Bakery Bar

So. as a vegetarian who does not enjoy a sweet breakfast, I have to admit, my breakfast choices tend to be rather boring (eggs, toast and maybe some hashbrowns if I’m feeling really crazy). But the bakery bar has the most uh-​mazing peppery scones. The breakfast sandwich with the egg, goat cheese and roasted seasonal vegetables on a pepper scone is incredible. I recommend it to veggies and meat-​eaters alike.
The table service on the weekends is also very nice. I would have given them 5 stars, but during the week you have to pay for coffee refills which does not work for me when I am having breakfast and catching up with a friend. 4 refills later, I was out three bucks!

I’m from California and I was visiting Portland for a few days. I happened to stumble upon Bakery Bar by mistake (I was wondering around and got very lost). It’s not exactly in the most pedestrian-​friendly neighborhood though. If i remember correctly, it’s in the industrial part of Portland, bordering the historic neighborhood. The inside of Bakery Bar reminds me a bit of IKEA, but in a cool way.
I ordered a chocolate-​espresso slice of cake and had a cup of the house coffee. It was a very delicious combination! Especially after being lost and tired for such a long time. =P My friend ordered the pumpkin bread and the macchiato, which were both very tasty!

This little gem has been hiding itself from me for much too long. While the 5-​star reviews are all over Unilocal like white on rice, the physical location took forever to work its way in front of my face (enough to cause me to cruise in for a coffee and a treat). And while it continues to evade me on a daily basis (since it’s down in the zone of industry in SE), I know where it’s at, and I know how good it is.
I can say without hesitation that the baked goods at Bakery Bar are freakin’ amazing. Their Millionaire Tart, to be exact, is a gushing dream of chocolate, shortbread, and liquor. The Earl Gray shortbread cookie is fantastic. And everything else I’ve tried? Amazing. Really. Quite good. Words escape me.
Now usually the down-​side to a good bakery is their coffee, right? Either the coffee is good and the baked goods lack, or vice versa? Not here. Great coffee too. Regardless of which monkey is on your back at the given moment, sugar or caffeine, Bakery Bar has got you covered. If only it weren’t in the middle of, well, the industrial district, I would be there more often.
The free wifi means that the Laptop Brigade (yes, i stole that term) is usually in effect. Seating can be an issue at times. But for me, I grab n’ go.
Next up? The cute little red velvet cake with star-​shaped frosting decorations on the outside. I’m currently drumming up an occasion as an excuse to buy one and dig in. Is Boxing Day any time soon?

I’ve been good all week. I want my treat. But you’re closed on Saturday. And you’re closed tomorrow.
Closed on Saturday *and* Sunday?! WTF

Oh, my goodness. Bakery Bar.
I just had my first visit to this place and, seriously, Bakery Bar can put thoughts into your head. Life changing ones. Ones where you can’t imagine why you thought it would be a good idea to move back to the east coast next winter to be closer to your family when EVERYTHING you really need is right there in that little bakery case…
I ordered the chocolate bread and a buttermilk biscuit with raspberry jam. Then I found that I couldn’t stop ordering and picked out a couple cookies– one pecan, one lemon. This is one of the best $ 5 bills I’ve ever spent on treats.
Hooray, Bakery Bar!

It’s really funny to me that Bakery Bar is listed as desserts, coffee and tea, because I associate it with a great lunch. Whenever I get a craving for soup, a trip to Bakery Bar is not far behind. Even though there’s only one soup selection per day, Game is always ON at Bakery Bar.
We just had lunch at Bakery Bar – had the creamy tomato soup (with the house-​made cheesy crackers that you can crumble on top) with a grilled cheese sandwich. Heaven! It was quite possibly the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. And, I’ve had a lot!
We also had one of their delicious cupcakes for dessert. It was dressed up for Halloween with a fondant eyeball on top. Spooky and delicious! More on the cupcakes another time (love ‘em)…
Run, don’t walk, to Bakery Bar!!!

We were in the area and stopped by for a little dessert in this little café. Didn’t find anything that caught our eye, so we got a Snickerdoodle. It tasted like a Snickerdoodle.
see pics!

At last! A bakery worth re-​visiting! I had not intended to wind up at Bakery Bar — this turned out to be a fortuitous accident. I was on my way to an appointment at OHSU, somehow took a wrong turn, got all confused, and wound up back on the SE side of the river… oh well, while I’m here, might as well enjoy some sustenance to build up my confidence when I attempt to find my appointment again!
I bought a black pepper biscuit that had a delicious dollop of caramelized onions & some goat cheese on top. So much pleasure for under $ 3.00! I want to come back & sample more goodies. The lovely woman behind the bar gave very clear, easy to follow directions to my appointment (much better than the google map) and I got to my destination happy, full, & on time. The cakes here look beautiful, the baked goods seem very enticing… I hear the siren song of pastries…

Okay full disclosure time…
I didn’t eat here.
I didn’t drink here.
I didn’t spend any money here.
BUT, I did accompany someone who ate and drank and spent their money here and I can attest to the radness (yes, I said radness) of the gorgeous cakes they have here!
Wow, they are the true meaning of darling. Gorgeous little creations of décor at its finest. I am not even a dessert person and I was tempted to crawl inside the case and gobble one up.
As for flavors, oh yum…
Banana Bourbon Cake
Sour Cream Citrus Poppy Seed Cake
Orange Olive Oil Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
Sign me and my fat ass up!

What a perfect place to meet some of Portlands most fabulous Unilocalers for the first time! I feel slightly guilty assigning stars to Bakery Bar as I only had two cups of peppermint tea but… hey, the tea was quite good so whatever!
Bakery Bar is a really cool, mellow place. The menu was small but sounded quite delicious. What a bummer that they don’t serve lunch on the weekends. I will go back just to sample some of the delicious sounding sandwiches! Everyone mentioned how delicious their drinks and treats were… that just added my wanting to head back there soon. And wow, all the desserts looked quite amazing! If I hadn’t just eaten a treat from the Pearl Bakery I would have indulged… sigh, well another reason to go back. Cool little place, totally check it out but make sure you are hungry when you head over there!
Anyway, where I didn’t really sample much of what they serve at Bakery Bar I do feel slightly guilty reviewing it. But, I guess based on the fact that I plan to go back there quite soon I figure ehhhh… what the heck. So, here is a simple breakdown of how I decided on five stars:
1 star: delicious peppermint tea
1 star: meeting Unilocalers for the first time
1 star: overall cool, mellow vibe, free wi-​fi
1 star: delicious sounding menu and really fantastic looking desserts/​treats
1 star: manband

Okay, so I promised this to a very entertained Frannie J., and since I’m all about follow-​through, here’s my hand-​written review of Bakery Bar, crafted at the actual space:
Bön appetit!

Did you know that one of the top manufacturers and distributors of pom-​poms is located in Portland’s own Central Eastside? No joke.
I wish I had a pair… I would do a little cheer for Bakery Bar.
Tucked away in the last «indy» part of Portland (and to call it industrial is almost becoming a stretch) this is a great spot to meet up for a coffee and something sweet. To say it was chill would be an understatement. From the mellow staff, the no frills menu, and the tunes that are of the right stuff to either nod your head to or ignore, this place earned my love from the first moment.
I only had a latte, but it was just the way I like it, plus a purdy little leaf in the foam. I’d swing by here again to pick up some treats to take on my way home.
Gimme a R! Gimme a R! Gimme a B! Gimme a B!
What’s that’s spell? Rah Rah Bakery Bar!!!

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwich.
Do I really need to go on?
As I enjoyed my Nancy’s nonfat yogurt with honey and sipped on a perfectly pulled latte, the only problem I could come up with was why the heck I’ve never been here before!
The steady flow of business proved that I’ve obviously been living in a cave, considering that the line was never less than three people deep. And how could it not be? Low key atmosphere, Stumptown coffee, fast and free wi-​fi, Bakery Bar proved to be the perfect place to chillax on a Saturday morning.
(note: Ernesto was upset that no food was served on weekends!)

Discretely tucked away, this little coffee shop is a cozy gem offering a tantalizing array of baked goods.
Of all the usual coffee/​tea beverages available, the cold press iced coffee was smooth and wonderful. But I think this is a place one should come to for bakery treats and not lattes. The scones looked amazing and 4 or 5 of the people I was with are addicted to them. There were also three pound cakes — two of which had frosting slathered beautifully across their tops. Frosting makes everything better.
The pace of the staff was… unhurried. Some might even say slower than cold molasses. But everyone was polite and I enjoy a barista who is not adding to my own sense of frenzy in the morning.
Credit card charges of less than $ 4 get a $.35 fee so bring cash!

The other day my coworker informed me that she needed to buy cupcakes for her boss (me being the cupcake expert around). I wanted to try something new and stick to the east side, so we decided on bakery bar.
a quick drive down mlk brought us to the bar, which was about half-​full with a lunch crowd. we found that there were two varieties of cupcakes, all very cute, banana and carrot cake. ehhh. i wasn’t that impressed, but we did end up splitting a banana one. what got us more excited were the mini cakes. not being able to help ourselves, we picked a raspberry chiffon cake with lime cream and a fondant flower decoration. so cute!
after delivering the cupcakes, we brought the mini cake back to work and dug in. i will say, they went a little heavy on the butter cream. sometimes it felt like we were eating sticks of sweet butter. the cake and lime cream filling were delicious, but the stomach ache that quickly followed made me think twice about ordering another in the future.
i think ill stick with the coffee and cupcakes here next time, but it’s a cute place… and there’s good shopping next door.

What a great experience we had here. My boyfriend and I were totally lost. We were driving around Portland trying to figure out where the rose gardens are — didn’t realize I shoulda asked for Washington Park… anyhoo…we needed coffee and a little sustenance and good directions. Bakery Bar met all three criteria.
The coffee was scrumptious. The barista — is that the correct term if it’s a man? Is it baristo? Anyhow, he made the most gorgeous design on top of my bf’s mocha and while we waited an additional 30 seconds for it to be ready b/​c of this — the detail was not lost on us. It was amazing — with great chocolately flavor to match. We eat picked a scone to nosh on as well — the fennel one was sublime and I fully enjoyed the lime poppyseed I had as well. Next, the directions… the lovely cashier wrote out very clear and neatly printed directions that got us from where we were to where we wanted to be. Fabulous!
We also fell in love with the adorable cakes and vowed to return to try them one day — or order them for some occasion. Just lovely.
Thanks for everything Bakery Bar!

What’s not to love about Bakery Bar?
They have strong espresso drinks…
Scrumptious cupcakes are looking back at you from behind the counter…
Lunch menu that sounds so amazingly delicious
Hm…it’s hard to choose…

A friend forced me in to this place today. Immediately upon entering I was already thinking of all the nasty (yet poignant) things I was going to say in my first 1 star Unilocal review.
THEN I had their chocolate cake w/​espresso glaze and a beautiful mocha with a heart on top. It was true love.
It should be mentioned all of the barista boy glamazons working looked like they would benefit from a serious scrubbin’. Also it was way too crowded for me (that’s why I live in st johns)!

Oh my little Bakery Bar
For you I walked on foot so far
To try your much-​raved about cupcakes
Alas, there were none in the case!
Instead I had a Café Miel
My favorite latte!, done so well
Your biscuits, too, were quite divine
And your baristas — very fine.
I will be back for cake!

Everything here is beautiful! I had a scone and a buttermilk biscuit with jam on top and they were delicious. I have heard that the sandwiches are great too. Plus you can special order cakes and other delights — beautiful!
A little hard to find, but worth it. If you are taking the bus, get off on the Hawthorne bridge (like going to OMSI), but head north. Only a few blocks and you are there. Plus the walk helps justify a larger cupcake. .. or two.