The bread here is good, but many of the teenagers on staff are super unprofessional. The young woman behind the counter was friendly, but one kid was bellowing "Never Gonna Give You Up," and the other kid making sandwiches slapped a sign up that read "no sandwiches after 2pm on Saturdays" and glared at us the whole time (it wasn't after 2). My wife's sandwich was was so small I asked her if she'd ordered a half size or something. They also forgot the cheese. When she asked the staff to add it, they didn't know what kind of cheese was supposed to be on that sandwich, so my wife had to read the menu to them. There was another time my wife tried to use her free sandwich card (before she paid) and the cashier told her "I already rung you up. You can use it next time." I'm not sure if there's a manager or what, but they need one. read more

Just tried this place for the first time, at the recommendation of a friend. Was blown away! I had the Monster Focaccia Sandwich. Turkey, Ham, Cream cheese w/ Chives, lettuce, tomato, onions on the lavender rosemary bread. The sandwich was very thick. The bread was out of this world good. Prices are comparable to other delis in the area. Paid $7.75 for the sandwich. The service was great, I was greeted with smiles by a cashier who was very informative. She offered me a sample of the bread before I ordered to make sure I liked it. Will absolutely be eating here again!! read more

Great sandwiches ! Been here twice and have loved both the 'hummus delight' and their 'powerhouse' sandwich. Their timing is a tad inconvenient considering how early they close . The only suggestion i have is to increase the size of the bread for the sandwiches or introduce hoagies/subs. The current bread slices are rather small for the price, and especially with meatless options these thin sandwiches leave you rather unfilled. Will return ! read more

This place is great! Fresh ingredients in everything you can just taste the freshness. You will not be able to choose just one and you will come back. I always get a loaf of their 9grain oat. I've also picked up their cheese loaf which is like challa, and cinnamon loaf. Each time you visit the store you can taste test all the flavors with butter. They also have a variety of jams, mustards and spreads to purchase. It's family owned and delicious! read more

I understand this bakery uses "real" ingredients but I bought TWO items (cookies and bread) and paid $20! This is outrageous. I used to frequent this establishment but no more. I'll pay for quality and products that justify the price but this is not it. read more

I don't know why people are being stingy with their stars for this place. It's 5 stars all the way! From the customer service to the seemingly endless varieties of bread, Great Harvest really could not get any better for me and the bf. We make a point to go on different days of the week so we can sample all of the types of bread (don't go on a full stomach, because you will want to taste, and they give you full slices), and I have yet to try something I didn't like. Even the baked potato bread was amazing, and I was super skeptical about that one. So far the bf's favorite is the Popeye bread, and mine is the Howard County! All this, and I haven't even tried one of their sandwiches yet. read more

Great bread. I recommend the turkey club with no veggies and extra spread. Very nice people

I love this place! I always ask my daughter to come here for a loaf of Woodstock bread for us to have while I am visiting her.

I purchased the Cali Cobb sandwich(Turkey, bacon, guacamole, blue cheese,L,T) on high 5 fiber bread, sourdough parmesan bread, and red velvet cake. Bread is baked daily. I arrived shortly before noon and the bread was still warm! Their products are made with quality ingredients. free samples are available to try before you buy. soups are also available and they have cookies, scones, pottery ware, dipping oils, dip mixes, etc read more

Tried this place out due to their positive reviews but was sadly disappointed. The place was packed which is usually a good sign, but it took forever for our sandwiches and then when we ate them, they were a huge disappointment. The bread was so dense and the sandwiches didn't have any "wow" factor or flavor. I'll be sticking to my fave sandwich place in columbia from now on. read more

Yah yah big giant sample slices and amazing healthy bread. Could be a little more organized with an actual line at the counter instead of a clawing mob but I guess the bread is just that good. read more

The good: The bread is amazing! Slices are dense and have a lot of flavor. Highly recommend the Honey Whole Wheat, Woodstock, and Cinnamon Swirl loaves. The okay/bad: Unsurprisingly, the bread is the star of the sandwich. The sandwiches are underwhelming for the price (REALLY small sometimes and the quality varies visit-to-visit). - The cranberry walnut chicken salad sandwich is my favorite, but sometimes the mayo:ingredients ratio is off (too much mayo, not enough stuff). If you ask for lettuce and tomato, sometimes they also add red onion... odd. - The blue cheese spread on the California turkey sandwich is pretty appalling... it completely overpowers an otherwise delicious sandwich and leaves you with a nasty aftertaste. Giving it 4 stars because the bread is THAT good! read more

This place is amazing!!! The swirl bread that they make on Saturday morning is beyond words. If you have a chance to stop by during lunch hour, the pepperoni rolls will fill you up without weighing you down. read more

Great Harvest Bread Co should be named Pretty Good Harvest Bread Co. While I love the bread (10/10), the workers were only pretty good. Particularly the one in the glasses. He seemed somewhat grouchy but was welcoming none the less. But his sister. One recommendation I have is that the stools be moved to the free samples counter so that I can sit comfortably while asking for a meals worth of free samples. His sister made one great sandwich for me ;) read more

Great bread! Love the cinnamon bread. Can't wait till thanksgiving for their stuffing bread. Only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is that if you go too early not all the bread is ready. I have gone twice in the morning and told the bread I wanted was not ready yet. read more

The fresh bread makes this place. Free samples were all really good - will have to make this a regular spot along with Bon Fresco which is my current go-to sandwich place in columbia. read more

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this place!! My review is based solely on their breads and other goodies as I have never had a sandwich there. Let me start by saying that their chocolate brownie bread is so good I literally drive an extra 17 miles one way just to get some on the day that they make it. I have also been known to set my alarm to wake up early to order said brownie bread because one day I got there late and they were sold out. I was pregnant at the time which is completely to blame for the tears that followed. Obviously I love their chocolate brownie bread. I am almost as equally obsessed with their challah bread. It is so good in the summer time with some jam or jelly; I can eat a whole loaf myself in a few days! Honestly it's good all the time, toasted in the winter, with dinner in the evening, before bed snack.... I have also tried their pumpkin chocolate chip bread (delish), pumpkin bars (love them), sugar cookies (couldn't stop eating the samples) and a few of their other savory breads. In short I'm there every week and it's become a huge guilty pleasure. However, I can pronounce all of the ingredients in their products so really I'm eating healthy #noguilt #sorrynotsorry!! Just writing this review made me realize that I should probably go snag the last piece of brownie bread before my husband does... read more

This place is an amazing find for bread and sweets. The service was the best I've ever had. I felt like I was at a friend's house and their mom wouldn't stop feeding me! They were very generous with their samples. The challah bread was delicious and the scones were to die for. Yum!!! read more

For most of my experience with this place, see Courtney's review. She nailed it. I came here with my brother in December 2011 just before we hit the road heading down to Germantown. We both ordered sandwiches- he got a vegetarian sandwich, and I went for a turkey concoction with avocado- a must for me as a native Californian. OMG, as if the sandwich weren't blazingly good enough, I sampled this ridiculously awesome vanilla crunch loaf of bread that was like a taste of heaven. I mean really. I have never tasted anything like that in a bread. It was just sweet enough, but not too much to be considered a dessert bread. Man, it was so good that you see it's nearly a year later and I'm still writing about it. Please stay in business Great Harvest; I plan on visiting next summer and will most definitely pick up a loaf for breakfast while I'm in town. read more

Visited Saturday @2:30pm on the recommendation of a friend. I started to ask for a ham & turkey sandwich but was immediately cut off by the young man leaning on the counter. He told me, "No sandwiches after 2pm." Confused, I looked around, "But you're open," I began. "No sandwiches after 2pm," he said, again. He seemed to enjoy telling me he couldn't serve me. Not feeling up to an argument I asked for a menu and read it over. I looked at the front door where the hours are posted. No where could I find a sign saying sandwich service stops at 2pm even though the store is open until 4pm. Whatever, I'll take my money elsewhere. Thanks for wasting my time and annoying me Great Harvest. read more

Fantastic bread, great selection, outstanding quality. Fresh-made sandwiches with amazing flavors. It may be a bit pricy but you can't beat the quality. read more

Every thing here is awesome but I had to take away 1 star because they no longer have French vanilla creamer. I thought perhaps they were out just one day but 3 times there hasn't been any. Ok so I'll stop my complaints there. The bread, scones, muffins are FABULOUS!! With an extra FAB! Everything is baked fresh daily and they have free samples. Best way to start your morning. Oh and I don't care for pumpkin but everything they make with pumpkin I've loved! read more

Freshly baked/healthy bread, unlimited samples (you can try all breads before you buy), great service....I'm sold. Try the Howard County Bread its amazing (and my favorite). They also make delicious sandwiches for lunch. read more

This place is everything it was raved about. The bread was simply delicious, I mean you can smell it all the way home and want to open the bag before you get there. I ordered the veggie and tuna sandwich to go, as well as a loaf of bread ($7). The total was $22, pretty on the pricey side for 2 sandwiches and a loaf of bread. The only reason I too didn't give them a 5 star was based on price. BUT I did find out after I took their flyer that you can get breads for $5.00 depending on what bread is on special that day of the week. Next time I will simply try the bread that is on special that day, save me $2.00. They have some other products like cookies and buns on sale at the front, but the bread and sandwiches are the highlights! A must visit again spot! read more

Spectacular bread with high quality ingredients.

My review is solely based on the Old Fashioned White Bread. It just tasted like fresh baked fancy supermarket bread. The bread was too sweet and it had a sort of funny taste also. It blows my mind that someone would want to improve a monstrosity and charge $5.50 for it. I will try something else next time. read more

I love this place. I go there for a nice hot cup of soup or a cold sandwich. Always great food and always great staff. Its mostly a bakery so not good for groups but they have tons of free samples and are always accomodating. Not much that is gf though. read more

Challah!!!! Seriously, tho. The best challah I have ever had. A little pricey, but worth it. Has local food (local made honey). Scones are HUGE! read more

well let me tell you about a little place called GHBC (great harvest bread company for the uninitiated). A couple years ago I stumbled upon this gem as I was on my way to work, desperate to bring something for the office to share. It was about 7 AM..and had it not been so darn dark out, I may have never seen the glowing red sign--"Great Harvest"---and a little lower: "Open." These words I now associate with unbounded joy. I was apprehensive entering the place-- I was used to buying my burger buns from the Giant, thank you very much. But I needn't have been. The steaming cups of hot coffee, the generous slice of bread I was offered upon arrival by a smiling, sexy, vivacious woman covered in tattoos...all these things assured me that I would be back, and often. Even better was the fact that I could see women dancing and singing--and yes, baking--in the back of the store on a large table. When I say that they were "baking naked"--don't be shocked. This simply means that they were baking the fresh bread free of preservatives, and chock full of love. Might I add, the store smelled amazing--reflective of the decadent goods one can buy there...for a price that, though high, is well worth it. Great Harvest was a haven that I found a couple years back, and now it is family. My wife and I never skip a Thursday to pick up our Whole Grain Goodness (mental note-- place a standing order.) Everything about GHBC brings you back to that small, one horse town mentality-- from the employees who know you by your first name, to the country music playing at an appropriate volume in the background. There has LITERALLY never been an employee that i did not form an immediate bond with. Their fun tie-dye shirts reflect how fun and approachable the gang is! Need an excuse to come back, if the wifey wants you to watch your weight? Grab a Frequent Buyer Card--you get a signature for each purchase you make, culminating in your 13th loaf being on the house! I could go on and on about honey bunnies, ugly ties, and Free coffee friday, but NO SPOILERS. Each visit is a unique and intimate experience. You may take something different, though equally joyful, from the bakery. And for those who were wondering--the Pumpkin chocolate chip bread was a massive hit in the office. (If you forget what I'm talking about, scroll up to where I was discussing my first visit.) read more

Love this place. Bread is amazing. Sandwiches are to die for. So friendly, too!! read more

Much ado about nothing. I had driven past the store, but today was the first time that I actually visited the store. I purchased the 6 pack Cafe Mocha Biscotti. I lived my formative years in Europe, so I know good biscotti when I see one. Their biscotti is tough and has no taste. I was afraid I would break a tooth biting into one! Also purchased a whole wheat loaf. If bread can't beat my home made/bread machine made bread, I don't think it is worth much. They don't have one bread option without white flour and the cost is ridiculously high for the below average taste and quality. I guess it is easy to sell anything to my fellow Americans, but I definitely know all the noise is for nothing. read more

We really wanted to like this bakery because their location is super convenient for us. But after a few years of trying their breads, we really only like the challah, but it wasn't any different from what you could find a million other places. Most of the bread is the kind of bread that is similar to soft white bread, even though it maybe has something other than just white flour in it. There are no breads with good crunchy crusts here. We were completely unimpressed with the sandwiches each time we got them. I miss the good bakeries we had when we lived elsewhere. They looked like this one, but this one doesn't come close in flavor. In the summer we buy bread from the other vendors who are at the Howard County Farmers' Markets, and in the winter we buy from the store or make our own (it's really easy in a bread machine -- measure, set, leave alone -- but somehow we often don't find the time). read more

I was looking for traditional yeast rolls for Thanksgiving and couldn't find them anywhere and was going to have to just give in and make them myself. However, someone suggested Great Harvest and it seemed like a worthy option. I had never been the shop or tasted their breads but placed an order for Thanksgiving which I picked up this morning. Everyone was sooo friendly, the order was ready as soon as I arrived and they even let me taste several of the breads I had ordered to make sure that I liked them. The best of all is the stuffing bread. I couldn't stop nibbling on the very large chunk of a sample they offered. It is quite dense as I've heard their breads tend to be. The flavor however is just like Thanksgiving stuffing in a loaf, so genius! The honey whole wheat was great as well and the old fashioned white rolls were just what I was looking for. They only bread I didn't particularly care for was the Challah, it wasn't as sweet as I was expecting but still had a wonderful light, fluffy texture and a great crust. I am an impulsive shopper in stores like this so restrained myself from browsing too much but it seems that they have a wide selection of gourmet condiments, oils and coffees which would be great for yourself or as gifts. The scones also looked very enticing. I don't even eat bread that often, but I'll be back to keep my some Great Harvest bread in my freezer for those moments. read more

Excellent challah bread! The sandwiches are good and ingredients are fresh. Recommend!

we always loved the Challa bread for them and they are perfect for Panini and French toast. Definite try.

I stopped in here for lunch yesterday, and man I can't wait to go back. The service was friendly and fast, and the sandwich was scrumptious. I had a Cali Club on Challa. The bread was clearly fresh, the lettuce was crispy, but the blue cheese spread really knocked it out of the park. 10/10 will be returning. read more

fresh bread - need i say more? they are all delicious. my favs: dakota, woodstock, cheese/garlic but they are all good!! had the soup once and it sucked. sandwiches are good due to the bread!! i get my bread and rolls here for holidays too. read more

OMG, I'm going to need a second stomach and they're going to need a wider door! This place is total eye candy, sweets on the wall, sweets in front of me and racks of fresh bread. I was pleasantly greeted with non-stop samples, BIG samples. I ate samples of lemon lavender pound cake, cinnamon swirl bread, carrot cake, pumpkin chocolate chip cake, and cherry cheesecake scone. Everything was divine and I bought it all in addition to Challah bread. The Cinnamon Swirl bread is by far the BEST bread I've ever eaten in my life, and I've eaten ALOT of bread all over the world in the last 43 years. I truly believe that we should support our local bakeries, and I will definitely be supporting this one for a long time to come! read more

I used to love this place and in fact still go there regularly. That is going to change. I believe there is new management because this place has gone down hill. Prices have been increasing steadily and it now costs $11 for a moderately sized sandwich, bag of chips and bottled drink. Also, the woman who used to make the sandwiches appears to no longer work there. She was great and never got my order wrong, but the new person has gotten it wrong twice and got a co-worker's wrong. Also, the wait is VERY long for a quick lunch spot to pick up a sandwich. I was there for 15 minutes today, and only this one woman was making sandwiches, though another five employees were there, doing bread work, or standing behind the counter. It's disappointing to see what has happened to this once-great sandwich shop! Gave it two stars because the bread is still very good. read more

I went to Great Harvest Bread Company, MD on Easter. They were VERY unprepared for the long line. I went there to buy lunch for my staff (6 sandwiches and 3 loaves of bread), and i am always greeted with nice and friendly people as i walk in, but not today. They didn't care, they just wanted to get through the line. My checkout guy (only male i saw working) was very arrogant and made me feel unwanted at the shop, when i spend over $75 on my final bill. I was not greeted nor given one smile. I just felt like i was a huge bother! I love great harvest, so this was a major disappointment for me. People should not treat children differently, especially children that spend over $75 and will tell their parents about their horrible experience! I also heard a women yell "Who ever is next in line needs to step up NOW" with a very pushy tone in her voice. Great Harvest was also out of everything! I went around noon, thinking they would still be stocked, but i couldn't get sprouts on my sandwich, nor ham, nor focaccia bread, nor whole grain bread nor cookies...They just kept listing everything they had run out of. The man told me that they ran out of cookies, so he replaced mine with a brownie and said "don't ever expect this again, its a one time DEAL". I felt like i was being yelled at, while i spent a freaking $75!!!! It was very disappointing. I am going to think before i go in to this shop again. While i usually have an amazing experience, this one bad experience, really turned me off... Thanks for the sandwich... read more