Raymond’s Bakery

The bakery storefront closes during December and January for the holidays. But we got a taste of the delicious pastries and bread when we stayed at one of the bakery’s cottages. As cottage guests, we were treated to amazing pizza upon arrival and incredible pastries every morning. Despite being closed, the bakery storefront had a delightful mix of family, employees, neighbors, and cottage guests pass through. It was very hard to leave.

Great food, great atmosphere under the redwoods.
Service is seriously lacking!
I won’t go back after 3 bad experiences.

The Pizza on Friday’s is AWESOME a must try!

Highly recommended! Came here Friday night for pizza/​music and loved it so much came back Sunday morning for coffee and pastries! Raymond’s special is a fantastic pizza, and the best blueberry muffins I have had! Great, quick service and a cosy atmosphere make it a must visit!

I’ve always like this little bakery in the middle of nowhere, especially in the summer. But their hours have shrunk. It’s now Friday 3pm — 9pm, and Saturday/​Sunday 8am — 3pm. It would be nice if they were open more often, if even for a few hours early each morning. They have good pastries, but not cheap. If they were open a little more often, that could be overlooked. I had their Apple Turnover and coffee one morning and it was excellent. Service is a little lacking, sort of non-​interest in you at times, and internet access is hit and miss. I would give a higher rating (one more star at least), but they need to be open a little more often, and fix the wireless access.

Since its the only choice in town great for an emergency calorie intake but sucks in every which way.

We had a kid in the music camp across the street from Raymond’s Bakery. We decided to take a couple of days vacation after getting her to camp, and found this B&B for it’s proximity. Boy, did we luck out! The breakfast every morning was a table full of fresh pastries that varied each day. Sweets like enormous cinnamon rolls, tarts, chocolate croissants, fruit turnovers and muffins. Savories like dark bread, piping fresh hot from the oven croissants. Along with some hard boiled eggs, yogurt and fruit. But by far the star of the stay were the amazing pastries. Not everything on each day, but enough that we were spoiled for choice each morning. Our cabin was small but had distinct rooms so it felt bigger and just right for 2 adults + 1 child. It was clean and simple, very relaxing. A friendly resident cat was there to greet us when we went out. I would not hesitate to stay here again.

Great home made pastries, pizzas. Lovely outdoor setting in the redwoods in the warmer season. Check the schedule before you make the scenic drive.

Customer service is at best! Unfortunately when i came to visit they were closed, closed for the month of January.
Heres what happened, as i parked my car close by their shop a lady came to me and ask if i was lost or if I needed any directions, I said no, I am here for the bakery that I checked on travel advisor, I didn’t know that I was talking to the owner, she was very soft spoken.
Luckily for us, though their bakery was closed the owner gave us a full baguette freshly made. Free of charge! Whoa! Now that we have tried their bread we for sure i will visit again this time ill make sure they are open for business. :)

My short review: The bakery and cottages simply surpassed all of my expectations.
My longer review:
The Food: My 5 year old son said it best, «Mark is a samurai baker!» I agree. Everything I ate at the bakery was delicious. The proprietors left two treats for us in our cabin on arrival: a raspberry square and a brownie that was perfection. The raspberry square was sublime and the brownie was the best I’ve EVER had! Was it laced with crack, (possibly!) but whatever the case may be, it blew me away. I also bought some goodies to take home: apple turnover, blackberry turnover, lemon-​poppyseed muffin, and a salted sourdough loaf of bread. All were amazing. Mark has found a way to bring ordinary baking to an exalted level. I also had the turkey sandwich for lunch… yummmm.
The cottages:
My son and I loved our cottage: warm, cozy, comfortable, clean, full of antiques and other accents that made the cottage feel like a perfect retreat. They had a huge stack of books for children, and a huge selection of books for adults. I loved the gas stove at night, watching the flames during the late hours was so relaxing. I simply loved our cottage. If you are looking for the Four Seasons this isn’t your place. This place is the opposite of the Four Seasons: its a warm, laid back family owned retreat that is mellow and easygoing with a lot of heart.
The land:
My son and I got to explore the river and some of the little streets around the B&B. What to expect: stunning scenery, majestic redwoods, beautiful river, great place to spend hours playing with the kids or listening to the babbling of the stream. The valley exudes a beautiful quiet and peace that I deeply needed (and appreciated.)
The proprietors:
5+ I’ve always been a person who has noticed those rare folks who have obviously been able to find and then manifest their life purpose. Mark is one of those people. As soon as I arrived, he asked if I’d like a complimentary beer (one of the best IPA’s I’ve ever had, and it really hit the spot after the drive.) He was proud and excited as he offered to give me a tour of his bakery. My son and I decided to have our dinner near the fire pit. Elizabeth, the proprietress, made us a fire and brought us chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers for s’mores and an impromptu marshmallow roast. Fun! Her lovely twins and precocious 10 year old all sat with us eating, playing, and talking. What a night. Thank you. I feel most appreciative to Mark and Elizabeth for the warm attention. My son and I felt so at home, so cared for. It was nourishing to our souls.
Bottom Line: Just like the proprietors, Elim Grove Cottages and Raymond’s Bakery are true gems.

I’m not sure how I got wind of Raymond’s Bakery, but I surely would have never found out about it had I been left to my own devices. Jamie W. and I spent this past weekend at the Rio Villa Resort in Monte Rio. «Resort» is a bit of a stretch as it’s more like a motel. Anyway, we didn’t get there until about 7:30PM on Friday, and we had already tried most of the dining spots in Guerneville on previous day trips. Since we were already four miles west anyway, I thought it might be worthwhile to look in that direction even though choices are relatively sparse until you get to Jenner or Bodega Bay. I read that Raymond’s is open only one evening a week, and it happened to be Friday. They advertised live music, so I was thinking it would be prudent to call them first to see if there was even room for motley weekenders from the big city.
The young fellow who answered assured me that there were tables available and said to stop by. Since I know they are known for their pizzas, I asked if we could just order one over the phone. I had him go through the whole menu until I heard the magic words «Kitchen Sink». Sold, and we promised to be there in twenty minutes. It was getting dark, and the road from Monte Rio to Cazadero turned out to be a long, winding drive. So into the woods were we that I was ready to sing Sondheim. We finally came upon what looked from the outside a well-​kept roadhouse. Cars, trucks and SUVs had already filled the small parking lot in front, so I was forced to drive further down, make a U-​turn and park along the side of the highway. Jamie thought I was trying to kill him since the passenger side was facing a steep embankment. Details.
When we entered, it was pretty busy with all the seats at the wine bar taken, and there was still a bit of a queue ready to order at the bakery counter. It was a happening place with a huge age range of what appeared to be locals since they all knew each other. Even though they had a twenty-​minute head start, the pizza wasn’t ready for us, so we did what comes natural to us. Order more food. We decided to share an $ 8 Traditional Caesar Salad to tie us over. It was good size with plenty of fresh Parmesan shavings and herb baked croutons with a zing of fresh lemon in their dressing (photo:
). We were famished, so it was wolfed down in no time or at least by the second chorus of some Seals & Crofts oldie performed by Tom Finn out in the picnic area.
The $ 23.50 Kitchen Sink Pizza finally arrived, and it was 14 inches of pure, gut-​busting joy with pepperoni, sausage, tomato, mushroom, onion, green pepper, black olives and garlic liberally topping a thin crust puffed and charred at the edges, all of it covered in melted mozzarella that was browned on top (photo:
). It was ideal comfort food after a long, Friday evening road trip. Fortunately it didn’t get any more crowded in the dining area, just louder as the customers were really increasing their volume due in part to the wine. When I took a look outside, I think only two people were listening to Tom, a shame since he’s quite good and plays the soundtrack of my adolescence. We ended up treating ourselves to a pair of their $ 2 Cowboy Cookies, a sweetly addictive combination of oatmeal, chocolate chips, corn flakes, coconut and walnuts (photo:
). Go into the woods and check them out.
FOOD — 4 stars… tasty, bakery-​fresh pizzas served only on Fridays but worth rearranging your schedule to grab one
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… a bit of a party atmosphere among locals familiar with each other with an outdoor area for performers lit by candlelight
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… friendly enough staff, no sign of the owners when we were there
TOTAL — 4 stars… Friday night pizza is such a tasty treat in the woods of Cazadero that I may need to sing Sondheim off-​key

Of course five stars. Just in terms of baked goodness, this place is sensational. Fresh fruit in the pastries, light and fluffy focaccia. On top of the actual quality of the food, this family and setting will bless your heart. They freely share and invite you into their joy for good food, drink, company, stories and insight into why we do what we do. Can’t go wrong here unless you are on the path of the Tin-​man

We’ve become regulars since we live within walking distance. The pizza is excellent… BBQ Chicken pizza is the best! What else can I say, Mark is super cool, the music is always great… it’s like a big family atmosphere every Friday night. Zoe is the best bartender too… always look forward to heading up on Friday’s!

The best bakery we have been to in California.
You can tell that the food is home made.
Loved the bread and cakes.
Mark and Elizabeth are very friendly and seems like they put a great effort in making this bakery so great!
We also stayed for the night and loved it
Thank you so much for a lovely vacation!

Amazing.
Elizabeth and Mark are absolutely the best host ever. Our immaculately clean little cabin was cute, comfortable, cozy and filled with great character too. There are lots of books to pass the time and I haven’t even gotten to the complementary breakfast, wonderful pizza and the joy of being nestled in the sunniest little redwood grove around. Oh, live music and dancing on Friday nights! I forgot about the creek. There are so many great aspects but I’ll keep it short.
We arrived on an early Friday evening after driving up from the city. To arrive at such a beautiful, peaceful little hidden gem is one of the greatest feelings. It’s just close enough that you can do the drive right after work. It’s far enough away to make you feel as if you’re a million miles from home. Total travel time from the heart of San Francisco is two hours.
Immediately upon arriving we were given our key and retreated to our little oasis to relax. After catching our breath and getting settled we surfaced only to find that the parking lot, that only had one parking spot left, somehow found room for another 20 to 30 cars. I really should have taken a picture of this. This was the club! By 7:30 the quiet property we had arrived at was bouncing with 80 to 100 people all there for Pizza Night and live music. What an event!
We ordered our pizza and found a quiet little hidden area behind the main building with a fire pit ready to start and seats all around. We enjoyed our large pizza (enough for four to five people) while listening to the live band playing on the other side of the building. After eating we went around to find a stage with a great local band playing wonderful music. At one point there were half dozen or more people dancing under the redwoods. Incredible. It’s one of those moments I’ll never forget. At one point Mark and Elizabeth took a moment away from their busy night to dance a little. It’s great to see people living their passion.
Mark told me that he named their bakery after his father and to have the joy to talk to Mark for just five minutes is a great experience. This guy is amazing. Everything would have been wonderful without him but to have an opportunity to talk to someone that has the energy and passion he does is something you don’t see. That’s not to say that Elizabeth isn’t just as inspired because this couple brings you a level of hospitality that is unsurpassed.
I’m seriously taking a close look at all of my past reviews to see who I can take a star away from just so that you understand how magical an experience Raymond’s bakery is.
There is no cell service. We just used Skype over their free WiFi.

The best cinnamon rolls ever! Location is not too far from Monte Rio/Duncan’s Mills but it feels remote because of the slow winding road through the forest to get there. They also have great fresh bread which is often discounted when sold as day old. Yummy cookies and other delightful seasonal pastries round out this awesome local bakery! Definitely worth visiting, just be mindful of their hours of operation.

I was ecstatic to see their baked goods at the Windsor Farmers market! I’ve been to their restaurant in Cazadero, which is about an hour from me. The food is great, and the pastries and breads are amazing!!!

UPDATE June 2015— ZERO STARS! Our friends (loyal customers since CHILDHOOD!) were insulted and told «get out and don’t ever come back».
1 ½ hour wait for a pizza.
This didn’t happen once, not twice, but three times.
When your waiter says that they will check to see what’s happening with 1 pizza and they don’t even come back, there is a SERIOUS problem. Lo and behold, we asked the cashier where our pizza was after 90 minutes, and it wasn’t even made at all.

My boyfriend and I were looking to get out of the city and «away from it all.» Elim Cottages in Cazadero provided the much needed reprieve we were seeking. Cazadero is well-​situated in California’s beautiful redwoods, a short and picturesque drive from numerous areas of interest. Our trip included wine tastings at local vineyards, a kayak trip down the Russian River, hiking in Armstrong Woods, and dining on the spectacular Pacific coast. Mark and Elizabeth (and their 3 lovely children) were gracious and attentive hosts. The cottages were charming and pristine, and provided us the peaceful nights’ sleep we truly needed.
Not only does Raymond’s bakery provide a romantic option for a couple’s get-​away, but it also provided for the perfect setting for a family holiday. My family– scattered all across the country– decided to meet in Cazadero for a family holiday. Mark and Elizabeth welcomed us all with open arms.
Mark and Elizabeth have a gem in the Redwoods. They are kindhearted and wonderful people that also happen to make outstanding food! :)
We miss you and will be back soon.

Friendly place plenty of space and Wi Fi, which is cool if you have been camping in the canyon for a few days.
The staff is really nice and knowledgeable.
But the bread is amazing! I’ve been a big fan of Wildflour bakery in Freestone. But the bread will only remain fresh one day but this place. The bread isn’t given a chance to last more than a couple if hours it’s JUST that good.
And there is a big black cat that like to oversee the productions!
Do yourself a favor and get to Raymond’s!