No idea how this gets less than 5 stars. I'm French and I can honestly say this is the BEST croissant certainly in Phoenix, but one of the best I have eaten anywhere in the United States. And that's a big statement considering I have lived in NYC, LA, and DC, all with far larger French communities than here. I had both the regular croissant and the chocolate croissant (pain au chocolat). Both were crispy and flaky on the outside and then deliciously "pillowy" on the inside. Best thing about them....there was not an overly high dependence on butter. The chocolate from the chocolate croissant was as good as it gets. I will come by to try some other things as well, the eggs looked great. Service was impeccable but I'm completely blown away. Not to mention JL Patisserie rips you off with their pricing and the lady has some sort of ego. Not the case here, the pricing for the superior products is also much more in line with chefs who like to create great products than business owners that like to charge you for that they think are. read more

I first discovered Essence when they were still in their original Tempe location, and I've been a regular ever since they moved to Indian School Road. The food is consistently excellent, and the pastries are every bit as good as those I enjoyed while visiting Paris. As a locally owned business, Essence is an important part of the community. It's the kind of place where I almost always run into someone I know, which adds to its charm. My favorites are the seasonal omelets--they're so light and fluffy they're like little clouds on a plate. The specials are always worth considering, too. And no visit is complete without a croissant. Whether it's a savory cheese croissant or a sweet passion fruit and chocolate creation, they're all fantastic. My personal favorite is the pistachio croissant. Their French Macaroons are a decadent treat to take with you. Service can occasionally take a little longer than expected, but quality takes time, and the results are always worth the wait. If you're looking for a neighborhood bakery and café that combines exceptional food, world-class pastries, and a welcoming community atmosphere, Essence is one of Phoenix's gems. read more

It's been a while since we ate at Essence - there has been so many bakeries/cafes openings that we didn't think of it. Well, had to get back as Essence's croissants were voted in the top 14 in the country. We went for breakfast last Saturday and sure were not disappointed. We ordered breakfast special - crusty waffles with strawberry compote, chantilly cream and Schreiner's sausage as well as Big breakast - the food was delicious! There were so many choices of croissants, danishes, breads - we simply could not leave without getting some to go. It was so hard to choose! We got butter croissant, chocolate/raspberry and walnut streusel coffee cake - all of these were absolutely delicious!!! All the staff was courteous and very pleasant. We'll definitely be back! read more

See all

It was clean. The staff somewhat aloof, but that is okay. Went for late breakfast at 11am. Only to be told they were serving lunch now. I had looked on the website to see the hours and that was nowhere there. Ended up with a chocolate croissant. Nice flake but nothing exciting read more

Horrible parking when it's busy, and another negative , paper straws, nothing worse than that. Ordered one of the little boxes with about five or six different little treats in it, also ordered chocolate truffle cookie, which is heavy and pretty good, in the little treat box couple of them were pretty good. The rest were just whatever. Also ordered a macaron that was pretty good, but all three of our coffees were horrible. read more

Visited Essence Bakery on a Friday for a late lunch. We ordered the Quiche, Pot Pie a baguette and two macaroons. The Quiche was good but the side salad had almost no dressing and overall it was a small portion for the price. The same can be said about the pot pie. I would have liked a little more flavor and another piece of chicken or two. The macaroons were the star. Although $4.50 each, it is worth the try. Highly recommend the Meyer Lemon variety. BTW, the lemonade appeared to be right out of the Milo's brand gallon. Expected fresh squeezed for $4.25 a glass. The location is nice but the tables need to be replaced since most of them are damaged. Overall, recommendation is to skip lunch and order just the bakery items. "FIMP" Food is my Passion read more

See all

Charging $7 for a 12 oz latte with 1 shot of espresso is not worth it. If you want another it's $2. The color of the latte is horrible and it's too sweet. Take your money and go somewhere else. Do better read more

Essence Bakery Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

09/13/2025 Essence makes my favorite macarons in AZ! The taste and texture are unmatched by any other AZ bakery. Ever since they closed down their Tempe location and only have the Arcadia location, I don't go as much. But recently they had my favorite weekend brunch special, so I invited some family to have brunch there with me. The special ($18.95) included: Organic Quinoa Hash with Bacon, Summer Squash & Yukon Gold Potatoes, served with Organic Fried Eggs and Gruyere Cheese Croissant. I love dipping the cheesy croissant into the runny egg yolks! A family member doesn't like cheese, and instead ordered "The Big Breakfast" ($16.25) from the regular breakfast menu - Organic Scrambled Eggs served with Mashed Potato Cake, Breakfast Sausage, Sautéed Mushrooms, and Homemade Buttered Toast with Jam. This dish looked really good too. The espresso macaron had great flavor. My go-to macarons are the organic vanilla and strawberries & cream. Pumpkin (seasonal) is also really good too. Their almond croissant is my favorite, but they were already sold out by the time we got there around 9am! Next time I'll be sure to get there earlier. Tip: If you want to get a weekly email with their specials for the week and weekend, subscribe to their email newsletter. Otherwise, the specials are also on their website. read more

See all

I love it there all their food is so DELICIOUS!!! the server/employees are so nice. when I walk in it almost feels like it's a dream. I just love it there. It's so happy and joyful when you walk in! read more

The bakery items were exceptional. The staff were very helpful. The reason for 4 stars was due to bathroom being down, espresso machine being down and the political atmosphere. The special breakfast croissant was great, but our favorites were the chocolate almond croissant and the oat cakes. We even took a baguette home - fantastic read more

See all

Really hard to find this quality outside of Europe--much less Phoenix. Top notch pastries from a top notch Greek pastry chef. We go almost every weekend for breakfast and the friendly owners come around to schmooze with everyone giving the experience a rare community oriented feel. If a friend comes to visit from out of town, this is the first place I recommend. read more

Always delicious! My friend and I came here for brunch and of course it was a bit busy but we found seats at the counter and our food was ready pretty quickly. The pastries are excellent. I also enjoyed a strawberry macaron. read more

See all

My friends and I have been going there Sunday mornings for quite some time. Essence bakery is one of the few places that are individually owned and they take pride and everything that they serve. You cannot go wrong with any of their superb pastries or breakfast. read more

Excellent food, friendly service, so it gets a little crowded sometimes. Highly recommend!

Love their desserts. Called today to ask if they had any of their savory left so I wouldn't drive over there in vain. 20 minutes later and IM STILL ON HOLD.. I also agree with the other reviews. Every time I go, the employees are always sour. Do not get the coffee!!! It is just milk with a splash of coffee! Taking my business somewhere else from now on thank you. read more

Trying some new bakeries and breakfast spots around Arcadia and stopped by Essence for a bite this past week. Service was great and staff friendly. I ordered the Egg Sandwich and thought it was delicious. The bun was so soft and eggs were cooked perfectly. The French Scrambled Eggs went well with the baguette, which also came with a jam that was to die for. I could eat this breakfast every day! The coffee and pastry didn't disappoint either! read more

Coffee was good. Small not so crowded little breakfast place. Unfortunately the pancakes were nasty. Maybe cause it's oat but it tastes like baby cereal pancakes to mushy tht the texture thru me off and i couldn't finish it. read more

I ordered a baguette sandwich with cheese, lettuce and ham. I asked the clerk if I could substitute bacon for the ham; the kitchen told her 'no'. Minutes later, the same clerk wrote out and displayed the daily special which included a baguette sandwich with bacon! Will never go there again. read more

The culinary care put into everything that comes out of the kitchen here is something you can taste in every bite. Whether it's the incredible Quiche Lorraine, the perfect scrambled eggs, or the delectable flaky and buttery croissants, I feel I have never had anything that has been less than fantastic. Since I'm lucky enough to live close by, I try to make it a point to come in about once a month. Another standout for those who enjoy iced coffee beverages- the iced caramel glacé. The caramel in it is made in house and is a-mazing. read more

I like to consider us "foodies" as we seek out and will travel for amazing food every chance we get and that's what we did when we went to Essence. We saw the piece that Check Please did on Essence and knew we had to check it out! My intention was to try their oat pancakes and a croissant (or three!) and that is what we did but by the time we left, we had several pastries both sweet and savory, a loaf of freshly baked sourdough, and several items from their grab and go case including the chicken pot pie, spanakopita and their quiche to cover dinners for the week! The oat pancakes were delicious, so light and just the right size with only a bit of softened butter, syrup and fruit to give the oats the right amount of sweet. We've since eaten all of our treats and I can say that every single item we purchased was well worth the drive, the time and the money. One last note is that the Chef was so nice to chat with, when she took the time to greet me up at the front, I took the opportunity to speak with her about why we joined then that morning and between her and the FOH staff, we felt appreciated for supporting them! Between the Service and the food...will absolutely be back soon! read more

The breakfast sandwich and passion fruit croissant were good ..... the coffee was "citrusy" and the service was less than spectacular ...... no smiles and less than friendly. 2 1/2 stars read more

Essence Bakery Cafe - Breakfast sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Date: Sunday, July 2nd, 2023 Time: around 12:15pm Reason: Macarons I adore french macarons. Whenever I'm on vacay, I always search bakeries to see if there's a new place that sells them. (Well new to me.) I was having brunch down the street and decided to swing by here first to grab some treats. Unfortunately, I think this is a breakfast spot, so there were not a lot left. I believe I just grabbed one of each flavor and a coffee. The mini macarons were $2 each while the normal sized one - French Chocolate Macaron was $4.25. Texture wise, they had a slight chew. Tho they were very airy and crumbled / broke easily. I can't recall the flavors that day, but I think one of them was lemon which was probably my fav. I adore tart desserts / sweets. I read a lot of good things about their macarons. If I ever find myself in the area early, I'll definitely stop by to see if they have more of a selection then. REVIEW #3459 read more

See all

Chocolate croissant was delicious. The best! The attitude of the person taking my order was poor. When I asked for a baguette sandwich I was told (while looking at me like I'm stupid) that I can't have one until 11:00 am. it was 10:40. I did not see that rule on their sign or on the website. But the chocolate croissant was great read more

Some people spend their monies on Starbucks daily. I'd spend my monies here instead on pastries made from scratch. I have eaten some fantastic breakfasts here. Quenching ice tea as well as great coffee. Baked goods are some of the few best I've had here in the valley. Small space but very cozy and casual. I love coming here when the croissant craving hits. read more

Essence Bakery Cafe - Gruyere croissant! Perfect pair of cheese and buttery croissant. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Always delicious. Even though I have moved away, I always make this a must stop when I return.

Lady at the counter was short and abrupt. I had a Caesar2 salad weighed down by an oily tangy vinaigrette that has no resemblance of Caesar dressing. The Caesar also had thin sliced Kalamata olives which I have never seen, and prefer not ever seeing or heading again. read more

The lower star rating is only because of the service. I always feel like they hate all customers. This place is in my neighborhood and everything we've had is absolutely delicious. It's worth dealing with the bad service to get the goods from time to time. I just wish I didn't always leave there feeling annoyed because of how unfriendly they are. Pastries are amazing food takes a while but is very good and worth the wait. read more

I had the lemon ricotta pancakes and they were delicious. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone!

Tried out this bakery for the first time today. We arrived early on a Sunday and there was still a good selection of pastries. Ordered a hot mocha & almond chocolate croissant. My daughter had an iced Carmel latte & pistachio croissant. Both pastries were delicious! The barista that made & delivered our drinks was very pleasant. Cafe is very clean with plenty of seating options. This place is definitely worth checking out & we will be returning in the future! read more

See all

Amazing food!! The staff is always friendly and helpful, and I love the atmosphere!

Essence Bakery is probably one of the most lovely experiences I've had in all my travels. The food was great, pastries were unique flavor combos, and probably the most endearing thing about the visit was the owner and head pastry chef. She was so warm and welcoming. Me and my girlfriend had a lovely conversation with her while we waited, and she was so genuinely invested in our (and every other guest's) experience. I can't recommend this place enough. Well worth a road trip to come here. read more

See all

Positive: Incredible pastries! Very delicious and best in the valley! Negative: Worst customer service. The worlds most woke, bland, all things hate men shit attitude read more

Recently checked out Essence Bakery Cafe for the first time this weekend. My bestie RAVES and literally devours their macaroons, and had a craving so decided I would take up the opportunity to visit them with her. The parking lot is a little hectic, they do have some additional parking in the back, but it is tight and definitely something to keep in mind. They do have a back entrance from the back lot as well. The space itself boasts numerous tables and ample seating. They also seemed to have a small private room that could accommodate intimate groups. They had a line, so I took the opportunity to take in all the options! They have a large case full of macaroons, including minis and larger ones. They had numerous flavors, from strawberry rose, lemon, espresso, pistachio, strawberry cream, hazelnut and anything else you can imagine! They also have quite a line up of croissants, from almond, pistachio, pain au chocolat, almond chocolate and everything in between. They also have more filling and savory breakfast items from sandos, to scrambles. The menu isn''t huge my any means, but does offer something for everyone! It's counter service, so you order up front, are given a number and they bring out the goods! My husband and I shared a few goodies: The breakfast sandwich, add avocado and ham, an almond croissant, a pistachio croissant and two mini macaroons including lemon and espresso. I ordered a cappuccino and he got a iced latte. Sadly, we did not receive an offer for our pastries to be warmed, which I always prefer. Though i did not inquire, so not sure if this is something they do or not. I also prefer to enjoy my pastries with my coffee, so usually wait until I have both in hand. Our group of four waited quite awhile for our beverages. We received our breakfast sandwiches before they came out. My cappuccino was mid, and more of a latte with minimal foam. My husbands ice latte was very good and smooth and my friends chai latte was lovely! The macaroons were good, but I think the larger ones are much more stand out! The strawberry rose and lemon were very good. I typically don't love macaroons, as they can be too sweet, but did enjoy these! The pastries were nice, the almond croissant had a great flavor and I would get again! I did enjoy my visit overall and would give them another visit, as it's a very cute spot and has some good offering, just may go a different direction on my beverage! read more

The baked good are delish. Passion fruit Crossiant is amazing. Perfectly flaky and light on the sweetness. The freshly squeezed Orange juice is pulpy. If you arent a pulp person, do not recommend. Plenty of seating inside. Parking is avaliable behind the bakery. Only few spots in the front. Fast service, good place but pricey! read more

Essence Bakery Cafe - Crossiant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

See all

The place is just amazing just like the food. IMO it is the best French breakfast place in town. The service is amazing and the ambiance is welcoming. The staff treat you like family. I will definitely recommend it. read more

What makes a great bakery? Pastries or experience? Or both? Before visiting Essence, I'd say excellent pastries. After breakfast, I say it's both, because Essence's service was lacking. Standing in line on a November Saturday around 9 a.m., the queue went out the door. However, after looking inside, the line wasn't very deep. The line was moving at a sluggish rate due to staff. Even with two people at the register, each order took awhile. Once we finally ordered, the person behind the register seemed rushed. We order brioche French toast, quiche and granola to stay. She left and came back with a bag of dry granola even though it was clear we wanted the granola to eat in restaurant. Once we sat down, it took 40+ minutes for us to get our food. Once we did, it was disappointing. The French toast was soggy and not tasty. I literally thought they ran out of bread so went to the store to get Wonderbread. It was nothing special- not worth the wait. The redeeming factors were my wife me granola. She enjoyed it as did my daughter with her quiche. read more

See all

Unimpressed and left with my hair, clothes and belongings smelling like the kitchen. Food is overpriced, but I guess everything is these days. The quality of food is good though. It's made fresh. I had the breakfast sandwich which was $8.50 and a reg iced caramel latte. My total was $15 with tip. I wanted the quiche with fruit on the side, but that was $14.50! It was a small serving based on photos I've seen. I honestly thought the breakfast sandwich came with a sausage patty, but it was just egg, tomato and some cheese maybe? Couldn't tell. They don't have wifi either. I was hoping to get some work done, but ended up going down the street to another cafe afterwards. Sooo overall I wouldn't come back. I was trying to avoid Starbucks to support local businesses, but I wasn't impressed. read more

I have been coming to Essence for more than 15 years and I probably wrote a review for their old location in Tempe way back at the beginning. In my opinion, the croissants here are better than I've had in Paris or Tokyo. I've been fortunate to have the plain croissants from Essence warm from the oven and they're life changing! We came for lunch to get the seasonal salad that had fresh peaches and crispy bacon with a croissant on the side. It was excellent! The smoky-crispy-sweet-juicy texture mix did amazing things with the bitterness of the greens and tang of the dressing. The macarons here are also amazing. There were not many to choose from since they were closing down for vacation, but we grabbed a few of the remaining stock. Chocolate was a favorite. This space is a lot bigger and more modern than the old Tempe location, so the ambience is more "cafe" and less "cafeteria" than it was back then. Nice upgrade! read more

Essence Bakery Cafe - Special seasonal salad with peaches, bacon... yum! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I LOVE Essence Bakery! They have some of the best coffee and pastries around! The customer service has always been super friendly and helpful and the place is clean and inviting. We have tried a few of their different croissants both sweet and savory. The ham and Gruyère is my favorite savory and the vanilla twist croissant and pistachio are my favorite sweet ones. The macarons are all delicious and so flavorful and the coffee is perfect. Not bitter, not too sweet and they are house made syrups. My only gripe is the paper straws! I'm all for saving the turtles but by the time I get home my straw is flopped over broken and half melting into my drink lol I'll bring a metal one next time. Overall, an awesome spot for a coffee and pastry breakfast and their special offerings are amazing and change weekly! Can't wait to stop in again! read more

See all

I have been to Essence many times over the past few years, and enjoy their pastries and breakfast menu items. My favorite pastries are the chocolate croissant and pistachio croissant, and my go-to breakfast there is the French scrambled eggs with baguette. Today a friend and I ordered the egg salad sandwich; however the cashier apparently rang it up as egg sandwiches. When we got the food we quickly realized the mistake and told the lady who brought the food that we had ordered the egg salad sandwiches. She took it back and then a couple minutes later another lady (who I think is a supervisor?) came over to tell me she needed to charge me the difference, because the egg salad is more expensive than the egg sandwich. Are you kidding me?! You're really going to shake down your customers for a few extra dollars for YOUR mistake?? I didn't make a big deal of it because I was treating my friend to an early Mother's Day brunch, and wanted us to enjoy our catch-up time, but I was disappointed in how they handled this mix up. read more