Forest & Flour — Restaurant in Fremont

I love this place. I read all the reviews on GMaps before my first visit and honestly, I was a little apprehensive - was it going to be one of those over-hyped, overpriced, health-focused bakeries? I’ve since been back three times and I sincerely hope they succeed because their baked goods are delicious, their drinks are wonderfully made, and their staff is a delight.

The gluten-free baguette had a thicker crust than a normal baguette, but it was so tasty and the flavor was so deep. My thought at the time was that it’s because of the quality of the flour and the choice of flours as well. We tore into it and couldn’t wait to get home to toast it and add some Miyoko’s oat milk butter, but I think that would make it extra delicious.

Other things we’ve tried: Monkey party: If you have the perception that gluten-free baked goods are dry and tasteless, I urge you to try this from Forest & Flour. I was shocked by how good this was. You’ll want to lick your fingers afterward! It’s a true monkey bread, and it seems to have a bit of a nice mochi-like chew (maybe tapioca or rice flour is used?). Muffin: I forget the flavor we had sadly (I think it was seasonal?), but I do remember how moist it was! It was perfect to have with our mocha Mocha: We haven’t seen it on the menu recently, but my gosh, the chocolate they use is so good!!! If you see this on the menu, please get it. We asked for it last time without realizing it wasn’t on the changing menu, but they happily made a special cacao-based sparkling drink for us instead. I actually don’t know fully what was in it, but it was so unusual and refreshing I’d happily order it again. Matcha latte: Great quality matcha, and I appreciate how the staff asks if you want maple syrup as a sweetener.

I saw someone posted before about small portion sizes, and I really can’t agree with that. Everything I’ve tried so far has been appropriately portioned and satisfying. Things are notably priced on the higher end, but I think you also have to factor in the cost of their higher-quality ingredients and small batch production. You get what you pay for!

Finally, the service. Yes, they add on an extra small fee for their employees, but I respect their initiative for using that money to provide their staff with benefits and PTO - livable lives as everyone should have access to, no matter what industry they are in and especially here in the Bay Area.

Get a sampler of baked goods, a nice drink, and sit outside in the shade for a...

WOW are the prices high for what you get! I know they source locally and have read their site about costs, values, etc, which I appreciate, however the bottom line is 3 of the 4 items I purchased were really not good - I'd be willing to pay this much only for yummy food. I ordered the French toast to eat at the restaurant, which I found to be really dry and lacking flavor unless dipped in the syrup they provided. The orange spread was okay, but was mostly made of rind and not well paired with the bread. I did really like the matcha latte!

I purchased a baguette and monkey cinnamon muffin to go and was really disappointed with both. The muffin had good flavor, but was again very dry and dense, and even after putting it in the microwave briefly it didn't soften up the same day I purchased it. The baguette was the worst of everything I purchased - the crust was so incredibly tough and thick that I couldn't cut through it or take a bite. Since I paid so much for it I also put it in the microwave for a bit to try and soften it enough to cut. It was still very hard, but I was able to cut pieces of it using a lot of force and a large bread knife. The inside was again very dense and not at all similar to "real bread" or other gluten free baguettes I've had which have aimed to be light and airy. It felt bad to throw away given the cost, and my family got through it one piece each over several different dinners - none of which were good.

I hate to write a negative review as GF eateries are few and far between in the Bay Area, but I was truly so disappointed in the food...

I had high expectations of this place but what a joke it was. First off the people working are pretentious and also don’t even know their own menu. They looked at me weird because I wanted a latte. So I had to explain what I wanted and finally the girl said we don’t have an espresso machine. We are going to get one but don’t have one now. 🙄 so I was polite and said what else would you recommend then because when I come to a coffee shop I expect they have an espresso machine. Anyway I ordered some Mocha ice coffee thing, it was pretty awful. I saw they had a gf lavender lemon something, so I ordered that thinking. At least I’ll have a nice pastry. As I’m waiting for my order,( I’m taking it with me) the girl Comes up with my box of my pastry and says we don’t usually do this to go because it taste better warm.. I told her I’ll eat it quickly. She also said I added some apricot jam for you. I thanked her and told her noone told me that I couldn’t take it to go when I ordered it. Anyway I got in my car and opens it and it was more of a bread not a pastry and it was really really gross. Tasted kind of like an over cooked sourdough with sage. Yuck. Sage is really strong and it has no business being in sometime that’s suppose to be lavender and lemon. I’ve had things with lavender and I’ve liked them but this was just bad.I would not recommend this place. The few things I wanted to try they were out of by the way…. Another miss in...