On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
"Alison absolutely rocks the wedding cake world. I expected a pretty cake, and walked into a BEAUTIFUL, whimsical cake that had all of our…" read more »
Loading...
You just can't beat it! Consistently delicious and always friendly efficient service! They are all over town...so you are never too far from one.
The cookies are the best in the world.
Good, reliable lunch.
I especially like the online ordering system, where it visually indicates exactly what you've customized for your sandwich/salad, and after completing your order online, all you need to do is breeze in and pick up your food.
Their cookies are truly magnificent.
One point off, though, because their ambience is nonexistent and the office complex where they're located is prohibitively loud to picnic in.
Who would've known? I certainly didn't, and I'm sure very few individuals who work outside of this office complex located across from AT&T Park know about it either. I'm talking about the Specialty's Bakery & Café located inside the courtyard of the office complex at 185 Berry Street. Yelp friend Lolia S. informed me several months ago that it was there, and I finally got a chance to go check it out prior to last night's baseball game.
I didn't bother to look for its hours, but the café must close at 5:00 PM because when I walked in around 4:45 PM the bakery case was down to some slim pickings. Thankfully I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I just wanted something sweet to bring into the ballpark with me along with some bottled refreshment so when the game became listless I'd have something to munch on. Contrary to what you believe baseball games are very much predictable. There are always a bunch of boring innings to go with the exciting ones. I found exactly what I was looking for in the form of a Rocky Road Double Fudge Brownie (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I got not one, but two along with a couple of chilled bottles of Vitamin Water to wash it all down with.
Midway into the game while the Giants' Randy Johnson was serving up fat pitches to the opposing hitters I was up in my seat getting fat myself to the tune of a moist and chewy chocolate brownie topped with a decadent chocolate crust loaded with chopped nuts and mini marshmallows. It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth for the night.
Conveniently located about a half block away from AT&T Park Specialty's gives me yet another option to pick up food, dessert or drinks to carry with me into the stadium. Who would've known it was there? I certainly wouldn't have.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie.
Whoever came baked that joint I had today?
I want to hug you. With ever fiber of my being. With ever ounce my inner foodie soul. Hold you dear...then whisper in your ear "can I keep you?"
God bless you, God bless you.
Meetings.
It's scheduled blandness that intervenes with your office routine of staring at the spot…
Read more »
Great food and I love the on-line ordering. Cons are that the on-line ordering is sometimes delayed and the prices are high. The employees are super nice and friendly and they remember your name which is cool.
Hit or Miss for food to go. Generally good food. Epic Fail for catering. Shatangi tried to bring them back from exile and into the regular office rotation after meeting with the corporate catering staff. 1st attempt = FAIL (not what was ordered). 2nd try = fool me twice, buh bye.
Shatangi told you...
Please note that this is a review for Specialty's new Chinese Chicken Salad...
My co-worker introduced me to Specialty's 2 weeks ago, and I have been a loyal patron ever since, going every day for lunch. Lengthy discussions of what we would be eating for lunch were no longer necessary, now when the clock would strike 12, the first thing we'd ask each other would now be, "Have you placed your order online yet...?"
Just when I started to believe that Specialty's is God's gift to mankind and Specialty's on every street corner will bring world peace, I had one of the worst salad-experiences in my life at Specialty's. Here's my story...
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I got an e-mail yesterday from Specialty's, advertising their new Chinese Chicken Salad. I squealed so loudly that my co-workers were convinced that I had won the lottery. But to me, a healthy option for lunch from a deli that is known to consistently make good sandwiches/ salads was like winning a million bucks.
So.. When the clock struck twelve, I immediately placed an order for the said salad and just going through the ordering process, my mouth started watering, which resulted in a pool of drool my one of my reports for a client that was two-weeks past due.
And then down came the rain...
The Chinese Chicken Salad my friends, was simply not good. I love cabbage, it's fun, yummy and always a pleasant addition to a salad, "addition" being the key word. BUT NOBODY LOVES CABBAGE THAT MUCH!!! NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE FARMERS WHO GROW CABBAGES AND THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON THOSE SUCKERS!!! If Specialty's wants to sell these suckers, they must fix this immediately... I think a healthy ratio of 2 part lettuce and 1 part cabbage will do as, it'll please both the regular salad loving crowd and the cabbage crowd.
The sad thing is Specialty's probably spent thousands and thousands of dollars on focus groups to come up with this salad, but a bowl full of cabbage? That just ain't right... and I WOULD know, I'm a Specialty's fanatic!
After posting in my Twitter about how I hadn't had a Specialty's chocolate chip cookie in forever and was craving one a pal bought me one of the cookie gram gift certificates and sent it to me via email! I was so excited. I let my craving build until the usual 3 o'clock sugar fix and headed over to this Specialty's in my work neighborhood. I had never been there before-- don't think I'll be headed back.
How can you call yourselves a bakery when you have hardly any baked goods! All they had were scones that look liked they had been there since dawn and 2 types of cookies, neither chocolate chip. It was shortly after 3pm so I thought maybe they closed at 4 or something but after checking the hours they still had 3 more hours of business. That's a long time to go open without restocking your menu if you ask me. I was thoroughly disappointed.
The staff didn't really seem to give a care if I was satisfied or not. After asking if they had any chocolate chip cookies I got a dirty look and a gruff "no." I felt like all they wanted was for me to get the hell away from the counter and out of the store as fast as possible and not ask them anything about what they had available.
Poor poor performance all around. I used to enjoy going to Specialty's for lunch when I worked in another part of the city and after finding this location near my new job I was quite excited. However, after this initial introduction I will not be returning!
Great cookies, addictive even. They are massive, so eating just one can make you feel like you need an hour at the gym. I love the online ordering system, it makes it super simple to order for groups and make substitutions. Even if I don't order online, it's a pretty short wait for what you are getting. They also hand out cookie samples and will let you try the soup before ordering. Can't say much for the decor but hey, it's in an office park. The only time I've seen them mess up an order, they apologized by sending warm cookies to our office the next day.
Favorites: Oatmeal with all the fixings (they had it before Starbucks), Chicken Caesar Salad, Southwestern Salad (get the BBQ chicken, it really makes this great) and Dawn's Vegan Salad. Chocolate Chip cookies (a classic) are simply the best.
To be honest, I like the Montgomery spot better.
I've only been here twice but have no intention on coming back. My friend and I came here after work and it wasn't even peak hours for lunch or an after work crowd so I was a little confused as to why we had to wait 20 minutes for someone to TAKE our order. There were people talking in the back room *we could hear* and as we were walking out I hear, "hi - can I help you?"... YES.. help me by feeding and stuffing my stomach because I am starving now, 'mam.
I had ordered a turkey sandwich and I asked for specific toppings.. yeah she put them on there. I picked it off and didn't complain but if I'm going to say "please, no..." and tell you what I don't want, then don't put it on. It seems to me a lot of the associates here are highly hearing impaired.
This place is kind of tucked away so it can be hard to find if you don't work in the building. I've been there twice so far. The coffee is great (although not very hot on the last two visits), the scones are ok. Haven't tried anything else yet.
They also have free wifi and outside seating, but no comfy booths like Panera.
Best sandwiches in the neighborhood. Grab a sandwich and go behind the building on a nice day, where you can eat in front of China Basin watefront
Specialities servers great sandwiches. And I had a hard time choosing which sandwich to order, because they all looked great. I ended up having the barbeque chicken sandwich, which was excellent.
This place is kind of hidden behind the Avalon apartments on King Street, near the Muni T line stop @ 4th and King. It's about as good as you're going to get, considering how fast the food is ready...
My relationship with Specialty's is like my relationship with my mother. Love them to death, but sometimes, after a couple of visits, I just need to take a good, LONG break.
Here, a comparison, to show you of which I speak:
~Specialty's uses margarine in all of their delicious cookies.
~My mother uses margarine in all of her delicious meals.
~I'll often order Specialty's half sandwich and soup online, only to make the four block walk from work to be told they are completely out of the soup I ordered. I generally ask Specialty's for my money back.
~I'll often bring takeout home when visiting my mother, only to make the 1.25 commute from work, dreaming of mouth watering pad thai or garlic chicken over rice, to be told it has been thrown out. I generally ask my mother for my money back.
~Specialty's potato chip selection sucks.
~ My mother's preference for 56k dial up sucks.
~Sometimes, when I eat in at Specialty's, someone will be next to me at a table discussing their gaseous stomach, carpel tunnel or questioning why they are still single.
~ Sometimes, when I eat a meal at my Mother's, she will be next to me discussing her gaseous stomach, arthritic hands or questioning why I am still single.
~At Specialty's I can have my sandwich anyway I want it because, as an adult, they are aware I have certain preferences.
~At my Mothers, I cannot have anything the way I want it because "I don't care how grown you think you are, remember, I brought you into this world and I can take you out!"
~I see Specialty's online ordering system as a convenience.
~My mother sees any online order system as a conspiracy.
~ Specialty's... too much bread. Just too much bread.
~ Mother... too much bread. Just too much bread.
Thanks to Ben Y for actually confirming with a a rep that margarine is used in their cookies. Who still uses that stuff you ask? A little ol' stubborn lady from the country known as my mother, that's who.
I once hid a half used box of margarine and replaced it with a new box of unsalted butter in her refrigerator. I just knew she would never find it. I returned two weeks later to find it uncrumpled and returned to it's place of use in the refrigerator, butter untouched. Her penchant for watching old Murder She Wrote episodes must have outsmarted me on that one because it took her no time at all to solve that crime.
Talk about tucked away - I didn't know this place existed despite multiple visits to AT&T Park and I worked around the corner from here. It's in the China Basin Landing buildings (courtyard area between buildings) by the ballpark and you can't easily see it from the street. They specialize in reasonably priced breakfast (rolls, scones, muffins, egg sandwiches) and lunch (sandwiches, soups, salads) with the emphasis on their own baked goods. Be sure to pick up a cookie for dessert. The chocolate chip ones are soft and underbaked - not the best cookies but tasty.
I'd stick with the sandwiches (and there are plenty of varieties to choose from). They have standard ones (ham, salami, roast beef, turkey), more creative ones (turkey & curry, cobb, pb & cranberry sauce with fruit), hot ones and veggie ones. The Thai Chicken sandwich ($4.85) was nice - good quality of meat (chicken breast), flavorful, crunchy (cucumber, carrot), creamy (avocado) but too saucy. I also tried the Santa Fe Chicken salad and it was horrible, almost inedible (one of the worst I've had). The chicken salad had no flavor. I was surprised by how bad the salad was though it could have just been an off day.
Credit cards accepted. Seating is available. You order at the register and pick up your order later on. Or you can save time by ordering online: http://www.specialtysd...
That super healthy-looking veggie sandwich you got there... Yeah, that one... It is FORTY ONE GRAMS OF FAT!!!!!! That cobb salad you have there... Yes, that 'salad' is, brace yourself, SEVENTY FOUR GRAMS OF FAT!!!!!!!!!
There should be a law.
Go to McDonald's; it is better for you.
The cookies and cinnamon buns still deserve 5 stars. Specialty's doesn't even offer the nutritional value for those, but no one is deluded enough to think that those could somehow be good for you.
I went here the other day with a friend for lunch but spent nearly the entire time standing around waiting for the staff. There was one person in front of us in line but it still took about ten minutes before we could order because the cashier and the customer in front of us were chatting. I figured the cashier was just trying to be polite - but she actually turned out just to be a dingbat.
My friend ordered a tuna sandwich then went to the table because she has a broken foot. I went to wait for our food. When my friend's sandwich came up it was a steak and cheese. So I told the woman making the sandwiches that it was supposed to be a tuna sandwich to which she replied "Well, do you have your receipt?"
I did not have my friend's receipt but I did point out to her that she was looking at the same order that would be on the receipt and that it was wrong. She came back with some other lame challenge, so I pointed out that I had been standing next to my friend when she ordered and I heard her say tuna - not f*ck!ng steak. Then I let her in on the fact that my friend has not eaten red meat or pork in over a decade so it is unlikely that she would just spontaneously order a steak and cheese sandwich. At this point I was starting to lose my patience, which I think she realized because she suddenly stopped being a pain in the ass - but instead of just getting that tuna sandwich made she wandered off to tell the cashier about the sandwich and to do God knows what else. She did come back eventually and said that the cashier would refund the difference in price to my friend. To which I thought "That's nice. Wanna make that f*ck!ng sandwich now"? She opted for consistency in her service instead and put the new tag for the tuna sandwich at the very end of all the other orders that had come in since she had made the first sandwich. Awesome.
Service - 0 Stars
Food - 2 Stars
Ambiance - Who cares?
So... don't hate me... but I think this place is nasty.
It smells great. And hot melty chocolate chips are always fun. And their bread is nice and squishy.
But their meat is nice and squishy too... maybe a little rubbery, or a little spongy. And their cookies always make me a little queasy. Maybe my stomach can't handle the full stick of butter that gets baked into each one.
Call me old fashioned, but I don't really want a cookie the size of a fist. And if I want good bread, I'm going to go to Acme. And if I want a sandwich, i will go almost anywhere else.
The whole experience reminds me of a feeding trough. But, hey... if you are into it... more power to you.
Small soup with a piece of herb bread ($3.75), more than enough for a lunch for me. Pretty good sandwiches built on their house baked breads. The egg sandwich is really really nice because the eggs are "Scrambled" so it's tender and juicy, unlike the dried sunny-side-somewhere (possibly microwaved) from Panera.
The cookies and brownies are killers. Even looking at them is a torture.
Great place, if you don't mind not getting what you ordered and rude customer service.
I ordered a Cesar salad and ice tea. They gave me a salad with no dressing and wrong flavor of tea. When I went back down, the woman working there gave me major attitude as if I was bugging her bc I wanted Cesar dressing on my CESAR salad. You know what a Cesar salad without Cesar dressing is? It is just called LETTUCE! A lot of my co-workers often receive the wrong sandwich as well. This place sucks, I can't wait until Panera's Bread open up down the street and put them out of business.
I like to give ratings based on the expectations I have for a place, and my expectations of Specialty's are based it being in the 'deli in the ground floor of my building' category.
That said, I would *never* eat their food if it weren't for convenience. But, if you happen to be like me, and work in a building w/ Specialties right down stairs, here are a couple of reasons why it isn't half bad.
- You can order your sandwiches online, specifying the exact ingredients you want. If you're in 185 Berry, and need to work through lunch, you can pick up your sandwich and be back to work in minutes.
- The fresh-baked bread is pretty good (actually, it's the best part of the sandwich
- The cookies (Margarine and all) are damn good, and huge too.
- The Big Dipper is disgustingly good. They've somehow managed to get 1/4" of frosting around the chocolate chocolate chip cookie. These MFs will kill some people if they keep them around much longer.
A couple of improvements which they could make:
- Sandwich construction: Why can't they figure out how to cut it *down the middle*? Half the time my sandwich is cut into 'fat man' and 'little boy' haves, which is pretty irritating.
- butter in the cookies would make them that much better.
All told, I'm happy to have this place downstairs. I think it ranks pretty well as far as office-building delis go.
Specialty's is the place I normally go to when I don't know what else to eat for lunch. I always know what I get is always going to be good.
So that is where I went today. But it was not good, or tasty. Probably because I tried something new.
I usually get the same sammich (basic turkey), or salad (the Dawn's vegan with bacon). Sadly today I tried the Fresh Italian Salad. TOOO SALTY. Yuck Yuck. Now I am sad because I am still hongray!
I will give it 4 stars still because the people who work there are awesome, the cookies are awesome, and everything else but the Italian salad is awesome.
i work a few blocks from here and i'm a total douchebag for not visiting this place sooner. vegetarian (that can be turned into vegan) options! it's ridiculous!!
i ordered the mediterranean without the cheese. the bread tasted freshly baked and i loved the mixture of flavors.
(and i took home a menu so i can try my best to imitate the sandwich.)
There are two excellent reasons to visit Specialty's:
1. cinnamon rolls
2. chocolate chip cookies
And one good reason to visit:
You can go to their website and order your lunch online, so that when you get to the shop to pick it up, it's ready for ya. Neat!
I used to use Specialt'y as a hideout for when I got fed up at work (which was often). I'd find an excuse to go down, grab one of those cheesey doughy things they make and sit around until all the grease was in my belly and not on the napkin. With that said, it's no wonder I gained some weight while working upstairs (maybe it was the cube, I don't know...).
Regardless, their sando's were pricey and not big or delicious enough to justify the price. Their salads are just OK, but the real standout are the cookies.
I do miss the cookies, and if you find yourself randomly wandering around this neighborhood, perhaps during a Giants day game, go get yourself a cookie. Thank me later.
Good cookies, hard crust on sandwiches. Love the cookies... Love the cookies.
Having now experienced Specialtys for a few months I have to admit they've improved. The food quality has risen and in total I've made 50 or so orders the past 3 months!
The one downside is every now and then they un out of items like cookies, juice etc which seems avoidable.
Specialty's on Berry can vary in quality. The sandwiches are great, the bread and ingredients fresh… Read more »
Their cookies are famous at the office where I used to work, but their sandwiches leave something to be desired. Each one seems over-seasoned or over-made to the point where it in inevitable. Simplicity would make the sandwiches far better. Their coffee is also sub-par. And like many other reviewers, I am annoyed with their cheeky website. Kudos for the fact that you can order on-line though.
Their breakfast sandwiches, however, are great! I love that they are served all day. It's really the only thing I would get from Specialties that didn't manifest itself as leftover meeting food.
Uh, what? There's a Specialty's here? Shut. Up.
Best cinnamon rolls, cookies.... and oh yeah, sandwiches are pretty dope too.
One star off because there is too much chocolate in the semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies. Yes, that's right, I said TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE! I know that I'm speaking heresy to nearly every woman in the world, but as with all things in life, balance is essential. Remember, without balance we all fall down. Something to do with gravity and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
With that said, Specialty's, all of them, deserve a 5 star rating just for the fact that they let you sign up for online warm cookie alerts. Of all the things I need to know about immediately, warm cookie alerts have to be at the top of the list. Right up there with knowing that someone wants to have sex. With me! And I think the warm cookie alerts win out, because I know THAT can happen.
I thought it was great that they asked if I wanted a cookie and didn't try to sell me a drink to go with it. I mean there's a reason for the scene in Dude, Where's my car! where the drive-through lady keeps asking, "And then?" What I caught right away when I thought about it was that I was trapped in a Got Milk? commercial. As soon as I bit into the warm, melt in your mouth semi-sweet chocolate chip, out of the oven 10 minutes ago, cookie, I knew I wasn't leaving the store without a cold glass of milk. They are evil with this sales approach! Evil geniuses!
Check out the warm cookie alerts and the cookies. You won't be sorry.
Sister hooked up the giftcards (HI, JENNY!), so I came to pick up some sandwiches before heading up to Tahoe. I thought I was lost, looking for this location by the ballpark. It's basically in a friggin alley and inside the bank. The sandwich tasted high quality and I enjoyed it. Judging by the other reviews though, maybe it only tasted so good cause it was free, haha. It sure ain't no Roxies. Is that fair though? Prolly not. I must try the cookies next time.
Regardless of my feelings for their soups (usually pretty good), sandwiches (okay but expensive and not filling) or their coffee (actually just *bad*), they get one star. Why? I discovered today (and confirmed via email w their customer support folks) that the cookies are made with MARGARINE. Who uses that crap anymore? Really. I'd rather eat cookies that use lard as shortening. Gross. I'll make my own cookies with butter, thanks.
Greatly improved service. From 1 star to 5.
A very odd location to say the least. Its not easy to find, mainly because its tucked in between two large buildings (one with heavy construction). However, once you find it, you are greeted by a woman handing out free brownie bites (which were delicious) as well as the menu. Same fare as the other locations, but this time I opted for the Soup of the day (manhattan clam chowder) and the special sandwich of the day (turkey and avocado). The soup was extremely hardy with all kinds of vegetables (most noticeably large potatoes) and of course the clams. It was good, but New England style is still a step above. The sandwich was surprisingly large, with lots of fixins (pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, onions) and a crapload of avocado (which looked more like guacamole). Either way, I'm not complaining, because the portions are extremely generous and tasty...
I stopped in here once by accident because the line at Mixt Greens was too long. What serendipity! The spinach- strawberry salad was so good i made it myself everyday for the next three weeks of my life and i still love it! Superb!
Edit... Old review below. I still eat here, but I swear the day after I wrote this they started to serve me cold bbq chicken. TWICE! Reducing to 3 stars based on other menu items and their cookies.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++
My office just moved close by here so I've had the treat to eat at Specialties again. People are crazy who are rating this so low. Maybe we had a fluke day, but the sandwiches (and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie i ate) were off the hook.
There were 4 of us and all 4 of us said it may have been the best sandwiches we've ever eaten. I had the BBQ chicken sandwich.. umm... yummmm....
My favorite thing about this place......online ordering!!!!! Totally saves me time when I only have an hour for lunch. Their soups and sandwiches are great. Salads a bit pricey. Don't really offer a 1/2 soup, 1/2 sandwich, 1/2 salad combo which I think all places should have...but maybe that's just me. The cookies are massive and have tons of chocolate in em!
i love this place for lunch. so many great options. prices are completely fair. cookies that will put 20 pounds directly on your thighs. and sandwiches that can be customized to your specifications. i think the soups are really tasty.
atmosphere is always a bit hectic so it's best to order online and then schedule a pick up.
a sandwich just shouldn't cost that much. well, ok, maybe if it were a huge, delicious sandwich that you cannot get anywhere else. but at specialty's, they charge $7 and up for little, crap sandwiches. there's nothing special about this place, and the only reason i find myself going here occasionally is because everyone i work with in SOMA seems to have been brainwashed that this place is actually worth visiting. you'd think that with such overpriced, bad quality selections combined with a very odd business location, that this place would have a hard time surviving..
they get two stars because the cookies really are as tasty as most everyone says they are.
This review is based on their buttery milk chocolate chip cookie that I just got after stopping by the Mission Bay Library. Yum. Definitely a once-in-a-while treat...if I actually worked nearby I'd probably be sick of them too (see the other reviews).
Student Discounts
Neighborhood: Union Square
Customized and Personalized…
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Steakhouses
I ate here when I didn't know any better. I…
I have a lot of free time on my hands these days…
This is where I escape work for an hour every…
Not including Asian bakeries which I've created a…
I spent much time wandering this area in search of…
