The Essential Baking Company

Friendly people and okay stuff but very slow service. I frequently use the bus stop in front of this café, and sometimes like to get stuff while I wait for my bus. If there is a line though, I avoid it because the baristas are very slow on getting drinks out, even very simple things like an already made cold brew.

This place seems as if it should be good, but is actually terrible. Slow, rude staff and lackluster food.

I’ve eaten here twice. I’ve had the hazelnut chocolate crêpe, which was under cooked and definitely not worth the 6 – 8 $ charged. The second time, I had the pear tart that tasted like freezer burn and smelled sour. Their chai tea latte makes me so sad. I don’t know what is even more sad, the uncomfortable atmosphere, overpriced goods, the poor quality, or the staff that look miserable working there. I wanted to like this place because I am in the area a lot, but it is just not my cup of tea — literally.

If Kevin Smith’s movie Clerks were a pastry shop, it’d be The Essential Baking Company Madison Valley store… asked the manager if he would consolidate 2 customer loyalty punch cards. He told us he has a policy not to do this because he doesn’t like running out of punch cards.

Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Quite a few food options depending on what you’re in the mood for. A little over priced in my opinion for what you get. I will say that my almond croissant was divine!!! Best thing out of our entire purchase. Clean atmosphere!

Well damn. A hair in your omelette is not how you want to start your day. By surely the staff will apologize, perhaps give you a refund? Not at Essential. Protocol here is apparently to ignore you for 5 minutes (!) at the counter while you try to tell them about said hair. When you finally snap and demand attention, they take away your plate and tell you they will replace it. No apology was given, from the server, the barista, nor from the hair shedder themselves. What gives??? Completely disgusting (the service, not the hair).

So the food is decent, the coffee good but oh my the service is so surly. Every time we go we leave feeling like we have inconvenienced staff by ordering. So I think we just need to stop going and move to other local options. Such a shame, could be so good but to get there management need to seriously address the service.

Loved, loved, loved the Caramel Pear Crêpe! Had caramel and whipped cream on the side. Didn’t really need either, but one or both added to specific bites. Delicious, really. Fresh Bosc pear slices (quite a bit, but not too much– just enough for each bite) with a moist, perfectly cooked crêpe… but what really did it, made for a perfectly balanced sweet, savory, salty bite, were the walnuts! Not sure how they were seasoned or roasted (because I believed they were both), but they really added to and made the dish! Just enough of those, too. Yummy dish that I would definitely order again.

Don’t expect the internet to EVER WORK. I’ve been coming here regularly for 2 years because I have a child in school nearby and have never had a working internet connection. It JUST DOESN’T WORK.
The drinks are fine, but they don’t offer hemp or coconut milk. Just boring soy (unhealthy), rice (arsenic) or regular milk.
Their gluten free pastry offering is… Nothing. There is NOTHING except maybe a macaroon. They don’t even try. There is an option for gluten free toast for sandwiches, but it is the chalkiest, most tasteless excuse for bread ever. Check out what Chaco Canyon does for gluten free bread and you’ll see the difference.
They usually get my order right, but they insist on putting cheese on everything, even salad. So even though I order an omelette with no cheese, my side salad is drowning in Parmesan that I didn’t ask for and isn’t on the menu.
It is quite loud when it’s busy. And it’s right next to a major road, so the patio is not much better.
On slow days, it’s decently pleasant. Just haven’t found much else around here…

This bakery has good bread and pastries, however this review is strictly for the customer service. The first time I came here, the 2 ladies in front didn’t address my presence and kept on talking among themselves for minutes. The only thing she said to me was «$ 12» I gave her the money and she didn’t even look at me!
Then just today I went to buy some more bread and the same thing happened, but with a different lady.
Customer service sucks here!

I wasn’t too huge a fan of this place. I tried both the Cubano Sandwich and the Pastrami Reuben Sandwich. The Cubano had a weird mixture of ingredients that threw it off. It also was served on really thick bread and did not have enough meat! The pastrami Reuben was better, but mostly because anything would have tasted better than their Cubano. They serve their sandwiches with a little bit of potato salad on the side. It’s a little bland — just needs a little bit of salt and pepper.

Right at my bus stop, so it’s very tempting to want to pop in for coffee and/​or a breakfast sandwich everyday, but alas, I cannot. Since school started, I have come in a few times and enjoyed each visit. On one visit I ordered a mushroom and gorgonzola omelette with buttered baguette and potatoes. Another time I dropped in I had an egg and cheddar sandwich with a cup of coffee. I will definitely stop in again!

The staff isn’t the friendliest but the food is good.
For my vegetarian foodies, they have an excellent assortment of breakfast and lunch items. You can get anything from bagels, cinnamon raisin toast, omelets, crepes, oatmeal to sandwiches that are already vegetarian made. No changes necessary to vegesize them. They even have a vegan sandwich that is fantastic.
If you’re stopping in for a latte, they have cow milk alternatives; Soy and Almond milk.
The restaurant has outdoor seating. Something to be noted for those who are noise sensitive or want a relaxing experience, it is neither quiet or relaxing. The dining room is always super chaotic and so noisy you can’t even hear anyone across your own table. You’re also supposed to bus your own table, which is fine, but not everyone does that so you might have to bus and wipe down your own table. This has been the case every time I’ve gone there.

Our favourite local lunch spot — great sandwiches, coffees and cakes make this our weekend go to for quick and easy, fresh and tasty weekend lunch.

While supporting local businesses in the area of Madison Valley I would highly recommend checking this establishment out. But it can be on the stuff aside and somewhat rude with the staff. I live less than a block away and often find myself picking other locations that serve as decent if not better pastries and baked goods. So when making a choice of where you’d like to meet for coffee and the scone maybe you should think about the local Starbucks where you at least be greeted with a smile and you know that the product is going to be consistent.

Deceptive business practices. They feature breakfast and lunch «specials». There is nothing special about the specials. Regular prices not special prices are listed on the boards.

I’ve heard of the Essential Baking Company but never have really been in before. I try not to eat too much carbs so I’m not a big bread buyer normally, but we decided to meet here for lunch yesterday with some girlfriends and I’m now a fan!
I got the turkey, bacon, and smoked mozzarella sandwich and a currant scone. They were also selling day old stuff (croissant & pumpkin muffin for $ 3) so I took advantage of that as well. The sandwich was BIG and it came with some lightly dressed potato salad and a HUGE pickle! It was really good and even for a hungry preggo like myself, I could only eat half. The currant scone was tasty as well.
The croissant I reheated the next day for breakfast (so now it’s 2 days old) so it definitely wasn’t as fresh but still good and not overly buttery. The pumpkin muffin was a little too sweet for my tastes though. Essential Baking Company isn’t close enough to me where I’d become a regular but it’s a solid lunch spot for sure!

Slice me up some bread!
I like this place. It reminds me of all their different locations. They have 3 loafs of gluten bread to choose from and when you toast them they are pretty good.
I haven’t tried much overall but so far so good.

Hands down the best BLT I’ve ever had! Great spot to grab a pastry or coffee and they have a great deli menu. I love stopping by for a sandwich on the go to take for a picnic date.
The BLT is piled high with thick-​cut pepper bacon (the best kind of bacon really), arugula, gorgeous tomatoes and mayo on toasted scala bread. It’s simple, fresh and done right. For BLT lovers, this is your sandwich.
I still need to try a few other items off the menu to give my full, honest review but I can’t bring myself to order anything but the BLT whenever I go!

Good service and a nicely laid out bakery/​restaurant.
The sweets like the fruit bars are good, but not mind-​blowing. The sandwiches are good in general, although I wouldn’t recommend the turkey foccacia sandwich with pesto. The whole sandwich was one-​note, which surprised me.
Sometimes the actual ordering/​getting process can be confusing when there’s a line of people but it’s how they run all of their locations, so it’s not a big deal.
The soups, however, are always terrific. I had the vegetarian white bean soup not too long ago and my only regret is that I ordered a cup instead of a bowl!
Update: the kale salad may be the best I have had. Truly.