Lavendar Bakery made my three tier September 24, 2022 wedding cake! Plus a half sheet! Ali, the owner, was easy to work with and communicated well over email and phone. My wedding cake was beautiful, with a semi naked design, and fresh florals. We chose 4 flavors: lemon, raspberry with fresh fruit, chocolate, and mocha. The lemon was a favorite, but really, all of the cake flavors were delicious. I found the cake had great texture, it was moist and light. The sweetness level of the cake and buttercream filling seemed just right and not overly sweet. We received so many compliments on our wedding cake. This will be my go to bakery for all birthdays now! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Lavendar Wedding Cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Over priced for small 2 pieces of pastry for 10 dollars as big as a cracker ! Wack !!!

I am glad lavender replaced the old spot but seems like they are a bit short staffed. I came to pickup a loaf of bread Sunday at 8:30am almost no one was there nonetheless I didn't even get a hello from staff even less paid attention standing there for 10 min waiting. read more

Everything from this bakery is so delicious! The guava mousse is unlike anything I've had before and fruit tarts are a must-try. I also love the burnt almond with a cup of coffee or a nice warm mocha 10/10 and great desserts to share with friends read more

We get the loveliest cakes from Lavender Bakery and Ali's team! They always match our creative vision, and they're great about letting us send them inspiration pics to help clarify what it is that we're looking to do. On top of that, the cakes we get are a wonderful consistency, perfectly fluffy and with the right moisture content. Communicating with Ali and his team is always pleasant and efficient. We could not be happier with their work -- it's why we always get our birthday and special occasion cakes from them! read more

We trusted Lavender bakery to provide the centerpiece cake for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary--a momentous occasion for our family. While the cake was visually stunning and admired by all, the frosting was so bitter and medicinal that it was inedible, and the buttercream tasted like chalky butter. After a single bite, we realized it was impossible to serve to our guests and had to throw the entire cake away. We only ate one slice of a $350 cake. Thankfully, we had leftover pie from Thanksgiving. This was an incredibly upsetting experience for such a special celebration. I highly recommend you find a bakery that values the flavor of their cakes. read more

I'm sure this place is good. I've had their white strawberry shortcake before and it was so amazing that I weaseled this place out of my friend so I could buy a cake for my boyfriend's birthday. But I ordered the twice baked cheesecake and it was disappointing. Worse than my grandma's, familiar in the sense that it reminded me of my mom's Safeway pre-made cheesecakes she would make me as a kid, but forgettable for a bakery-level cake at premium prices. I did not like how they wrote the birthday message on the cake. It looked rushed and squished. If it was too small of a cake for the message, I wish they would've relayed that over the phone so I could've chosen differently. They did show me the cake and ask me if it was ok, but I just accepted it. I also was disappointed by the transaction. I had mistakenly ordered another cake at first online and immediately called them to change it. They promptly called me back and we got it sorted, great. I knew my order would be cheaper, but when I went in store they never prompted me my refund. I had to ask for a refund and instead of refunding me everything and restarting the transaction, they refunded me only the difference. Which means my original online tip was the percentage of the higher priced cake. That sort of peeved me. The birthday message and refund mishaps are small, I admit, but it just peeved me enough on top of a disappointing cheesecake. In summary, stick to their cakes and skip their cheesecake. The online ordering system is pretty seamless and their customer service over phone is great. read more

I've tried many pastries and desserts from this place and everything has been outstanding! the burnt almond, dark chocolate raspberry mousse, and lemon bar especially are all to die for. the space is cozy yet not crowded and very clean. I also experienced lovely service! will definitely be back read more

Never trust this place with your wedding cake. first of all, the communication when you're trying to place your order is horrible. No returned your calls, and come to find out no one writes your order down correctly. For my wedding, I ordered a four tier naked cake with cascading flowers down it(similar like the red one) I got a flooded buttercream Cake with swirls all around it ( the white one). When I called to express my disappointment, they offered a fraction of what I paid for. I didn't order that cake for my wedding. If I can help anyone avoid such a disappointment on your special day, please go somewhere else. read more

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Love their bundt almond cake and the guava chiffon cake. A bit pricey but totally worth it!

Cute shop with some delicious baked goodies, cakes, pastries, macarons, coffees and some more. I had the pleasure of visiting this weekend when a friend suggested we go to this spot. Our group tried a variety of items: the red velvet pastry, tiramisu, Persian Napoleon, macarons (caramel, mango-passion). I was an instant fan of the Persian Napoleon, theirs is shaped like a pastry with a gazillion layers and because of the puff pastry layers this baked goodie doesn't feel as sweet, is crunchy and just overall phenomenal! Everything else was a tad too sweet for my taste and I don't know if I will return for anything else but the Napoleon. The macarons felt quite dense (not airy as the ones I've tried at one65sf). The shop is cute with great artwork on the walls, which allowed me to find an artist that I would love to buy some prints from! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Omg! - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

I ordered a sheet cake from Lavender Bakery. Website was terrific and had most of the information I needed. I wanted a little customization so I sent an email and quickly received an email back from Ali. We sorted out the details over the phone, I ordered a strawberry shortcake sheet cake without strawberry toppings and one 9" round cake with strawberry toppings. Order Communication: Ali was concise and flexible, making a short call while I was out and about. Delivery Service: Quick and prompt. Right on time! Taste: I heard many compliments of the cake! Everyone loved it and wanted to know the name of the bakery. I hope to drop by again soon. read more

Me and my partner keep going back time and again to Lavender bakery for different occasions. Their full size and mini cakes come in a great variety and the owner is always helpful and super friendly. The outdoor seating area is quite pleasant for short daily stops. My personal favorite is their burnt almond! Lavender bakery is definitely our go to place. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

We come here maybe 3 to 4 times a year. I never get anything because their pastries honestly look very sloppy and unappealing. For some reason, the staff is always really rude. I've witnessed it myself when my mom tries to order things. They throw things in boxes, they toss items on the counter, and they ask you rudely "what do you want" and "is that it". Overall just an unwelcome feeling. For some reason they have a personal vendetta against my mom. She likes to put her items in a box instead of a bag. When she asks for a box they get all rude and sigh heavily like they can't be bothered to reach for a box. It's LITERALLY your job. This bakery sucks. I have no idea why the ratings are so high. Get better employees or train them to be more welcoming. read more

This is a very disappointing bakery for cakes. I ordered a red velvet cake for my wife's birthday. I wanted a small 6" cake, but they only make the red velvet in 8"... that should have been my first sign to go somewhere else. The fact they couldn't make the exact same cake but smaller. Why would that be? Oh, yeah... because they don't make the cakes fresh to order. They make them days in advance and store them in the freezer. I also asked repeatedly if the cake was iced in cream cheese icing or buttercream. Their website says buttercream, but the staff repeatedly promised me it was all cream cheese. They even said how gross and weird buttercream on a red velvet cake would be. Well, prepare to be grossed out! It was covered in stale airy buttercream. The roses and flare around the edge that were solid buttercream, with a consistency of whipped frozen butter. The cake was spongy and tough, with only a hint of chocolate flavor. The red coloring had bled into the icing between the layers, making the whole thing look muddled. There was cream cheese in the cake, as it says on the website, but there was so much of it... it was really a gross mismatch. Every bite was nearly 2/3 icing. This might be good if you're 8, but disgusting if actually wanted cake. The staff here is really inexperienced and aren't very helpful. They don't know what they're selling. The cakes are made days in advance and stored frozen until some unlucky customer chances to buy it. TL;DR: Don't buy cakes here. read more

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This review is of their German chocolate cake. One of the best I've had ever. My only complaint is my family and I can never finish an entire round. read more

Ove the span of 4 years I've given this bakery three shots at making it perfect and this is the third and last time I will order cakes from them. I also echo what others have already said. Their cakes are bland and the fillings are not exceptional. Their buttercream is awful. It is hard, never softens and is waxey and not sweet like others. I have no idea how they make it but it's gross. Cakes are not easy to make and assemble but if customers are paying $60+ for their standard cakes and $130+ for custom ones we expect quality and not dissapointment with some embarrassment among the guests who eagerly wait for cake. My first cake, the princess cake, was good but it probably was due to the abundant creamy filling. The decor was sloppy and the writing was terrible. It was also not what was advertised on the page. There's probably additional fees if you ask for pretty. Second time around, the custom two layer vanilla birthday cake was allegedly made with passionfruit and/or mango filling. I cannot remember since it didn't taste like either fruit. The vanilla cake was dry too. This third time, the red velvet would have also been bland and dry had it not been overly soaked in simple syrup but the cream cheese filling was not good and NO ONE liked the frosting. Eewww. Their cookies are alright as well as their mini cakes, but again, please understand that we don't mind paying high prices but the quality needs to match the price. The staff girls are really nice but the pastry staff can be rude. That's all. read more

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Ever since I got to taste Lavender Bakery's Mango Raspberry Mousse for the first time at a birthday party, I was hooked! Since then, I have ordered their Tiramisu, Hazelnut Napoleon, Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Mousse, Guava Mousse, Burnt Almond, and most recently, the Twice-Baked Cheesecake! Everything was a hit! Every morsel was devoured! Every. Single. Time! read more

I did my wedding cake with Ali. From start to finish, he made the process really easy. We did a cake tasting and consultation and were blown away by the delicious cakes and amazing service. I just had my one year anniversary from my wedding and we had some of our wedding cake and it tasted just as delicious as we remember it on our wedding day. Thank you Ali! read more

So delicious. Coming from a French-American, their croissants are the most authentic I have found so far! They are very good. I love their little cakes and pastries as well, they're all very decadent and have very delicate flavors. I recently bought the Lemon Cheesecake and the Guava Mousse for a birthday and they were very popular! The staff is always friendly and the ambiance is pretty and professional. (the cakes in my photo are half eaten because I couldn't wait to eat them) read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Lemon Cheesecake and Guava Mousse - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great goods and great staff! There was an issue of what I ordered versus what was available. They did their best to correct the situation and ensure that I was happy when I left. I would definitely go back! read more

Tried to order a custom cake. Their response time listed states you will get a response within 24-48 hours. Four days went by. No response. I call the shop and they informed I will be contacted by the coordinator by the end of the day. That didn't happen. I sent another email. Got a response with the quote the same day. I responded quickly. No response back after multiple emails. I went with a mother bakery who was very responsive and I was able to confirm my order the same day. I recommend Jenns cucapkes in San Leandro for custom cakes. read more

Had this 50th birthday cake made for my friend a few years ago. It turned out so well we didn't want to cut into it! When we did it was moist and delicious! The owner was very communicative to make sure she knew exactly what I needed and she delivered! Would definitely recommend. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Fast and friendly service. Happy to recommend them to anyone Pastry was fresh and delicious. read more

After indulging in Taco Tuesday at Taqueria Talavera just a few blocks away, we made it to Lavender Bakery just before closing time. Their selection of cakes, pastries, tarts, and cookies is impressive! Everything is so beautifully decorated. We opted for a piece of tiramisu cake and half dozen checkerboard cookies. The shop assistant very kindly brought the checkerboard cookies out from the back since they weren't in the display case. The tiramisu was so soft and airy. The cream was not overwhelmingly sweet, perfectly balancing the bitterness from the espresso and cocoa. The checkerboard cookies evoked childhood memories. They were and always will be the perfect solution to the chocolate vs. vanilla debate -- why not just have them both ;) Lavender Bakery is just a short walk/drive from Indian Rock Park. Highly recommend stopping here before to grab some treats and enjoying them while soaking in some epic views on the rock. read more

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Visited the Lavender Bakery on Solano in Berkeley. Nice collection of pastry, however disappointed by flavor and service. We ordered the Pistachio Macaron for one French individual in the group. One should taste a center filling of pistachio spread and heavy cream, made with butter, vanilla and salt. However the singular bad taste of an overly sugared center. I returned to the original cashier for a refund, perhaps an exchange. She responded, "we don't refund unless there is something wrong." I said the macaron is simply too sweet. Flavor is important. I suggested she taste from the batch. They offered nothing. I left the cookie, and said we would not be back. They lost a marvelous client for this $3.50 macaron. Service matters. Leur perte read more

The pastries are delicious and the communication regarding custom cakes is fantastic!!

Got tiramisu and almond croissants. Tiramisu cream just tasted like whipped cream not mascarpone, and the cream to lady finger ratio was waaay off- it was mostly cream. Almond "croissants" tasted like bread-they were not flaky. read more

Asked if they use seed oils. First-person, 'what's that'? Second person, 'You mean like canola oil'? 'Oh yes, we use seed oils'. No butter, I asked. No butter. They seemed confused about the entire concept. Sorry, but if you use seed oils in so-called luxury baking and/or don't even know what they are, no thanks. Aside from this, everything looks good, it even tastes good. But no seed oils for me. read more

It's too bad you open at 8:30. Bakeries should open early.many of us go to work and would stop to buy goods for the office.

Ordered a custom cake for my daughter's puppy theme birthday party and everything was perfect! The staff were responsive and able to help figure out how large of a cake I needed and executed the design beautifully. All the kids at the party were delighted and the beautiful cake was demolished by them (in the best way) immediately. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Custom designed puppy cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Fantastic neighborhood bakery and cafe. Displayed are a variety of mouth watering pastries and cakes, to be enjoyed with an excellent cup of coffee. The cakes are creative and beautifully done. There is always something to choose from to match that special occasion. The owners and staff are informative, friendly, and kind hearted. They will greet you with a smile as they welcome you into the store. This place is a real gem. Please support your local business and enjoy the best pastry and coffee in town. read more

I purchased a chocolate strawberry cake and it was fantastic, the price was slightly higher BUT reasonable for the area. It was delicious and kept for a couple days in the fridge. read more

Great Custom Cake for our 15 Years Anniversary The team at Lavender Bakery got exactly the vision we wanted for the custom cake. And the overall look surpise our expetactions! Thank you Lavender Team for a Great Memory Rafael read more

We got a wedding cake from Lavender a year ago and it was everything we wanted a cake to be. The process was very straightforward and the cake sample box they offered was great for helping pick out just what we wanted. A few weeks ago, I messaged Ali at Lavender about making a very small (6") version of our wedding cake for our anniversary. He went above and beyond to get the order done (even shipping the cake to a partner bakery near us since we live far from Lavender itself) and really helped to make our anniversary special. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Our anniversary cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

I live nearby. Bought from there once, and another time a friend gave me something from there. Neither I nor my friend thought it was anything more than mediocre. read more

The service was super fast and I felt a little bad coming near closing. My favorites that I got were the lemon tart (especially if you like more of that sour lemon taste) and the coffee eclair (the filling was to die for). It's in such a walkable area near Berkeley and the tables outside were nice for looking at the sky and eating your pastries! read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Fruit tart, thumbprint cookies, coffee eclair, leek&feta pastry, lemon tart - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

We are huge fans of lavender. They take care of our family with everything from daily morning lattes to special occasion sweets and the most impressive and delicious birthday cakes in town! The staff is always friendly and present and our children love grabbing croissants after ballet class. Lavender is part of our routine and our special moments and we appreciate them tremendously. Give them a visit with the lil' ones and grab a picture in front of the display of sweets it never disappoints ! read more

Ordered a custom 2 tier cake, ordering was simple and smooth. They superseded my expectations, I had a different flavor for each tier and both were amazingly delicious. Everybody at my daughter's party was raving about the cake even the non cake eaters tried it and wanted to know where it came from. I will definitely use this bakery for all my cake needs in the future. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Pistachio cake! I was pretty excited when I heard the birthday cake was pistachio since I've been tinkering with recipes for pistachio cupcakes myself. The presentation was very pretty. The inside was half custard half pistachio buttercream. The buttercream filling was dense and there was no doubt it was BUTTERcream. I felt like I was eating a straight up stick of butter with just a small hint of pistachio flavoring. I'm usually not a fan of buttercream and this cake didn't change my mind. The custard was ok. Given the positive reviews on Yelp, maybe this was just a fluke-y wrong choice and I should try different pastries here next time. read more

Lavender Bakery & Cafe' - Pistachio cake - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

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