Very fresh pastries . I will be back for more next sat for sure!! Hope their new shop at Menlo park…read morewill open up soon.

Wow, all stunning and delicious pastries! And the sweetest interaction. I found Onki at the Redwood…read moreCity Farmers Market on Saturday mornings and was lucky there were any pastries left. Most of the time, they are sold out by 9:30am. Check out their Instagram for real time updates! You can find their pastries at other local cafes. Almond Croissant (5/5) - I'm looking for a favorite almond croissant in the Bay Area and this is currently the top one! Kouign Amann (5/5) Lemon Madeline (4/5) Chocolate Croissant (4/5) I really want to try the cute animal shaped (or normal cube shaped) milk bread and try the seasonal Kouign Amann flavors so I will be back!

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.

My cake experience 1. Reasonably priced…read more 2. I appreciate the cake being slightly sweet and fluffy 3. Customer service was exceptional. Someone called and gave me updates about my order. 4. The cake was wrapped in a very very nice box and it includes candle, mini fork, mini plates, and candles.

We stopped by Simply Cake and ordered two slices to try: the Chocolate Cake and the Mango…read moreStrawberry Cake. The chocolate cake was decent and enjoyable, but it didn't really stand out for us. It was okay, but nothing particularly memorable or special compared to other chocolate cakes we've tried. Unfortunately, the Mango Strawberry Cake was quite disappointing. I was really looking forward to the fruity flavor, but the mango pieces were unexpectedly hard and had a sour taste that didn't blend well with the cake. Instead of adding a fresh and sweet mango flavor, the texture and sourness took away from the overall experience. I appreciate the effort and presentation, but the flavors didn't meet my expectations, especially for the mango cake. Hopefully, it was just an off day because I would love to try their other offerings in the future.

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!

I was craving croissants on Sunday morning so I went to check out this place since it's close to…read morewhere I live. Just a heads up parking is honestly pretty difficult so it may take you a bit to try to find parking in the area. I got the strawberry croissant, chocolate croissant, and almond croissant! along with an iced latte. Took all of them to go to eat back at home. The iced latte was just ok but the croissants were pretty flaky and smooth! Both the chocolate and strawberry have a cream filling on the inside. I would try to come again earlier in the day to get a fresher batch. I would say the croissants are the best thing to get at this cafe.

Finding this cafe was the highlight of my trip. I came back for 4 days straight and worked from the…read morecafe, no need to try anywhere else because everything was soooo good. They have wifi for those who need to work remotely and the food was amazing. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Some of my favorites were the beet salad, the ham and cheese croissant sandwich, the Mediterranean sandwich, the apple mini tarts, and the tomato soup. If you're looking for a deal, they have a lunch special from 11 AM to 4 PM That includes a sandwich, a salad, a small pastry and a drink/coffee for $15. The employees are extremely accommodating and provide amazing service. I am allergic to eggs and lactose intolerant. They can modify almost everything based on dietary restrictions. I also tend to struggle with gluten (Im not celiac) but had no issues with their croissants. They use really fresh ingredients and everything's clearly made day of. I'm a big foodie and I also enjoy cooking a lot and I am generally not easy to please when it comes to food. You truly cannot go wrong with anything on their menu. A must try!!!!

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.

Went to the San Mateo Backhaus and was very impressed! I've been to the Burlingame location and I…read morelove this one equally. The baristas are super efficient and nice to talk to. The interior was limited seating but the back patio is spacious. I got a croissant and an iced americano. The crossing was delicate, flakey, warm, buttery and tender- so delicious! The coffee was very satisfying, with a bold, smooth flavor. Great experience- also bonus points because this location is walking distance to the Central Park Japanese Garden.

Backhaus bakery seems to try to bring the Best of SF down here. Imitation is the sincerest…read more.. There's a line every morning. NO gluten free options. Burlingame location has breakfast options. 4.4 on yelp. Kouign Amann ($6) original - 85% as good as B Patisserie in SF. Slightly overdone. 8.5/10 Country Bread ($12.50/8.25) - 80% as good as Tartine. Very dark. 8/10 Morning bun ($5.75) 60% as good as Ariscault. Under sweet and lots of dough. 6/10 Pretzel Epi bread ($9.75 salted) is good but not great. Dense. 8/10 Someday I'll see how close the croissant is. If you are jonesing and do not want to drive to the City.. Overall - Very Good Food - Very Good Decor - Very Good Service - Good Value - Good Would we come back - Maybe

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!