I have no idea how this place is so popular, there are many other better and less expensive options in Boulder. On the positive side, the location is great, just West of the Pearl Street Mall, with a wonderful shaded patio and fairly easy parking. When we visited, the line at the counter was very slow, the staff not a bit friendly and it seems that if you have any question you must wait in line, only the cashiers know the answers. No price on the pastries? Any quiche or other warm sandwich still available? Wait in line and cross your fingers. The employees behind the counter, on the kitchen side (cooks?) or rearranging the salads etc could not help. So, if like me you are a newbie to Spruce Confections, let me save you time. If you want a quiche or any warm sandwich/croissant don't bother showing up after 11:30, they stop making them and usually run out of quiche by 10 am. Bad luck, we visited after a hike, thinking Spruce would be perfect for lunch at noon on a Sunday. Lucky for us they still had homemade wrapped sandwiches. Unfortunately, both the caprese and the gruyère/ham (the only two kinds offered) were very dry. In the end, I wish they'd ran out of those too... On the gruyère one, we could not find any mustard or mayo. I guess it's better for your health, but at almost $7 a piece, I'd love something a little more tasty. The caprese had generous amounts of mozzarella, but that is not enough to make a good sandwich. I did not want to wait in line again to ask for mustard, and did not want to bother the not very friendly staff. So we found a leftover bottle of hot sauce and managed to eat our sandwiches. And honestly after a long hike, I could gobble down anything, I got a cup of regular coffee (they only had one roast, were out of the other one). Not very good either,on par with our sandwiches. Lastly, if you order a cup of ice for your drink (my husband skipped the coffee, lucky him and had a San Pellegrino instead), be ready to first get a frustrated face from the cashier and second to have some coffee grind mixed to it. During our "lovely" lunch, we though it was dirt mixed to our ice. I could not resist and had to mention it to the lady who gave it so reluctantly to us. Silly me, of course, it was coffee grind because she explained naturally that the ice is right under the coffee machine and therefore gets coffee grinds mixed in sometimes. She was not the least surprised so I assume I am not the first to ask. Well, this was an interesting experience, but one I am not about to renew. read more

Setting is very nice on a gorgeous day like this one. Food and Cappuccino were decent - service was horrid. Extremely rude girl took our order and didn't even say thank you. When asked questions she seemed bothered to answer. I will take my $ elsewhere in the future. read more

Spruce Confections - Bakeries Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Very poor quality latté. Sometimes you get a good one, but hit and miss. Probably best to avoid in the afternoon. They usually have the A team in the morning. I hate paying good $ for poor quality. read more

Spruce Confections - Very weak attempt and Luke warm latté - Bakeries Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Spruce is a great place to pickup a pastry and a hot drink of choice. It is in the neighborhood so very easy to hop in and get some goodies and hop out. Good choices for me and my gluten free wife. I really enjoy their croissants! They are lovely and oh so buttery. Really cant go wrong with this place! read more

Love their breakfast burritos - the veggie one is delicious! I also can't resist a scone whenever I go in. The lattes are also delicious. Not much seating, we normally do to-go, but in the summer I enjoy sitting at their outdoor seating of which there is plenty (more than indoor). Worth a stop for a quick and tasty breakfast. read more

I just had a chicken sandwich of theirs and not only was it overpriced, but it was so gross. The chicken tasted rotten and the bread was too much. I threw away most of it. :( I just wanted a nice tasty sandwich. read more

I have been here several times for a simple coffee and scone and loved it. However, this morning we stopped in for two breakfast sandwiches and lattes before a road trip. The cashier was absent, so as a result three people ended up juggling our order. We got our lattes no problem, but sat and waited on the order of greater than 10 minutes for the sandwiches. We were sitting looking confused when finally the barista asked if we were waiting on something. Yeah, our sandwiches. He got them out of the oven they had been sitting in the entire 10 minutes. We were in a rush so left quickly. But when we got to the car, our sandwiches were very burnt. The croissant parts basically inedible we removed them and picked at the rest. Very disappointed in the disorganization resulting in a ruined breakfast experience. read more

Spruce Confections - Burnt croissant crumbles in our hands - Bakeries Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Five words, Almond Sour Cream Coffee Cake! Just wow. If you like baked goods then head on over to Spruce Confections. Great place for pastries and coffee when the weather is nice. In the winter they usually have a section of 3 or 4 awesome soups. Great little gem on the west end of Pearl St. read more

Unfortunately the staff at this location simply smothers any hope of letting their very good products shine. On 3 separate occasions the staff here has completely screwed my order up. This most recent time to the tune of causing a custom order for catering to only be 75% filled. Not a good position to be left in at 6:30 in the morning. That all said, their pastries are as good as any I've had in the metro area and the location is great for just sitting and enjoying your (hopefully correct) order of delicious pastry goodness. read more

This neighborhood coffee shop is the best!! I've discovered their gluten-free blueberry scones, and let's just say it's been a daily habit since that first bite. They have soy + almond milk for my coffee drinks, too. read more

Spruce Confections is really close to my house and there is always a happy-looking, frosting-smeared crowd outside. That's reason enough to go in and scarf cupcakes! Solely based on their cupcakes - Spruce Confections is a winner to me, and the bakery with the best cupcakes in Boulder so far. Moist almost to the point of falling apart in your hands, and all the way to the point of getting your hands really chocolatey, they are huge (I actually thought they were some kind of pudding or tart when I first saw them) and covered in yummy frosting. This frosting is an entity. I mean, it would stand up on its own. It's literally solid. It has a shape. Usually, this is a bad thing - solid frosting tends to be disgusting and filled with all sorts of artificial solidifiers. We tend to look for light, airy frosting. But in this case, the frosting works - the closest parallel I can think of is thick chocolate mousse. That's what this frosting reminds me of. Now, figuring out what flavor all the cupcakes are is sort of a confusing task. Probably more confusing than any business should want it to be. You have to first look at the body, to figure out what flavor the base is, and then at the frosting, to figure out what flavor the frosting is. Difficult, you say? Yeah, not yet. Because THEN, you have to look at the little sprinkling of almonds, or chocolate chips, or coffee beans, or whatever, on top of the cupcake, which changes EVERYTHING you just figured out. So let's say you have a white cupcake (almond based) with pink frosting (raspberry). But then you have coffee beans on top. That changes the cupcake to mocha buttercream. With raspberry. Or something. Luckily for me, the girl behind the counter when I went was extremely patient with me as I asked her about the flavor of Every. Single. Cupcake... before I finally chose one. Spruce Confections, please invest in cupcake labels for the sake of your poor counter staff. Otherwise, continue as you are. Your cupcakes rock. read more

I truly love Spruce Confections! The simplicity and brightness is also a very charming touch. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of their danish or sandwiches, but I crave the following on a weekly basis: - Quiche - Spruce Juice - Americano and a plain Shortbread cookie - Peach Pecan Scone - Old B Cookie I also love the daily horoscopes on the tip jar and the dog biscuits! The place just makes for a great, unique little coffee experience. read more

Spruce has by far the BEST croissants in Boulder. Their almond croissant is out of this world. Seriously, its the most buttery, flakey, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness you could possibly imagine. I do not live close enough to stop in their bakery regularly for this fix but luckily several coffee shops in Boulder sell their baked goods. However, I do make the trip over to their downtown location for special occasions and when I have guests from out of town. They are always impressed with the croissants! Everything I have tried at Spruce has be delicious! I like that they offer a veggie and non veggie croissant sandwich every morning that is prepared already for folks that are on the go. In addition, their sandwiches and soups are also very very good. My favorite is definitely the tuna salad sandwich. Great coffee too. 1 star removed for the often grumpy baristas. read more

What a complete horrible experience. The wife and I got a sandwich across the street. There was a crazy lady barking and going on near the store so we decided to go across the street and eat at the confections place and planned on trying a dessert afterward. It was not crowded at all so we started to eat. 5 minutes into our meal a pompous guy come out and says hello! Then says this is reserved for paying customers only and we can't eat there. The wife says we will leave then. And I said and we will never come back. We got into our car 5 feet away and fonahes our meal. There were 11 free tables besides ours but he went around and made sure the other two people had purchased something. Then the idiot gets into his car and takes off. He didn't even pay to park in the parking area like we did. While we finished we looked around and saw a couple small prints saying for spruce customers only. They were not very big which is why we didn't notice them. And even if we had, we would have sat down because we intended on having dessert there. But I don't want to give my business to someone that treats people that way. At all. And if I was a customer looking into wether to shop here or not I would like to know information like this which is why I took the time to write a review. I will NEVER even think about trying this place again. And when it comes up in conversation you can guess what I'll have to say about the "service" here. The response to this review is hilarious. Made my point perfectly! And actually we had stepped inside once before, to ask a question, and were rudely told you weren't open yet. As well, you'll be happy to know, we left the table perfectly clean with no trash...like we do everywhere we go. Thanks for confirming our first impressions. read more

2.5 stars After going to the north Boulder location, this one was pretty disappointing. No cute coffee art in a big white mug -- and for some reason, the truffle latte didn't taste as good as I remembered the other location's did. Their black bottom muffin was still delicious though! It's nice that there's a location on Pearl Street so I can pick up a muffin when I'm around, but as far as coffee goes, there are much better places on Pearl. read more

I think negative reviews are due to customer service. They're super sweet but very slow- minded thus causing lots of confusion, wrong orders etc. but baked goods, especially croissants are top notch, very buttery and crispy on outside, very flaky and light inside. read more

I have been going to Spruce for several years, and continue to be sorely disappointed. This is not a space to feel welcomed at, to grab a quick cup of coffee (they seem to think that slow wait times are a plus) or one that is convenient. I am not sure why but even though I regularly go there multiple times a week and always tip generously the staff is always rude and dismissive. I have also noticed that I rarely see other people of color patronizing this business, and at this point I am tired of patronizing a business that doesn't seem to want me there. Despite this, I like supporting neighborhood businesses and have overlooked the cold shoulder because the location is convenient even if the wait never is. My wife also really likes the pastry's and the fresh croissants rival what I find at Montmartre. Perhaps it's my fault for continuing to try to engage the staff with friendliness and always tipping, despite receiving poor service, increasingly leaving frustrated and catching myself falling into that habit I had developed in Alabama as a teenager, of trying to convince myself to "settle", to not let it upset me and to take the "high road." The final incident occurred when I ordered an espresso macchiato from Spruce, something I have done many times and had to explain many times. After waiting for more than 5 minutes the barista finally poured the espresso shot, and then filled the to go cup to the top with milk. Not steamed milk, cold milk. If the West End Spruce Confectioners wants to justify their excessively long wait time by suggesting their pastrys and coffee are worth the wait, they aught to at least have trained their single barista to make a good coffee. Even though my experience over several years suggests that Spruce Confections has a diversity problem, if they can't make good coffee and you are waiting 15 minutes for it, why not go elsewhere... read more

Okay, yes the service is a little slow and the people working there were so-so with respect to friendliness, but the four stars are for the exceptional latte they made me. I don't mind slower service if what I'm presented with is excellent- and it was. I realize that making a real latte takes a little longer than the Starbucks version and hey, this is not a cheap, quick version of a coffee or espresso based drink. It is the real thing and I'll happily wait for it. Maybe I'm one of the yuppies who likes to enjoy my latte on their perfect little patio, but trust me it's not to be seen. My westie and I just love a little sunshine with our morning caffeine intake. I haven't tried the pastries yet, but honestly, everything looked excellent in their bakery case. I'll be back to try more! read more

Love this bakery's gluten free scone and their soups! And though I can't eat gluten items I love looking at all of the other delicious looking baked goods. Staff has been nice except for one visit when a male employee seemed really angry when simply asking for the scone... I had to stop coming in because it was so unexpected and a departure from previous interactions. We always tip so that was ruled out. I resumed going in this year and all has been well so far. It would be great to purchase other gluten free items with even less added sugar (the market is there). Otherwise, overall, we love this bakery, the location, and the energy. read more

I work right next door to this evil, evil place! Every day from my desk I can smell the yummy pastries baking and feel the lure of the pomegranite iced tea... Spruce's sandwiches and salads are some of the best in downtown Boulder. Try the Heavenly Hummus. Coffee is so-so. Wonderful outdoor patio for Wacky Boulder People Watching! read more

There's something about a fresh scone and a small Americano. (Their small is 8 oz - smaller than the small sizes at some of the other cafes but perfect for me). I've had a number of their scones - blueberry, lemon+something, almond+something (peach?), and etc; as you can tell, I'm satisfied with whatever I order, regardless of ingredient. I can't say anything about their food options - it *is* on the pricier side (wouldn't pay $7 for what seems to be a very normal chicken salad). I'm also not a huge fan of their brewed coffee as it is too weak for me. But the Americano + scones are perfect. read more

After moving to the area a year and a half ago, I've had the opportunity to try a decent amount of the cafès in the area, and I've decided that this one is one of my favorites. The coffee is consistently tasty, the pastries are absolutely delicious, the service has been friendly every time I've been in, and the outdoor seating couldn't be nicer on a lovely boulder day. It's a nice spot for people watching or pup watching, since quite a few folks enjoy the outdoor seating with their dogs. Overall, I really enjoy myself when I go to Spruce Confections. It's a tasty treat for me and I'll keep going back so long as the quality remains! read more

Delicious! We come for the scones and coffee after hikes on weekends. Everything is fresh and wonderful. It's worth it to wait in line. Staff is usually friendly but can be snooty. I'll keep coming here because I love it and I'll keep smiling at the grumpy people and hope they get some fresh air and sunshine soon. read more

Hey, It's on the sunny side of the street. Great place to grab something, sit back and refresh. The employees are the cutest bunch around and it's fun to watch'em bake. Another neighborhood hangout. If the neighbors like it, I like it...... read more

This place rocks. The owner is super finicky and fussy about quality and it pays off; every treat -whether it is savory or sweet- is ultra luscious, rich and subtle. Nothing disharmonious, and no corners cut. The coffee never fails to be fresh and complex; definitely not your Dunkin Donuts swill. While the service may not be lightning fast, it is always friendly and intuitive, in my experience. As others have noted, on a warm day, the patio is one of the most idyllic spots in Boulder. I love this place for morning pastries with coffee, or a business lunch. read more

This is such a nice place for a great americano or expresso of your liking. Their pastries are delicious too. Sitting outside watching the world go by and enjoying their creations is a nice inexpensive treat for the day. I will be a regular here. read more

Spruce has the best baked good...scones, croissants and pastries in the Boulder Denver area. I search for cafes that cary their products.

Unfriendly baristas, cold pastries, and extremely limited seating if the weather isn't nice.

Spruce is becoming my go-to spot for my morning coffee. They use Kaladi coffee roasters, which I love, and make excellent scones. The Pearl Street location is very small inside, and it makes you feel like you're in the way while you wait for your drink - but it's worth the wait and there is plenty of space to sit outdoors if the weather is nice! Their location past 9th is at the end of the downtown business part of Pearl Street and it feels more relaxed and residential than the Mall. I usually go before 9am or on Sunday mornings, and parking is always free and available right out front at those times of day. I would love to linger more at this location but the lack of WiFi is a deterrant. Overall, I definitely recommend their coffee & baked goods! If you live in Boulder, they have a loyalty card where 10 coffees or 10 baked goods will earn you one for free. read more

Best scones ever! I've been loving it here for more than a decade. Great location, food, and coffee, live music outside on Sundays - a true community gathering spot. read more

Whenever my family is in Boulder, we always make sure to hit this place up. The items that my mother really likes are the scones and the shortbread. In my opinion, their short bread isn't my favorite entirely- I lean towards their delicious cookies. I always get their chocolate-chocolate cookie. The outside is also dog friendly. The outside eating area is also very gorgeous and picture worthy. read more

Absolutely LOVE this place! The people who work there are all awesome and there is not one thing that they serve that is anything less than excellent. I drink a lot of coffee there and the baristas are top notch. Yeah, yeah, the waiting area is less than ideal, but, for the great service and coffee/food, it's no big deal. read more

Dirty and gross. They really need to clean up their interior and train their employees better. There's grime everywhere, and the employees handle food improperly. I watched an employee play with a muffin like it was a baseball then put it back on the top of the display case for sale. I ordered a regular coffee and there was a bit of foam on the top from how it came out of the coffee maker. The employee proceeded to bring the coffee part way to his mouth and blow on it to pop the foam bubbles. I was flabbergasted, and I'm ashamed to admit I went ahead with the purchase. I tossed my coffee in the trash on the way out. I will never go back. read more

Sadly, Spruce's once-fabulous scones have become mediocre and the place manages to wreck even the usually awesome Kaladi-roasted coffee they use for their espresso drinks. Don't know what's happened to this place, but the few things they still have going for them are the lovely patio for whiling away some hours and excellent quiche if you get it first thing. You can still count on sketchy service - there seems to be big turnover of the counter staff and many of them don't seem terribly happy in their work. read more

Frankly, I would give this place negative stars after the experience I had today. But Yelp doesn't allow that. Plus the staff is actually quite friendly. But I will definitely NEVER EVER set foot in this place again. Here's why. I began going to Spruce about two months ago because it has a pleasant location and no wifi (no wifi = no distractions). After about a month and a half had passed, I was really growing to love this place. But then about two weeks ago the manager (owner? Not sure; he was an older guy with salt and pepper hair) came up to me while I was working and said something to the effect of: "Excuse me. Can you please make sure and put your stuff on your table? Other people might want to use the other tables." At the time, I thought, ok he has a point. I had accidentally put my water bottle or a book or whatever on the table next to me. I moved my items to my table. However, I did take note that this person (manager/owner/whatever) had been rather rude and condescending in his tone. Still, I thought, its a local business. I will continue to support them. Fast forward to today. I am sitting at one of their tables, working, not bothering anyone. Around 5:30, manager/owner/whatever approaches me and says: "I've noticed you've been here several hours. We actually have a 1-hour limit on our indoor tables so that all customers can use them." UM. WTF????? I take strong issue with this for several reasons: 1. As long as I have been going there, the indoor tables have RARELY been used. Most of the time it's just me using one lonesome indoor table. Most patrons of Spruce have been sitting outside. Yes, if it were winter and there were people actually crowding inside the store, waiting to use the indoor tables, then I would have totally understood his point. But in the two months I have been frequenting Spruce, I have literally only seen one or two others use the indoor tables. 2. There is no sign or any sort of documentation stating this 1-hour time limit. So it seems rather obvious that this arbitrary time limit was created on the spot specifically to target me. 3. The manager/owner/whatever used the same rude and condescending tone as before. 4. I have NEVER sat at any of their tables without first purchasing a beverage and have always tipped generously. 5. the manager/owner/whatever said at the end of his tirade "you might want to find somewhere else." UM, WTF again!! Buddy, just because you run a successful local business doesn't give you license to treat a paying customer this way!! There are so many local establishments (ie Amante, Vics. Flatiron Coffee) where the owners are kind and courteous. I've never even been treated this rudely at a Starbucks or other chain! No wonder local businesses are vanishing. I will no longer tell my friends to go to Spruce; in fact, after the extremely rude treatment I've received there, I will actively discourage them. read more

Boulder has too many cute places. Here is another one. Too Cute. Stop it! The reason you need to go to Spruce is the outdoor pavilion patio area. It's just gorgeous. It feels like you're in New Orleans French Quarter. Such charm! A couple notes: no outlets for those working on computers and I don't recall wifi either. I think that's okay though. Its still a must go. read more

Completely grossed out when I looked in the case of baked goods and saw about 10 flies eating at one if the muffins. I told the kid working very discretely and he said oh, it's from people coming in and out and threw it away. Meanwhile, the flies transfer to another muffin and he could care less. He hands me my soup (which is my third choice because they were out if everything else) and I had to ask for a bag to put it in (had just purchased wine from next door and my hands were clearly full) and then had to ask 'doesn't the soup come with bread'? Not impressed with the employees or fly problem that no one seemed to care about. Grossed out and just spent $10 on soup and a piece of pie that I'm not going to eat. Bummer! read more

Service was okay. Cupcakes were terrible. The cake was cold, hard, and very dry. Frosting was hard as well and tasted very fatty. After the first bite, I let the cupcake sit out at room temperature for a while. I thought it might taste better...it was just as bad. I'm glad part of the $3.80 I paid is goig to brest cancer research. read more

A little secret tucked into the tree-lined streets of West Pearl, this bakery hosts the elite of the elite of Boulder on a daily basis. Women and men with no jobs, trust funds, or whole companies running smoothly lounge outside during the summer, enjoying the overpriced (but high quality) coffee drinks and other epicurean delights. Spruce does nail some key bakery items, such as baguettes and cookies. The cakes are rich and relatively heavy, but extremely flavorful. Morsels of many kinds come from this place, so it does live up to its "confections" name, I suppose. read more

Scone was OK. Service was poor. The quiche was cold, so they microwaved it which made the eggs rubber. Meh. The trust-a-farian customers were kinda obnoxious. read more