I have been going to Russell's for about 15 years now and now it is time for a long overdue review. They have always done my kid's birthday cakes. They worked with us to create the PERFECT cake for each child depending on what they were into at the time. Not only are the cakes gorgeous, they taste good! Quite a crowd pleaser and now my kids are spoiled for other cakes. I try to buy their pumpkin bread whenever I can. The last few years I've been buying their beautifully decorated and super cute Halloween cookies. Everyone there is so helpful. read more

Russell's Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Austin, Texas

one of the most disgusting foods I've ever had. ordered a "blt" sandwich, super dried bacon, tomato and one green leaf and nothing else. This "sandwich" should be called a small bite. Texans don't know how to make a simple sandwich. good luck staying in business. read more

Russell's Bakery - Garbage "sandwich" - Bakeries Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love this place!! The food is amazing.. So far I've tried their tomato bisque soup, ham & cheese sand, turkey club, the breakfast croissant & of course you have to try their pastries... Def worth it read more

Russell's Bakery - Turkey club on wheat... Yum - Bakeries Near Me - Austin, Texas

Before becoming a parent I went to Russell's on my work lunch hour. Once a Mom, met friends there for lunch and purchased cakes there for special occasions. Now I appreciate that they have several gluten free options. Enjoy their Italian soda creations for a treat! read more

Coffee drinks are just ok, and the seating isn't the best if you're a cafe-worker like I tend to be, but damn, Russell's cinnamon bun/muffin thing is definitely the best around! You can oftentimes get bags of them and other bad carbs at a discount there. Indulge! read more

Yummy neighborhood bakery. Decent coffee but nothing special. Tasty baked goods heavy on the pastry muffin side of the spectrum. Great cakes (and cupcakes) if you want something special for a party. Light lunch fare. read more

Service was sub-par: they helped 2 customers who came in behind us because we stepped over to look at the pastries. The cafe au lait was delicious but the pastries were not that good. The dough portions tasted grainy. We won't be back. read more

Just had harvest bread slice so moist and delicious. Almost taste like carrot, cinnamon in a tiny bit of bananas. So yummy

So disappointed in the bakery. I've ordered cakes from here over the years. I placed an order and corresponded with someone via email a month before the shower. They mentioned I could call and prepay up to a few days before the event. I completely forgot to prepay and the day of the baby shower which is today I called and they said I don't have a cake. It was labeled as pending. No one called from the bakery to let me know that they need payment or I won't have a cake. I understand that I dropped the ball on my part but so did they. Surprised they would be willing to lose a customer by not making a simple call or shooting a quick email to say hey lady, if we don't have your prepayment we can't commit to making the cake. The person I spoke with was so unapologetic and rude didn't even attempt to try and help me out. I literally was crying on the phone and the woman was like too bad. Upper crust bakery just bailed me out otherwise I wouldn't have a cake for my friends shower. Thank goodness for their great customer service Russell's is lacking in that dept. They should come up with a better system with follow ups. They have lost me a customer but doesn't seem to matter. The response that y'all reached out to me is an absolute LIE. Never once did I get a call or email. I have the email correspondence that I'm happy to show. Also the person I spoke to admitted y'all dropped ball by never reaching out! read more

Really love their gluten free lemon poppy seed bread!!!! Absolutely delicious. Tasted the bread at some coffee shop and drove all the way to the bakery to buy the loaf to take home to Houston. Does not taste gluten free at all-- super dense and moist! A must-try for anyone who is gluten and dairy free!! read more

Just yesterday, I discovered I have my first cavity-EVER! It's all Russell's fault! ;) I love this place. Their sand tarts are sweet and powdery on the outside, slightly nutty and crumbly on the inside. Their Schnecken is always fresh; the raisins and few sprinkled walnuts make it the perfect dessert or early morning pastry. Their cinnamon rolls are so good, I've even spotted them at Thunderbird Coffee! Even though I usually go to Russell's for their day-old stuff (...and you'd never know it was a day old) I would definitely pay full price for their baked apple fritters and blueberry muffins. You'll find this bakery in a somewhat hidden spot; they're located in the quieter part of a developed Northwest Austin neighborhood...I guess that's why they still claim to be "Austin's best kept secret"...not anymore :P! read more

GREAT coffee and amazing pastries. Love it and would go everyday if I lived closer!

Holy WOW! Just had a pumpkin muffin from Stinson's that was made in the wee hours of the morning at Russell's. It's 8pm and the muffin b is still crazy moist and fresh! They seriously have the best pumpkin muffins... like damn. read more

I love the natural lighting at this Russell's location. Pastries are fresh and inexpensive. Good variety of healthy sandwich options for lunch. I LOVE that Russell's hires people with disabilities. They will continue to get my support. They have a great product, great ambiance, polite staff, and good price point. read more

This would probably be 2 stars but since I didn't try the baked goods I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. OK service first. The girl at the register was sub par, she didn't seem to happy to be at work. Now the gentleman who got me my water was lovely. OK now on to my food... so maybe Austin has spoiled me in my expectations of bakery/cafes, but when a customer asks a question about a component of their food you should NEVER use the phrase "like what you would use at home." To describe anything. ESPECIALLY the bread when you are a bakery. If I'm paying $6-7 for a veggie sandwich I can at least hope for some good bread. On the note of a veggie sandwich, it was very uninspired. Mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, and cheese. Heck thundercloud offers sprouts, hummus, mushrooms, and an actual roll (over sliced bread) for cheaper. I ordered the half sandwich and salad meal so now ill cover my salad. I got the Caesar, simple enough. Guess not. It was woefully under dressed (my waistline is greatful but my mouth was sad), and the greens were a little sour. The croutons were nice enough, baked croissants. The big downfall was the olives in the salad. I love olives but since the salad wasn't dressed enough to begin with the olives dominated the flavor profile. Last but not least let me cover the salsa. So the combo comes with tortilla chips but expect to pay 50 cents for the salsa. I didn't mind this because they said they make it themselves and I am a salsa fiend. Sadly it didn't live up either. The salsa had no kick at all, all you could taste was tomatoes. It needed more peppers, cilantro, lime, and salt. Honestly I wanted to like this place so badly, I love bakery /cafes so much and since my favorite one went out of business I have been on the hunt for a new one... this isn't the one for me. read more

Great pastries. Tried pumpkin bread which was delicious. The first time I had banana bread it was perfect. The second time it tasted like an old slice. Cakes: Red velvet and vanilla- Red Velvet was good and the Vanilla had way too sweet icing and the cake was hard textured like it was a little old. Overall I'll stick with the breads and skip the cake. It's a great shop. Give it a try at least once! read more

Had them do another specialty cake this week - a Dallas Cowboys star! I was really happy with the cake - it looked great. Russell's does NOT disappoint and their specialty cakes are much more affordable than other bakeries in Austin. I am sure I will be ordering many more cakes from Russell's! read more

This is a fun place to go for a relaxed, tasty lunch, with a heavy emphasis on the sweets. Step right up to the counter and order my favorite, the Hot Croissant, which is a broiled sandwich (stuffed with ham and cheddar cheese, topped with black olives, lettuce and tomato) that comes with tortilla chips and a little dollop of salsa. The sandwiches run $6-8, and many can be included in the half and half deal (soup or salad comprise the other half). Salads and rotating soup du jour round out the lunch menu. A full coffee bar keeps the caffeine addicts happy. Or, if coffee's not your thing, treat yourself to a fizzy, refreshing Italian Soda. The walls are festooned with bright, colorful paintings by local artists, which are, of course, priced to go, along with that delicious Italian Cream Cake you ordered for your sweetie's birthday. The impressive dessert case is filled with dozens of types of treats, at least one of which is sure to tickle your fancy: pastries made from scratch (cinnamon rolls, danishes, croissants, strudels, muffins, scones), plain or decorated cookies (palmiers, sugar, chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chunk, cinnamon almond wafers, fudge chocolate chip), beautiful cakes (roughly a dozen different flavors), several types of cheesecake, petits fours, chocolate truffles, fancy cupcakes, éclairs, brownies (double fudge, Oreo cookie, peanut butter fudge), raspberry linzer bars, pecan pie tartlets, chocolate mocha divine (gluten-free goody), etc. The chocolate truffle is my personal favorite. Almost a cubic inch of hard chocolate shell, filled with dark, rich, creamy chocolate, and topped off with a sweet little artistic white swirl. Check out this casual spot for a light lunch, and be certain to save room for a selection (or two) from the tempting dessert case. read more

Freezer burn. I got cupcakes on two different occasions and both times, they tasted strongly of freezer burn. Today, I decided to try Russell's again and got two types of cookies. Both tasted like freezer burn. I don't encounter this anywhere else so I don't think it's just me... Really not good. read more

Hands down the BEST tomato bisque soup I have ever had! I live in LA but I've been coming to Austin a couple of times a year for the last 13 years or so. My sister used to live down the street from Russell's 12 years ago. That's when I discovered it! I try to stop by when I visit. Did I mention I LOVE their soup?? We have gotten cakes from them several times and they've always been excellent! Another tip is always choose the butter cream frosting! It's amazing! The cream cheese frosting isn't very good. It tastes a bit fake and the texture is off. But the chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream couldn't be better. Did I mention my family owns a bakery in Los Angeles? Trust me, I know what good cake should taste like! read more

The staff there 30 minutes before close were very friendly and helpful when I stopped in on a raining night to pick up some pastries and a hot chai tea. Ambiance, service, pastries and chai were all winners. I look forward to visiting again. read more

Not a bad bakery. Coffee is better than average and the baked goods are delicious, especially in the morning. I really enjoy the cranberry orange muffins. The one thing that is really annoying is that they don't have wifi, but still I keep going back. However, would likely spend more money there if wifi was available. read more

Russell's Bakery took in a last minute order for my sister's 21st birthday cake. They did a fantastic job and for such short notice more than exceeded my expectations. Everyone loved the cake and my sister was so surprised! read more

Russell's totally saved my butt! I totally messed up and had to make a last-minute order for a custom birthday cake for my girlfriend. I must've spoken with 10 bakeries when I called Russell's. Not only was the girl who took my order a total sweetheart, but the baker gladly accepted my order. The next evening I picked up the perfect custom cake.... It was exactly what I needed and has made me and my girlfriend very happy! read more

Quite possibly the worst cupcake I have ever tasted. The cake was extremely dense and tasteless. Icing practically frozen solid ( hard to bite through) . I was shocked that someone could actually create a cupcake so bad. read more

I recently got a gift of a Pecan pie from Russell's and was blown away from the first bite, hands down the best pecan pie I've ever had in my life. You can almost feel the love of baking this was made with, it's in every atom of this pie. I'm going to share it but finding pie-worthy people to this degree takes time and patience, and now there's not much left. I'm so glad there are still bakers of this caliber around, with the Costco's and Targets taking over the food chain. THANK YOU whoever you are Russell's bakery who made this, for putting a little magic out there. read more

The chai is delicious and so is the Tomato Bisque. Two things you really should try if you stop by this place. Also love the day old pastries! read more

The croissants were okay. They were a lot more dense than what I'm used to and they weren't very flaky. I had a ham and cheese croissant and couldn't finish it. The cookies are pretty standard. Nothing to write home (or a review) about. read more

Russell's has great coffee, pastries, desserts, sandwiches and more. One of my favorites and still gets high marks under new ownership. Their cinnamon rolls are legendary but the pumpkin muffins are my favorite. Their Italian cream cake is perfect for any birthday gathering or other celebration.2mcclureto read more

Mostly a coffee shop. Small lunch menu but tasty sandwiches. Excellent tomato basil soup. Lots of tasty baked goods

This place looks cozy, and comfy from a drivers view and I do pass by it Monday thru Friday. Heck, especially on a cold, gray day. But I have been inside once and I guess they really love regulars over newcomers. Or maybe something else. Apparently the kitchen was closed and the pastries out for view were all that was left to buy. After rude service and looks, we left and do not plan on coming back. read more

Everyone is really friendly. It's clean and nice. Perfect location. The lemon poppy seed bread is amazing. It's dairy and gluten free. Great for snack, dessert or breakfast. read more

Pretty cakes. Had an apple baked dessert that wasn't overly sweet; however it wasn't memorable either.

Special ordered an 8" carrot cake for a birthday. And although the printed decoration was in blue icing, the cake was AWESOME! Highly recommended!!! read more

Service gets Russell's 5 stars. The banana chocolate chip and poppy seed muffins are delicious. For lunch, I love getting a half caesar salad and half soup. A neighborhood gem. read more

Great coffee shop. Coffee is excellent, service is pleasant, and pastries are solid. You only need to go there a few times for them to memorize your typical order. If you prefer the local places to the big chains go to Russell's. read more

Sandwich, Salads only available until 5 pm. Walked in at 5:03 and got, " Umm yea, Sorry...!" So if you're looking to have a sandwich you will need to come early. read more

Counter service is slow and their personalities are worse than the selection of food. Yes, it is a bakery. Would it kill them to have some fruit in the refrigerator case? I have had better service at Starbucks. What is the point of going to a neighborhood business, if you can get better service from a chain? read more

We have been to Russell's Bistro once and it was fabulous! We thought we would give Russell's Bakery a chance today for lunch (6-25-15). What a a let down. The sandwiches we chose were "ok" at best. Seriously, $9 for a couple of pieces of lunch meat on and one slice of cheddar cheese? The tortilla soup was lukewarm. The worst part about our lunch was the person taking our order. She was so preoccupied with what the other employees were doing and answering their questions that I had to say my order at least three times. She seemed a little put off that we only wanted lunch and didn't order any pastries or coffee. Won't be back :( read more

worst roast beef sandwich EVER. I think the owner should, as a matter of public disclosure, tell people that the roast beef is well done and gray. Not the usual medium rare most people are used to. Shudder. read more