Turtle Bread Company

I live nearby and wanted to love this place, but after visiting the establishment a few times the service has always been horrendous — and the staff look as if they wore their pajamas to work.
The place needs a thorough cleaning. Yuck. So many other options available in the neighborhood.

Reliably delicious artisanal bread. Also good sandwiches and baked goodies. Parking on the street can be tight at times but worth the short walk.

Turtle Bread service has always been decent, nothing to complain about! But… Their sweet treats are always dry. Cupcakes, Mexican brownies, cake, anything in the chilled counter has been dry since at least three years ago, when I first came. Not only that, they’re really overpriced for their taste and originality.
Nevertheless, Turtle Bread’s breads are some of the best and most fresh I’ve ever had! Their simple sandwich bread is amazing — especially when it’s warm and just baked. Their menu items are pretty good too. My favorite is their bowl of soup with bread — mmmm.
Last, their jam. Wow. I can eat a jar of their jam.
So in conclusion, I wouldn’t buy any of their sweet treats but the breads and soups = happy warm belly!

I like Turtle Bread for baked goods, especially pies. But the food for dining has always been just alright for the price. It’s a neat location with cool (but limited) patio seating on 48^th and Chicago and a unique shared table dining room and is pretty busy, especially weekends. I guess I wish they would just step their game up with food, it doesn’t meet expectations for me. I’ve had omelettes with little flavor, expensive mediocre coffee and a variety of just «so so» sandwiches. We do enjoy ordering a pie for thanksgiving though, they are about $ 20, huge size and really good! I would go a lot more if they compared to other café style places to eat in S Mpls. They’re definitely a staple for the area but unfortunately doesn’t do much for me… Classic case of the most annoying term on Unilocal,«I wanted to love this place but…»

I really, really want to like this place. Cute, neighborhood-​y, lots of character. And if I close my eyes, i do love the food. But the cleanliness and friendliness are practically non-​existent. I brought a friend there recently and she out-​and-​out refused to eat there. Seeing it through fresh eyes, there was clearly a lack of detail and focus on CLEAN. The coolers are dirty, the window sills are dusty, the tables stay unbussed, the baked goods just sort of hang out there for all to brush up against and sneeze on. Would love to see things improve, as the location and ambiance are very nice.

Great place for family and elders and kids for all ages and also very Good! Soups and sandwhich. amazing food their with great Service!

Love the open space. We come here often for breakfast. Used to live in the neighborhood, moved away and still drive across the cities for their delicious pancakes, eggs and bacon! Love that the breakfast meals come with an option of a salad. Very casual and great for family.

I had an interesting experience recently at the Chicago Ave Turtle Bread. To preface this, I’ve been a fan of both locations… nice casual atmosphere, very good bread and baked goods, decent kitchen prepared meals. But my last visit to the Chicago Ave location, I witnessed some guy completely bullying the staff there, barking orders in a raised voice, saying «hey you» to staff (they have names dude), even getting in the face of some staff members… all this in front of several patrons who were obviously as surprised and turned off as I was. It was a busy lunch time, so everyone was having a hard time keeping up with food and coffee orders, along with bussing the tables. But as with most SW and S Mpls Sunday morning eatery patrons, everyone was being nice, patient, and understanding about it… no lost business or anything because the tables had crumbs. However, business DOES get lost when the environment seems oppressive, and staff members look like they’re in fear. I learned later from a staff member that this bully was the owner! I don’t know how accurate that is, but it was what I was told. So let me be clear… it doesn’t matter how good your food is. If you present an atmosphere where employees are treated in such a manner where they are obviously afraid of the person assigning the work (who, by the way, did not lift a finger to help clean tables… I’ve seen James Beard winning chef/​owners come and clean tables!), it is not a place worthy of patronizing. I will not be returning to either Turtle Bread location. And I hope others who care about food service staff will think twice about going there.
I would add that the staff there has always seemed very nice and helpful to the extent they could be, while they ran around trying to get all the work done. My order have usually come quickly and accurately, and the kitchen staff have done a good job with the food. So I would agree that the customer service is indeed lacking. But I don’t think it’s because of indifference. I think it’s due to a bad work culture.

Amazing bread. Good vegetarian and vegan options for soup. Good side salad.
However, the people who work here often seem indifferent, impatient with you, or hostile. The Chicago Avenue spot is VERY LOUD. The Nokomis spot is much better (although ditto on the customer service).

I woke up early excited for breakfast at a new place with a friend. We typically go to The Hot Plate, Butter, Our Kitchen or GiGi’s so we thought we would add another spot to the list. I was underwhelmed by my eggs, sausage and potato breakfast. I was also surprised that the coffee mugs were only 4 oz. If you are like me, I gotta have my coffee and lots of it so making lots of trips for a re-​fill wasn’t convenient, I realize this comment makes me lazy but hey, it’s Sunday morning! But at least I was getting my steps in.
My potatoes were cold and under seasoned, I got the heel of the baguette which was stale. I didn’t even finish my plate.
On the bright side, I did get a almond croissant which was delicious. I will go back for the pastries but not for breakfast.

Oh, Turtle Bread Company… what happened to you? I was once wooed by your quaint mismatched chairs, hearty soups and quirky cast of characters reading their NYTimes… but my latest experience this past weekend left me feeling dissatisfied. And also. broke.
My husband and I wanted to grab a quick brunch before a day of errands, and were too impatient to wait the 40 minutes at Victor’s 1959 Café, so we headed to Turtle Bread since it was on the way.
The food was completely disappointing, dull and unseasoned. I ordered an asparagus and goat cheese frittata which was cold and completely forgettable. My husband ordered a breakfast sandwich that was literally buttered white bread cut diagonally with a sad egg inside it. We also each ordered a latte, which took forever to make, and tasted watery. So, two crappy breakfasts, two lattes and one loaf of bread that we took home (which was the star of the whole experience) set us back $ 30. I left feeling disappointed and annoyed, but mostly at myself. We should have known better. We should have waited the 40 minutes at Victor’s.
I guess it’s a great place to pick up literal loaves of bread, do some people watching and find flyers for local yoga classes and nanny’s…but the food itself? Save your calories for one of the dozens of better brunch/​breakfast places at the Twin Cities.

During apple season, my mother used to bake 4 – 5 «fresh from scratch», butter apple pies a week. I am a VERY serious lover of pastry. The new baker Jessica is rare and outstanding. I feel Turtle Bread on Chicago Ave has earned my number one baker rating for the Twin Cities, Rochester, Duluth, Two Harbors, and towns down the Mississippi. They use excellent top quality chemical free ingredients. Pure butter, wonderous plump raisins, heavenly real whipped cream, and have the best bread (Strata bread) in the state — amazing flavor. The staff are all great, portions generous, soups outstanding, quiche out of this world, brownies and key lime pie to truly die for. The best bran muffin I have ever found. I prefer this Turtle Bread to their other location in Edina.

The salads are good, the soups a great, but let’s face it, here it is all about the BREAD!!! This place knows how to make bread the way the French intended… Crispy, crunchy crusty goodness, with soft and chewy insides in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Add a generous pat of butter and you have a type of heaven I reserve for my rare days of Glutopia (the feast of gluten that will inevitably make me feel like garbage, but I enjoy thoroughly while I’m indulging.). If you are in need of a Glutopia release or just a good hunk of bread, come here.

The most quaint, sunny shop. Its walking distance from me, and I love to come over for a pastry, a coffee, and read a good book in the sun.
They do pastries well. I’ve sampled practically all of them.
They do not do coffee well. But… free refills… of bad coffee. Is that a silver lining? I’m not even sure.
I haven’t had actual food items, so I can’t judge on that. But I do LOVE that they have a few prepared items for a picnic. Cheeses, ready-​made sandwiches, hummus, spreads, honey, cream. Sort of those last minute items. Love it.
I have learned the hard way that they alternate the days they make certain things– so if you expect that one, purely magical loaf of Cardamom Bread to be there *get the Cardamom Bread*, it might not be its «Day». So check the schedule!
Also, the workers there are… not the most courteous, in my experience. Not rude, just lacking in solid customer service skills. Looks like a lot of high schoolers.
But, its a great shop to meet a friend at or stop in for that loaf of french bread… or *Cardamom Bread*. OMG.

Before getting into my review, I just want to say that if Aaron H’s review is true, this place should be shut down. That said, I’m going to hope they’re not actually reusing uneaten soup and give Turtle Bread two stars based upon our experience across multiple visits.
I really wanted to like this place. I really wanted a good, locally-​owned artisan bakery near our home, a low-​key place we can take our kid or friends for a good, reliable meal. At some point, though, returning to a place we’ve had multiple bad experiences at and hoping for something better is about as smart as punching oneself in the face, and today I think we crossed that threshold.
The only reason Turtle Bread gets two stars rather than one is the food, if it arrives, is often pretty good. While there have been a few misses, the soups, bread and fixed sandwiches are typically fresh and tasty.
That’s the good. The rest is bad.
I said the food is pretty good, and it is. But it’s not great. We’re talking slightly-​better-​than-​Panera quality here at best, and considering the price and Turtle Bread’s «artisan» positioning, that doesn’t cut it. We really want to support local businesses, but being local in and of itself doesn’t differentiate Turtle Bread enough for us to support it. While as said the food is competent, there’s nothing that really stands out.
Regarding the cleanliness of the place, I have to echo other reviews. It’s dining area isn’t very clean – today we ended up using the clean end of a half-​dirty table, and no one cleaned the other side of the table during the 45 minutes of our stay – and the apparent lack of any effort to keep it tidy makes me wonder what the kitchen looks like.
And then there’s the service. There’s a distinct lack of process at Turtle Bread, and while I will give the staff the benefit of the doubt and assume they care about what they’re doing, from a customer standpoint the service often feels like indifference elevated to an art form. The first thing you need to know is if you order a sandwich that isn’t pre-​made you’re going to wait a while. We’ve experienced this a few times, but today’s example was extreme: The two of us who ordered soup were given it at the counter, while the person who ordered a sandwich was told that they’d bring it out to her. We found our seats and waited. And waited. Eventually, the two of us with soup ate it so it wouldn’t get cold. After 20 minutes I went up to the counter to see what was up, and was told «we’re kind of busy today.» (It looked like every other day we’ve been there.)
The staff seems to be confused as to how they’re supposed to get food to customers. Really. Both our group and the person in front of us ordered the grilled veggie sandwich, to eat in. The person in front of us was told to wait by the counter, while we were told that they’d bring the sandwich to us. When I went up to see what was taking so long, the other guy was still standing there holding his number, fidgeting. After the staff person told me they’d be starting on our sandwich soon, she asked what he was waiting for, and when he answered the same thing she told him he could sit down and they’d bring it out to him. (I’m not blaming the staff on this – it doesn’t seem they’ve gotten consistent direction. Or any direction.) Since it’s not clear why some are told to sit and other are asked to stay close, it can result in questions like the ones we started asking at our table, especially after sitting around for a while: Are we supposed to be waiting by the counter? Did we misunderstand something?
20 minutes after two of us finished our soup, and nearly a full half hour after we ordered, the third person in our party finally got her sandwich – with a different side than what she ordered.
Sorry, for a soup-​and-​sandwich meal for three approaching $ 40, it shouldn’t be much to ask that everyone in the group can eat at approximately the same time. A five minute delay? OK, that’s understandable. So is 10 if we’re given a warning about it in advance. A half hour difference is nuts. If there was going to be a delay, the person taking our order could have at least told us about it so we could make a different decision.
We really wanted to like Turtle Bread but overall have had too many visits like today’s. In some cases good food can compensate for a bad experience, but Turtle Bread manages to keep things chaotic and confusing enough to prevent that from happening.

I like this place. I really do. Their food is fantastic and the atmosphere is fun, especially with an open baking area. Their bread and desserts are so yummy!
So why only four stars?
First, their internet is so unreliable that is frustrates anyone who comes here to work. When it does work it’s fantastic. When it doesn’t, the employees are ambivalent and shrug their shoulders, not really sure how to help. My advice: get better internet.
Second… Their employees can sometimes appear rude. A good number of them are cheerful and helpful while some still look like they’d rather be doing something else… smile smile smile! it can help!
Give it a try! The food is worth it and maybe I just pick the wrong days to come in!

I really like to support local business instead of the franchise places — so I gave Turtle Bread a try. I’ve never ordered and eaten in, so this review is based on carry out.
Atmosphere or ambiance: I don’t get the funky, «hey, we’re a bakery and we have piles of flour bags, and all our shelves are open.» The place is just messy and cluttered. I don’t need to see the inner workings of your business. Handmade signs? I guess nothing says, «we’re casual, funky and arty. But, to me, it says, «we just don’t care. Can’t find the plastic silverware, here’s a sign with a big arrow pointing to it.» And the stuffed animals behind the cashier — seriously? They look dirty. Clean it up. Place seems a little run-​down.
I stopped in early one morning to grab something on my way to work — sure, it’s winter and you need floor mats, but geez, have your cleaning crew vacuum them sometime. Especially the one in front of the bakery case. It’s not too appetizing to have a dirty, icky floor. Cleanliness is pretty important in the food service biz.
Service: nice kids, but kind of sloooooow. In the morning, it’s important to get people on their way quickly. Lackluster, at best.
Prices: For self-​service, I’d expect lower prices. Their rolls, danish {these are HUGE and serve two handily}, croissants are delish, but oy vey, pretty pricey. And if you’re getting a dozen to treat everyone, better bring a credit card. How about slightly smaller Danish at a lower price.
I will say that the whole apple pie that I purchased one weekend was really the best I’ve ever had. Almost as good as homemade.

I’ve been here many times and tend to really enjoy it. Their salmon eggs benedict are outstanding. I always took visitors here and met friends for lunch.
But then yesterday I got food poisoning, which am certain came from eating one of their deli cooler tuna fish sandwiches. I am talking food poisoning where you vomit for 7 hours.
I called to let them know, and the woman I spoke with sounded surprised and let me know she hadn’t heard from anyone else that it had happened. And that was it. I would expect a little more response after what I went through all night from eating the food.
I don’t think I’ll be going back.

I’ll be honest, I just don’t get why people love this place so much.
The décor is boring — huge wooden tables, wooden floors, long counter containing pastries. Nope, it’s not the atmosphere.
Every pastry I’ve tried here — from the Mexican brownie to the pumpkin bars — are always way too dry, feel like they’ve been sitting out too long, and always taste like they’re missing something. The soup — I had one decent soup here which was a carrot ginger soup. It was bland, but it wasn’t terrible. I’ve sampled many of their other soups, and I can honestly say that there’s nothing memorable going on here, either. (And after reading Aaron H’s review about the soup getting re-​served, it’s sufficient to say I will NEVER eat soup from this place again.) Sandwiches? Nope. I had a salmon sandwich of some kind, and the fish smelled SO fishy that I barely wanted to eat it at all. Fish shouldn’t smell THAT fishy. Not if it’s stored correctly. So nope, it’s not the food either that keeps folks so excited about this place. At least not me.
Service — anyone who reads my reviews will see that I always give a star for service. I’m a chipper guy, and honestly, most of the time if you’re nice to your server, they’re really nice back to you. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never had consistently good service here. Sometimes it’s okay. Sometimes its abysmal. So nope, it’s not good service, either.
And I’m sorry, but the prices? Seriously? I’ve had better food for less at Panera Bread, and that is not really a compliment for Panera. And when I’m paying that kind of cash for mediocre food, do not, I repeat, DO NOT try to rush me through that line. I appreciate expediency, and am well aware that others are likely waiting behind me; I’ll be conscious of that on my own without you prodding me. So nope, it’s not the prices.
I feel that people «love» this place because it’s local. And while I firmly believe in supporting local businesses, I do not agree with supporting a local business if it’s a bad one.
Step it up, Turtle Bread. You’re not going to be able to ride on the «I love supporting local businesses» crowd for long — something better will come along. It always does.

Initially we just popped in to check this place out for future visits to this lovely neighborhood. Ended up taking a Peanut Butter Bar home.
The staff behind the counter couldn’t have been more friendly & helpful. They took time to answer questions about their gluten free options. BTW, the Peanut Butter Bar wasn’t much to write home about. But I’d stop back again and try something from their breakfast or lunch menu.