Bars Bakery

Wonderful tasting bars, especially the savory curried shortbread cookies. Too bad that Bars Bakery closed.

Really delicious baked goods. The coconut macaroon and chocolate croissant are my favorites. The staff is also very friendly!

I came here a few weeks ago on a Sunday to pick up pastries for a brunch we were hosting. Everything we picked up was amazing, and I can’t stop raving about the «doughnut muffin», which is a light airy muffin pastry that is rolled in cinnamon sugar. Seriously, I dream about this muffin and wake up drooling. I compose love ballads to this muffin. As soon as they change the laws, this muffin and I will wed legally. That’s how much I loved this muffin.
Hopefully I will one day bring myself to try other pastries, but after this, I may be a one-​muffin kind of gal. And if I only have one pastry the rest of my life, this muffin wins.
They also have delicious coffee treats, if you’re into that.

I actually visited their St. Paul skyway location. I can’t find that location on Unilocal.I had a small quiche and a lemon poppy seed scone — both were delicious. The food is on the expensive side, but that’s the price for being in the skyway. The server was friendly and they gave me a business card when I asked questions about the Selby Ave location. So, this place is great when you want to spend a little more money for a treat.

I’ll probably go back. Just not for the bars. I just don’t understand why time has stopped in the twin cities and bars are still a big deal.
I had the pear tart. It was almost entirely delicious. It was large. The pastry was exactly right, the pears were luscious and everything came together almost perfectly.
The deficiency? From time to time a spike of salt would hit my tongue. I think it was by deft design that a bit of salt was added for a clever punch. But in some bites it’s was more like several flakes together in stead of one. You know how on chief competitions tweezers are used to apply delicate ingredients? That’s probably what you need to use when applying sea salt to sweet tarts.

Eat all of the macaroons. Always. The coconut is crispy and caramelized on the outside, and soft & sweet on the inside. The coffee is wonderful, and their chai was perfectly spicy and not too sweet. I love their tiny shop, the selection of treats, and the silver whisk decals on the wall. The seating is small, but cute with marble-​top tables and a bench along the window. However the prices are a bit steep for their sweets. I’m always on the hunt for a bargain, but at this place, they’re worth it.

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon. I pointed to a sugar covered ball and asked about it. The baker (?) explained it was something he was working on – brioche dough fried and then filled with a custard and then rolled in a vanilla sugar. He went in the back and got me a fresh one. Move over Cronuts – there’s a new tasty treat in town. Someone cleverer than me needs to come up with a marketable name. Bro-​nuts? Regardless, every bite of this was savored and I am still haunted by its incredible aroma!

My first few times here I nominated this as my favorite place to grab coffee.
Unfortunately, my last visit here was disappointing. The barista is always friendly, helpful and very nice, but the place was filthy. It was early afternoon and every corner looks like it hasn’t been swept in days. The tables were covered in crumbs, chairs array the sugar was low, no cream out, and my drink was unusually mediocre. Maybe it was an off day, but it’s hard to say I’ll return anytime soon. Also, it was freezing in there!
I think it just needs a little TLC in there! The coffee is usually amazing and staff seems great! :)
Worth checking out, for the good days.

I have to agree with some of the more negative reviews. I live around here, so I had always meant to try it out.
Quality– I got a blueberry tart thing, and it was quite good, yes. But it was also very expensive (over 5 dollars and not very big). For a bakery, they also don’t have a huge selection, though I went in the afternoon.
Coffee– I got the so-​called «New Orleans Iced Coffee» and it was pretty good. Maybe I should get just regular coffee or espresso to judge, but I agree with another reviewer here who says that the quality of the bean is better than how they brew it. As a person who’s been to an Intelligentsia Café in Chicago (the brand they brew here) I can attest to this.
Service– this was the kicker for me. To me it just seems unprofessional to treat customers the way it seems the woman who runs this place treats her customers. Yes, she’s not warm, but she also seems so completely unenthusiastic her to even have customers that it makes me not want to go back. I’m not saying she has to be Mrs Perky McHappypants, but attention to service can completely make or break a place like this, and no matter how good they make their baked goods or coffee (which I would say are only above average), I was still left with a bad taste in my mouth.

you can always find something yummy to treat yourself with in here. I wish it were a little more cozy but it seems minimalistic –so it is a grab and go type place in my opinion. They also are just professional and no more. so not warm and friendly feel-​good service.

Love this place. Best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. It’s hard to try anything else because they are so good. Did have to get the Doughnut muffins once because they were out of cinnamon rolls, which were also very good. Coffee is excellent (Intelligensia).
Only downfalls are that it’s a little small, so it gets cold in there in the winter with people coming and going. Also, their Chai is good, but it only comes in one size and most of the time it’s 25% foam. Some of the staff is friendly, others are not. Probably from being understaffed and having to get up at 3 AM to start baking.

Seems I’m on a Unilocal trend lately. After my absolutely *wonderful* experience yesterday at Fort Road Animal Clinic, I decided I would bring them some treats. Why not Bars, which I have heard so much about.
I hesitated giving this review, since everyone seems to like this place so much. I’m relieved to find I’m not the only one who noticed the attitude of the person behind the counter. Is it the owner? I don’t know, but she doesn’t seem to like what she does. I started trying to explain who I was buying the treats for and she immediately began to look pained, like, Oh, man, I’m gonna hear another story, kinda look. I spared her and began ordering my items.
I have to say, the selection is small, but some things looked pretty tasty.
This review is kind of bad, since I didn’t try any of the treats I bought; I gave them away.
Bottom line: if you’re craving some bakery, this may be your place. Just don’t expect any sugar other than what you’re about to put in your mouth!

I am always playing the game aptly named «Whoever Gets Diabetes First Wins.» So when I was killing time in St. Paul, I saw the word «bakery» and ran out through traffic to get to it.
It is tiny in here with a tiny selection (though I will say it was around 1pm, not exactly prime baked goods selection time). I didn’t want a sweet roll or the cranberry bar that was being offered (too much breakfast and too much health, respectively), so I settled for a sugar cookie. I would call it less of a cookie and more of a crisp. It was very thin and iced to its edges. It has a delicious flavor, and its powdered sugar icing was great. However, I wanted it to be more cookie-​like and at a $ 2 sticker, the crisp was a little bit of a ripoff.
I would like to try it again, but probably one of its namesake treats. Hopefully they won’t ruin them with healthy bits next time!

I’m giving Bars one star because, while their treats and coffee are delicious, the owners’ attitude is not. Almost every time I’ve been here, I’ve been greeted with nothing but a sour attitude. Is it too much to give a simple «Hello. How are you?» and a smile before a scowling, «what do you want?»? Also, it’d be nice if you didn’t act like I was putting you out for asking for a cup of water in addition to the $ 8 I paid for two coffees and a caramel roll. The Intelligentsia coffee will keep me coming back, but it pains me to patronize an establishment that doesn’t treat it’s customers well.

Everyting looked top notch! (Not greasy and sloppy and day old like some other bakeries around town). Also, they have pickled veggies and other treats for sale too. Only two tables for seating. They DO have a lovely bathroom. Wish they had a bigger selection (but maybe we got there late and they were sold out of most things?) You’ll dig it! Try it!

I have become my mother. But where my mother used to make our family stop at every church along the road while traveling, I make everyone stop at bakeries. While discussing bakeries last night, a friend from St. Paul just about bolted out his seat while describing this place, so we made a date to hit it up today before work.
It’s a perfect location, no doubt. Super convenient for folks who work in St. Paul, and on that strip of awesome that includes Ninas, the Happy Gnome, and the Mississippi Market.
But the bakery itself didn’t send me over the moon. The coffee was fine, but knowing it was Intelligencia made my expectations higher and so I was un poquito disappointed. I had the current spice scone and it tasted… tinny. I’ve experienced this at other bakeries– so I’m not entirely certain it’s unintentional– but it’s just not the way I like scones.
So it was a great way to start the day– because starting the day at a bakery truly sets you up for success– but I’d probably try somewhere else next time.

This is the perfect place to grab a sweet treat. I highly recommend their caramel rolls. The prices may seem a little on the pricey side at $ 3 – 5, but it is definitely worth it.
Now that the weather has started to warm up, they place a couple tables outside of the bakery so customers are able to enjoy their snack or coffee along the sidewalk.
Beyond the products, the people who run the bakery are very friendly and courteous as well. Check it out!

YUM! I’ve been wanting to try Bars Bakery for months and am so glad I finally got around to visiting this past weekend. It had been a rough week, and we woke up to snow, so I knew that meant I needed a treat to cheer me up and Bars was just the trick to make me feel better.
Bars has a great location on Selby Avenue right by Dale Street and they are in the cutest brick building. The shop is small, but very cozy. We had a tough time deciding with sweet treat to order, but went with the Congo Bar, I just can’t pass up coconut and chocolate. This bar was superb, like a glorified Seven Layer bar. It had a shortbread crust that wasn’t too sweet topped with a gooey caramel layer that was studded with chocolate chips and flaky coconut.
Since my hubby and I shared a treat, we decided to both get drinks. I had a Chai Latte and he had a hot chocolate. Both were excellent. The chai had just the right amount of spice and was perfectly creamy. My husband is quite the hot chocolate connoisseur and he loved the cocoa at Bars. It was chocolatey enough for his tastes.
The staff is super friendly at Bars, making it the perfect neighborhood hangout. I will definitely be back!

The almost flawless five-​star ratings don’t lie. This is a sweet shop excellence, right here.
I popped in on Tuesday for something sugary. I don’t often crave sweets, but there I was in St. Paul, craving ‘em.
The little bakery is simple and filled with light from the big windows. It has a selection of coffee, brownies, cupcakes, tarts and bars (of course) around the $ 3 – 5 range. They also do catering and there is room to sit down inside and outside to enjoy your dearth of sugar and butter and flour without having to haul it home.
I almost felt obligated to get one of the namesakes, the delicious looking bars. That is, until I saw the Meyer Lemon Tart.
At first, I was all like, «Where is the graham cracker crust?! All lemon desserts should have graham cracker crust.»… but then bliss at first bite. This mini pie shell is super good. And the filling. Sweet bejeezus, the filling. The heavens opened up and sent the baker this recipe, I’m sure of it.

Excellent baked goods and coffee! I had the home-​made graham crackers with icing in between– it was to die for! While i was there I also picked up the muffin donut rolled in cinnamon sugar! Although I have a feeling it’s not super healthy, it was well worth the calories! It was such a unique indulgence, I enjoyed every bite!

My husband and I moved to St. Paul without any grasp of its neighborhoods or hidden treasures, and were pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon Cathedral Hill.
Though the Selby Ave. «home stretch» between Dale and Summit boasts many great eateries, what was missing was a place to pick up a quick espresso and savory scone.
Enter Bars Bakery, whose owners are of Swede Hollow Café fame.
We visited Bars in early October and picked up several bakery items: my favorite was the classic cinnamon roll and my husband gushed over «Tony’s Donut Muffin.» Overall, it was a good experience.
Our only problem, was that the bakery itself was very small. It was difficult to peek inside the case to choose our items and there was no counter space to put our goods while I was signing my receipt.
If I could make a suggestion, I would ask that Bars add more outdoor seating. Right now there are only two small tables. It would be lovely if they could accommodate more patrons out on the sidewalk.