Bottletree Bakery

Love this bakery. Their pastries are phenomenal. Today I ate a raspberry brioche, out of this world. Also drank an excellent cup of coffee. The only downside to this gem is finding a parking place. Well worth a visit.

Bottle tree is a bohemian bakery and coffeehouse near the square in Oxford. The pastries are good and the staff works hard. Checkout is really really slow… they need to get square!
It’s about the only place open for breakfast so go early.

I don’t think you can get better coffee in Oxford, MS. The folks there were friendly and the Ham and Swiss croissant was spot on

Service can take a little while but the coffee is totally worth it. They have tons of delicious pastries to choose from as well. Very cute spot, although it gets pretty crowded and parking is a total pain, just like any place on/​near the square.

Maybe it’s because I went the hour before closing… But my pastry wasn’t good at all and my coffee was kind of stale tasting. Everyone raves about it… So I feel like I’m missing something. But bottletree isn’t my thing.

Yes, I know the Bottletree is an Oxford icon. We’ve eaten there several times and it’s usually a pretty good place with excellent baked goods.
But not this morning.
It’s not unusual to wait a bit to get a table on a Sunday morning. We arrived at 10:15am and waited about 20 minutes or so which wasn’t bad.
Our server took our drink order — two orange juices and a large latte. The juices were just bottles of Tropicana right out of the cooler — no glasses. Other people were drinking glasses of orange juice at the next table and wife asked «you don’t have fresh squeezed?» as she pointed to them. The server told us they did not which was okay, but my wife decided to pass on bottled juice so the server took her bottle back. Unfortunately, my latte wouldn’t make an appearance until MUCH later in the meal.
We placed our order only to find out that they had run out of just about everything. No apple brioche (the reason I was there), no croissants for my wife’s Delta (chicken salad sandwich), and no bagel for my daughter’s Uptown (bagel and lox). Look, it happens. The server explained that their pastries are freshly baked and they just ran out… although it was barely 11:00am. There were lot of apologies from our server and we could hear her uncomfortably apologizing to other patrons as well. But you would think they would have planned better — this wasn’t their first busy football weekend at Olé Miss.
So our food finally arrives. Granola for me, a chicken salad sandwich for my wife (on sliced bread, they were out of croissants) and a simple danish for my daughter. Still no latte for me. We had no silverware so we asked for some and I asked about the whereabouts of my latte. Our server returned in a few minutes with one pre-​packaged plastic fork and knife set and apologized (again…) that they didn’t have any clean silverware. Seriously, no silverware in a restaurant? She finally brought me a luke warm latte and apologized (for the umpteenth time) for it being so late. But with no silverware I didn’t have anything to stir the sugar into my drink. I couldn’t wait for her to return so I used the plastic stuff and did the best I could with such a short knife and a very tall glass mug.
The granola was good, the Delta chicken salad fair. To say that the rest was meh would be generous… especially for that kind of bakery. We expected far better from a place that has shelves lined with loaves of bread.
As my wife was eating her meal, one of the staff asked her to move so he could access the refrigerator which was located behind her chair. It was a relatively small inconvenience and if you know the place, it’s crowded and the kind of accommodation a guest will make. My wife moved and didn’t complain, but it is bad form to interrupt someone WHILE they are eating.
So the bill comes and I go to the counter to pay. I noticed two gals paying in front of me (we had spoken while waiting in line) and could see from their receipt (left in plain site by the cashier/​hostess) that they tipped just $ 1.00 on their $ 15 tab. I can only conclude they were either equally disappointed or just poor college students who don’t know how to tip.
As a final insult, as I was leaving, a waiter was serving plates of food to a table near the front window. Four ham and cheese sandwiches — all on croissants. Perhaps they baked a batch during our meal because they sure didn’t have any when we ordered.
About 20 minutes later as I was walking around The Square, I received an email from Bottletree with a copy of my bill. I’m not sure how that happened because I used a credit card, not my Apple Pay (which always results in an email receipt). Whatever. But I did notice on their email that they charged me for two orange juices instead of one. As if our experience wasn’t sufficiently disappointing, I was overcharged.
Yes, I’m well aware of Bottletree’s reputation for funkiness and their cavalierly engaged staff. But this morning’s experience was unacceptable for any establishment and a waste of our time.

This was my first visit on a Saturday in Oxford. This bakery is just off of the Square. The exterior is not much to mention but it clearly drew a crowd. The interior is on the small side and we were looking to find two spots at the dining bar. Service was quick and the menu quite appetizing. My wife had a shortbread with fruit on top which enjoyed. I had the brioche with cream and strawberry filling. It was excellent. They reportedly make their own pastries each morning. Surprisingly, to either side of us were New Yorkers. What a small world. The two reported enjoying their selections from the menu. The atmosphere was light and filled with the smells of coffee.
This visit we ate light but I hope to sample other aspects of the menu next visit.

Great atmosphere: eclectic & funky. Sat at the bar & enjoyed talking to the staff. Had their house granola: very filling & yummy. Bowl was a large portion served with milk on top. Vanilla latte very large! Low fat is optional. My friend had bagel: salmon cream cheese! Looked great.
Reviews all great!

Listen, you could go ahead and continue reading reviews… Or, you could head on down and snatch up one of the best cinnamon rolls ever before someone else does.
The aesthetic of this little breakfast nook when paired with great coffee and freshly baked pastries earns a 5-​star-​Yelp-​review and a returning customer.
And seriously, you have to get a cinnamon roll (big enough for 2 to share).

There’s nothing better than freshly baked goods and a fantastic cup of coffee to assuage your hangover away. Bottletree is always packed, but it is consistently delicious.
Try the ginger scone, a pillowy delight riddled with chunks of crystallized ginger. The focaccia «pizzas» are epic and tasty, and the sausage biscuits are an ideal pick-​me-​up. Plus, you can pick up a loaf or two of fresh bread to take home with you.

Always an Oxford favorite! Fresh ingredients, everything is made in house!

The best blueberry muffins in the world, bar NONE, are made here. Everything here us great, the breads, the coffee, the atmosphere, everything.
I call ahead 24 hours to order enough of the little «baby» blueberry muffins for the kid’s class. They are always a huge hit, don’t forget to add enough for the teachers!

Great baked goods. I had the choc croissant and coffee and it was great. The fruit was fresh and they give you a nice assortment. They cut it fresh while you’re there. Think the baked goods are all fresh. If you re in Oxford, you gotta try it but GET THERE EARLY if you want to sit. The wait can be long but it is worth it.

Packed on a Sunday Morning and worth the crowds and wait. Fresh, over sized breakfast items and spectacular coffee and service. The ambiance is typical of Oxford. Oh Hotty Toddy!

Amazing cinnamon rolls! Some things are really good but it depends on what you get. Don’t plan on dinning there because it takes forever and they shove everyone’s orders in a tiny luke-​warm convection oven.

I came in here real quick before hitting the road and heading to Orange Beach. I ordered a turkey & cheddar croissant at the recommendation of the girl working there, it was pretty good, not the best croissant I’ve ever had though.
I ordered a caramel latte and was later informed they were out so I switched to vanilla. I’m pretty sure the girl simply made the latte and then squirted some vanilla flavoring in there… all I know is that is tasted like, burnt charcoal with egg-​nog poured over it.
So while I recommend their pastries, I would stay far far away from their vanilla latte… and maybe just all their lattes in general.

I frequently stop in to Bottletree. I’m not an employee or friends of employees or the owner. After reading some reviews regarding service at this fine establishment, I decided to throw my opinion in.
First, the food. I’ve tried on many different occasions their bagels, granola, honey cream cheese danish, brioche, sourdough and french bread, salads and sandwiches. All of it excellent. Maybe a little too good for my waistline but for an occasional indulgent pastry treat — they are worth every indulgent bite.
Service: From take out to sit down I’ve never had a problem. Have the staff sometimes been short? Yes, but this place is often busy. Combine the frenetic pace of a Sunday church crowd or football game weekend, and add in the behavior of certain customers, and I’m often amazed that the Bottletree staff can stay so upbeat.
Example: The other day I dropped in to get something to go. It was a non-​busy weekday. The woman ordering in front of me asked about 20 questions about the bread and ingredients. The Bottletree staff person did her best to answer the customer’s questions but the customer continued with asking the same basic questions. 10 minutes later with now three more patrons waiting in line behind me, the customer deemed the bread worthy and finished her transaction. The Bottletree staff person turned right to me without missing a beat and helped me quickly and efficiently.
Does everyone have a right to know the ingredients in their food? Yes. Do some customers get a little overzealous in asking such questions? Yes. My point is, I’ve seen various versions of the example above many times in Bottletree. If you think the staff is rude or short, perhaps take a deep breath and remember that not every customer is easy to help. No I’m not necessarily implying you reading this are difficult, it’s just that especially on busy weekends around town, some patrons behavior and demands would put a strain on even the most personable restaurant employee.

We stopped by early on a Thursday afternoon. We ordered a chocolate brioche, a butter croissant, a bread pudding muffin, and two coffees. The cashier threw in a complimentary bread pudding muffin as it was our first visit.
All of the pastries were excellent. The croissant was buttery and not overbaked (a common problem in our experience). The brioche was fluffy and buttery with a strong yeasty flavor. The brioche’s ganache filling was more complex than just chocolate and cream. We’d also recommend the bread pudding: it was sweet and buttery with a pleasantly crisp edge.
Sadly, the coffees were a disappointment. They had been on the burner for too long and required significant doctoring with cream and sugar.

I’m coming to appreciate that not every town has a full-​service bakery. But even among those that do, I’ve yet to find one with a place quite like Bottletree. Not only do they have breads and breakfast and dessert pastries, but they turn those into fine breakfasts and lunches, which you can enjoy in their rather large and bustling dining area. On a Saturday morning the place is packed with regulars, young and old. We were able to snag two seats at the low bar, reminiscent of those in diners (but you’ll have to go elsewhere for bacon and eggs), which allowed us to watch the food preparation taking place. Against our better judgement, we ordered the cinnamon rolls, which are actually elegant (and giant) brioches heaped with creamy vanilla icing. So good. My only complaint is that the growing line and frantic staff made everything seem a little rushed and precluded a second cup of coffee.

Fantastic pastries — the strawberry humble pie and apple brioche were our favorites. Chocolate croissants, the approximate size of prehistoric animals, were also delicious. Coffee and espresso were solid.
Atmosphere was eclectic and cool. The menu includes a culinary definition of «muffin,» which seemed a tad gratuitous and made us chuckle.
Highly recommend if you are in Oxford.