Upper Crust Pie & Bakery

Horrible!!! Sister in law brought a delicious pie to a family party, so I called this morning asking what pies they had available for same day, deciding to order something Since I had a very busy day and may not have time to bake for my event tonight. She told me a couple they had and I asked for the cherry. She said ok and as I started to say my name, she quickly said bye and hung up. Without getting my info or giving me any info. My mistake in not calling back and making sure that was standard procedure. I looked on their website and saw they close at 8, so I figured I would just pick it up on my way to a MEMORIAL for a good friend’s father this evening. Having signed up to bring dessert for the family. So imagine pulling up at 6:30 and seeing the bakery dark and I sign on the door saying «we close at 5 today.» Will not be back, even if the pies are yummy. It’s called customer service, and they clearly do not have any. Now I’m late to the event having to quickly drive around and find something (a grocery store dessert is not what I had in mind!).

Great lil café and bakery. They have good sandwiches but I always go for a sweet treat. They have a variety of cupcakes, sliced cake, pie, scones, ect.
Great staff, mostly family and they care about your experience.

We came here for breakfast and the service was great. We ordered the pancakes that were good and a omlete.
The pancakes were good. They were really big!
The eggs were really good. They had really cool creations.
While this place was very cute and charming. I don’t know if I would come back for a full meal. I thought everything was good but nothing that really got me excited. Now, we did get a strawberry cupcake to go and this was excellent!

Upper Crust was not a bad choice on a weekend for a lunch. The sandwiches seemed pretty normal, maybe a little generic for my taste. However, I did have the Turkey, Brie and Fig Panini which was very good! The outside patio is a little small, but the inside is a decent size for a small café. I would go again since I only stopped there briefly.

This food at this place is ok. Nothing exciting which is sad since they are supposed to specialize in baked goods. The thing that makes this place terrible is the customer service. I don’t known when treating the customer rudely and aggressively became acceptable anywhere except Dicks restaurants. At least with Dicks, the name says it all. Perhaps upper crust should rename themselves to something that is more fitting of their food and their horrible service…“assholes” maybe?

If I could I’d really give 3 ½ stars, but can’t quite get excited enough to give this cute little café 4 stars. I had dinner here recently & was a bit underwhelmed. I agree with another reviewer who described the experience as meh. Nothing was bad, but not was anything exceptional.
I opted for the Southern burger which has pimento cheese. The burger itself was dry & lacked flavor, but I wasn’t exactly expecting the best cut of meat at this type of café. What disappointed me was the roll which should have been baked in-​house was definitely stale. To boot, there was barely any pimento cheese. I usually expect it to be dripping off my burger/​sandwich, and it was nicely contained in a very small area on the burger itself.
Being a dessert lover, I was drooling over the loads of baked goodies in the case. Because this is a bakery, I expected this to more than make up for my underwhelming main course. Unfortunately they didn’t quite deliver. I had the chocolate peanut butter cupcake which was somewhat dry & the icing lacked a clear peanut butter flavor (it was overwhelmed by the chocolate ganache on top). The size was also a little on the small side for the price. I also chose a pumpkin pean cream cheese bar which was delicious, and at least made me not want to rate this place any lower.
The atmosphere and location are great, and there are so many dessert options to try that I would go back again, but it’s not going to be one of my regular stops.

I’ve been debating what to rate this place. I’ve been here twice, and both times I’ve felt rather meh about it. The food is definitely not bad, and the service was good, but it’s pricey and I don’t feel like it’s really worth what they charge. The first time I went was for lunch, and I had one of their sandwiches and a cupcake. The bread was very good, and you could tell it was fresh, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the cupcake. The second visit was for breakfast, and I tried one of their breakfast sandwiches. The sandwich as it is on the menu (for a starting price of around $ 5) just gets you two slices of bread and some scrambled egg. They upcharge you for the addition of cheese, bacon or sausage. In the end, after adding cheddar cheese and bacon, it cost $ 8. That doesn’t get you side items or anything. Not even a little bunch of grapes to garnish the plate. I have no issue paying that for a breakfast sandwich if there’s something special about it, but honestly it didn’t merit what they were charging. The coffee was nothing to write home about either, although it wasn’t terrible.
I will mention that I tried one of their cheddar and scallion biscuits, and it was legit. Better, in my opinion, than Jubala’s biscuits next door. If I end up here again for breakfast, I would definitely order again. It’s the biscuit that finally pushed me over the edge from two to three stars, haha.
That being said, this is a cute little place and everyone working here seemed very pleasant. In the end, for me at least, the cost to value ratio just isn’t there, at least for most of the food I tried.

We decided to stop in at Upper Crust today for lunch after church.
It wasn’t our first time there; but, based on today’s experience, it will be our last.
The first thing we noticed today as we entered was that the bakery case was almost devoid of pastries. Other times we’ve been there, the case has been laden with delectable looking delights. Today, there wasn’t much to be seen — just some parchment paper and a few dried out looking items.
After we found a table and perused the menu, I went up and gave our order. When I asked about silverware, the cashier told me that they were out of rolled silver but would bring us some in a minute.
When a runner finally brought our orders, they almost knocked my husband’s water over as they sat down a plate in front of him. As they were setting a plate down in front of me, I stopped them because it wasn’t what I had ordered. We realized at that moment that my husband had my panini. The server picked the plate up from in front of my husband and, in trying to lift it over our drinks — almost flung the open salad dressing cup into my lap. I said something or he also would have hit me in the face with the plate.
We finally got our correct orders and we asked for silverware. The runner brought two loose forks and two loose knives on a napkin and placed them by my plate (I guess since I asked for them?).
The side salad that used to come with the Firenze Panini used to be mixed baby greens and a wonderful vinaigrette. Today, my «salad» was a scant handful of limp, pedestrian lettuce, a few lackluster croutons, and the aforementioned plastic cup containing about an ounce of what tasted like store-​bought Catalina dressing. It was horrid.
Additionally, while sitting at our ring-​side table observing the action — several things caught our eye:
* Two women handled the cashier duties in between bussing tables and running food. Never once did we observe either of them washing their hands between handling money (or dirty dishes) and people’s orders.
* When a customer went to the counter for a water refill, the cashier took the customer’s dirty glass over to the ice, got more ice, and then went on into the kitchen to get the water. The customer’s straw was in the glass this whole time.
* Instead of using a serving tray, so that they can carry all of the drinks to the table at once, the servers carried one glass in each hand and made multiple trips!
My husband commented about how underwhelming the entire experience was today.

I have been to Upper Crust several times and have mixed feelings based on what you are after.
For lunch on a cold or rainy day, this is the spot. The Neuse grilled cheese is delicious and they have a different soup everyday. The chicken noodle and minestrone are two of the best soups I have ever had. If it is cold and rainy, I am there.
Now, for the not so great. I recently went for breakfast for the first time. It was a huge let down. I got the breakfast burrito that promised salsa and a cilantro sauce. The salsa was definitely out of a jar and I didn’t see any signs of a cilantro sauce. Basically, eggs and jarred salsa thrown into a wrap for $ 8. I could have done that at home. I recommend opting for Sola on Lead Mine for a homemade egg sandwich with homemade salsa (if that’s what you are after) or just step next door to Jubala and have a waffle with coffee.

The worst sandwich I’ve ever (half) eaten for lunch. Stay away from here for lunch. Maybe their desserts are better.

Supermarket quality baked goods at artesian prices.
Baked goods look way better than they taste.
I had been hoping I could bear the taste as I was desperate for a chocolate chip cookie to go with a cortado from the excellent purveyors of caffeine, Jubala, next door.
I looked at the offerings, knowing that I may be disappointed if I bought much of what looked to be scrumptious. Having tried some of the delicacies in the past.
Upon looking in the case, I spied cookies. Thought about the chocolate chips. Asked the cost, and for the size to out of pocket expense ratio… was kinda shocked.
Put your thumb and next closes finger to join a circle.
Then say the words out loud. $ 1.25.
I politely said thank you, and turned to leave
The staff person laughed at me as I walked out the door.
Perhaps you should wonder, while you chuckle at my sensible choice not to throw away money on small quantities of marginal goods…
why nobody was in there on a busy day instead of laughing at your potential clientele.

I’ve only been here once sadly but would love to come back. I had some appetizing pastries that made my taste buds go wild. I would enjoy trying out more of their menu items.

Not impressed by these cupcakes. They just left a blah taste in my mouth, but I only tasted the strawberry one – so maybe I missed something. My husband is a Sweets – cupcake, pie, cake –fanatic but he wasn’t impressed either. On an up note the inside is very nicely decorated and cute place to grab a glass of wine and dessert, if the taste suits you.

After my first time going here this morning, I’m feeling a bit. Blah about Upper Crust. We got an outdoor seat which was awesome. But my sandwich was not. I got the village sandwich and it was super bland. I also tried the breakfast burrito, that was more flavorful. The sandwich is desperately lacking flavors. They need to add an extra ingredient or something, it certainly has potential but didn’t do it for me today. I’ll also add it took a looong time for the sandwich to come out. It wasn’t even a hot sandwich and my side was a small scoop of ready made potato salad.
It’s located in north raleigh and is honestly one of the most beautiful shopping centers I’ve ever seen! It is so quaint and charming. I will probably try other restaurants in this adorable shopping center before coming back to this particular restaurant/​bakery.

Rude humans. Didn’t even make it to the food because the young woman at the register couldn’t figure out what time it was.
The time?! How the hell is the time relevant to me placing an order, you ask?
It was 1:45PM on Sunday. They stop serving breakfast items at 2PM, so to be polite, I thought I would ask before placing my order. The following conversation ensued:
«Hey, are you guys still serving breakfast?»
«I don’t know, I’ll have to check the time.»
…several moments pass wherein we stare blankly at one another.
I ask again,“I’m sorry, are you still serving breakfast?”
«I’ll have to see what time it is.»
At this point, I’ve been standing here for a good 45 seconds in this «exchange» and I still have no clue if breakfast is still being served or not. I get the distinct feeling that she intends to make me wait 14 minutes until 2PM to tell me that it is 2 PM and she won’t be able to serve me.
We continue to stare awkwardly at one another, deadly silent until one of her coworkers with a sense of accountability interjects with a polite reminder to the cash register attendant that they serve breakfast until 2PM. The attendant ignores the interjection and proceeds to ignore me by now staring at the register. I turned and went next door to Jubula for coffee and breakfast. Definitely skip the «Upper Crap» and try their neighbors.
In spite of this exchange, I wasn’t compelled to draft this review until I was seated on the back patio of Jubula enjoying a breakfast of a sweet biscuit, delectable Americano, and a chaser of a nutella topped banana waffle. That all tasted as amazing as it sounds. But as I sat on Jubula’s patio with a clear view of Upper Crust’s patio, I watched another Upper Crust employee engage in an obnoxiously rude behavior. This jerk starts pulling umbrellas off of the patio tables to close shop on time. Sounds fair until you consider that he had customers still eating and drinking at the tables where he was removing the umbrellas. He left his patrons exposed to the sun and never once asked,“Do you mind if I take your umbrella?” No, instead, he walked up, interrupted his party, and pulled a 7′ umbrella from the center of the table to pack it away as part of his closing duties.
At this point, I felt the need to post a review detailing the crusty culture of this irresponsible establishment which is void of politeness or common courtesy. The folk a currently employed here should pursue a career where you are not required to interact with human beings.
«Upper Crust» — they got half of it right. Damned crusty.

Cozy bakery with beautiful wooden tables (remind me of a French farmhouse). The cupcakes and desserts are nicely displayed and the specials written on the chalk board. The staff is very friendly and we enjoyed the sandwiches and ambience. A great little place to check out when at Lafayette Village.

We really enjoyed the casual modern county-​chic atmosphere. This place has character. The staff is really friendly, helpful & speedy. Free coffee refills at this place too, woohoo! But most importantly, the food… It was fantastic! We asked an employee for breakfast recommendations and she said the stuffed French toast is their most popular dish, although she favors the veggie omelette. We got both. The standout was the veggie omelette because it was unlike a typical veggie omelette. It had tons of fresh veggies placed inside so it wasn’t your typical veggie omelette. It was better!
Later, we purchased a couple of desserts. Got the Chocolate Pecan Pie and the PB & Strawberry Jelly Bar. Delicious! We would have liked to taste all of the beautiful cupcakes and pastries inside the cases, because they all looked so appetizing, but we behaved. Next time though we def want to try the cupcakes. The icing looked so creamy & smooth. Like a fresh cupcake should.
Cece & Meg
Food Diary of a City Girl

Went at 12pm on a Thursday. Almost empty. Very disappointed with the selection of pies (there was one, and it wasn’t labeled), considering there’s a sign on the door that says «fresh baked pies». None of the other baked goods looked fresh.
I ordered half of a sandwich (The Boone) and half of a spinach salad. Sandwich was great, although the salad was oddly put together (1 cube of feta cheese, 1 twist of cucumber) and hard to eat. Food took a while to come out.
Customer service needs some work. The lady who took my order didn’t speak above a whisper and was also chewing gum the entire time… very rude. I also feel like she kept glaring at me the whole time I was in the restaurant. Additionally, everyone here seems to be on their own schedule… they move slower than molasses.
I’ll take my business elsewhere.

A very cute bakery and café, perfect for lunch on a busy weekday! I stopped by Upper Crust a few days ago for some lunch and ordered the Raleigh, which was huge and full of yummy crisp apples. My only complaint was that there was a very large amount spread (which I believe was onion) and it was a too mayo-​ish for my liking. Once scraping a bit off I was fine. The pasta side was also solid and had a great flavor.
I also had a yummy peanut butter and jelly bar which was large, gooey and very peanut buttery! The other sweets looked good as well, though just a note it looks as if they keep their cupcakes refrigerated so if you don’t like that like me then you may want to order another sweet. I definitely want to try the cake next!
Random note: For being a pie place there really wasn’t much pie… There were two unlabeled pies, so i”m not sure what flavors they were. Maybe they keep more in the back?
Service was great and the prices are comparable to other local Raleigh lunch spots! I will definately be back for more!

i LOVE my pies. I actually dislike cake and cheesecake but i LOVE pies. I have not found a type of pie I dislike. I was in the area for Oktoberfest and I was elated to see a bakery dedicated to pie. Fall is here so pumpkins beware. To go with the season, I ordered the last 2 slices of pumpkin pie to share with my friends. I had some great expectation for this place unfortunately, I was disappointed. The pie was not sweet! I was like wuuuuuhht O. o… I kept taking more and more bites and I could not really taste the pumpkiny sweetness. I kept thinking bread pie (if bread pie exists).
I did not dislike it, but it was just not was I was looking for when I thought of eating pie. In my mind, pie is a dessert that made me want to go on a diet the next day. If you prefer more a mild taste to your pies, this might be your 5 star pikery (pie bakery), but this is not my piece pie.
yee that was a clever pun