Got the toasted grilled chicken sandwich - it was fine, about a 5-10 min wait, liked the use of the panini press to warm up the bread but the chicken pieces were dry and could use more flavor. My friend likes the coffee here.
Kate C.
I love Semifreddi's. Have been coming here for 35 years to the Kensington site. Love their baked goods. Sure wish they would lengthen their hours. It's really a drag to get there at 3:00 and find them closed.
Alethea D
My favorite coffee place by far. Coffee itself isn’t my favorite, but the chai lattes are awesome!! I go here a little too often and the servers are so friendly and nice. Morning buns and chai lattes are the best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caprese, Morning Buns and Croissants, Kalamata Olive Bread
The Bottomless Pi T.
I've eaten their bread and croutons many times, but this is my first visit to the bakery. The public area in the front is rather small. If you're still COVID paranoid, this isn't a good spot. The people working were very nice and helpful. I asked for the sourest bread they had. I thought it was the rustic sour, but no, they recommended the sourdough batard. Bread was excellent, but still not sour enough for me. Then again, nobody makes sourdough sour enough for me.
Robert A.
Decades ago my oldest daughter wed a Frenchman and I wound up in a wedding in the French countryside. there, and since elsewhere in France, I discovered the bliss of a good baguette -- the crisp crust, the soft interior, the chewiness and slightly nutty flavor. Returning to the US after each visit, I searched in vain for that baguette. It's such a simple combination of ingredient. But although I moved from D.C. to NYC to Boston I could find nothing that measured up. Until, that is, we came to retire in the Bay Area. First I found Equator Coffees's excellent espresso (the Thomas Keller blend. Then I found Semifreddi's sweet baguettes at our local market! Now virtually every day starts with a double espresso and baguette, toasted with butter or marmalade or (yum) with peach jam. And now I can never move away.
Came here twice for pastries and coffee, but each time, the croissants were stale! I was surprised because it's a bakery and I would expect it to be fresh. Semifreddi's has good bread, but I wouldn't recommend their pastries.
Mito I.
Quick Summary: - Favorite bakeries in the Bay Area - They also sell their breads and pastries at some of the grocery stores - Crispy but gentle on teeth kind of crust, even gentler when it's toasted - Serves coffee and sandwiches - Coffee is not sour - No seats inside; a table and chair outside I first saw this bakery name a couple of years ago in a restaurant called Gergorie in Berkeley. I recall waiting for my order and in the kitchen I see bags of bread loafs with the Semifreddi logo. It was a great discovery and since then I became a fan of this bakery. Over the years I bought Semifreddi bread from grocery stores that also sell local ingredients. Although I had thoughts of going to the main bakery store, the chance was hard to align. Finally, when brainstorming with the family on where to eat, this was listed, so off we went. The bakery is situated in a small neighborhood of little shops. Walking there, it felt like a great streets to do a morning stroll down this lane and pick up a loaf or two on the way home. The bakery is cozy small, inside up to 3 guests could stand around, but there is a risk of blocking the view of the bakery shelves. On the busier hour, the line was out of the door. Along with their breads, there were also some pastries and a sandwich menu. For today, we ordered a cafe au lait and a chicken sandwich. Once I ordered the coffee, the staff gestured over to the coffee station, where there were two types of coffee: French roast or decaf. For cafe au lait, we can choose whichever size we wanted, and after filling up to a favorite amount, we took the cup back to the staff to fill it up with the warm frothy milk. Happily, the coffee was piping hot and it wasn't sour. After a few minutes, the sandwich was ready and we ate it outside at one of the provided tables and chairs. The sandwich was cut in half, so it was easy to share with the family. Just as I imagined with the Semifreddi bread, when it's toasted the crust becomes lighter but very crispy. It is very easy to bite into it. It also kept the fillings inside in place and no liquid sauce leaked out either. The texture and how well the bread holds the sandwich together is a great slice of bread. I got the sandwich with the chicken and basil paste, and that was really good! I ate half of the sandwich, so for breakfast it is light (for me), so I also ate their breakfast buns. This was a nice flaky and fluffy bun, another one of my favorite pastries to eat.
Monica L.
Delicious sandwiches, quaint location and building, kind and helpful service. I have come here for years.
Greg M.
Still a favorite. My go-to is the morning bun, always better from here straight from the store. I wish the Danish would come back. I recommend the biscotti for later, perfect with morning coffee.
Arthur Glauberman
We were visiting friends in Berkeley and we were introduced to Semifreddi’s Bakery’s biscotti that were so delicious that we begged our friends to please bring us to their bakery! We needed to bring their chocolate dipped biscotti back to New York City!
Got the toasted grilled chicken sandwich - it was fine, about a 5-10 min wait, liked the use of the panini press to warm up the bread but the chicken pieces were dry and could use more flavor. My friend likes the coffee here.
I love Semifreddi's. Have been coming here for 35 years to the Kensington site. Love their baked goods. Sure wish they would lengthen their hours. It's really a drag to get there at 3:00 and find them closed.
My favorite coffee place by far. Coffee itself isn’t my favorite, but the chai lattes are awesome!! I go here a little too often and the servers are so friendly and nice. Morning buns and chai lattes are the best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caprese, Morning Buns and Croissants, Kalamata Olive Bread
I've eaten their bread and croutons many times, but this is my first visit to the bakery. The public area in the front is rather small. If you're still COVID paranoid, this isn't a good spot. The people working were very nice and helpful. I asked for the sourest bread they had. I thought it was the rustic sour, but no, they recommended the sourdough batard. Bread was excellent, but still not sour enough for me. Then again, nobody makes sourdough sour enough for me.
Decades ago my oldest daughter wed a Frenchman and I wound up in a wedding in the French countryside. there, and since elsewhere in France, I discovered the bliss of a good baguette -- the crisp crust, the soft interior, the chewiness and slightly nutty flavor. Returning to the US after each visit, I searched in vain for that baguette. It's such a simple combination of ingredient. But although I moved from D.C. to NYC to Boston I could find nothing that measured up. Until, that is, we came to retire in the Bay Area. First I found Equator Coffees's excellent espresso (the Thomas Keller blend. Then I found Semifreddi's sweet baguettes at our local market! Now virtually every day starts with a double espresso and baguette, toasted with butter or marmalade or (yum) with peach jam. And now I can never move away.
Vegetarian options: Veggie Muffaletta
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bakery, Chicken Muffaletta, Kalamata Olive Bread
This bread is the bomb that blew out this hole in the wall bakery ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pretty decent espresso. Baked goods are ok, but not as good as Acme. Staff can be hit and miss--sometimes friendly sometimes useless.
Great espresso drinks, pastries and breads!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love the morning buns, and the best tasting sweet baguette. I highly recommend this bakery.
Restaurantji Recommends
Came here twice for pastries and coffee, but each time, the croissants were stale! I was surprised because it's a bakery and I would expect it to be fresh. Semifreddi's has good bread, but I wouldn't recommend their pastries.
Quick Summary: - Favorite bakeries in the Bay Area - They also sell their breads and pastries at some of the grocery stores - Crispy but gentle on teeth kind of crust, even gentler when it's toasted - Serves coffee and sandwiches - Coffee is not sour - No seats inside; a table and chair outside I first saw this bakery name a couple of years ago in a restaurant called Gergorie in Berkeley. I recall waiting for my order and in the kitchen I see bags of bread loafs with the Semifreddi logo. It was a great discovery and since then I became a fan of this bakery. Over the years I bought Semifreddi bread from grocery stores that also sell local ingredients. Although I had thoughts of going to the main bakery store, the chance was hard to align. Finally, when brainstorming with the family on where to eat, this was listed, so off we went. The bakery is situated in a small neighborhood of little shops. Walking there, it felt like a great streets to do a morning stroll down this lane and pick up a loaf or two on the way home. The bakery is cozy small, inside up to 3 guests could stand around, but there is a risk of blocking the view of the bakery shelves. On the busier hour, the line was out of the door. Along with their breads, there were also some pastries and a sandwich menu. For today, we ordered a cafe au lait and a chicken sandwich. Once I ordered the coffee, the staff gestured over to the coffee station, where there were two types of coffee: French roast or decaf. For cafe au lait, we can choose whichever size we wanted, and after filling up to a favorite amount, we took the cup back to the staff to fill it up with the warm frothy milk. Happily, the coffee was piping hot and it wasn't sour. After a few minutes, the sandwich was ready and we ate it outside at one of the provided tables and chairs. The sandwich was cut in half, so it was easy to share with the family. Just as I imagined with the Semifreddi bread, when it's toasted the crust becomes lighter but very crispy. It is very easy to bite into it. It also kept the fillings inside in place and no liquid sauce leaked out either. The texture and how well the bread holds the sandwich together is a great slice of bread. I got the sandwich with the chicken and basil paste, and that was really good! I ate half of the sandwich, so for breakfast it is light (for me), so I also ate their breakfast buns. This was a nice flaky and fluffy bun, another one of my favorite pastries to eat.
Delicious sandwiches, quaint location and building, kind and helpful service. I have come here for years.
Still a favorite. My go-to is the morning bun, always better from here straight from the store. I wish the Danish would come back. I recommend the biscotti for later, perfect with morning coffee.
We were visiting friends in Berkeley and we were introduced to Semifreddi’s Bakery’s biscotti that were so delicious that we begged our friends to please bring us to their bakery! We needed to bring their chocolate dipped biscotti back to New York City!