Wagner’s European Bakery & Cafe

A smile and a bit of customer service goes a long way, haven’t you heard?!
I had some time to kill for a work errand and this was my first time in Olympia (2 hour drive) so I thought I would treat myself to a coffee and a pastry. These girls were all total buzz kills!
I thought it was just me or they all had a really bad day but after reading the other reviews this seems to be the norm. Come on… even a fake smile would help. I felt like I was inconveniencing the staff by actually paying them my hard earned money for some food. It didn’t help that the napkin on my tray actually had a piece of melted cheese, really? Do you not look at this before you place the silverware on top of it. I was watching the interaction with rest of the customers and it was really sad to see how they acted. Two ladies walked away with their trays looking like they had just received a talking to.
I fell for the $ 6.99 French toast which was only cinnamon bread toasted, it was good bread but $ 6.99 for cinnamon toast, a tiny cup of fruit and a small slice of one of their treats and attitude, oh don’t forget the piece of cheese on the napkin.
I used the facilities before leaving and actually almost walked into the owners office to ask her why all of here employees acted this way. If you want to feel ignored, and treated like a nuisance and eat some sub par food this is the place to go.

The only thing German about this place is the name. Unfriendly service. Not coming back.

The bran muffin I got was the best I’ve ever had. I’m definitely not a health nut, and I usually go for pastries, but this particular morning I wanted something more substantial. Definitely didn’t disappoint! It was moist, perfectly sweet and nutty with a sort of date, molasses, buckwheat taste. I had to fight my husband off of it. We’ll be stopping in for muffins every time we’re in Olympia!

Came in on a Sunday afternoon. Customer service very unpleasant, which really soured the whole experience. Tried a rhubarb tart that was pretty but overly sweet, a fruit & cheese danish that was ok, & purchased an apple-​almond coffeecake, that was my favorite, as it was moist & not cloyingly sweet.

If you want to be treated like a nuisance while you place an order over the phone and then be completely ignored by the staff walking back-​and-​forth in front of you when you show up to pick it up, go to Wagners.
They’re doing a bang-​up job of upholding the image of the at-​best-​mediocre-​food and consistently-​terrible-​service Olympia dining establishment. Way to go.

I live in Eugene, and needed to order a special treat for an office near Wagner’s. They arranged it quickly and cheerfully. Thank you!

I went here once after we ate at Meconi’s across the street. I can honestly say I loved everything I bought that day! I bought eclairs, donuts, a cupcake, etc and it was all so yummy! The girl working there was so sweet & gave me a free cute sugar cookie which didn’t arrive home cause I ate it in the car. Lol. This place is awesome.

My partner and I discovered Wagner’s for the first time in December, and have stopped in several times since, trying a wide variety of their pastries. We have yet to actually eat in the café, so I will stick to reviewing the bakery portion.
In a word: Fantastic. We love Wagner’s and are very happy to have found such a delicious bakery in Olympia. Everything we’ve tried has been amazing. They have both classics and unique or less common creations. Good prices for the quality. Staff has always been incredibly friendly and helpful — happy to answer questions, and never rushing us even when we take our time deciding.
My partner and I have made it a semi-​regular habit to swing into Wagner’s together and pick out a few things to share and enjoy, and I don’t see that ending anytime soon! We’ll really have to try a sit-​down café meal there sometime. Love it!

This place has amazing cinnamon bread! We came for bread and ended up grabbing a brownie, éclair, and their flatten cinnamon roll as a treat to eat later, however everything looked so good that we didn’t even make it out the door. Will be making a return trip soon.

STAFF SUCKS BUT THE FOOD IS GOOD! I will not be back. It begins with the staff and I was turned off right away. I had to sit and have my wife order because I would have spoke my mind– that would not have been good for the poor rude lady. I feel bad– she must hate her life to treat customers that way. So sad. I gave 3 stars because it was really good food.

Driving through Olympia along Capitol Way, I noticed Wagner’s European Bakery and Café. The big wooden sign with raised letters on the front of their building is what caught my eye. Although we weren’t hungry at the time, I definitely made a mental note of their location and planned to go back later. When we finally made it back, we discovered a nice full service bakery with breads, pastries, and cakes as well as a café with a menu of sandwiches and light meals. They had a sizable seating area that extended way to the back. We were just interested in some pastry to give us a lift for the afternoon. My friend had a Danish crisp, and I had a chocolate éclair. Both items were fresh and excellent. We are visitors in Olympia, but Wagner’s would be a place we’d come back to for pastries next time we’re in town.

Fantastic selection of pastries and the most delightful staff! We went in to get some pastries for the morning and as we ogled all the possibilities (including rhubarb tarts, lemon bars, cookies, Danish, cakes, and bars galore), the woman working behind the counter took pity on us and recommends the traditional German almond cake — and offered us samples of their AMAZING carrot cake. We are sold on this place and will visit any time we are in the area.

TL;DR– Baked goods are tasty, but I found a hair baked into a cake, the staff didn’t take it seriously, we’re flippant and a bit unprofessional, I had to wait 15 minutes for a refund, and didn’t get to speak to a manager. Won’t be back for awhile.
I have been here several times and there baked goods are really good. Not a huge fan of their espresso, but it isn’t terrible. Their service has never been fantatic, but not terrible. Based on just past experience I’d give them a 3 – 4 stars.
Based on my visit today– 1 star.
I got a raspberry «mousse bombe» and a croisant. The «bombe» was pricey, $ 5.50, but tasted good. That is until, about halfway through eating it, I found a long, curly red HAIR baked into the cake. Not. Good. I immediately felt nauseated– it sounds dramatic but seriously, gross.
So I took it back. This is where things went from bad to worse. I ended up waiting almost 15 minutes (I know because the parking meter expired lol) for a return, never got to speak to the manager, and got the flippant offer of «Want another one?» from the girl who– finally– processed my refund.
Overall they were very unprofessional and flippant about the situation which made me concerned this is something that is a frequent occurence. Anytime something like this has happened to me before the staff was grave, the manager apologetic and I left feeling confident that if I did go back, it would not happen again. This situation was the exact opposite– they literally spent time arguing about whose hair it was while I was standing there.
I don’t think it is asking too much to have a food safety issue taken seriously– even if the store is busy or it «happens sometimes».
Overall, I don’t think I’ll be back here for awhile, even though the pastries are good. This visit left me nauseous and with a bad taste in my mouth about the whole business.

cinnamon bread
there are two reasons to go to wagners: (if you didn’t get a tasty maple donut from your boss)
1. their cinnamon bread– which is their original recipe from three generations back
2. their turkey cranberry sandwich– to satiate your thanksgiving craving for turkey.
Other than that

I ordered a cake on the phone from Seattle, it was ready the next morning on Saturday. The cake was ok looking, I asked to liven it up for a little extra charge $$. They redid it in 20 min while they were very busy. It turned out awesome! I had to tip extra $ 15 for service. Thank you!

Very nice, great taste. Day old items exceptional. Looks like they have certainly upgraded the place since our last visit. Very clean bathrooms, paper towels MT in mens room. A must see and eat destination in Olympia.

It’s hard to think of a bakery/​café that I would rather go to. The bakers here are top notch and have such a warm presence to them that is very welcoming.
The coffee isn’t half bad, either =^)

Nice bakery in the downtown area of Olympia! I came in and got a small sized German Chocolate Cake, a Apple Turnover and a mixed berry tart to go. They also serve meals here as well but I wanted to focus on the main trait to the place which was the bakery.
All three baked items were wonderful! It seemed like whichever one Steve had prior we liked the next pastry even more!
Everything tasted fresh which is always something that I am looking out for. An excellent bakery!

I only stopped by while I was waiting on a friend, but my short visit at Wagners was pleasant.
I ordered simply a chocolate chip cookie and coffee. The coffee was average and about what you would expect from a café that doesn’t necessarily specialize in speciality coffee. However, they do specialize in their pastries, which are delicious.
The chocolate chip cookie was warm, sweet and chewy. They bake their cookies to the perfect size. Not too big to where you can’t finish it, but not too small that you feel the need to order two.
Beyond the cookies, Wagners has lots of other baked options, including cakes, pastries, doughnuts, Etc.

I have a lot of weaknesses. One of my biggest weaknesses is my sweet tooth. Thank the dear lord Wagner’s is inconveniently located in Olympia otherwise, they would see me all too often.
Miss Jeannie J. introduced me to Wagner’s last weekend as we were heading out of town and back to Portland. The choices of baked goods were seriously overwhelming. I opted for a loaf of cinnamon bread, a cheese danish and an éclair. I figured these pastries would last me all week until I returned to Olympia the following weekend.
Sadly, they forgot to box up the éclair. The folks at Wagner’s and me, we will have a little chat about that missing éclair next weekend. The cheese danish, well, it was freaking amazing. It disappeared yesterday. I brought a couple slices of the cinnamon bread to work today to satisfy the need for sugar mid-​day and it too is incredible. Very cinnamon-​y, very dense. If you enjoy cinnamon, you will love this bread.
Frankly, I think I could just close my eyes and point and I would be happy with whatever I ended up choosing, absolutely everything looks incredible. The prices are reasonable as well. With the exception of my not getting my éclair, I would say Wagner’s can do no wrong. The girls behind the counter are just as sweet as can be too.
I’m totally looking forward to my next visit and I am pouncing on that éclair!
2014 — Review # 32

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