Esther's German Bakery
Ste G
Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 969-3060
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
47 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
"After experiencing this bakery in LA and OC it was so nice to know it was now in the South Bay! I wish they opened one up where we lived in…" read more »
15 Reviews for Esther's German Bakery
I'd give them 5 stars but I ordered the schnitzel last week and was very disappointed. Those of you who know the doctor knows that he looooooves himself some schnitzel. Theirs was just a tiny dry piece of overcooked chicken on some bread.
Luckily everything else at this place is off the hizzook. I've been buying their pretzels at Rainbow Grocery for years and they're hands-down the best in the Bay Area. Today I had myself a plate of 2 giant pan-grilled bratwurst with a side of tasty bacon-loaded sauerkraut. I'm going to have a hard time not eating here at least once a week for lunch.
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I came after school on my way to work but the store closes at 3pm. Even so, a little girl let me in and Esther welcomed me to look around even though she had already closed her register. As I was taking in the cozy surroundings and freshly baked smells, she put various pretzels and breads into a bag and presented them to me. It was so nice of her and she wouldn't accept any payment for them. I will definitely come back when they are open and bring my friends. (The pretzels were so good!)
Good, authentic German baking. Stick with the breads, pretzels and rolls. Stay away from many of their sweet baked goods as they tend to be rather heavy (weighed down with dough) instead of focusing on fresh fruits or other toppings.
Occasionally they seem to try branching out to catering but those affairs I've attended seemed bogged down in bread, bread and more bread and not much else of interest. The furthest they should attempt on that front is to do brats and potato soup.
2/6/08 Update: Stay away from their multigrain rolls. Bought them yesterday "fresh". This morning, they were brittle and dried out at the edges while still okay in the middle. If done right, they shouldn't act that way after less than a day in the bag.
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5 stars - what else is there to say ? :)
Best german bakery in the Bayarea - the Pretzels are like home (and I am from the town the "Brezel" was invented), just make sure the retailer has stocked up the same day or go to the market.
Yummy bread and sweet pastry.
We talked to Esther herself at the market today and the new Bakery might open as early as next week. Check their webpage for updates.
Looks like Mountain View with Esthers and Dittmers on the same street might become the new epicenter for germans ;)
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Best German Bakery. Very similar to the bread I enjoyed in Munich. I highly recommend most of the bread (especially the rolls and farmer's bread) and the pastries. I go every weekend to stock up on rolls for breakfast throughout the week. At my last visit to the stall at the California Ave Farmer's Market in Palo Alto (Sunday 8 - 12am), the owner said that she has tried to open a retail location for 3 years and has been unsuccessful.
Update (3/11/08): Talked to Esther at the California Ave Farmer's Market and she said they were opening up a retail location off of San Antonio in Los Altos "in a few weeks". Yippee!
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So authentic. Just wish that I could also have in front of me all the unimaginative varieties of spreads, cheeses, and meats the Germans get to have in front of them during their breakfasts and dinners. Then I'd be in Germany again.
I know nothing about the Mountain View location. All I know is that I make it a point to visit the Thursday Crocker Galleria Farmer's Market just so I can get some of their goods. Can I say FUH-RESH. I had their apple strudel last Thursday, and the apples were tart, FUH-RESH and tasty. The pastry was flakey and light with slivers of almonds on top. Not too sweet and just so f'in right. Their poppy seed pastries, cinnamon buns and raisin rolls are yummy too. Oh and their stall's across from the Bay Bread / Boulangerie one so you can stop there, too! And super nice vendors.
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Esther's cakes, desserts and breads are excellent. Our company has some of her items for sale which is a plus.
Love the Knusperstangen Crunch Sticks, the Bienenstich - Beesting Cake and German Pretzels which are all excellent. The Apfelstreuselkuchen - Apple Crumble Cake is good but could use more apple stuffings. :)
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This is certainly one of the best bakeries that I have found so far. Their breads are hearty, of high quality and last very long (they do NOT go stale after a few days). If you want to make them last longer, you can put the breads in the freezer and use them later ... and they are still among the best breads on the North American continent.
I live in Boston, MA, but every time I visit the Bay area I make sure to take a few of their breads back home.
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What can I say, I'm sentimental. How can I not give 5 stars to (quite) authentic German baking? More satisfying and flavorful than French fare.
Mmmm.... Laugenbrezel. Also enjoyed the Knusperstange, though neither was as buttery as real German products. I actually appreciated the Californian influence, as I could eat more items in one sitting! I went savory that visit, so I'll update after I get a taste of their Nussecken und Kirsch-Vanille-Schnitten.
Why the heck am I reviewing something in Mountain View? Because you can get your very own here in SF! Crocker Galleria (Th 11-15) and Kaiser Permanente Hospital (Tu 09:30-13).
If you go, request Kartoffelbrot (potato bread)! Perhaps if enough of us ask for it, Esther will start obliging. Guten Appetit!
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The Knusperstangen (say that 3 times with your eyes closed) is what Esther's all about! Make sure you bring home some delicious Hefezopf and Mandelhornchen (if you like almonds) for the kiddies. Yes, Esther's is available in San Francisco, but I was fortunate to go to the Mountain View bakery in person-- where the goods are much fresher.
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I eat their bread for breakfast everyday! Yum! I haven't tried their pastries much, here's my fav breads in order:
1. Kraftkorn (Russian Rye) - I love this! Lots of sunflower seeds, not too much caraway (store stuff always has too much). The texture lighter that the other German breads. Goes great with cheese.
2. Sportler Brot (Fitness Bread) - and it lives up to it. Its a nice way to start the morning with some coffee. I add some honey. Or as a after work snack.
3. Schwarzbrot - this is a heavy thick bread. I always take this with some cheese or something to help. Good in thin slices. I always end up drying some of it for crackers later.
Great bread, you can tell they really care about quality.
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7/24 update.
Tried Esther's rye at Dittmer's deli, excellent,moist and flavorful.
Was delighted to receive a personal note from Esther on Yelp, apologizing about the bakery being a wholesale not retail store, since I went to their location, thinking it was open to the public and it was not open. She hopes to open a retail bakery, open to the public, soon, yippee!
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Bakery isn't at the stated address, it is the Catering portion at the
location and closed by 2pm, on their website is a listing where they
sell their baked goods. Behind the PYT, Peninsula Youth Theater.
Bummed, no bakery, wanted to try them and stock up for this weekend.
Ah well, will look for their breads at the Milk Pail on San Antonio and
Piazza's on Middlefield.
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Esthers is not only the best and 100% authentic german bakery, they are also very good employers.
My favorite at the moment: The "Alpenlaib - Mountain bread"
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I was first very excited to find a German bakery in the area. However, when I got to taste the breads and sweets I was not very impressed. The bread selection is very limited. The breads grow stale very quickly and are not very flavorful. The sweets were very average. I quite liked the Knusperstange and the Muesliriegel, but as for the rest I would recommend sticking with Acme or the wonderful French bakeries around here.
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