Semifreddi’s Bakery

I love when my coworker brings in pastries freshly baked from Semifreddi in Emeryville! There is an assortment of apple turnovers, chocolate crossiants, and muffins to choose from but I always make sure to grab the blueberry cream cheese danish. I know everything will be going to my muffin top belly but I love the combination of the salty cream cheese and the sweet pastry and fruit. YUM!
I’m just sad that my coworker will no longer be bringing Semifreddi to work as the bakery is moving to Alameda because Pixar bought the property. I love you Pixar, Russell, and Dory, but that ain’t cool.

I ordered the southwest turkey sandwich which came out warm with melted cheese. The sandwich looked and smelled great, however there was not much flavor as you would expect with the chipotle sauce. There are a few tables in their patio area if you like to enjoy the nice weather.

It’s a good thing we don’t have this in Charleston. If we did, I think I would officially look like the muffin man. Their sourdough is freakin’ amazing and far superior to anything we can get over here. Sure, the bread is good here, but it doesn’t have that nice «sourness» you expect with sourdough. Hopefully I can find somewhere that will ship it to me.

I was working near by and during the 3 hours I was in the shop, I smell this absolutely delicious cinnamon scent of fresh baked bread in the neighboorhood. Its an absolutely wonderful thing to smell fresh bakeries on a beautiful sunny day, especially of guard. So I had to have me some. I came through during lunch and got a loaf of cinnamon twist, turns out the bake something different everyday so the neighborhood smells fresh each day! There was also a deli, the guy making the sandwiches had forgotten my order… So that slightly was irritating, but I got a free pastry for the wait, so all is forgiven haha.
I ordered the Angelina: a veggie sandwich of rosemary focaccia, pepper jack, tomatoes, onion, carrots, pepperchini, and balsamic vinegar. For a reasonable if not low price of $ 5.95
The sandwich was delicious! It would have been perfect with Salami… but its veggie so, ok. The hint of balsamic was perfect and the crispy bread with the gooey middle yum! Totally worth the wait. Love it!

Great sandwiches available here but a bit on the pricey side for what you get. It’s also nice to have all the bakery products available in the café. Downsides are that this place is pretty cramped, deciding to eat in may be a bit of a claustrophobic scenario if it is busy at all. Parking can also be a bit of a pain unless you get lucky or want to traverse the tight parking in the Semifreddi’s lot.

Sandwiches rock here. REALLY GOOD Sandwiches and VERY GOOD bread. But, that’s all I’d order here.
I am struggling with the fact that they aren’t flexible at all with their menu. You can’t put the tuna salad that they have for sandwiches on top of a salad? I don’t get it. So, in general their service is excellent and friendly, but when you just can’t do something that seems so simple — the policy is kiling their service. Plus, their salads are super bland and you need something else on them. And I got it to-​go and they gave me a TBS of dressing… really? For this huge box of greens?

Semifreddi’s is only a couple blocks down from where i work. I like to stop in every once in a while in the morning to buy either a croissant or morning bun. They are quite tasty, both of them. They used to have a very attractive young guy behind the counter, but i haven’t seen him there recently. That’s a shame. It was enjoyable to buy my croissants from a pretty boy. But the other guy who has been a staple there (with the big olé mushroom hat) is pretty cool. I want his hat.
In all honesty, i have had better croissants, but these are pretty good for $ 1.75. There is limited seating available here. Most of the seating is outside on the patio so it really only works during summer months and sunny winter days. If its raining, forget it. Just pick up your baked goods and leave.
They make decent sandwiches but i feel that are overpriced for what you get. I stopped ordering sandwiches a long time ago. I go only for the morning goods or baked bread.

Any shop that offers freshly baked goods earns an extra star in my book. It’s tough to dislike a sandwich made with fresh tasty bread. With that in mind, my roast beef sandwich was fairly good. The mustard and bread were especially good. Although, considering that it was priced at around $ 8, I’ve had better sandwiches at that price point.
There is little room to eat-​in here. The patio is pleasant but bring your sunglasses, it’s really bright during lunchtime.

Just started working in Emeryville and I am SO glad to find a great place for lunch that’s outside of a strip mall.
First off, the pastries are to DIE for. You must try them all. I’m steadily working my way through their delicious offerings.
Secondly, the sandwiches are excellent. I recently had the chicken muffaletta. It was served quickly by the friendly staff and was perfectly toasty and warm. The prices are very reasonable, as well.
I passed up a fresh lemon cake last Friday. Ever since then, I have been craving lemon cake. Surely, I’ll be back for lunch at some point this week and will not leave without cake.

Scrumptious
Semifreddi’s is a lunch time favorite with me and my co-​workers. It is one of the spots we have on our lunch cycle of places to eat.
Their sandwiches are good and aren’t too expensive ($ 5-​$ 8). I think the southwest turkey is their best ‘regular’ sandwich. They do have weekly specials, but those can be a hit or miss. The half-​soup/​salad/​sandwich combo is a good option too.
Be sure to request your pickles and peppers. I’m glad they instituted a request policy. It cuts down on the waste, although who wouldn’t want pickles and peppers is beyond me… hehe
They have a nice outdoor eating area where you can relax and listen to the Pixar folks play basketball. The staff is nice and efficient. I would recommend this place for anyone in Emeryville looking for a good reliable place to eat.

I’m not even going to lie. I used to come here all the time while I was in College to stalk the Pixar employees like a celery (da-​da-​dum). I had this notion in my head that my animation skills would be discovered by the way I eat Cibatta bread. No, I’m kidding. But not about stalking. Semifreddi’s is really great, the sandwiches are really good and of course the bread is always fresh and delectably crunchy.
At the time I was a starving student so going to Semifreddi’s usually meant Ramen dinners. It’s a bit pricey but a really nice treat. The only downside is that the café closes at 4pm or something really early. I usually crave towards the late afternoon and was sorely disappointed int heir operation times. No matter. It’s really good and a great place to take somebody for an outdoor lunch.
I don’t stalk Pixar employees anymore, something about a restraining order.. .

4.5
Challah and cinnamon twist egg bread, mmmmmmmmm!!!
The Bay Area has got great bakeries, no doubt Semifreddi’s is one of the top loaf’s of bread you can get. Great people, great bread.
Wish they had more cafes like the one next to their kitchen. And don’t forget to take a tour of the bakery, you’ll really appreciate thier bread.

If you’ve seen their bread at places like Safeway and other cafes, don’t you ever get the urge to try out what their OWN sandwiches taste like?
I definitely do, and the verdict is that their sandwiches are great. They don’t surpass taste or creativity of some of the other places in the east bay, but they have a few that I get the craving for once in a while. These are mainly the Southwest Turkey (my fav) and the Turkey Foccacia. Once in a while, they’ll also have a pretty decent «Sandwich of the week» advertised.
I am really happy that they recently (not sure when) implemented a new menu so you can mix/​match items. The whole sandwich by itself is $ 7.95 but the salad/​half-​sandwich and soup/​half-​sandwich combos are each $ 6.95. I oftentimes get a combo just to mix it up and try more things. They’ll also throw in some bread (accompanied by some delicious butter) and some pickles/​peppers (the peppers are one of the reasons why i always come back to this place!)
Great Emeryville spot. I’m glad it’s close to work.

Haven’t tried this one yet, but I give it 4 stars just for hearing it’s great reputation. And will +/​-​a star once I try it out!
But since I do eat at Ruby’s Café quite frequently and I suspect that I am chewing on Semifreddi’s bread at the Café, I must say I have a good feeling about Semifreddi’s.

I’ve been to this location and the one on Claremont in Berkeley. If you’ve read my reviews, I am always tempted to try a restaurant’s Caesar salad. Me likes Semifreddi’s Caesar salad. They don’t cake on the dressing and it’s consistent. I will definitely go back.
I’d say the service at the Claremont location is much friendlier. I’ve taken a 2.5 year old there that I baby sit and the cashiers are always so friendly, and they greet her with a smile. This location has outdoor seating as well as a few tables inside. and lot of pastries to choose from. There are also Semifreddi pastries sold at the Can’t Fail Café just down the street.
They’re chocolate croissants are yummy too. $ 1.75.

Hmmmm. .. there is more to Emeryville than the International Food Court and IKEA??? Who would a thunk it! I have never been to this part of Etown! The bakery itself is great, but the inside seating is a little limited. Outside is pleaseant.
The best part of my short meeting there was when I ordered the barrista, who is much younger, cooler and hipper than I — like that is hard to do — said my Chrome bag was «dope.» That’s good right?
I was also entertained by the two guys who were working the counter as they argued over who had memorized correctly the nutritional information of the croissant, blueberry scone and bran muffin.
Four star alone for the fun and helpful staff!

I can’t believe I worked in Emeryville for TWO YEARS before I finally went here and tried their cinnamon morning bun. I nearly wept that first time, not only because it was delicious but because of all the lost time. How many mornings could have potentially been brightened by a cinnamon morning bun? Countless.
While I’ve gone here mostly to get the above mentioned bun, I also got a tuna sandwich here once on dutch crunch bread. Good stuff :)

Four stars because I LOVE their seeded baguettes. I’m the only person I know, however, who likes the taste of anise with bread.
So you’d think that their sandwiches would be a weekly staple on the lunch menu, right? Well…
Unless you’re walking from somewhere close by, this isn’t quite a lunch destination. There’s something not inviting about the location on this side of busy Hollis.

Picked up a «fresh» loaf of ciabatta from the famous… um…24-hour bread bin. It’s quite good. Mmmmmmm.
Please don’t tell my parents I’m eating bread retrieved from a dumpster.

Oh, Semifreddi. What would I do without your morning buns and espresso drinks? I work nearby and have been going here so often, I sometimes feel like I have to go visit other places. But the outdoor seating, fresh bread (Atkins? South Beach? No thanks!) reels me back in (eventually). The staff here Is usually friendly, if not overworked, even with the lunch crowds from Chiron and next-​door Pixar. If you’re lucky enough, you might be around when they give away free items like garlic croutons, t-​shirts, and lemon bread.
I don’t shop anywhere else for bread – always fresh daily! No more guessing how old the bread at Safeway is. I concur that the sourdough is not my favorite, but that’s just me. I much prefer the ciabatta and sweet baguette. yum.
Oh, and I swear I once saw Margaret Cho stop by here…