Crust Artisan Bakeshop

Muffin was amazing. Breakfast sandwich was a thick baked egg slab that was cold in the middle on a somewhat tough not flaky croissant. Bummer since the top made it look like it would be light and flaky. I’d go back for a muffin but skip the sandwich.

food and coffee is amazing. Their jalapeño cream cheese on any bagel is delicious. lunch sandwiches are on some of most softest and filling bread.
Now only if their customer service matched their food. Walk in and say good morning how are you, just a dead stare back asking what would you like from the older woman. only the younger lady working the cash register was a pleasant interaction. even though its a quick 2 minutes to get your food and drinks, the interaction is why i sometimes don’t mind walking extra minute to Garden Fresh down the block.

We stumbled upon Crust after dining at their restaurant Armsby Abbey two doors away where we tried some of their breads (as part of a dish, they don’t give them away!). Their baking consists primarily of breads and breakfast items and we took home some of each. The loaves we cut into were on the hearty side which worked better for us with the breads than the pastries; the prices were on the hearty side as well. They also have shelves and a refrigerator case with what they describe as locally sourced «provisions,» cheeses, beverages and jellies among them. They have a few seats out front for those looking for a place to eat their purchases.

Crust is a fantastic little bakery right at the beginning of Main Street in downtown Worcester. In the warm weather there are a couple of tables and chairs outside so you can enjoy your coffee and snacks in the sunshine.
Crust has an insane assortment of cheeses for every taste. But in my opinion, the standout choice is the egg salad sandwich. It is outstanding! Freshly baked and prepared focaccia bread with olive oil and salt and pepper, a perfectly tuned egg salad and fresh greens. It’s delicious in a million different ways.

My wife and I stopped in here before heading out on a road trip visiting family, after having a delicious brunch at Armsby Abbey. Why a two star review? The service here is just as poor as the Abbey. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a friendly young woman who was being belittled over something about cleaning by her coworker. I was looking at the jams and jellies etc and asked what chai base they use. Before the nice cashier could answer, her coworker who was sweeping in the back gruffly responded that they didn’t have any chai. So rolling with the punches, I didn’t even look up and said «Ok well I’ll have a latte» to which the coworker in the back again gruffly interrupted the nice young woman and said «All we have is drip coffee». So we took two of those, which were fine, it’s hard to screw up drip coffee.
They were out of all of their bready baked goods (which is either a really good sign or terrible planning since it was only 11am-​ish on a weekend) and they just had some small tartlet looking pastries. I picked one up (by the wrapper) and asked what the price was and the gruff young woman came rushing past the cashier and literally grabbed it out of my hand and said, «If you’re not going to buy that don’t touch it, we have to throw it away now» to which I replied that I was going to buy it and picked it right back up and smiled at her. She walked away and the rest of the transaction was pleasant.
*** Now I can let a disgruntled workers attitude go but what is a real SIN is how can you call yourself a café and not have an espresso machine to make espresso based drinks? That is truly unforgivable!

I moved to an apartment a short walk to Crust and it’s been terrible for my wallet and low-​carb lifestyle, but EXCELLENT for my taste buds and sanity. Living next to a bakery is amazing on its own, but their unique products such as the tomato goat cheese biscuit, and ham and cheese croissants make it even more excellent. And, they make their own coffee syrups, gingerbread and autumn spice to name a few, that make their coffee a wonderful treat. Much love for Crust.

Owned by the wife and husband duo known as the Lopez family, the same peeps who own Armsby Abbey and Dive Bar, Crust Aristan Bakeshop is a unique, artisan bakery which churns out some pretty tasty breads and treats. From muffins and donuts to delicious, crusty breads, this small shop is impressive.
They also have a few shelves lined with all kinds of provisions like jams, pickled goods and all kinds of other delicious treats…
Their hours can be a tad inconvenient but other than that, the stuff is great and I highly recommend you check out this small but bangin’ spot

This place doesn’t toast their bread products which I guess I should’ve expected because they’re a bakery and not a café. But really, with that and the fact that they don’t have chai, there’s really no appeal to me. I have to admit the chocolate croissant was amazing, but I just wanted my toasted bagel and cream cheese with an iced chai after working the night shift. I’ll be sticking with Birch Tree Bread Co.

I made a special trip out for their pumpkin latte brioche donuts, the photos looked amazing! Bought some and came home only to discover that the bottoms were burned to a crisp and brioche doesn’t make for good dohhnit dough. In short, they were disgusting. So, I posted a comment on their Facebook page only to have them delete it rather than address the failure of their baked goods. This just makes me mad. Own up to it. So you burned a batch, a simple apology is all that’s needed… but nope. They didn’t take accountability and now they will never have my business again.

Fabulous… ALL senses get a treat! Easy location. Thank you, I will be recommending your shop to friends and family too

I wandered in looking for an early lunch. They went ahead and made my sandwich even though they weren’t quite open for lunch yet. I got the Turkey and Havarti with house-​made aioli. (It’s called the Vermont, or something). It was delicious, all fresh ingredients, with a thick slice/​slab of roasted turkey breast. Needless to say, the crusty roll they served it on was a treat. I will definitely come back tomorrow for breakfast – home made pastry beats the industrial breakfast at the hotel down the street anytime!

Ok, so it’s love. Whatever. But even though I love you Crust, I don’t have blinders on. Please, please, please make donuts. Love, all your sexy, lawyer neighbors. ;)

Amazing pasties. Best croissant ever. Coffee was «eh»
Only 4 chairs outside but great for a sweet treat or bread! Even the scones are delicious (usually scones are «eh»)
They have tons of creative fun baked goods. A must go if you’re in the area.

Ambiance: B+ (outdoor seating only)
Service: A+
Food: A
Coffee drink: A+
Bang for your buck: A (you’ll pay a bit more, here, but get fabulous quality)
When you spot the bright yellow outdoor seating, you’ve arrived at Crust. Before your eyes have adjusted to the dark interior, you are hit by a wave of some unknowable baked good of your dreams. Maybe you came for a simple cup of coffee, but just try leaving this little oasis without an artisanal loaf of bread, drool-​inducing VT cheese («If it comes from VT, then it’s something you want.» –Dug Nap), beer hopped pickles, or goat caramels… not so easy.

Super tasty carb laden treats! The hot cross buns were lovely. I adore their breads. So crusty and chewy. Bakery bliss!

«The woo?»
«Yeah, Worcester. Its not that far.»
«But there’s ten million units of traffic between here and there.»
«I’ll buy you coffee. There’s a place. It is called Crust.»
Long pause. «Let’s do it.»

Excellent coffee and baked goods as well as local food goods for sale.
Downside is there is no place to sit and no actual menu of baked items available.
Staff is knowledgable, friendly and willing to describe what’s available.

LEMON LAVENDER DONUTS!!! THIS IS HOW YOU BAKED GOODS. Everything I’ve ever had from crust was excellent. They have a limited selection compared to some other places, but everything is super fresh. Good selection of specialty foods from Vermont. Great coffee from Armeno (local roaster) which they brew stronger than most places would. Only complaints are that there isn’t any seating and the hours are limited. An espresso machine would be nice since I have no doubt they would do a proper cappuccino (which is severely lacking in this city).

Muffin exclusive: this just in, Cherry Chocolate.
Now, I’m a sucker for artisan bakeries. Hell, even if I never at the crusty, criss-​crossed cut loaves, bountifully piled in forward-​facing baskets, I’d still have a soft spot for these little nook bakeries. And the sidewalk sample of a mini-​croissant from Armsby Abbey (the retail resto side of this bakery) had me salivating my way through the front door.
But the $ 3.75 muffin is over-​baked with few cherries or chocolate chunks to be found. Appropriately sweet, and with an almost yeasty texture, akin to a sandwich bread over the crumbly muffin we’ve come to expect. It’s just fine, but I feel a loss having not gone for mama-​sized croissant. Or a loaf. Or… something else.
Curated goods from Brooklyn make up the inventory of their CPGs, and dammit, I’m still thinking about how I should have gone with something other than a muffin. When next in Woo, I’ll give it another go.

Great place, awesome breads! Worth the visit. I like how theres always something new to try. The world, Worcester needs more of these artisans for local businesses. Dying to try that corn bacon muffin with the egg in it!
I wouldn’t be surprised if this place has an award in WoMag by the end of the year.