Semifreddi’s Bakery

Walk to any grocery store in Bay Area and it is impossible not to ran into Semifreddi’s product. This bakery has its roots in Bay Area and while in Kensington area I decided to treat my friend (a guest from Los Angeles) to a nice coffee and some pastry by going through the source! What a pure mistake that was! The store is a hole in the wall, with dated counters and displays. If I didn’t know the brand name I would think that this place was going out of business. It is simply sad when businesses like this bakery with such longevity in the business, continue to milk the profit and not spend a dime on their presense and looks in the community. The pastry was ok, a bit under baked and the choice of their coffee was below par. Skip this place– nothing to write home about.

The pastries and bread are fine. Can’t say the same about the service. Every time I go in, the staff acts as if they’d rather be doing anything else besides help me.

Friendly staff, delicious food! They have a selection of freshly baked bread with some interesting flavors. They also have sugar cane rocks that they have aside to sweeten your beverage.

Good bread, but watch out, the cashiers may short change you, as they did me for $ 10, then laughed at me.

We love the bread (5 stars), this is about the bakery: 2 stars after 3 strikes. Strike one: I bought a day-​old (or more) baguette mixed in with the fresh ones. Since we live close by, I thought «no big deal, these things happen.» But then strike 2, this time with a sandwich. Chalked it up to «bad hiring decision.» Gave them another chance today and they blew it. Terrible service (young lady making the sandwich put it aside for 10 min. to deal with the line at the counter), and then when she threw it on the counter (Turkey Foccacia) and I opened it up it was skimpy and insipid, definitely not worth $ 7.95. I figured, OK, this is what Unilocal is for.

So far i have tried the chicken with pesto and spinach focaccia and a coffee.
PROS: sandwich was pretty good! Good combination of flavors and the inside wasn’t completely packed with meats and such so it wasn’t pouring out as I was eating it. Just the way I like it. Coffee is strong.
CONS: my sandwich had a dog hair in it for some reason and I didn’t see a dog around. Seems a little pricey, but it is in kensington. Coffee almost tasted burnt.
Overall, aside from the dog hair experience, I would go back to try other things. It’s convenient for a quick bite and not many places around here have specialty sandwiches. This place is not a sit down restaurant tho there are a couple tables outside to relax at. It’s a very small shop.

I thought their pastries (cinnamon twist and morning bun) were just mediocre. Coffee the same.

Who doesn’t love freshly baked bread?!
I’ve been a regular at Semifreddi’s Bakery for years and it’s been a wonderful visit each and every time!
Their list of products is mouthwatering. They offer everything from baguettes, a variety of loaves, sandwich and dinner rolls, deli breads, garlic croutons, and last but not least, pastries! What’s not to love?
I’m a hardcore fan of their cinnamon twist bread and rosemary focaccia. For those of you who love French toast, I urge you to try making it with their cinnamon twist, it’s serious!
Other favorites include their sweet baguettes, sweet batard, challah, and those amazing garlic croutons. I give all the credit to Semifreddi’s for making my sandwiches and early morning breakfast dishes all the more yummy!
For pastries, I’m a fiend for their cinnamon morning buns. I’ll definitely take one of those with my coffee any day! Their muffins are great as well, the lemon poppyseed is my favorite. They also offer a variety of croissants, turnovers, and danishes.
Conveniently also functioning as a café, they serve a variety of espresso beverages and freshly squeezed juices, sandwiches, salads, and soups. Lunch anyone?
Semifreddi’s also sells their products in a variety of grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Monterey Market, Andronico’s, and Costco, to name a few.
Certainly one of the places I look to to get my morning off to a great start, Semifreddi’s Bakery never fails!

Just made the most amazing brioche French toast, using their Cinnamon twist bread loaf…
Eggs, milk, butter, grated nutmeg, Mexican vanilla, powdered sugar… voilá!!!

Amazing fresh baked bread! The baguettes are so delicious and are great for making sandwiches. I literally would buy baguettes and eat the entire thing in one sitting. I have no shame… they are that good.

The chocolate croissants are INCREDIBLE and always served with a smile :).

The sweet batard is amazing, and the sandwiches are all excellent (especially the chicken salad). Not a place to sit and eat, but there’s a nice set of benches in a little alley nearby.

This is one of the friendliest places I’ve been to at 7am in the morning. Opening up and starting business a couple of minutes early with a cheerful good morning and a smile makes people happy. Makes Me happy and makes the day start off on a very Happy note. That’s exactly what I received the first time I decided to stop in. And that’s why I’m loving this place! The first time I came it was freezing cold outside and it was one of those days I decided to take the bus to the Bart station so I was waiting for the 7:04am bus, which is nicely located right outside of Semifreddi’s on the corner! The $ 1.75 cup of coffee quickly warmed my hands and was just what I needed before getting on the bus a minute later. Oh, and the heavenly smell of fresh bread inside the store was tantalizing…

Lovely lovely place. Its actually quite small inside but they stuff a lot of bread in there!
I got their croissant and morning bun. Both very sweet and delicious. However, I do think La Farine makes better pastries, Semifreddi’s does make good bread! Parking can be a hassle so park inside the neighborhood down Santa Fe Ave.
Also cops tend to patrol there so watch out for them!

Semifreddi’s is one of the best coffee joints in the Bay Area. Well, especially in my neighborhood. I’ve been a fan of their morning buns since I was kid, perfectly baked, with the center just right… soft and doughy.
Their coffee is excellent, although I usually get a double shot mocha with soy milk. Also, try one of their sandwiches, all are yummy!

This quintessential neighborhood bakery in Kensington’s circle is just right: tiny and jam packed with fresh baked goods, inviting open doors down the street from the farmer’s market on Sunday mornings, and generous quarter-​cookies as samples on some mornings. You’d be inhuman not to go in and buy something.
Items I liked: $ 1.95 for a sweet baguette that remained fresh the next day (a bit more expensive than Acme’s, but nice crust, not too bready, slightly chewy but not too gluten-​y). Additional $ 1.95 for the cinnamon morning bun, which IMO is much better than La Farine’s (and I think cheaper too). The challah is just right for French toast or bread pudding if you (gasp) let it go stale.
If you’re going to get Semifreddi’s, I d0 highly recommend going straight to the source. Yes, they also outpost to the local Safeway’s, Lucky’s, Berkeley Bowl, and Andronico’s… and their baked goods can be found in the front cases of many local coffeehouses, but my favorite goods have still been right from their own bakery storefront.

Being from San Francisco one comes to be familiar with the various stereotypes in food. One time lasting staple is sourdough bread.
It’s a dreamy breadsource — my friends and visitors have always been impressed by Semfreddis sourdough baguettes. They are crunchy, tasty and among the best in town. On occasion the staff can also be convinced to slice your baguette for you, a valuable service when throwing a party.
In my opinion also not to be missed are the cinnamon challah (delicious fresh or toasted with butter, also as French toast) and the lemon or chocolate marble pound cakes.
This particular retail location was my local one growing up so I have fond memories attached to it but the goods are equally tasty from the many other stores that carry them.

In three words: Sourdough, challah, and croissants. My favorites from Semifreddi’s. Way overdue for another visit. With Chanukah coming up, must get some challah for friends as a gift and for me to make French toast.
This location has been here since 1984. Enough said.

Semifreddi’s was around the corner where the kensington farmers market. saw it when i was looking for a seat to sit to enjoy fat daddy’s q.
Semifredd’s offers breads, sandwiches, pastries (scones), and coffee
sampling: sourdough baguette/​poppy seeded baguette (1.95) 3 stars
–mostly crust not much bread within, bread pretty sour. my taste has evolved from sour craving to delicate sourness. semi’s baguette no longer fits my needs.
crumbs:
–though semibusy, associates were courteous, efficieint, and timely in their service.
–usual breads seen at other location.
–very small shop, no seating. grab n go.

i’ve never been to the bakery but i buy their morning buns from berkeley bowl and i loooove them so much! i have to restrict myself to just one per visit :)
Now that i know where the bakery is i’ll be sure to check it out