Tartine Bakery just keeps on expanding and they've finally hit the college town of Berkeley, located in The Graduate Hotel, formerly The Hotel Durant a few blocks away from the main campus of U.C. Berkeley. Tartine Bakery is growing into a very successful franchise with new locations in San Francisco and more in Los Angeles and it was only a matter of time they made their presence known in Berkeley because I cannot think of a better community that is perfectly matched for that of the crowd that Tartine tends to attract than the professors, college students and local residents. It was past the lunch hour on a Friday afternoon by the time I arrived at Tartine Bakery with a long walk all the way up Durant Street to get here before they closed. It turns out that there was no line at this hour because as it turns out they were almost out of all of their baked goods. I suppose the key is to arrive before lunch time as they only make certain amount of goods and whoa be to those who arrive too late. So at this hour, despite the fact they had a lot of employees standing around, all they had left were two Jambon Croissants and a whole lot of brownies. And then before I knew, both Croissants were ordered by another person in line, and multiple brownies to choose from. So since I walked all the way up here I knew I wanted to get something so I ordered three brownies for the road and those items my bill before tip was $18.02. Talk about some expensive brownies! Once I got home I was so disappointed with what I consumed. I instantly thought I actually can get moister and more flavor from a mix that I make myself, so disappointed doesn't begin to describe my thoughts after biting into a hard and flat brownie. So with this unfortunate impression left in my mouth, I'm thinking a return visit to this location of Tartine Bakery is null and void at least for me. Prices for their signature bread loaves don't come cheap so clearly quality comes first at Tartine. The space is very large, as they even have another dining room for diners, coffee lovers and people to congregate in private so they created this location to accommodate a lot of customers in mind. This location of Tartine is clearly popular and going to continue to thrive as it's their only location in the East Bay, which just goes to show you how much we love our quality coffee drips and baked goods. I just wished they were more prepared for the crowds they receive day in and day out, and saying we only make a limited amount for a given day is a peculiar business model. To your continued success Tartine, so much so, may you open another location perhaps in a more appreciative city so your quality baked goods and coffee and hard working staff have a place to spread out and thrive.
Nicole T.
3.5 stars. I was excited to hear that they opened a tartine closer to home. But they weren't quite the same as the SF location. I understand this is a smaller more of "to go" but they didn't offer any of the core tartine things i would normally order. The good thing - yummy coffee!
Jeff Dinakar
Tartine in Berkeley is a pretty decent bakery/ cafe option. The location is solid, being close to the action on Durant, however it's easy to miss if you don't know where to look for it.
Katie
Beautiful, artsy spot - obviously delish coffee and baked goodies. You can work in the Graduate Hotel lobby with their free WiFi and eat / drink your Tartine provisions!
Jeff D.
Tartine in Berkeley is a pretty decent bakery/ cafe option. The location is solid, being close to the action on Durant, however it's easy to miss if you don't know where to look for it. They have a good selection of pastries, and it's laid out in a clean way, definitely not overwhelming like other bakeries/ cafes have been known to be. I've sampled a number of their offerings and I'll say the pastries taste great! I'd definitely recommend the Savory Scone. It's not quite what you'd expect, but it hits you in all the right ways. As far as the drinks go, I've only had one of their drinks, and it's an off menu item, so take my feedback with a grain of salt -- Their Dirty Chai ends up tasting way more bitter than most places I've had it. I still drank the entirety of the drink, but it was less enjoyable than most. The other downside of Tartine is that it's not cheap...definitely an upscale and overall good experience, but it feels less "Berkeley" and more "SF" to me. There's obviously room for places like these, but if you're looking for my rec: go somewhere like Caffe Strada instead.
Psi Vesely
Food and service are good, but the millionaire owners (who live in a house with an elevator) are extremely exploitative and are trying to union bust their impoverished employees who are making minimum wage without benefits. Will update this review with 5 stars if the owners decide to recognize and negotiate fairly with the union.
Micah Brush
The morning buns are sweet, crunchy, soft, and surprisingly citrus-y in a very pleasant way. I also had a piece of babka which was magical - I don't understand how it was so much like pastry and bread. They were both amazing and lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, I thought the coffee was just ok and kind of mellow. Overall I will definitely be back to eat more delicious pastries, but at $10 for coffee and a pastry, I won't be back that often.
Joseph Lorenzo Hall
Simply amazing pastry and bread, not to be missed!
Samantha Pilchik
Great bakery although I feel like the staff did not have much patience for people.
Karen T.
I have gone to the location in SF, and was super impressed by the banana cream tart there, so I was really excited that a Tartine opened in Berkeley! However, the quality of the tart here was just not the same. It didn't hold its shape, and the caramel was looking out of the tart. Still delicious, but a messier and less visually appealing eating experience. The morning buns are really good (and even better when warmed!). Knocking a star off because imo it is overpriced ($9 for one pastry ). The location in SF has better quality pastries and more variety, so there the price is more justifiable. I come here because of how convenient it is in terms of location, not worth coming a long distance for.
The pastries are good but overall this place sucks. Everything is overpriced. There's a sign on the wall that says they're mandated to charge 25¢ for a disposable coffee cup, when I brought my own mug they told they're not able to fill personal cups. Brilliant! Go support a different company that wants your business.
Kevin K.
I came at 2:35pm and they're closed. This has happened multiple times where they close early without notice. They should not advertise a 3pm close time if they will not honor it. It is irresponsible to the customers who try to make it there before 3pm.
Brielle W.
Love having great SF spots venture over to the Bay Area! The location is super cute and is attached to a hotel. There was lots of seating and was not busy on a Sunday morning. They had limited items compared to the other locations but had the staples! Maybe they will expand the menu when they're there longer.
Stephanie Y.
Tartine! I've indulged in these treats multiple times and every time has been a different experience. Different pastries, I've enjoyed them at different locations, different type of service, different wait times. Is that good or bad? We are so lucky to have you in Berkeley as this spot truly does have the most decadent pastries. Their almond croissant is perfect and I love their specialty items not seen everyday like most recently a tahini and citrus babka. Their morning bun is up there, although not my favorite and I personally think their pain au chocolat needs a little more chocolat. Pastries ring in at about $5/$5.50 but these things are huge. Bread is also pricey but it's legendary; I have yet to purchase, but did receive a half loaf as a gift. The lines were long when they opened but haven't had a problem since. The layout is unusual since the space is compact. They have a few seats along the windows and a room that you have to leave and enter via the adjoining hotel. Unbeknownst to me, I ordered a pastry and coffee and went to the room thinking they'd put my order on the ledge separating the room and the bakery, but they say they don't do that, which is weird. It's like 2 feet away from where they actually put the coffee so why not just turn around and hook your patrons up who are staying in? Anyways, carbo load with these decadent treats; they are worth the calories and the dough!
Kenneth R.
I came, I saw, I ate, I drank. Why am I not super-enthusiastic? Maybe the problem is the significant hype that surrounded the arrival of Tartine in what I persist in thinking is the Hotel Durant. Tartine took over what used to be the Hotel Durant flower shop. I showed up in search of a pastry and a coffee and ended up choosing the babka and a cortado. The babka was described by the counter person as "not very sweet," but it was very rich and actually quite sweet. The cortado was kind of "meh" -- far from the level of Blue Bottle, for example. Apple Pay is not accepted. You can pay with a physical credit card or with cash. I used cash: $9 for the pastry and coffee drink and $1 as a tip. Patrons of Tartine have access to what I called the "annex" in my photo. This is a small room off the lobby of the hotel that is separated from the sales area of Tartine by a shelf, or "pass-through." I put my coffee and babka on the shelf and then walked into the annex by what is apparently the only possible route: walk out of the pastry shop into the street, enter the hotel proper through its main entrance, and then swing around to get near the shelf. The annex area has tables, benches and chairs. It's pretty comfortable and was used by only one other person while I was there. You can also sit in the lobby of the hotel. There's free WiFi from the Graduate, so this is potentially a fine place to work.
Tartine Bakery just keeps on expanding and they've finally hit the college town of Berkeley, located in The Graduate Hotel, formerly The Hotel Durant a few blocks away from the main campus of U.C. Berkeley. Tartine Bakery is growing into a very successful franchise with new locations in San Francisco and more in Los Angeles and it was only a matter of time they made their presence known in Berkeley because I cannot think of a better community that is perfectly matched for that of the crowd that Tartine tends to attract than the professors, college students and local residents. It was past the lunch hour on a Friday afternoon by the time I arrived at Tartine Bakery with a long walk all the way up Durant Street to get here before they closed. It turns out that there was no line at this hour because as it turns out they were almost out of all of their baked goods. I suppose the key is to arrive before lunch time as they only make certain amount of goods and whoa be to those who arrive too late. So at this hour, despite the fact they had a lot of employees standing around, all they had left were two Jambon Croissants and a whole lot of brownies. And then before I knew, both Croissants were ordered by another person in line, and multiple brownies to choose from. So since I walked all the way up here I knew I wanted to get something so I ordered three brownies for the road and those items my bill before tip was $18.02. Talk about some expensive brownies! Once I got home I was so disappointed with what I consumed. I instantly thought I actually can get moister and more flavor from a mix that I make myself, so disappointed doesn't begin to describe my thoughts after biting into a hard and flat brownie. So with this unfortunate impression left in my mouth, I'm thinking a return visit to this location of Tartine Bakery is null and void at least for me. Prices for their signature bread loaves don't come cheap so clearly quality comes first at Tartine. The space is very large, as they even have another dining room for diners, coffee lovers and people to congregate in private so they created this location to accommodate a lot of customers in mind. This location of Tartine is clearly popular and going to continue to thrive as it's their only location in the East Bay, which just goes to show you how much we love our quality coffee drips and baked goods. I just wished they were more prepared for the crowds they receive day in and day out, and saying we only make a limited amount for a given day is a peculiar business model. To your continued success Tartine, so much so, may you open another location perhaps in a more appreciative city so your quality baked goods and coffee and hard working staff have a place to spread out and thrive.
3.5 stars. I was excited to hear that they opened a tartine closer to home. But they weren't quite the same as the SF location. I understand this is a smaller more of "to go" but they didn't offer any of the core tartine things i would normally order. The good thing - yummy coffee!
Tartine in Berkeley is a pretty decent bakery/ cafe option. The location is solid, being close to the action on Durant, however it's easy to miss if you don't know where to look for it.
Beautiful, artsy spot - obviously delish coffee and baked goodies. You can work in the Graduate Hotel lobby with their free WiFi and eat / drink your Tartine provisions!
Tartine in Berkeley is a pretty decent bakery/ cafe option. The location is solid, being close to the action on Durant, however it's easy to miss if you don't know where to look for it. They have a good selection of pastries, and it's laid out in a clean way, definitely not overwhelming like other bakeries/ cafes have been known to be. I've sampled a number of their offerings and I'll say the pastries taste great! I'd definitely recommend the Savory Scone. It's not quite what you'd expect, but it hits you in all the right ways. As far as the drinks go, I've only had one of their drinks, and it's an off menu item, so take my feedback with a grain of salt -- Their Dirty Chai ends up tasting way more bitter than most places I've had it. I still drank the entirety of the drink, but it was less enjoyable than most. The other downside of Tartine is that it's not cheap...definitely an upscale and overall good experience, but it feels less "Berkeley" and more "SF" to me. There's obviously room for places like these, but if you're looking for my rec: go somewhere like Caffe Strada instead.
Food and service are good, but the millionaire owners (who live in a house with an elevator) are extremely exploitative and are trying to union bust their impoverished employees who are making minimum wage without benefits. Will update this review with 5 stars if the owners decide to recognize and negotiate fairly with the union.
The morning buns are sweet, crunchy, soft, and surprisingly citrus-y in a very pleasant way. I also had a piece of babka which was magical - I don't understand how it was so much like pastry and bread. They were both amazing and lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, I thought the coffee was just ok and kind of mellow. Overall I will definitely be back to eat more delicious pastries, but at $10 for coffee and a pastry, I won't be back that often.
Simply amazing pastry and bread, not to be missed!
Great bakery although I feel like the staff did not have much patience for people.
I have gone to the location in SF, and was super impressed by the banana cream tart there, so I was really excited that a Tartine opened in Berkeley! However, the quality of the tart here was just not the same. It didn't hold its shape, and the caramel was looking out of the tart. Still delicious, but a messier and less visually appealing eating experience. The morning buns are really good (and even better when warmed!). Knocking a star off because imo it is overpriced ($9 for one pastry ). The location in SF has better quality pastries and more variety, so there the price is more justifiable. I come here because of how convenient it is in terms of location, not worth coming a long distance for.
Restaurantji Recommends
The pastries are good but overall this place sucks. Everything is overpriced. There's a sign on the wall that says they're mandated to charge 25¢ for a disposable coffee cup, when I brought my own mug they told they're not able to fill personal cups. Brilliant! Go support a different company that wants your business.
I came at 2:35pm and they're closed. This has happened multiple times where they close early without notice. They should not advertise a 3pm close time if they will not honor it. It is irresponsible to the customers who try to make it there before 3pm.
Love having great SF spots venture over to the Bay Area! The location is super cute and is attached to a hotel. There was lots of seating and was not busy on a Sunday morning. They had limited items compared to the other locations but had the staples! Maybe they will expand the menu when they're there longer.
Tartine! I've indulged in these treats multiple times and every time has been a different experience. Different pastries, I've enjoyed them at different locations, different type of service, different wait times. Is that good or bad? We are so lucky to have you in Berkeley as this spot truly does have the most decadent pastries. Their almond croissant is perfect and I love their specialty items not seen everyday like most recently a tahini and citrus babka. Their morning bun is up there, although not my favorite and I personally think their pain au chocolat needs a little more chocolat. Pastries ring in at about $5/$5.50 but these things are huge. Bread is also pricey but it's legendary; I have yet to purchase, but did receive a half loaf as a gift. The lines were long when they opened but haven't had a problem since. The layout is unusual since the space is compact. They have a few seats along the windows and a room that you have to leave and enter via the adjoining hotel. Unbeknownst to me, I ordered a pastry and coffee and went to the room thinking they'd put my order on the ledge separating the room and the bakery, but they say they don't do that, which is weird. It's like 2 feet away from where they actually put the coffee so why not just turn around and hook your patrons up who are staying in? Anyways, carbo load with these decadent treats; they are worth the calories and the dough!
I came, I saw, I ate, I drank. Why am I not super-enthusiastic? Maybe the problem is the significant hype that surrounded the arrival of Tartine in what I persist in thinking is the Hotel Durant. Tartine took over what used to be the Hotel Durant flower shop. I showed up in search of a pastry and a coffee and ended up choosing the babka and a cortado. The babka was described by the counter person as "not very sweet," but it was very rich and actually quite sweet. The cortado was kind of "meh" -- far from the level of Blue Bottle, for example. Apple Pay is not accepted. You can pay with a physical credit card or with cash. I used cash: $9 for the pastry and coffee drink and $1 as a tip. Patrons of Tartine have access to what I called the "annex" in my photo. This is a small room off the lobby of the hotel that is separated from the sales area of Tartine by a shelf, or "pass-through." I put my coffee and babka on the shelf and then walked into the annex by what is apparently the only possible route: walk out of the pastry shop into the street, enter the hotel proper through its main entrance, and then swing around to get near the shelf. The annex area has tables, benches and chairs. It's pretty comfortable and was used by only one other person while I was there. You can also sit in the lobby of the hotel. There's free WiFi from the Graduate, so this is potentially a fine place to work.