Top 10 Gluten-Free Bread Spots to Delight in Berkeley

Sarah D

This is the typical situation where faddishness is giving it more popularity than it actually earns. Berkeley is prone to this kind of problem, where popularity is more a question of Insta rankings than actual merit. I stopped in twice in the past week. The first time, it was right after opening time and it was relatively empty. I was waited on by a person that later in the week I saw serving as a barista, she had an air of faint annoyance at having to actually interact and work with customers. On my second visit, today, she and her fellow barista were so engaged in their conversation for the entire 15 minutes that I was in the shop due to the long lines, that they were producing drinks at about half the speed that was possible. The line stretched from the counter to the door, and based on my former experience in a similar job, it would have been half this length if the people making the drinks put customers ahead of socializing with each other and looking cool. They almost never made eye contact with a customer the entire time I was there unless someone asked a question when picking up the drink, and often that person had to repeat the question in order to get their attention. This is completely unacceptable when you’re paying 10 bucks for a coffee and a treat. On the other hand, the young, slightly heavyset guy of color who waited on me at the register by the muffins was clearly committed to doing his job well. He tried to keep the line moving and his efforts to keep the service level high, was being thwarted by the chatty pair making the drinks, who ignored most of his questions the first time he asked them. Food and drink were 4 out of 5: the classic mochi muffin precisely as advertised, crunchy outside and mochi within. Slightly overbaked this time compared to my first visit. Iced coffee latte was excellent coffee but over sweet. Overall, the treats are unnecessarily too caloric, evidenced also by the clientele who range above the norm. The Asian food this place keeps trumpeting as its inspiration is much healthier than this extravaganza of sugar and high glycemic carbs in the mochi flour. Making a habit of this place would definitely be detrimental to your health. If they want to garner a higher rating, they need to coach the self-impressed barista staff on putting the customers first, and they need to add more options that showcase the delicacy, subtlety, and elegance of Asian cuisine instead of taking American sugar cravings and overeating, and combining them with some Asian flavors. Not recommended. In Berkeley, you have superior options for gluten-free, baked goods, and coffee.

Darlene Carter

Shailaja Bulusu

Really nice people and delicious food. The coffee comes in a cute large mug. They were able to make the California Benedict for me without diary or gluten. Not so great area of town, but very comfortable inside

Sidonie Harper-McPike

Tiny takeout spot with cute and biodegrade food boxes, also has outdoor seating. The food is always extremely delicious!! They have healthy soup and salad options, if you are gluten free like me and can’t do a gourmet fried chicken sandwich mmmmmm

Daniel Kennedy

Helen Stevenson

Jason Mc

Domingo Dixon

Jennifer Gibson

Esther Rodriguez