Kneaders Bakery & Cafe

Horrible experience, didn’t expect staff to try kicking my family and I out at closing time in the middle of our meal. When we refused after cashier told us they had to deep clean she finally moved on to the next customer and proceeded kicking them out rudely instead of telling everyone nicely to take their time and that they were closing. Very poor customer service. I wouldn’t recommend eating at this location.

Been here a couple times, its always so so. Today i spent 25 mins in the drive thru with one car a head of me, who i heard order just a salad and extra bread. I was thankful when the car behind me backed out for waiting too long, so i could back out as well! Im sorry but its a sandwich shop… why should anything take over 5– 10 mins to prepare!

My first time here, not impressed. After being greeted by the surly register lady we went to get coffee only to find all three urns empty. I reported this to said surly register lady, who was not too worried about it. An employee finally came to replace the coffee and literally stepped in front of me to fill his coffee up before me … seriously!?! The «omelet» was dry and had the consistency of scrambled pancakes, which was better than the burnt toast. Sitting back watching the interactions of the employees and customers makes me wonder why none … literally none … of the employees are smiling. Well, the guy who got his coffee filled up was pretty happy. At least he enjoys his job! Don’t bother folks!

Very disappointed with our return trip here… We stopped by for lunch and were excited after our initial experience during their opening, however it was a let down compared to last time for several reasons.
First of all, there was a line out the door, which we took as a good sign since it seemed to be a popular spot for the day. Unfortunately, we soon found out that it was just crowded because the service was slow. On our last visit, the cashiers were very personable and were happy to give recommendations about the various pastries and sandwiches. Now, it was evident that they had hired new people who didn’t seem to care as much– they were just trying to get customers through the line and didn’t offer any samples.
The worst part was that there was a fly in their pastry case. We mentioned to the cashier that it was there (on top of the pie), but she made no move to take it out after we told her. To me, that was just unsanitary and unacceptable. Overall, we have no plans for a repeat visit.

Love this place however hopeful for some improvements. Came in Dec 23^rd night asking to make a gift basket and none of the staff appeared to want to step on a managers toes and offer anything. From what I could tell the employees went and found a manager who told them I could come back and pick something up the next day. The girls were nice but leadership appeared to be lacking that night. We are now back again for lunch and my hubby gets a French dip with like 3 slices of meat. Love the atmosphere but hopeful for improvements!

Overpriced mediocre food. Spent $ 15 on a sandwich I could have made at home. I would not recommend this place.

Pre-​Order your GIFT BASKETS ASAP! Best Baskets you will get in Tucson AZ!

POSITIVES:
+ There’s a drive-​thru window! So if you’re craving a fancier sandwich/​soup/​etc (so you don’t have to get a Grinder at the other place!) or your kid fell asleep on the drive and you don’t wanna wake him and need food, this place could be a savior!
+ It’s not bad but it’s not anything I crave. To me, its similar to Panera bread. I had the French dip sandwich and a mango smoothie — both were a.ok.
+ If you need to shop, they have seriously cute kitchen/​garden/​gift shop items in the center that you can conveniently grab and pay for along with your meal
NEGATIVES:
–Finding cute things to shop for when you really just need to grab a meal and quit shopping!

We tried this place out for the first time last week. Not having any idea what to expect, as I sat munching my Chicken Pesto Panini it made me think of Panera… but better than Panera. The place was pristine and all dressed up for the holidays. They had this whole section where they were selling stuff — reminded me of Panera meets Cracker Barrell but smashed into a small space? The merchandise was kind of weird sitting in the middle of the store.
Anyway, we did really enjoy the counter service which was incredibly friendly, and the food came out quick. My Chicken Pesto Pinini was great, and came with homemade chips. The hubs ordered the French Dip along with the White Cheddar Pablano soup (very good) in a bread bowl.
Not sure if I would say I am a fan yet… definitely would choose this place over Panera.

Awesome little breakfast/​lunch spot. This place is special! Great selection of delectables and fun gifts!

Do you like coffee? YES!
Do you like chocolate? YES!
Try their Café Mocha! You’ll love it.
When you first walk in you’ll be overwhelmed by the yummy looking pastries/​sweets by the cash counter; try their cookies! Their customer service is excellent. All the employees are friendly and answers any questions you may have about the menu. I really love their sausage/​egg croissant! It’s so delicious and a decent portion. My husband is a die-​hard «Chicken-​Cranberry Salad» lover. He’s always order it when we go!
They also sell cute little knick knacks! Similar to items that you would see on Pinterest. On the other side, there’s wrapping paper/​tape. Y’know…just in case ;)
Give them a try!

Tried this place for the first time last weekend for brunch with my Mom.
We both really enjoyed the food & the chocolate eclare was TO DIE FOR!!! :)
Very nice granite counter tops & very cute décor! Even the service was very friendly, knowledgable & even made some useful suggestions! Will definitely be coming back :)

If you are a lover of Panera/​Paradise Bakery type foods, Kneaders is the spot for you to try! Ever since it opened in Tucson, I have been a handful of times and have never been disappointed with food or service.
My favorite items are either the Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich or Roast Beef Dip. Both are huge and so filling! You can’t go wrong ordering one of these sandwiches. It’s GOOD food– not greasy, slimy fast food. Your body will actually be happy eating this!
Pastry items here are also a must try! Usually I say no to extra sides or desserts at restaurants, but adding a pastry to your meal is necessary for any sweet tooth. From the simple sugar cookie to brownies to bread pudding, Kneaders offers a little bit of everything. My all time favorite is the Salted Carmel Cheesecake. This puts the Cheesecake Factory to shame! Kneaders cheesecake is soft and airy, but still has the strong cheesecake taste.
What makes Kneaders above and beyond any café sandwich/​soup type shop is their service. Everyone is so kind and willing to help explain anything on the menu. The service alone could keep me coming back!
The only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is simply because of the menu. Don’t come here expecting a hardy 12oz steak. This is a perfect lunch or light dinner place.

The Roasted Red Pepper Gouda soup was very tasty except for the occasional burst of burnt taste. Really it was a tomato soup with Red Pepper and Gouda. The twice baked Almond Croissant has a filling that seemed like a combination of vanilla pudding and almond paste so we got a hint of almond only.
This place is not handicap friendly as people have to stand in line to order. The booths are wood and very hard. Drop in and get your bakery goods and take them out.

This is a worse version of Panera. Panera sucks. Honestly, that’s probably all you really need to know right there, but I will of course elaborate…
We had seen this place pop up and were somewhat excited to give them a try. Wound up in the area randomly and were hungry for breakfast, but wanted it on the go. Kneaders has a drive-​thru so we figured it was worth a try.
I went with the reuben panini, and my wife got the harvest vegetable sandwich. We both got chocolate croissants and I got a large iced tea, she had a coffee with cream. The best items were the croissants. Not the best I’ve ever had but they were nice. They were light and crispy on the outside, the chocolate had a nice flavor. In descending order, I think my wife’s sandwich was the second best item, but it was a little odd. The roasted vegetables were good, and the bread was good, but there was a cheese on it that you would think and expect to be cream cheese that turns out to be ricotta. And its not like super high-​grade ricotta either. It made the sandwich weird. From there, the food is a drastic drop off in flavor and quality. My reuben was thin, soggy, and one of the worst sandwiches I’ve had in a long time. I thought this was supposed to be a panini… You know, like crispy on the outside? No. It was complete mushy awfulness. Both of our sandwiches came with potato chips that were not cooked all the way through, so they were crispy on the outside and soft once you bit into them. Terrible. My wife’s coffee was clearly burnt and my iced tea had no ice.
The only vaguely redeeming factor to this place was that the people working there were very nice. And the croissants were good. Apart from that, everything was just awful. This is not a chain that is going to survive in Tucson, I’d like to think we have higher standards.

Pros: Food was tasty and high quality ingredients. Nice selection of sandwiches, salads, soups, breakfast and baked goods. Friendly staff. Flavored and regular non-​sweet iced teas. Pastries, baked goods, pies. Gift items, DIY gift wrap station. Sandwich bread was soft and easy to eat (no tough Beyond Bread-​like crust on their white sourdough). Potato salad was good. They have a drive through. Similar pricing to Beyond Bread.
Cons: insanely busy during lunch rush. Standing room only with customers who placed orders with no place to sit. Should have opened 3^rd cash register as there was a customer with a lengthy problem/​return and another picking up a catering order. They did not allow me to substitute bacon for roast beef on the Club so I omitted roast beef and paid extra for bacon. Soup came with two large foccacia wedges but no butter. Will not dine in at lunch time.

Really cute, lots of little odds and ends. Not too big of a menu… Staff was friendly, knew their stuff. Got food Togo.
Got turkey bacon avocado sandwiches. Good, nothing really special though.
Bonus points for organic black tea.
Cookies and mousse were really good.

I can’t help it… i keep coming back here to discover something else on the menu that I didn’t see the last time! I will always finish off my adventure with The Napoleon. Oh my heavens… it IS that good!

Came for the grand opening and had the free French toast. 1−¼″ thick! With caramel syrup and sweetened (tasted like maple) whipped cream and strawberries. It was delicious! They use their Cinnamon Chunk bread to make the French toast. So yummy to have the flavor permeate the whole slice. But you get two of these behemoths and it WILL be filling. Really, they are large.
I also ordered a slice of their Raspberry Crème pie – only $ 2.99! Again, delicious! I can’t wait to go back to try their lunch menu. Chicken White Curry soup? I’m so there.

Great restaurant! Great food! So happy to finally get such a delightful restraint! All of the pastries and cookies are tasty; My husband craves the, «all you can eat French toast» I have never had a bad experience at Kneaders! We did go opening night and it was jam packed! I can’t wait to go back when it isn’t quite as busy;)