Gran Milan – Bakery & Cafe’

Yummmm the apple pastry is sooooo good. I also had the morning sandwich with egg, mozzarella and ham I believe. Shared with my coworker. We will be back and they are open early!!! :)

If you’re waiting for Costco’s tire center to do their thing, Gran Milan is a short 12 minute walk away and a great way to pass the time! The sfogliatelle are incredible!

A fantastic neighborhood local (Italian) bakery that deserves more than 5 stars! Those who live nearby are so lucky! (El Cerrito/​Richmond/​Berkeley/​Albany)…
Fantastic croissants that go quickly… Fabulous Croissant sandwiches and paninis. and those home-​y thin crusted pizzas! (Best to eat there than take-​home)… I have yet to «graduate» to the pastries as I am still savoring the savories… Prices are relatively reasonable …
Lines may be long especially during lunchtime… but, be patient. Owner and staff try their best… they and the business are a gem and an asset to the Bay Area!
Let us always support our local (small) businesses first… And hope they don’t get acquired by some big corporation (e.g. Starbucks, like they did La Boulange, SFO)…

This little café is located at a very weird location. I am very grateful for their location because I wanted something to drink before I went to Omescape. It was also the perfect location for my friend and I to catch up.
I order an 8oz Chai Latte for $ 2.50 and a plain croissant for $ 2.50. The 8oz cups are too small for cup holders so be careful it it’s hot. Luckily mine came out in the perfect temperature, but I think the cold weather and my cold hands also play a factor in that. I actually like the Chai Latte, you can really taste the spice.
Their pastries are placed on trays on the counters. The plain croissant actually had a sweet coating. I didn’t expect that. It was a bit cold by the time I ate mine. I’m not sure if they’ll warm it up for you, I wasn’t offer the option to.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get the chance to come here again since the trip is far for me, but if I ever do I’ll remember to try their pizzas.

Located in a very strange area this place is a hidden gem!
I heard about it from a couple people so decided to try it out. Ordered A double espresso, a lot of people think you can’t mess up a simple shot of espresso but a lot of places do. This was absolutely wonderful, amazing flavor.
The selection of savory foods and pastries was incredible. The ham and cheese brioche one of the best I’ve had and they have cannolis that take you right back to Italy!
Highly recommend this place. The staff is very nice and very helpful with any questions you have.

Best chocolate croissant I’ve ever had. Everything looks delicious — I’ll have to go back.

I love stopping in for a coffee and treat! It’s fun to watch them in kitchen and everyone working there is so nice!

This bakery is a gem! Every time I come (5x’s now) I have been impressed with the authentic artisan deliciousness of the pastries. The cannoli and almond croissant are beyond belief exquisite. The ricotta orange tart tastes like I am eating at the finest café in Milan Italy.
For the holidays, their Panettone and boxes of nut brittle made the most appreciated little gifts that people are still talking about.
If you are want something savory, try a sandwich on house-​made bread, a pizza made to order, or take home a quiche.

This place is such a cute hole-​in-​the-​wall! It’s very small inside so best when going with just a couple people. They don’t advertise personal sized pizzas but they made one for my friend when she asked. It was only $ 5.50 for hers and my 14″ pepperoni pizza was $ 10.80. Will definitely visit again when I’m in the area!

My turkey focaccia panini took kind of a long time to come out. But it was formidably tasty. The bread is soft and fresh, the bacon was smokey, and the aioli was excellent. I’d be down to try the pizza, since it looks like what a lot of the other folks were ordering.

My new favorite place!
The pastry n Pizza here ARE TO LIVE FOR!
Excellent price… so tender are the dough
Check it out

I love this café. It is so darn good. My roast beef sandwich on focaccia was the greatest for lunch. My partner who had the same still dreams about eating another. Gran Milan is going to be my regular habit now.

One of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a very long time. I ordered the roast beef on focaccia bread. The sandwich is packed with a lot of flavor including cheese, sautéed peppers, onions and zucchini. But the bread is what really makes the sandwich. It is thin focaccia bread that’s buttered and warm and soft but with a delicate crunch on the outside. Nice and warm pressed. Superb.

Fantastic food that is out of this world Delicious. The owners are legitimate Italian brothers I believe from near the border of Switzerland, who Love food, and take GREAT pride in what they create. They are food artists and it is a pleasure to partake in what they create! Best baked goods in the Bay Area in my opinion.
Well worth a visit — A +
Jon Holmquist

We’ve seen their sign when going to CostCo, but never bothered to look for them until now. I want to go back for a sandwich. Those looked pretty tempting. But we already had our lunch so were looking for a little treat.
The fudge/​raspberry coffin was amazing. The raspberry filling was so full of flavor. It outshone the chocolate fudge by a mile. Cute coffin, too.
We also picked up an Italian Muffin (mini panettone) and a vanilla cupcake. The frosting on the cupcake threw me off a little. More like Royal Icing than the creamy kind I’m use to. Still, it was fun and the gummy eyeball on top was a real good touch.
The treats were fun and good, but nothing overly special. So again, we want to come back to try the sandwich line up. That, hopefully, is where Gran Milan shines.

FOOD: 4 or even 5 stars. The olive stick? DANK. (that means good) The sfogliatelle? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR (not good, GREEEEAAAT!) Pizza: decent.
PRICE: great!
ATMOSPHERE: I mean, it’s in an industrial area, but i don’t care. The little outdoor garden area is cute, but i wouldn’t eat out there with all the cars coming in close from the highway and the repair shop.
But why the 3 stars? THE WAIT. My friend in front of me just wanted a canolli. Took forever for the chick to grab it and put it in the thing and ring her up.
When she was getting my olive bread, she was trying to wrap it… 4 times. Good gawd, just wrap it or hand it to me like costco does to churros! It took equally as long for her to grab the sfogliatelle and put it in a to-​go container. Took a long time to take the order to the chef in the back. Took a long time for them to make the pizza, and to bring out to me.
All in all, all of it took about 40 minutes, which it shouldn’t. They move at a snail’s pace.
I’m sure it will get better as they learn how to kick into gear since they’re pretty new, I think. Over all, I haven’t gone back for lunch (i work so close by) because I had to speed to work, scarf down a slice of pizza, and then start work, so it wasn’t even worth all the effort.
I’d like to come back and just get the pre-​made stuff, and just tell the chick to throw it all into one box really quick or something.
I would LOVE to come back, but I’ll have to do it on a weekend when time doesn’t matter too much. (it always matters)
Their desserts and other pastries look delightful, and the ones that I have had were quite amazing. I can forgive the time issue for that. Tried the cannoli from a friend– great. Not as good as NY/​NJ but… i can deal.
They do have breakfast, but my co-​worker told me she came in early to get a coffee and some pastry but left because they were taking too long.
*sigh*

I’m rendered speechless by the flakiness, delicacy and toothsomeness of this sfogliatelle — the first one I ever had in my life.
The girl at the counter is a sweetheart.
The drip coffee is perfect.
I have to come back & try everything on the menu.
AMAZING PLACE!

Gran Milan wasn’t a destination but became one when i made a wrong turn off hyw 580, ended up on jacuzzi st. still no piece of cake, drove the entire length, no find, used Unilocal «search» nada. finally drove into only commerical strip on jacuzzi, found it.
menu: cookies, pastries, cake slices, pizza, focciola slices?, panninis, coffee, expresso., savoy brioche, etc,
eats; salami savoy brioche (4.75) heated up, came with lettuce, tomato, salami in croissant looking bread. heated up
–just slightly tasty.
drinks: coffee (sm 1,75) oz, strong, dark «fremont» brand?
take outs:
–lots of precooked items on display, can be reheated
–in retrospect, food from scratch may taste fresher, reheating not much benefit.]
3ish stars for reheated savoy brioch.
–seating inside and out.

So I saw a sidewalk sign coming back from Costco for a bakery and pizza just around the corner. I honestly didn’t think too much about it, until I saw it again which triggered me to do a quick Unilocal look-​up. With such great reviews, I had to check it out!
Located in an industrial plaza off Jacuzzi Street by I-​80 and Central Street, it’s not easily visible. It’s across from a garage repair and past a jacuzzi store. After entering the driveway… go straight and look for the chairs/​tables on the left side.
First, I ordered the 14″ cheese pizza for $ 8.50. It’s very thin and delicious. I like that they added a little arugala. The price was right and I’d definitely come back for this pizza with toppings.
Next, I ordered a couple pastries. The apple and custard puff was yummy and flaky (not too sweet). The bacon/​eggs quiche pie was velvety smooth.
Lastly — on my way out, I ordered an iced coffee. It was so delicious. The gal who made it added a couple shots of espresso and some caramel syrup. For under $ 3, the price was right again. I told her that it should be a standard option on the menu.
There’s many more items to try, but overall I have to give it 5-​stars. They have a few tables inside and outside. The bathroom is very clean too. I’ll be back soon!
My only suggestion would be to have one special daily creative combination pizza and post it on their website. I think with a creative pizza menu and posting it on their website… it could become great foodie stop.
This is a real gem! I’m glad to see an Italian bakery so close to home.

This place is insane!
My co-​workers & myself have been waiting for it to open & it was definitely worth the wait.
Everything is made from the scratch.
Wonderful selection of freshly baked breads & pastries.
Great sandwiches & salads. Pizza & breakfast selections. Many healthy & vegetarian choices.
They can satisfy anyone’s taste or dietary limitations.
It is not in a location where you would expect to find such a nice Italian bakery/​café, but as soon as you find it you will be hooked.
I really need to set some limitations for myself. Having something so good such a short distance away might make me less productive at work !