Cake Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Grass Valley

WOW!!! It's a LEGIT, PROPER San Francisco/Austrian-style cafe right in the heart of the Gold Country in Grass Valley.

My wife, dog, and I went there today for a Sunday lunch and it was an absolute delight!!!

This isn't just a coffee house – it's a perfect café with an incredible lunch menu, where every element creates a sublime atmosphere that blends welcoming culture with good energy, making it ideal for nurturing human connections. Yeah, my wife and I loved it so much!

When you walk up, you see this beautiful, classic old building that must have some real history behind it. It's super charming and inviting on the exterior. Then we noticed the outside seating which is perfect for bringing our dog, Abby. As a true family member, she loves to be with us and create new memories, so this cafe is perfect for our family. It's January, and a chill is in the air. But we noticed the restaurant had provided blankets on the chairs for our laps. I remember I saw that touch in Germany too. It's classy and welcoming for sure.

Then, when you walk inside, it's an instant feeling of good energy with loads and loads of absolutely perfect visuals due to the thoughtfully designed decor. You gotta see the photos here. It just feels like a place that welcomes you to the point where you want to hang out for a long time and share lovely conversations with the ones you hold dear.

See here's the thing, I would have been satisfied with the exterior and aesthetic of the interior, even if the coffee was subpar. But as a coffee connoisseur, I was over the moon to order a coffee that tasted amazing.

We ordered the potato leek soup and the spinach focaccia sandwich. And trust me for real, that sandwich was off the hook! It was so soft and fresh. And the soup was like eating a bowl of magic. Yeah, I hear ya, thinking I'm full of hyperbole. But listen, when a place is this good and makes me this happy, it's hard to hold back my real enthusiasm. And if you think I may be a plant, you can check my other reviews and see that I have a solid history of reviewing lots of establishments.

Now, let's get to the baked goods. Ain't got no store-bought or tired, boring items here. It's all super fresh and appealing. The baguette tasted like a true French baguette. Et croyez-moi, je m'y connais en vraies baguettes car j'en ai goûté en France.

And finally, as if this all wasn't enough, they top it off with a super engaged, friendly, and competent staff. They are literally proactive. For example, one of the staff approached our table outside and offered my dog a bowl of water. That's proactive.

So to recap:

Exterior Appearance = A+ Interior Decor = A+ Baked Goods = A+ Meal = A+ Staff = A+ Location = A+

Please visit CAKE and show them all the love that they are...

A Love Letter to Culinary Artistry 🌟 Cake Bakery & Cafe 😋 Having wandered through the charming patisseries of France and Belgium and other Europe cities and towns, I thought I knew exceptional baking. But a few years ago, when my gluten-free journey began, I discovered something truly extraordinary in Grass Valley—something that surpasses even San Francisco’s renowned Best rated gluten-free bakery Mariposa. Cake Bakery in Grass Valley isn’t just a bakery—it’s where culinary dreams come to life. ✨ My brother, a fellow foodie with decades of refined taste, shares my amazement every time we step through their doors. When he visits, watching my daughters’ eyes light up as they choose from the stunning display cases has become one of our most treasured traditions. Each creation that graces our table tells a story of passion and precision. The textures are nothing short of phenomenal—delicate, rich, perfectly balanced. Whether you need gluten-free options or simply want incredible far beyond regular baked goods, you can literally feel the love created into every single dessert. ❤️ These aren’t just bakers; they’re true culinary artists whose dedication to their craft amazes me time and again. The beauty of their work rivals any Parisian patisserie, and their gluten-free options are absolutely exceptional alongside their traditional offerings. Cake Bakery, you’ve transformed what could have been a dietary limitation into a journey of pure culinary joy. Thank you for creating magic, one perfect dessert at a time. 😋 Some places serve food. Others serve art. The truly special ones serve both with a generous helping of heart. #CakeBakery #GlutenFree #GrassValley...

Person who helped me was super pretentious and rude. Scoffed their way through helping me, seemingly annoyed at my lack of knowledge of French patisserie. I couldn’t read the writing on the glass case for some things and had to ask what they were. At first I didn’t even notice the dry-erase marker writing on the glass case cause it was dark writing and my eyes shot past it. I want to say that I was very kind through the entire interaction as well, not being tense or agitated at all.

They also grabbed all of my ready-to-eat food with bare hands with rings on. Anyone who has a food handlers card knows that it is against health code (due to being a huge sanitation issue that can get people sick) to handle ready-to-eat food with bare hands. Also the same reason for wearing rings while handing food. Rings spread bacteria from the bathroom!

Lots of cafes have tongs for baristas to use to grab stuff out of pastry cases, ultimately just good practice to take a sec and throw gloves on first!

It’s also rrreeeaaalllyyy expensive while being underwhelming. I’ll probably just go to Daily Donuts the next time I want to get treats for my family as the environment is much sweeter and inviting.

Honestly most other bakerys in town are a good alternative based on my experience today. I say Daily Donuts in particular because it’s owned by POC and all of their staff is incredibly friendly. I feel better supporting a marginalized group over a pretentious one.

Overall just bummed I’m out...