Upper Crust Bistro & Bakery

Looked like a cute place walking by. We live about 3 minutes from this place when it was open and located on 21^st. We ordered 2 take-​out pizzas and we were told that it would be about ½ hour. Went to pick it up, they couldn’t find our order, so it it took another ½ hour after that. The pizza received was not what was ordered and really didn’t taste that great for the price. I hope that the owner takes a look at some of the negative critcism regarding the service.

The restaurant is closed. No new tenant as of 10÷7÷11

For the record, this restaurant has closed. Bön voyage, UC!

Upper Crust is one of Tacoma’s hidden gems! We went for dinner one night and talked with the absolutely delightful owner, and decided to hit it up the next morning for breakfast.
Dinner-​wise:
I consider myself somewhat of a bread connoisseur (basically just meaning I eat a boatload of bread) and I have never had more delicious breadsticks anywhere.
Slightly crisp on the outside, warm and soft and doughy on the inside with the perfect marinara dipping sauce (zesty and bursting with flavor).
The wine selection is very good as well (this is one of the few places in Tacoma that has a Cabernet Franc on the menu — yum!).
Back for breakfast:
Great drip coffee and THE BEST blackberry lemon scone I’ve ever put in my mouth. Soft and crumbly and the perfect amount of sweet.
If you haven’t tried this place, GO! It’s amazing!

Updated review. Went back because we had really wanted the checkerboard pizza! Not as crowded and a great experience. The owner was making sure everyone felt taken care of. Now, they are closing in the middle of June, and I hope they re-​open somewhere closeby because I really like their creative takes on pizza. And I like the owner, who is kind of getting a raw deal here from what I know of the situation. I think it may explain why things have been a little rough for them the last few weeks from the sounds of things from other reviews. Well, when they re-​open, I’ll be one of the first there to see the new place.

Completely unrecommended. The vinaigrette was so vinegary I winced with each bite. The pizza was so dry and crusty it cut the roof my mouth. Oddly, the cheese blend tasted really old. The wine was old and about to turn. They were completely out of pinot noir and malbec’s too? The owner was our server and was polite, but as a customer I could tell he was stressed, which overall diminished the overall atmosphere of our experience.

The service was terrible. Like, seriously terrible. The server did apologize, which means she wasn’t oblivious. I’m glad she didn’t occupy an alternate reality where it’s acceptable to wait 10 minutes to come over with water after we seated ourselves.
The food was meh. I paid $ 23 plus tax for a 16″ pizza with cheese, tomato, and spinach. I waited nearly 40 minutes for it. The crust was tasty, but the texture was pretty sad. I expected better.
I had to ask for my check. After waiting for 15 minutes after I finished eating, literally no food moving to my mouth, I got up and walked to the register and handed over my card so I could leave.
I did get a KILLER bottle of wine for $ 20 for their Wine Wednesday deal. Like, I stole the thing. It would have retailed for $ 40 if it were even available, which it isn’t.
The cakes in the case looked awesome, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to wait 15 minutes for them to box a piece up.
Had it not been for the wine, this would have been my worst dining experience in Tacoma to date. I will not be back, and I will not recommend it to others.

Food great, service awful. Don’t be in a hurry! Have you ever been so hungry you felt like that man-​eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors? That’s how I felt Friday night when I took a few friends here– mistake #1. We had a 6pm reservation for 4. We ordered our food right when the waitress took our drink order, cause it took her 15 minutes to acknowledge us and we know the food is slow, so wanted to get our orders in. We ordered a pizza (capricciosa– their best) calzone (the Broadway) and hand-​rolled breadsticks. Simple right? No.
About 30 minutes after we ordered (45 after arriving) the place was filled with smoke. Somebody burnt a pizza and it was awful. So now I feel like I’m dying of hunger and smoke inhalation. At this point, we realize the table next to us is furious. They’d waited an hour for their pizza and it came out burned to a crisp. So they are throwing a fit and we are like… it’s been an hour and we still don’t have breadsticks! 10 minutes later they came out and were delish.
So. We gorged ourselves on those, while praying that the waitress would make eye contact long enough to refill our water glasses and bring another round (she hadn’t been back since our orders).
Almost 90 minutes after we ordered our food came. As always, it was delicious, but food tastes less great when you’re pissed off at your server and your stomach has shrunk from waiting so long for your food.
We were eating our pizza when we started to notice other customers getting antsy, waiving the waitress down, etc. Then a four top came in that the chef and waitress knew. Here’s the kicker– our service entirely stops, the chef leaves the kitchen and everyone bullshits for 30 minutes!
We were amazed! No one had apologized for the smoke or 90-​minute pizza or 60-​minute breadsticks and we have no water and you guys are all gonna chit-​chat?! It was unreal. Oh, and their breadsticks came out I’m like 10 minutes– so it can be done!
We managed to pull the waitress away to ask for our checks, and wanted desserts (they looked gorgeous) but had been here 2+ hours and were just annoyed at this point.
I’m super bummed to write this review because their food and the atmosphere are 4-​stars– but the service was so awful. I was embarrassed to have brought first-​time guests.
I think the chef may be the owner, in which case I hope he’s embarrassed. If he’s not the owner, I hope the owner has some words with him and his wait staff on a few points– when you have to wait 90 minutes for food, getting appetizers our before an hour is up can be a lifesaver. Try not to smoke out the customers. Apologize when the food is taking awhile. Refill the water. Don’t leave the kitchen to hang with your buddies when all your customers are mad.
Not sure if we will be back, and we used to go a lot. Sad.

Dear Upper Crust,
You are a delicious restaurant. I love calzones, and I don’t remember when I’ve eaten one that was more tasty and fresh. The crust was perfectly golden and the fillings a delectable complement to each other with mushrooms, artichokes, red onions, and spinach melting in my mouth. What, the side salad I wanted comes with the calzone for less than $ 10? Even better! A dining companion ordered a mouth-​watering pizza – the sauce a mix of pesto and marinara, topped with red peppers and kalamata olives perched on goat cheese medallions.
Your «wine flight» is a flight of fancy. Four generous pours from open bottles, which happened to be a pinot grigio followed by chardonnay followed by syrah and more syrah (Cycles Gladiator is a brand to remember!). Each wine was more delightful than the next, and you never disappointed. For $ 7, we had more than our money’s worth.
I read about your previous bouts of poor service, but you seem to have been cured (perhaps helped by the fact that we were the only customers?). The staff was pleasant and accommodating, and the ambiance very warm and welcoming.
Alas, we ran out of time to try your desserts and baked goods because we had to make a drunken stumble next door to Source Yoga for our yoga class. But the wine flight helped us fly through the downward dogs, and when dizziness struck, we resorted to child’s pose.
We will be back for more!
Sincerely,
Delighted Devotee

Bottom Line: Come here for the pastries.
If you look at everyone’s reviews, they mention the bread-​y part of their food. There’s a reason.
They open early — if you need killer scones, this is THE place. They have a great crunch while retaining moisture, I’m guessing that’s from baking them in a pizza oven. You can order in advance. Try the lemon ginger or blueberry — really delish.
Terrific cakes, whoopie pies, cookies and bread. Seven layer bars are so-​so. Brownies are solid. Sometimes they have Nanaimo bars, million dollar bars and lemon bars — excellent. They have fantastic pumpkin pastries in the fall.
If you are getting the feeling at this point in my review that I have baked good addiction issues, you are correct.
Oh…you wanna know about the FOOD??? Well, frankly, the pizza sucks. Clearly, I am inclined to want to eat here. We keep trying — it’s only a block or two away — it would be good to eat real food with our pastries, but really… it’s not good. I get mad about it and stop eating the baked goods for awhile whenever I’ve tried to eat the real food. Need I say more?

We walked past this place yesterday, we’ve been looking for a house in this neighborhood, and decided we would stop and have lunch. This was Saturday at 12:45, when we sat down. The menu looked great, the feel of the place is attractive, as is the smell when you walk in the door very inviting.
Within 10 minutes of us sitting down, one other table was occupied when we got there, the place was full. There must have been 10 parties that hit this place all at once. We were getting nervous about service when we saw water getting served to people who walked in #3 or #4 in order. The couple next to us, seemed to have to wait for a while to get their order in. I can see where the comments about service could come from. The service appears haphazard, disorganized, and I could see errors happening because of this. My girlfriend has worked as a waitress in the past and is a highly effiecient at anything she does. She was trying to get the server to help various tables, both telepathically and with verbal ques. One party did walk out while we were waiting for our food, they never did get their order taken.
Now all of that being said, our order was taken in a timely fashion considering how many people got there all at once, our food arrived in a short period of time, and the North end meatball sanny, and 21^st street were outstanding. We each elected to have the half sandwich and salad, one of us upgraded the salad for $ 2 to one of the specialty salads. The food was some of the best either one of us have had. Salads were very fresh produce, the bread was baked there, all of the ingredients were of the highest caliber. We were positioned right in front of the kitchen so we saw that each sandwich, pizza and calzone was individually made to order. You don’t see that anymore.
The Upper Crust is a great find. The food outstanding, and made with care, the space is wonderful, and the people genuine. The service maybe haphazard, but who cares! Get a table, visit with a friend in this cozy little Bistro while you are waiting for your food, solve all of the worlds problems and your calzone will arrive at your table when you are done! Relax, and don’t go planning to be in and out within 20 minutes and it will be a great experience.
We will go back, the calzone is next.

Good sandwich… perhaps the worst service and server… Ever. Super slow and didn’t seem to know much about the menu. Had to track her down and drag her away from the Internet to pay our bill. Only about 4 other people in the restaurant. Can’t recommend and won’t return.

Food is above average but we waited over an hour and half for our food and service was poor.

You know when you order pizza from chains, and you eat a couple of pieces, and then the rest of the night you feel gross and heavy? Not at the Upper Crust! Their use of fresh ingredients and homemade EVERYTHING make it a delicious and nutritious meal. It’s a small little place, with tons of character, and a chef that is a hoot.
I went with my best friends, and we each ordered a calzone. Now, on the menu, I saw that I could choose not only my own sauce, but up to 3 toppings. When I saw eggplant as an option, I knew it had to happen. My calzone consisted of roasted, seasoned eggplant, roasted chicken, and black olives, with pesto marinara sauce. Let me tell you this was heaven. I’m picky about eggplant, and this was PERFECT. Even the pregnant best friend agreed after snagging a bite. It also came with a great side salad of mixed greens, a light balsamic dressing, and sprinkling of cheese. Very filling, but with the fresh ingredients comes none of the heavy, icky feelings.
And then came… dessert. We were so full, we decided we should share a homemade pumpkin cheese. And a wise choice this was. The three of our devoured the rich, creamy, deliciousness with a light crust in only moments.
And as if THAT weren’t enough, the chef came and joined us at our table for a chat, and brought out pumpkin scones. I’m not sure how I was able to walk out of there, much less move.
One thing to be aware of, is that as they prepare completely fresh, is that it may take awhile. So come when you have a little extra time, and want to enjoy a delicious evening out!

Came here because (1) it is next to the yoga studio I sometimes attend and (2) had an Entertainment Book coupon. Because of the coupon, we didn’t get to try the pizza, but instead got a calzone and the «favorite» salad.
The salad had nuts and cranberries and a vinaigrette dressing. It was good, not great. The calzone did not have enough mozzarella cheese in it. Service was somewhat lacking and slow even though we were like the only people there. Perhaps it was because we sat outside and not inside?
It is in a cool little neighborhood, and window shopping next door at the (expensive) home décor place was a nice after lunch stroll.
I will probably be back because we have another coupon for their pizza and I’d like to give that a try. The pasties looked heavenly, but my diet said «no» to them. Maybe next time.

Two part review:
First, the five star rating is for their breads. Truth be told, I’ve only actually had their pizza one time, and I’ll touch on that in a minute. Their breads, which are mostly ciabattas, are fantastic. Made fresh every day, they are the perfect compliment to a good hummus or cheese, and they make for an absolutely dynomite caprese sandwich.
My two favorites are definitely the jalapeño mozzarella and the rosemary, but frankly, they are all delicious.
In addition, they also make challah, but they don’t make very many so I don’t get to buy those too regularly. They also have yummy cookies and muffins, as well as some absurdly decadent desserts, but I don’t eat all that many sweets, so I pretty much utilize them solely for the breads.
Pizza:
It was good, not gonna lie. We got the buffalo chicken, and it definitely made me sweat. I’m not totally sure if it was a locally made buffalo sauce or if they just snuck Frank’s Red Hot on, but either way, the addition of fresh onions, jalapeño’s and black olives made it quite a refreshing change to what most places would call a buffalo chicken pizza. It is definitely pricey, but if there are two of you, a medium is plenty, and you’re lookin at 8 or 9 bucks each.
Sidenote: There is a chess board with pieces made out of salt and pepper shakers. This deserves a bonus star. Incredibly entertaining and something I hadn’t seen in a restaurant before. Also, I’m not sure if we just got lucky, but our service was quite fast. Sure we waited fifteen minutes for the pizza to cook, but, umm… it’s a pizza.

This place has great ambiance, cool artwork, cool furniture and is very cozy. All pizzas and calzones are made to order and are very delicious but the service was super slow even though we were only two of 6 people in the restaurant. I ordered dessert (carrot cake) and have definitely had better. Overall, it was okay.

Ah, Tacoma’s hidden dining treasure…
The Upper Crust Bistro offers the best dining experience in all of Tacoma. Their food, (including pizza), is spot on, and the atmosphere equates to that of a cozy Italian Bistro in Rome, full of character and integrity.
The service is excellent, and it is clear that the owners share a legitimate concern for high quality food and top notch customer service.
The only other place I’ve been to in Tacoma that competes with the Upper Crust, (but still comes in second) is Europa.
If you’re a fan of high quality baked goods, salads, pizza, and customer service, give the Upper Crust a shot. You won’t be disappointed!
I’ll be a customer for life.

I was on a desperate search for a good pizza when I moved here from NY and Upper Crust was recommended by a local doctor who seemed to enjoy the place so I had to stop in, especially since its walking distance from my house.
The restaurant is small, cozy and welcoming with some yummy baked goods on display as well as the smell of pizza being cooked. The pizza combos are interesting and salads have been tasty. I have been here three times and each time I have been somewhat dissappointed with both pizza and service.
First of all the pizza, yes the toppings were nice but I always had a problem with the crust. The crust was always kinda burnt, stiff and to thick to neatly fold. Though the sauce and toppings were nice it was overpowered by the charcol taste of the crust.
The service was a bigger problem. You are greeted, seated and served without issues. The problem was is once all that happened, the server dissappears completely, this happend all three times. There are no really «how are things going?» check up and you have to stand up and flag someone down for a refill. The longest part is getting the check and paying the bill. The inattentive service is a shame because this place does have a wonderful spark to it.

We’ve been back a few times (like I said, the breadsticks are really really good) and in those visits, the staff has earned another star from me – they’ve all been nice and the (owner?)/chef was genuinely interested in how things were and made sure our food was cooked properly after I mentioned our previous experience with the calzone.