our without Kalamata olives laced into the dough, it is fantastically chewy with a crisp crust. Sour but not overwhelmingly so, this is bread that asks no condiment or complement whatsoever

We love to come here when we visit my in-laws in Berkeley. They have lots of yummy breakfast breads. They do run out of things, so it's good to go early. They have some seating indoors and a low wall or bench outside. You can get coffee and juices here as well. I haven't had their cakes or other breads, but they look delicious and since they are usually a bit crowded, I'd say those are poular as well.

This bakery has a nice selection of delicious desserts and bread. I like to buy a coffee at Peet's across the street, then go to La Farine and get a pastry to enjoy with my coffee at one of the little benches outside the store. The pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) is excellent, as are the cupcakes. Beware that the cupcakes have a very thick buttercream frosting that is rich and can be overwhelming. Usually the bread is available for tasting, which is nice. Peet's has good baked goods as well, but you might as well go to La Farine since it's right there.

I've only been here once or twice, but each time I've gone, I really enjoyed what I got. They are popular for their morning bun, which doesn't disappoint. It's light and cinnamon-y and good. Cookies also were very good when I went. I loved the Frech bakeries when I was in France, and this one takes me back to when I was there.