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What a charming and old-fashioned bakery. The cookies here are delightful and the cinnimon bread I sampled could've used a cup of coffee. Everything in the display case had my mouth-watering but I was able to restrain myself. Like you care...
I thought it was weird that the sweet older woman who tended to my order asked me to do the math instead of punching it in the register. But I was so happy in there that it didn't matter really...
I'll have to pick up a whole coffee cake here for a work meeting in the future...
Referred to as "crack" bread in my family, Greenlee's cinnamon bread is serious business. The slices are rich, thick, and heavy with cinnamon, sugar, and butter. One slice = calories for the day (or two, but who's counting?).
I have learned that the best way to eat the "bread" is to toast it for short while. Then turn off the oven and let the bread crisp. We received this tip from a friend. After intense research, I can confirm that this method is THE way to truly enjoy this deliciousness.
Now that I've done the research for you, go toast some Greenlee's crack bread!
Oh my...their cinnamon bread is divine. If you see it at Whole Foods, a farmer's market or wherever (or Greenlee's), you must pick up a loaf to try it out. $7, yes, but you will not be disappointed at all. I savor each and every bite, and it is defnitely the best cinnamon bread I've every had.
Go by Greenlee's, and they have a bunch of other things as well, from cookies, cakes, pastries, crepes, burritos to espresso. Their coffee cakes are super moist and yummy. You should totally pick up a couple of those too.
I have been here numerous times and I love it! This was the first time that I was happy with my sausage burrito! Usually they taste like cinnamon (yuck), but this time it was delicious! I also bought the cinnamon bread which makes a mean french toast and an apricot ring for my coworkers! Needless to say I will be coming back to this spot for a long time!
Drop whatever you're doing right now and run to Greenlee's for their famous cinnamon bread! You'll end up eating the entirely loaf in one sitting and pass out in a luxurious carb induced food coma. I speak from personal experience.
HORRIBLE service! The girl behind the counter was so rude to me. This was my second time coming to Greenlee's because I thought I would give it another chance but still the same attitude I got the first time. My sister and I asked how much it would cost to buy an entire coffee cake and she snaps at us saying "Preorder only". Well thats not what we asked....We asked how much it would cost. We bought coffee cake, chocolate chip marshmallow sandwichs, and a lemon tart thing. The pastries were somewhat good but I just couldn't get over the rude service at one point the girl behind the counter rolled her eyes at us! I wouuld never come her again.
cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread
yeah, cinnamon bread.
I've initially tried their famous cinnamon bread when I bought a loaf at Whole Foods in SF. I was in HEAVEN! I rarely eat cinnamon bread, but I can eat Greenlees cinnamon bread all day, everyday. I ate half a loaf the first day I've initially gotten it, it's THAT good. I then read the label and found that they were in SJ, which is not that far from my mother's house. While visiting my mother, I drove to their main bakery which was quite charming. I ordered four loaves of cinnamon bread. I thought, from reading the previous posts, that their bread was $7 or $2/10; however they have a flat rate of $6.50 each- not too far from Whole Foods. I figured I'd probably get a better deal going to their main bakery, but that's not the case. The lady that worked behind the counter was kind of unprofessional and rude, and I've witnessed it w/ most of their customers that come in; but it seems like the regulars are used to it b/c they weren't that fazed. I've also noticed that the bread that I bought from the bakery was quite different from the loaf I got at Whole Foods. The one from the bakery was kind of over-baked compared to the Whole Foods, but now I'm just getting technical and picky.
I do not recommend their breakfast burritos or sandwiches, however. They are quite pricey and in my opinion not really good. I had the chorizo breakfast burrito which I did not enjoy at all.
I all for supporting your local bakeries so definately stop in and buy some of their famous cinnamon bread b/c it is the bomb!
Unfortunately, I don't really like the cakes here. It's another one of a places we would get cakes at for our office birthdays. Some of the coworkers really like the cakes from here, but I'm just not a fan. The cake is dry and the icing is a bit too sweet! Beside the beautiful squeezed flower designs, I'm not impressed. They do have good cinnamon bread here though, so give that a try! Oh, also their crepes are divine! For you carnivores, they don't have any with meats (no chicken or turkey, they used to, but not anymore) though, so don't expect that! A bit pricey though, $7.50 for a crepe with spinach, pesto, and cheese. I'd get it when I have some extra money in the bank though.....
The last time I bought a loaf of their cinnamon bread was at Whole Foods, but I never got a chance to taste it because my family ate it all. So today after work, I stopped by the farmer's market in Cambrian Park specifically to grab a loaf of Greenlee's cinnamon bread because I was craving something sweet. It's $7 a loaf or two for $5 each - kinda pricey, but worth it - it's just oh so good.
I have never been to the actual bakery, but from the taste of their cinnamon bread, i'll definitely have to stop by soon.
The cinnamon bread was just ok. Nothing ground breaking but good overall. I prefer Trader Joe's whole wheat cinnamon bread since I'm not prone to super sweet things. I did try their sugar cookies. They were yummy too but again nothing special.
Its a cute little spot...first off the free coffee is such a nice touch, they have good coffee cake, breakfast burritos are the best chorizo burritos in san jose, and kudos to the manager for having workers who provide excellent customer service, we had a little incident, bought a day old bread, but brought it home and it had mold on it, returned it the next day and they were very apologetic and gave us two items fresh made that day, this ensured that we would return, good customer service is hard to find these days, so it's refreshing to be treated decently...
I bought a loaf of the cinnamon bread from a market called Ikeda's in Auburn. at $7, this bread is expensive, but it's not called the best cinnamon bread for nothing!
It's made in a loaf pan, so it's about the size of a banana bread loaf. Before you eat it, toast it for a little bit....not too long! It just needs to be a little warm and crisp on the outside. Don't even put butter or anything on it, because it's good just as it is!
Fluffy, warm, not too sweet, not dry cinnamon bread goodness. I guess it's more cakey then bready because I wouldn't call this cinnamon toast. Either way, it's awesome!
Yes, it's expensive but you have to try it at least 1 time!! This won't be a regular item i'll be buying, but i will buy it again.
In San Francisco, I heard they sell it at Andronico's for $7.49.
WHAT is the big deal with their cinnamon bread or anything that they sell?! I just don't get it. Hasn't anyone had anything good around here?
I wish there was a really good bakery like Bijan's or Satura on the Alameda.....
The owner is gorgeous i've been a customer for over 10 years. The breads and breakfast burritos are unmatched.
I haven't been to their storefront, but purchased their cinnamon bread from the Campbell Farmers Market. It is definitely delicious and tastes fresh but $7 for a loaf was a little steep. I'd buy it again if we were having friends over for brunch or as a special treat.
Greenlee's Bakery is a family owned and run bakery in San Jose California. Since 1924.
This Cinnamon bread is to die for. Oh My Goodness! You can order it online. I am going to give the bread as gifts instead of Fruitcake.
Much better than the cinnamon bread I have purchased from Trader Joe's.
I have to try some of the other baked goods.
If for nothing else, this place deserves to be known for the cinnamon bread. Despite being an infamous cinnamon-hater, this stuff weaseled its way into my heart as a rare exception. It is absolutely delicious!
The other baked products are tasty, too. I had a "peanut-butter and jelly cupcake" which blew me away - white cupcake with a red jelly center and a buttercream peanutbutter frosting. Even my skeptical roommate was won over! They have the usual selection of things, and I intend to work my way through the options.
I need to go in the morning when they're serving breakfast, as the menu looked impressive. The staff was bakery standard; the lady who was working when I went in seemed a bit gruff but turned out to be quite polite and helpful.
A great local bakery!
So ... this afternoon I was on The Alameda running a few errands. I hadn't eaten all day - but being 2pm it was too late to have a full lunch with dinner on the way, but too early to just hold off 'til dinner. So when I saw Greenlee's across from where I parked, I remembered seeing good reviews here on Yelp for the, and I went over to get a pastry to tide me over to dinner.
When I walked in, there were three customers ahead of me. I looked in the cases - no pastries to be seen. Cookies in one area and loafs in another. So disappointing!! A sticky bun or small tart would have been perfect for the afternoon. But then I saw they did crepes, so I figured that would do just fine.
There was only one person working the counter, so we all had to wait our turn. The first customer was dealt with - there seemed to be some sort of issue, but I wasn't paying much attention. The second customer took a while, but that went ok. Third customer started giving her order when the phone rang - and the woman behind the counter took the call and instead of asking them to hold, had a long conversation in Spanish, with her back to us in the store. Finally she hung up and finished helping the customer in front of me.
Finally it was my turn. I told her I'd like a chocolate and banana crepe - to which she said "we stop serving crepes at noon." I was flabbergasted. There was no sign up to this effect, nothing on the menu or near the cooking griddles. I'd stood there through three customers and a phone call for nothing.
Even customer #3 agreed with me that she thought they'd have a sign up indicating that so people didn't end up standing there forever.
So yah, I wasn't impressed at all with Greenlee's Bakery. :(
It's Whole Foods Market's fault i found this place! I bought Greenlee's Best Cinnamon Bread there and after my first bite....i started examining the package to learn more about this yummy cinnamony-sweet gooey goodness. Of course I did the Yelp search....lol...it seems that everyone who has had something from this bakery loved it...and wants more of it!!
So since I HAD to try this place I set my alarm to wake up extra early to stop by the bakery on my way to work the next morning....
Things I purchased......lol....I shared all this with my co-workers....ok!
Chorizo burritos.......so damn good.....had them TWICE this week!
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Crumb Coffee Cake
Apple Coffee Cake
Raspberry Danish
****Cinnamon Coffee Cake...this was everyone's favorite!
Staff is very friendly, while I waited they offered me free coffee.
Amazing stuff....apparently their recipes haven't changed much since the 1920's......keep baking...and I'll keep coming!
This place is pretty good.. suprisingly. I've past it many times and never gave it a second thought. We ordered the Chorizo and Egg breakfast burrito, Ham and Cheese croisant and also bought a few of the different sugar cookies they have to offer. All of it was very good. The cookies are addicting too! Will most def come back here!
I love Greenlee's. I remember coming her before starting school at St. Leo's to get a hot cocoa and a cupcake. It really made my morning and helped me get through prayer hour and nap time.
Sundays are always reserved for their claim to fame Cinnamon Bread! San Jose wouldn't be San Jose without GreenLee's Cinnamon Bread. really!
It's not just about the cinnamon bread!
Though that's a very big part of this bakery's appeal, the rest of their desserts, and their breakfast are delicious! My boyfriend and I used to just get the cinnamon bread from Whole Foods, but I decided long ago that I wanted to make the trek here and see the rest of the goods in person!
Yesterday morning we came here for some breakfast. My boyfriend ordered the chorizo breakfast burrito, and the lemon cheesecake. I ordered the egg and cheese breakfast burrito, the petite pumpkin cake, and a piece of their chocolate chip crumb cake. Yes, I ate all that myself.
Just like everyone says, the breakfast burritos are a morning treat! They're served hot, large, and chock full of eggs, cheese, and potatoes (along with chorizo, and other meats that you order). It also comes with a green salsa that is refreshing with a bit of zest. My boyfriend and I really liked the burritos - we then ate our sugary treats and they're a testament to how this bakery is more than just cinnamon bread! The pumpkin spice cake was delicious - it was a bit crumbly at first since it was slightly cool from the display case, but if you let it sit at room temperature it gets more cake like and thick. The cream cheese frosting was sprinkled with orange sprinkles, and was thick and not too sweet or cream cheese tangy. The frosting was also decorated into a mini pumpkin - so cute!
The cheesecake was thick, creamy, and not too sweet. Perfect after a salty burrito. Finally, the chocolate chip coffee crumb cake was so good - thick sweet top layer, soft and bready bottom layer. The chocolate chips were a good touch!
I can't wait to come here more regularly, it's such a great place for treats!
Yummy, yummy, yummy! Cupcake birthday cake, foggetaboutit, need to ask for something fun, you'll love it! Also make some French toast out of the cinnamon bread, what a decadent treat!
2 1/2 stars
I'm not quite sure what the ranting and raving is about. The cinnamon bread is what I came for and got. It was made far too sweet for my liking and the atmosphere was lacking...warmth and coziness. I was disappointed.
The best kept secret at this mom and pop bakery clearly isn't the Cinnamon Bread, it is their Butter Flake Rolls. Basically, it is a croissant in the form of a muffin: buttery, flaky, melts in your mouth. You can pre-order them by the half dozen, then just heat them and serve. Great with Turkey, Ham, or Rib Roast, this has been a staple for our family holiday dinners ever since I was a child.
The next time you have people over for a nice dinner and you really want to impress them, serve a basket of these rolls.
And, of course, pick up a loaf of that Cinnamon Bread.
Let me start by saying that I'm a self-professed cinnamon addict and proud of it.
The wording on the bag that their cinnamon bread comes in is "world's best cinnamon bread." To the uninitiated this probably smacks of hyperbole. Those of us who've had the bread know better. This is hands down the best bread I've ever had. Period. The cost (about $5 per loaf) is very reasonable for something you'll likely be snacking on over several days. If you're a fan of sweets, cinnamon or just plain tasty stuff then you owe it to yourself to swing by and pick up some bread. I'd go right now but being on a traditional bakers' schedule they're closed on Sundays. Doh.
The actual bakery? It's situated in a nice location on the Alameda and has indoor and outdoor (right on the sidewalk) seating if you're planning to stay and have breakfast there. They've had free self-serve coffee the last few times I was there but I can't speak to whether it's any good since I'm not a coffee drinker. Besides the cinnamon bread they do crepes and breakfast burritos, cakes, banana bread and other assorted pastries. What I've had there has been quite good, but the star of the show is definitely the cinnamon bread.
It's pretty well established that the cinnamon bread or breakfast burrito are the goods to get. Being the daring diner I am, I decided to try a few other items.
Bear Claw: pastry was decent, a little on the heavy side. The big disappointment was that the filling was almost non-existent. Bummer.
Raisin Danish: nothing to write home about.
Apple Danish: Better but fell apart as the server was putting it in the bag, no acknowledgment or replacement.
Service: Wow, they really don't care if you purchase anything. The girl behind the counter looked at me ambivalently and when I asked if my items had nuts, she seemed shocked that anyone would ask such a thing (didn't really inspire confidence with her reply).
It's convenient but, I much prefer Kelly's from Santa Cruz...or maybe I just need to develop a cinnamon bread habit.
I've never been to the store but they sell the Greenlees cinnamon bread at my local grocery stores (Nugget Market and Davis Food Co-op) and it is AMAZING. A loaf rarely lasts more than 2 days in my house. You have to try this delicious lightly sweetened chock full of cinnamon bread. If you can't find it near you, they sell it on their website too!
the cinnamon bread is great! I can't say that i really like sweets but this is a slice of heaven. Recently we took a loaf and made it into french toast and it tasted twice as good. you do not need any syrup but i couldn't stop eating once i started. we finished a loaf in no time.
The breakfast burritos are just as great and cafe rosalena next door, which claim the best. Some say the burritos here are better! I can't complain there equal to me. but the pastries here and cupcakes are great!
Keeping it simple. To the point.
Gobbled.
Cinnamon bread loaf.
Double chocolate marshmellow sandwich.
Mini carrot cake.
Fresh.
Yummy.
Good.
You.
Should.
GO!
Greenlee's has got the best service and best cinnamon bread in the world!
Wow, seeing all the great reviews I feel like I might be stoned to death for the one I'm writing. I dared to go somewhere I didn't first look up on Yelp and decided to try the mini carrot cake at Greenlee's. There is NO WAY IN HELL this carrot cake was made fresh that day, or the 2 previous days, for that matter.
Taste-wise, I'd say it was decent, but the cake was so freaking hard I could hardly enjoy the flavor. I proceeded to play surgeon and use a plastic knife to saw through it; not to mention the icing was brick and didn't even crumble when i cut through it. I don't know about everyone else, but when i go into a bakery and pay almost $5 for a mini cake, i expect it to be fresh and delicious. I was thoroughly disappointed.
LOVE this bakery! Went in today and picked up a loaf of cinnamon bread for my office after having lunch next door. Its the first time having it but wow is it good! TOO good for me to bring into my own home where I'd eat it all by myself. They used to have a great assortment of cookies but for some reason, this afternoon cookies were pretty bare. Oh well....still love them!
Still a five star place, but, dude, the price of the cinnamon bread has gone up to, get this: $6.50! Still not a bad price for something that is so good, but oh-so-bad for you. I gave these bad boys out for Christmas to some co-workers, and have received several comments like "Now since we have eaten this bread, it has spoiled us and I will no longer by the normal cinnamon bread at the grocery store!!"
There's a blasphemer on here ... how can you NOT love their Cinnamon bread. My favorite piece is… Read more »
Ok - I had not read anything about this place before going in this afternoon. I travel by it everyday on my bide and the smell always makes me wanna just lounge in front of the building. I did not know anything about their supposedly delicious cinnamon rolls...nor the fact that it's a family run business since the beginning of time. I can say that their cheese danish was very lacking and their chocolate chip cookie sandwich/thingamabob was outright disgusting. I don't know what the filling was supposed to be but I do know it's pretty hard to screw up a chocolate chip cookie to where it doesn't even TASTE remotely like a choc chip cookie. And don't get me started on the hispanic lady behind the counter. She acted like she would have rather been any place else but behind the counter and as if I had interrupted the dream she was having of lying on the beach somewhere. Snippy rude service and just plain BAD treats. I'd rather go dumpster dive out behind Starbucks when they mark out their day old pastries away.
Having been in existence since 1924, Greenlee's bakery is a San Jose institution but I bet they weren't selling chorizo breakfast burritos back then.
They are known for their Cinnamon Raisin Bread and judging from it's popularity one would conclude that it is amazing.
I remembered hearing that Greenlee's had some tasty breakfast burritos and it is true. The bacon breakfast burrito is much better than Rosalena's next door who claim to have the best breakfast burrito in San Jose. The green salsa is good and they are fast. Fast means a lot when you are talking about breakfast and five minutes means you are on the road that much quicker.
I ate half of the breakfast burrito went back to sleep, woke up groggy and ate the magical Smores Brownie. It was one of the best desserts ever! A perfect combination of chocolate, brownie, caramel and marshmallow, seriously a nice way to wake up from a nap.
All of their Valentine cookies look expertly crafted and delicious.
I wonder why I don't come here more often.
Indeed, the cinnamon bread is fantastic. $5 a loaf at the bakery. We saw them later that day at Zanotto's for $7.
The breakfast burritos are ok - I thought the best part was the salsa. Meat lovers rejoice, the burrito is dominated by meat. (Note: the chorizo is not for those with sensitive tummies.) And they are very filling; we ate at 10ish and weren't even that hungry for dinner. Btw - The burrito prices have gone up since the photo of the menu was taken - they're now 4.95 plus tax.
Seating is extremely limited - two tables inside and 2 tables out in front, with only one umbrella to shield you from the sun. And, oddly enough, there are no trash cans to be found, inside or out. The employees just looked at us while we walked from end to end looking for a place to drop off our trash. A little sketchy on service.
Before you go here, there are a bunch of things you need to know:
cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread cinnamon bread AND cinnamon bread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a cinnamon bread addict and, unlike Winehouse, I don't need to go to rehab. No, no, no...
I'm pretty sure the other delicious pastries, crepes, and breakfast burritos are quite tasty. My sweet tooth isn't hard to satisfy. I don't know about that cinnamon raisin bread tho. I am an anti-raisinist. Seriously, why the fuck would I want to eat a dried up grape???!?!?!?
Bakeries around here are a dime a dozen.
However, amazing cinnamon raisin bread is not. Nor are super buttery flakey melt in your mouth cookies. And Greenlee's has both. We can only buy one or two of something because if we got more than that...I'd be a zillion pounds.
Try the cookies with jam in them, but more importantly the butter spritzy looking ones...with cinnamon on them. Divine. Sounds like EH? Looks like EH? I mean who hasn't had a homemade butter spritz with something sprinkled on it? Good but not that impressive....definitely not worth mentioning in a 4 star review right? Nope. These...light and flakey, impossible to eat without buttery crumbs. The cinnamon raisin bread is crusted with cinnamony sugar on top and sides. Hard to toast, but I can't help thinking that it would make a fab bread pudding.
They also have crepes, breakfast burritos and sandwiches, cakes. None of which we've tried yet. Up next...a weekend crepe visit. But for now, we're busy chowing down on cookies and cinnamon raisin bread. Wonder how much in heaven I will be when I make french toast out of it tomorrow morning??
San Jose, CA
Category: Bakeries
San Jose, CA
Category: Bakeries
San Jose, CA
Category: Bakeries
Campbell, CA
Category: Bakeries
San Jose, CA
Category: Bakeries
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