I happened to walk by and see it was open, never had them before. Inside was clean and smelled…read moregood! They had a large selection then I saw the samples were carrot cake and it was over. Absolutely delicious and will go back Staff were patient and friendly.

Time for our granddaughters 2nd birthday and Ole SusieCakes didn't disappoint…read more We did a smash cake for her and a few dozen cupcakes for guests. It funny how my favorite flavor always seems to change, but the chocolate on chocolate was divine! The staff is always so helpful and the store clean. I will continue to make a stop each time I am in town. Do wish they had the banana pudding more often, that will forever be my favorite... until they create something else... so many choices!

Plenty of space Empanada…read moreOrange juice fresh squeezed with the latte Choripan nice chimichurri Bread crisp on outside, chewy inside

This place was just OK, I'd like to give them another shot but the first impression wasn't great…read more Went on a weekend late afternoon and the place was pretty full. But even though the seats were filled up, it still felt empty since it's a large space with high ceilings and it's not very cozy. Like getting pastries in a bank lobby. Many of the pastries were not available which is understandable since they were closing soon. They had a quince tart which is not something you often find so had to try that and of course an empanada, they had few available so I got the bacon and cheese one. Service wasn't super friendly and when I went back to ask for another spoon I got the "I'm doing you a huge favor" look. The owner came by to check on us and he was definitely super friendly and engaging, but the folks behind the counter were not. The quince pastry was unfortunately a let down, very dense and not flavorful. The pastry itself was too doughy. The empanada was ok but not flaky enough. I want to give them another shot, but I had heard glowing reviews of this place and maybe had too high expectations. But even if I had gone in blind, I would have still been underwhelmed.

A must whenever I'm downtown San Mateo! I love my Asian breads and pastries, and this place checks…read moreall the boxes. I can't get enough of the pork sung roll. It's their twist on the Chinese classic and it's SO good! I haven't tried the pork sung and taro roll yet, so I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for that one next time. I'll also have to actually pick up a cake one of these days for a special occasion. For now, I'll keep coming back for the pastries!

We ordered a birthday cake from Simply Cake in San Mateo and explained over the phone that we…read morewanted "Happy Birthday Dad" written in Chinese. Instead, we received a cake that literally said "Happy Birthday DAD IN CHINESE!" in English. We honestly couldn't believe it when we opened the box. This was supposed to be a special birthday cake for dad, and the result was incredibly disappointing. Given the large Chinese community in the area, the request should hardly be unusual or unexpected request. At the very least, I would have expected someone to clarify the wording with us rather than literally writing "DAD IN CHINESE" on the cake. This is the kind of mistake that is utterly unacceptable should have been caught before the cake was handed to a customer. The photo speaks for itself. At this point, I feel like this was done deliberately to go viral or something. Unfortunately, this also isn't the first troubling experience we've heard about. A friend of ours ordered a cake from Simply Cake last year for his son's fifth birthday. When they went to pick it up the morning of the birthday, they were told the cake had not been made and that there was no paper trail of the order, even though he had brought the receipt. Needless to say, his five-year-old son ended up without his birthday cake on his birthday. And what were they offered afterward? 10% off their next cake. Ridiculous. Birthdays are special occasions that you don't get to redo the next day. Between our own experience and what happened to our friend, the lack of attention to these orders is extremely disappointing.

Hey hey hey! (Good old "Music Champ" or for those not familiar with that Japanese variety show,…read more"Fat Albert"!) Another legit Japanese bakery in the Yay? You bet! Jiro/Jirou Cafe & Bakery (Jirou Sabou/二郎茶房) is a Japanese cafe on Belmont's Las Pulgas and Carlmont. From what I have gathered as I did my prior scouting/dining scouting (I can't recall anymore), the place is only 3 years old. Seeing that I'm a San Jose/Milpitas cat, I'll type what this place has over Clover and vice versa. This is done not only so that I can recall what I ordered should I enter as I get off 101 again. This is also done so that Belmont residents, Frisco ones and those nearby can get an idea of what to expect when they can decide whether Jiro or Clover has the better batch of items. I felt awful for staying in for 3 hours of the 4 weekend hours of operation yesterday, but as I type up this review and remember to insert the usual "Yes guys, the ladies are cute!" statement, I did get more items before this place closed for the day. I blame/thank the music, especially an Utada Hikaru-san song. The staff's really terrific. The look seems random with a simple look wall and a white and pink stripe look wall that gives me shades of Anna Miller's, but it works because the place is really cute. I mean, there's a Kuromi decoration as opposed to the Too Short name dropped Kitty in Clover! Though there's a kiosk, there's also the ever important bottle of sanitizer and the register should you pay with cash. Okay, I better get the comparison paragraph pair out of the way. Let me show you something--I mean start with what Jiro has over Clover! (Yay "In Living Color".) As I typed in the last paragraph, Jiro has Kuromi. Beside that, there are items such as an iced houjicha latte with in house cream, Japanese sodas including my San Franciscan friend's melon soda that made him wish he's back in Japan, cat shaped bread along with multiple forms of cat decorations, Anpan Man pan with Jiro being the second place I have been to carrying them after Sac's Mahoroba, big savory sandwiches such as yakisoba sando, tonkatsu quesadilla, yuzu cheesecake, pan such as sakura pan, matcha panna cotta, Belgian chocolate brownies, juurokucha bottles (a non-caffeinated tea of 16 ingredients) and on the go snacks such as the Japanese animal crackers boxes. I can't forget the seating, an element Clover had before the pandemic mess. What Clover has over Jiro. Clover has the cooler Sanrio character. Regarding the foods and drinks, Clover has Italian sodas with the Torani syrups, ice cream for the French ones as opposed to cream or half and half, piroshiki/pirozhki, mini versions of sandwiches such as korokke/croquette and okonomiyaki/modan'yaki pan (savory pancake with noodles for the latter if you are not familiar with Japanese food), donut twists, strawberry sando, and Japanese strawberry shortcake. Regarding what I bought, I picked out items I can't get at the other Japanese bakeries I've been to in the sakura pan, the yuzu cheesecake and the houjicha latte. The latte's cream is so silky. The sakura pan is also good. As for the cheesecake, while I think Charlie's (as in the cheesecake place on Redmond) makes the most yummy cheesecake, Jiro's for me probably makes the least guilty cheesecake (a very good trait to have) because it's not that sweet, and yuzu's a good fruit to have. The flaws. Outside of the parking lot across the street, the place has really bad parking, as you can only park for 20 minutes in front of the cafe. You figure that there's the lot around the corner, but don't use it, as it's for the medical center. Also, there are limited hours of operation (11-5 Wednesday to Friday and 12-4 on the weekends). Neither flaw can't be helped I suppose, especially since Belmont isn't really a suburb you think of regarding Japanese food. If only there's a fruit sando or a korokke pan. Jiro is an amazing spot for me. While it unfortunately will never be my top Japanese bakery (I've known Clover's for around 20 years), it is a very good bakery never the less. To think, I found this spot on the fly after having lunch. If you live in Belmont, visit this place often because having a Japanese bakery is like having a Mr. Mays baseball card or for some of you, a shiny Pokemon. Get there early so you don't miss out on items. +/Jiro is a jiving cafe because of its adorable staff, brilliant visuals, and a grand list of Japanese pastries and drinks. -/Carpy parking and limited hours made me twitch.

Not. Good. At. All…read more Nothing is fresh here, it's a little pathetic really. Pork kastsu sandwich: Nearly tasteless, luke warm, cold sauce, cold untoasted bun. I would prefer a mayo or thousand island dressing. No side. Expensive for what you get Yakisoba: Some kind of cheap microwave situation. No meat. Rip off. Came here because of the good reviews and feel duped. AVOID! Bad bad bad. Just horrible.

Super cute cafe serving sweet and savory pastries, cakes, sandwiches, salads, and drinks! Quality…read morefood and delicious flavors! Ample indoor seating. Parking is limited (small lot with about 8 spots) but there is street parking. Zulemy is so kind! She's great at recommending salads to try! Will be back to try the Chicken Sonoma next!

This location is a it hidden, but they do have parking in front or on the side of the bakery…read more Going in, they had multiple options to pick. The customer service was overall good, she was friendly as well. I ordered croissants to go, regular, pistachio and strawberry. The pistachio and strawberry do have a filling in them, which was delicious. Next time I plan to order a coffee and try out other items.

Bought a big birthday cake last minute. Got it for a party of 17, it was a beautiful lavender cake…read more However the cake was so dry it was really kind of disappointing to the party a bit. I mean no ill will but I could not finish the cake slice I got with along other people. The lavender butter cream frosting was good but the cake portion was so dry it was really difficult to eat. I'm giving a three star review because the kind staff member who helped me helped me fast/wrote a message on my cake.

This place is interesting, but the weird part it when we ordered desserts to go they didn't wear…read moregloves. This was a few years ago The desserts were okay, nothing special

bit of a line Saturday morning, but it moves fast. Very cute vibes, lots of families. We ordered…read moremilk bread, kouign amann, a ham and cheese croissant, an everything bowl, and a pistachio/raspberry croissant. Nothing missed, but I loved the pistachio/raspberry croissant the most. It was tangy and not too sweet, which can be the case for many raspberry and pistachio pastries. Rarer still is when both flavors come through and don't overpower each other. The only thing that I didn't love was the coffee but it's hard to be a barista and a pastry chef. I didn't come for coffee so I'm not going to knock them for it.

My son came into Backhaus specifically for one of their cookies, but they had already sold out for…read morethe day. When the staff realized that was what he had come in for, they gave him a couple of the "reject" cookies that had already been set aside for employees. Needless to say, he was thrilled. It was a small gesture, but an incredibly thoughtful one that really made his day. Backhaus has fantastic baked goods, but it's this kind of genuine customer service that makes the place stand out. We'll definitely keep coming back.

Everyone loves the cupcakes! The decorations are so cute and will definitely reorder in the future!read more

A very overdue review - I realized I never left one for my son's birthday mini cupcakes 3 years…read moreago! I requested 3 batches with 3 different themes (birthday, construction, and Bluey) and they were perfect!

I like visiting here with my family. We go somewhat regularly and I've also bought their cakes…read more Those are great! Lots of variety and new items to try. I had one poor experience, which is why I knocked off one star. As a Filipina, I was curious to try their Ube flavored drinks. I've had many elsewhere and I was very disappointed with the one I received. I understand it was a new item on the menu but frankly, the drink was gross... it didn't taste like Ube at all. It tasted like rancid, dirty ice water. I couldn't bring myself to drink more of it. I was involuntarily retching with any attempt to try it again. I normally speak directly to someone if something is off instead of resorting to yelp comments so that's what I did but the person at the register did not acknowledge what I had to say and he did not assure me of any systems in place to consider my feedback further. What I got was that "he never tried it" and "that's just how it tastes." I probably wouldn't have left this review if I wasn't left so disappointed with the interaction. I will continue to support the business because I understand that one bad drink is just that but I am nervous about ordering drinks from here again... All my other interactions and orders have been honestly stellar otherwise.

I wish this space had gone to a small, independently-owned bakery instead, something more in line…read morewith an authentic French bakery experience, which is what the branding here suggests. This is actually a large chain, and the name leads you to expect something it doesn't deliver: the pastries and selection don't feel French at all. Having enjoyed real French cuisine elsewhere, this felt more like picking something up at a grocery store bakery counter than a genuine patisserie experience. Our son has wanted to stop in a few times, and each time I've left disappointed. Service has also been underwhelming and the staff seemed unhappy and inattentive.

I had been to that Marvel Cake in Campbell - this is the first time I came to I the Palo Alto one -…read moreI think it's opened a few months ago. They have cute outdoor seating - very European feeling. That street has now been partially closed post covid. There is an underground parking lot near it and Nola's next to it. The severs are young kids and very polite. They took great care of us.

The matcha cloud foam that was advertised for the Jade and the Amethyst is not the classic cloud…read morefoam you're imagining. It's runny and doesn't properly sit at the top of the drink. I was also trying to adjust the sweetness of the drinks, but was told I can't adjust any sweetness because everything was pre-made, pre-mixed. The Amethyst (blueberry puree, blueberry cloud foam matcha) tasted mostly of milk. Jade (banana flavor) tasted like a banana milk. Chocolate croissant: flakey, rich chocolate chips inside. Microwaved it for about 10 seconds on my own, and it perfectly warmed and melted the chocolate! The vibes are very Mademoiselle Colette meets Alexander's Patisserie. Opens at 10, but the storefront wasn't fully open and ready until about 10:08 AM (side note if you're in a rush in the morning). Will I come back? Not for the matchas. Maybe for the pastries and desserts or regular coffee and the vibes.