Breadworks

It’s been a while since I did my last review of Breadworks and I have to say, there are still some favorite artisan items that nobody else in Boulder can do as well in my opinion. The classic flavors of these specialty items are still there. Though I don’t use the café like I used to, it is apparent many people still do. It is always bustling and people seem to be enjoying the food and the space, from what I can see.
The staff seems better trained than during the period of my last review. Quicker to serve, friendly and the lines seem better regulated. So whenever I have a craving for an old favorite I stop by.
Today is the day before St Patrick’s Day, so in I went for the Irish Soda Bread. It is still my favorite recipe and they only make it for a few days around the holiday. I already nibbled a piece and it is perfect. When Easter rolls around in two weeks, I will go get the traditional Hot Cross Buns. Just like we had growing up on the east coast, not the earthy, whole grain versions in so many places these days. Very limited supply though and for a limited time, like the soda bread.
Day in day out, my most frequent purchase is the savory popover. And supplemented by the plain popovers. These are also in short supply around here, made fresh everyday and often gone by noon. You are forewarned! Go early. There are often some nice coffee cakes and muffins at the bakery counter that I can buy by the piece and not have to bake myself, since that often leads to indulging in the whole recipe. Call this single serving option a health control for me. It’s so easy.

Perfect food | Perfect Ambience. I love coming here on the weekends for a healthy hearty lunch.

Horrible customer service from bearded man with glasses in bakery. No prices on anything. Extremely anti-​gun company.

Food was only ok, I ate a slice of pizza. There was no salad bar and the staff was horrible. Unfriendly and it was if I was interrupting them. They were not even busy except to chat with one another. No menu to look at you have to wander around to look at the various hard-​to-​read boards on the wall only to be ignored. I can go to Lucky’s and get a better slice of pizza and friendlier service.

Really amazing baked goods but sadly the staff/​service was really odd… they also have reduced priced day old bread which I’m sure is great for garlic bread or bread pudding, it still felt pretty soft so maybe even just as bread. I did enjoy the fact that they offered a free sample of one of their goodies, I tried the apple cake, I totally suggest it!

I have been to Breadworks many times and each time I try something new. They have such a HUGE selection of pastries, breads, premade, and freshly cooked meals. The service has always been fast and friendly. Its a bit confusing your first time, because the place is so big and there isn’t a super clear layout, but once you know your way around, it is easy and efficient. Great job Breadworks! And if you’ve never been, you’ve GOT to try their almond croissants!

What has happened to you, Breadworks? Once you hosted special vegan feasts. Now I find not a single vegetarian soup for sale. Such a chilly day, perfect for a tasty soup… I had to go to Whole Paycheck.

$ 8.00 for a 16oz cup of soup? SERIOUSLY? Nothing more to say about this place.

This is the last time I get ripped OFF by Breadworks. I live in north Boulder
so it’s sometimes convenient but my last visit there for a bowl of soup resulted in
being charged 8.50 for a bowl of soup. The older woman who is ALWAYS there couldn’t even give me the correct change, or couldn’t remember how much a bowl of soup was, or maybe was pocketing the extra money. I thought the prices had gone up.
Should have gone back and questioned. Called and found out it was 6.16 after tax.
Short, gray haired woman who has been there for years, thanks for ripping me and other people off! The bowl of soup was worth 8.50!

Location: good, ambient: causal good. Service: non existing. Prices: high.
Place needs a manager to keep the place clean. Since there is no service not much cleaning is happening. Tables are often dirty and the whole place looks a mess. A pity, the place has potential.

Only reason why Breadworks got the second star from me: I love their bread.
Reasons why I want to give Breadworks 1 star: the café is a rip off. I spent $ 10 on a ham and cheddar sandwich on stale bread (in a flipping bakery!!!) that was meagerly dressed, minimal meat, minimal cheese. In order for it not to be a giant bite of stale bread with undertones of ham and cheese I threw out half the bread and moved the filling over to the other half. If I had not taken this to go, I would have taken it back and asked for my money back. The staff is clearly disgruntled, whether they are underpaid, overworked, both, just working for a jerk, or whatever is up for debate, one thing is certain, they were not happy which is a huge harbinger for me.
I am no longer going to buy Breadworks bread as my experience with their café was sobering. Firstly, it is a prime example of the «elevated mediocrity» trend in Boulder eateries. By that I mean location and branding/​look and feel take precedence over the bottom line, the food.
Why my opinion matters? It doesn’t, it’s just an opinion. As the son and grandson of restaurateurs and counterpart to a 4 star pastry chef I have spent a good portion of my life dining on good food from all walks. From holes in the wall to Michelin stars there is only one constant with me, don’t sell me your brand, that is not why I walked in to your establishment, I came for the food. If you care about branding, go in to marketing and advertising, not foodservice.

NO PUBLIC WIFI! What kind of coffee shop/​eatery doesn’t have wifi available to its customers?!?
Food is pretty good but with rude staff and no wifi… not my choice.

The food is alright, some items are pretty good. However, the staff is awful, I agree with some of the other posters. And here is why:
— the pizza has a huge crust on some sides, literally 3″ while the other side looks perfect. So if you ask to get a slice from the other side so that your pizza doesn’t just consist of crust, they give you a pissy look. Had this happen more than once.
— they want you to pay them a tip. But they don’t do anything to earn it. I have to go get my own food and carry it to the register, why should they get a tip? They don’t do anything other than stand there at the register or stand there hand your warm food.
— they don’t clean when it is slow. You see dirty (like the previous poster with the silverware container) things everywhere, especially the floor and the tables never get cleaned during the day. You go anywhere else and employees clean throughout the day.
Breadworks is very expensive. Don’t be surprised to pay over $ 20 for a small sandwich, two tiny couple of slices of pizza and a coffee.
The bread is pretty decent, which is why I am giving it two stars and not just one. And now if I am on that side of town I go by there and buy bread a couple of times a year. But I certainly don’t buy anything else there anymore.

This was the most poorly organized food establishment I have encountered in a long time. Shocking for such an established business. The purchasing experience was completely non-​intuitive for a first timer. I shouldn’t have to struggle to figure out how to order a salad and then wait 10 minutes to pay. I also arrived at 12:30 and was told that one of the lunch entrees was sold out for the day. Sold out at 12:30? Pictured below, the utensil box was also filthy. This business is clearly poorly managed. The food was actually good, in particular the bread, but the overall experience was so frustrating that I’m unlikely to return. A few organizational tweaks and a major improvement could take place. From conversations with other frustrated eaters, I’m sure this place is losing repeat business.

I got some very decent pre-​made sandwiches (Turkey club, Ham and Cheese) and first rate cappucino here.
Spacious interior with plenty of seating, and seems to be an awesome place to go with groups, as aside from the plenty of space point, there is something for everyone. Soups, salads, sandwiches, pre-​made in a cooler case to grab and go, good coffee, tea, pizza, pastries.
Perhaps trying to please all the people all the time, but you know, there should be a few places like that around, where you can go for A-​Ok –ness for the group, or grab a sandwich or salad on the fly.
I’d go again to grab some lunch on the way up to Rocky Mountain National park.. .next time I’m in Boulder.

Drive right on by

Just ok. My panini was small (turkey with a cherry compote and cream cheese on focaccia that was not hot/​grilled; this was under «paninis» but apparently not toasted) and tasty, but not special. For $ 9, you get this sandwich, a small bag of chips and a pickle. This serving size seems to be normal in Boulder, where I’m visiting friends, but for a 6’1″ guy who likes to eat, this is literally an appetizer. My wife got one of the quiche items and thought that was pretty good.

We absolutely love love this place. The food is homemade comfort food.
Let me give you a bit of a tour. As you walk into this place they have shelves full of freshly baked bread. When you keep moving forward you get to their freshly made meals that you can order but if you continue to move forward you get to the homemade soups and you can have a custom made salad. You pick what you want and how you want it. You can eat there or have it to go. Just don’t get there too late in the day because when the food selection gets low that is all they have. So the theory «better late than never» is not preferred here if you want a full selection from that days menu as it goes fast. If I can only get there later in the lunch hours then i just get soup and/​or salad they always have that.
Don’t forget the fresh soups, desserts and more to take home for later.

I used to come have lunch here all the time. I stopped by here last Sunday to check out pastries/​desserts after walking around Boulder all day.
And this place hasn’t changed. it’s a BIT on the pricey side, but offers home-​made tasting soups, salads, and excellent baked goods. I went home and devoured my savory popover for a late night snack. It was still crispy/​crunchy but not stale.
I can’t wait to come back to try more pastries!

A lot of people complain about this place, but I really enjoy it! Yes, the service is meh. Yes, they run out of things. But the positives outweigh the negatives for me:
–sausage+onion pizza (I don’t know how they get their onions to taste so good!)
–mushroom pizza
–mudpie cookies
–soups. seriously, all of them.
–some of their lunch entrees — had the chinese bbq pork today for example and it was incredible!!!
–chocolate mousse pie
And everything is made there, from scratch. And as you can see, the list above is pretty long. So might as well just deal with the annoying service and enjoy the tasty food.