Bear Claw Bakery and Cafe

Ive had their sandwiches from here at lunch meetings but had not ben in to take a peak in years. I somehow ended up in this part of town and tried their jalapeño scone… Holy mother that thing was heavenly. Fresh, buttery, savory, and and with a touch of sweetness. Diet? What diet?

Here is an update… so today was the first chance I’ve had to personally come back for a bear claw, I was here around 11 o’clock and they still had some! I grabbed 2 … because everyone keeps raving about the bacon maple bar so I grabbed one of them too… OMG the bacon maple things were screaming… and I’m NOT particularly a maple guy… Now, I’m not going to say I like them better than the claw, but I intend to try several more to convince myself of that… So my hats off to the owners if you come here for a bear claw, trust me, you might wanna ALSO get a bacon maple thing. Calling it a donut doesn’t fully tell the story of what a treat you’re about to have…

Best bear claws ever! Their coffee is so good and reasonably priced. Love this place its the perfect stop for coffee and pastries before work.

It’s not a friendly place no wonder they don’t have much customer mostly the other blonde girl she Wasn’t nice the way she handed my receipts. The girl with glasses was nice enough to say Thank you! I won’t recommend the cronuts are not the same as Johnny doughnuts in San Rafael

I love this place and I can’t say it enough. They are so friendly and their food is perfection.
On a gloomy morning it was the perfect place to go to get the lift that I needed. A breakfast sandwich and a pastry made all the difference.
I highly recommend this amazing bakery.

This is the BEST local bakery in the area.
Suggestions to try:
Bear claws
Maple bars sprinkled with bacon
Chicken pesto croissant
Cheese star
Apple fritters…
Why do I love The Bear Claw?
1. Incredible customer service every single time I come here.
Every cashier I have interacted at this bakery has treated me with the upmost respect and integrity. To me, customer service is the most important aspect of a business and they’ve got this on lock. There was one time where I came and someone who appeared to be a boss or owner was upset and publicly reprimanded the cashier and I felt sorry for the cashier, but I didn’t have to interact with whoever that person was. Also, that was the first and last time I ever saw anything like that, which leads me to believe that it was just someone having a bad day.
2. Consistent products
Every time I come here, I’m happy with what I purchase. From the bear claws, to the maple bars sprinkled with bacon, to the chicken pesto croissants, to the cheese star, to the Apple fritters… I am always happy with the pastries here, and a cup of coffee.
3. Baked in house
too many bakeries and coffee shops rely on other places to provide them with their products, but nearly everything is baked on premises, which makes it taste more fresh and always tasting yummy in my tummy.
If you are one of those East Bay Café folks and you love going there in the morning to do work and get a great cup of coffee, I suggest that you stop in here first. Everything is fresh, everything is tasty and the customer service is lovely. Then, head to East Bay Café to snack on Ube macaroons.
Renee from the Bay

I have been going to this bakery/​café for 32 years and thought it was always great but never wrote a review, so here it is. This place is wonderful; the pastries are delicious.
My son favors the cherry squares and I love the lemon turnovers. Their chorizo and potato breakfast burritos are great (I don’t use their salsa on the side because I think the burrito is great just as it is.) Their specialty cakes are wonderful in that for my parents anniversary cake they used their wedding photo and somehow with this new technique put this photo in the frosting and it was, «Wow!» My parents were so happy and so was I.
I also really love their cronuts and anything chocolate like their chocolate old fashioned donuts. Too bad I get there so late that they’re often out of my chocolate faves; I guess other people like them, too.

My mom introduced me to this super cute bakery. It has a small but delectable selection of pastries. We tried the Cronut, Bear Claw, and the Maple Bacon Bar. They were all super delicious. The dough of the maple bacon bar was airy and light it wasn’t heavy like others I have tried.
The Cronut was delicious I loved the filling inside, it was different from others I have tried.
The service was great! Such a great place to go to for breakfast, catch up session, or just grabbing a quick bite to eat. The fact it’s local only makes it even better!

I stopped by at the bakery to get some donuts this morning and I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much of a selection to choose from. I was looking for some chocolate donuts with fillings but there wasn’t any available so I ended up getting 4 little maple glazed donuts, one cupcake? and 1 maple glazed with filling. The reason why I’m only giving this bakery 4 stars is because the donuts didn’t taste as good as it looked. Also, the donut with filling barely had any filling in there and it was a bit dry as well. Maybe it wasn’t freshly baked? I don’t know but this won’t be my favorite spot for donuts though. Overall, 3,5 stars for the donuts and another .5 star for the service. The lady seems very nice and welcoming.

Ordered a half sheet cake for a Star Wars themed birthday party and it was totally delicious! It was a layer of vanilla, raspberry filling and then a chocolate layer. The butter cream frosting was not too sweet and very creamy. I had a specific pickup time and the cake wasn’t ready. But they made up for it by delivering it right to my door! What customer service!
I will also add their iced white mocha was delicious. They actually use freshly made whipped cream. This is a great little mom and pop place to support. They also appeared to employ high school kids too, which I think is awesome. Give them a try!

We only stopped by Bear Claw for a quick lunch. At 12:30 PM, their pastry case did not have much selection. The pastry on display were not exactly inviting, but since we were not here for the pastry, that was not a deal breaker. It could be because of the time, though, so do not let my little comment deter you from stopping by to sample their sweets.
We ordered the Hot Chick panini. It was delicious with the baked herb chicken, bacon, pepper jack cheese, jalapeño, tomato with chipotle aioli. If they simply called it a sandwich, it would have been above average. But calling it a panini when it really was just a sandwich with warmed bread is false advertisement.
Friendly service and decent prices would make me willing to stop by again should I find myself in the area.

Healthy breakfast burrito taste much much better now. Good flavor and they also added a side of salsa to go with the burrito. I’ve also had their Nutella banana cronut. Yum! Definite must try! Do get here early to get the good stuff. Oh and mike who own this place is super friendly and nice.

Super friendly, my mom actually went to high school with the owner. I had the raisin/​cinnamon bear claw, SO GOOD! It was hard to decide what to get, they have everything! Donuts, bear claws, muffins, apple turnovers, scones, cookies, etc. AND I also got my lunch for the day, half sandwich & soup. Definitely recommend this bakery!

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! I have never had a pastry that I didn’t love. My family orders dinner rolls for big events. They are warm and soft and fabulous!
I also appreciate all of the support they give back to the community. Thank you for supporting the many community programs in Pinole!

Those maple bacon bars are the devils work!!!
Seriously though, I could eat 3 with a black coffee or a glass of milk
«Fix it Jesus!» *Phaedra Parks voice*
The donut itself is slightly more dense than a traditional donut but the toppings are delectable. I picked off a piece of bacon when no one was looking and it was perfectly salty, sweet and chewy. It might have been crispy earlier when they were made but we were advised to call in ahead and reserve a few because Bear Claw only makes a dozen every morning and the earliest we could come was 10 am. Everything else in the bakery looks so-​so.
I didn’t really like their stuffed Cronuts or sticky bun that much and the bear claw was okay and the buttermilk coffee cake was more crumbly than I thought it would be but still good.

I might be biased because I used to work here, but I still think it’s the best bakery in the area. I’ve been coming here for decades, even before I started working there.
All the food is made from scratch, the pastries, donuts, and cakes are all top notch and made daily. The bread is made on site for all the sandwiches and the coffee drinks are pretty good too.
It’s a great little place in Old Town with a small town vibe. Despite that they do have some very new creations such as cronuts and maple bacon bars.
If you are ever in the area it’s worth the time to stop in and enjoy a little bit of life.

Love this place. Best pastries, breakfast burritos and there panini’s are really yummy. Staff is always really nice. I just love mom and pop shops. Best one in the area.

I have been a customer of this outstanding bakery for decades. I love it.
I used to be a daily customer. Due to heart issues, I sadly am only a customer for special occasions.
The food is tasty & well prepared with top ingredients.
The sandwiches are large, fresh, & tasty.
The prices are standard.
The service is always with a smile & either fast… or dependent on a line, reasonable.
They special make cakes. I forget the name of the photo I am attaching but it is a family favorite.

Cute coffee shop that you’ll drive right by if you aren’t looking for it. Has a small town, antique-​ish vibe. Not an overwhelming variety of baked goods but must tries include:
in house baked «cronuts» (half croissant, half doughnut) I prefer the strawberry custard
Bacon maple bar– kinda greasy but sinfully delicious!
the roast beef sandwich on a roll– yum!
Cons:
Bakery had an empty vibe to it. Staff isn’t always present when you enter the store.
popular baked goods aren’t always available or run out too soon.
Pros:
Portions are above the average mom & pop donut shop.
Unique treats.

My fiancé and I called The Bear Claw Bakery on a Monday afternoon in January with a desperate & hefty request. We were referred to the owner, Terry, who was out but called us back within a half hour — from her home.
«Hi Terry. We have an extraordinary request, and we hope you can help us. We need a two-​tiered white circular cake, with flowers, enough to serve about 30 people … and we need it by Friday morning.»
«Not a problem. I’m glad to help. I’ll email you shortly — send some pictures for reference & we’ll figure this out.»
Amazing, right?! Sure enough, after a few more exchanges, we arrived at Bear Claw on Friday with the most gorgeous, perfect cake for my sister-in-law’s surprise reception party. It was exactly what we wanted, and the quality exceeded our expectations considering the three day deadline! It was delicious & fresh, with vanilla frosting on the outside & fresh strawberries inside with a light whipped cream. Terry even decorated the cake with fresh orchids, because we told her they were one of the bride’s favorite flowers. The price was very fair, coming in under the budget that we had set for ourselves. Our cake was just perfect, and the two tiers made the difference between a surprise party and a surprise wedding reception.
We were incredibly pleased with the quality of work done by Terry and her staff. They really went above & beyond to accommodate our difficult request & seemingly impossible deadline. See the picture for yourself — the cake was gorgeous! And more importantly, it was delicious.
We had an amazing experience with The Bear Claw Bakery, & I’d recommend them in a heartbeat. (And it’s nice to see that we’re not the only ones!)