St Gabriel Bakery — Restaurant in Jacksonville

WARNING, LONG BUT WORTH IT! Finally got to try out this amazing bakery and fruit juice bar/sandwich spot called Saint Gabriel Bakery and O....M....G!!!!!! We tried it out on Friday and came right back for lunch on Saturday because it's just that good! The minute I walked in, I thought I was in heaven. It definitely smells like what I imagine heaven might smell like. It's also decorated so adorably. You are instantly greeted with such warm smiles and know right away how happy they are to have you there. They have these cute little baskets and tongs so you can move around and start choosing your items while they give you a guided tour of everything they have fresh that day. And good luck not loading up that basket, because you will, waistline be damned because sometimes it's just worth it. 😂 We bought a LOT of goodies to take home and I was absolutely floored that it all totaled UNDER $15! So not kidding! The next day we came back for some juice and sandwiches. The hubby got the avocado toast and a got the buratta caprese. They were both under $10 each, so big we could only eat half and took the rest for wonderful leftovers, and were absolutely fantastic! So fresh, so much flavor, truly amazing! The fresh fruit smoothie was a mix of everything on their menu and it was delicious too! Not too sweet, just perfect! They have a cute counter you can sit at looking out the front windows and a table outside. Of course, we grabbed a basket and bought even more goodies because the selections were different the next day. I've already picked out my birthday cake, even though it's still 2 months away. 😉🤣😂 They also let us know they make larger versions of all the small ones in their case on request. As a matter of fact, they said with 24 hours notice, they can reserve anything for you on request. They are a lively little spot and sell down their inventory quite fast. As amazing as the food is (today is day 3 of my bread binge, so I'll be working while tethered to my treadmill all week long) the service is truly the star in this place. It's simply remarkable. You actual leave feeling appreciated, valued, and just happy you supported this small business. It's located on Saint Augustine Road near the Lakewood Publix, right across from the new Pickle Factory that just opened Saturday. It's actually in the very spot a lovely lady named Sissy used to own a shop called "Things Very Special" for over 30 years that was my all time favorite card shop, IYKYK. I miss it SO much, but love that this little spot must have some kind of magic in it, like this precious bakery found the perfect place. Go, immediately! You'll thank me! And thank you everyone who posted about it to make me want to go. It's just exceptionally wonderful! Menu pic at the end, it's written on their wall daily. Now...

Owner didn’t seem to be too interested in local business. We reserved a loaf in person because he said to and we came pick it up. He didn’t even look at us and said to take them off the shelf. We were literally on line to be helped and he ignored us. He did help all the other people around us and let them cut us in line. He Introduced them to each other about how they were both all the way from st Augustine. It was hilarious. We literally came in person to reserve the loaf yesterday and came to pick up today. We weren’t super fond of the stuff we bought yesterday but we came back to support local business and to keep good our reservation. He seems interested in racially appropriate st Augustine patrons so good luck. We won’t be coming back here. The whole place has terrible ventilation and filled with smoke. Their cookies are dry. Pastries are glorified frozen pastry dough with fruit baked in. Everything has Nutella on it. We’re going to go to community loaves. We threw out your loaf. I hope you get all the loaf orders from the rich people in st Augustine. Why did you give us orientation of your bakery if you didn’t want us to be your clients? I hope your business flourishes. Disappointed...

Amazing! I had seen this place hyped on various Facebook posts for months. I was finally in the area and let me tell you: it lives up to everything I’ve seen AND THEN some.

It’s such a cute layout with an amazing variety.

I was immediately greeted by Donny. He explained every offering they had. He also made sure to tell me that a batch of Gouda bread was due out of the oven shortly.

Obviously, I waited for that. He and the other gentleman carefully packed my items - making sure my savory breads were separate from my sweet choices. They gave tips for reheating the garlic bread and got me napkins (clearly I’d be eating the hot Gouda bread in the car).

I haven’t even had a chance to try everything I bought yet. BUT - this place already earns all 5 stars. I’ll be honest, the Gouda bread was excellent for the first few bites. BUT THEN I HIT THE MELTED GOUDA CENTER?!?!

This place is appropriately named for an archangel because I legitimately thanked God for such a fantastic find.

And that’s not sarcasm, good food is a mixture of art, love, and science. It transcends geography, languages, and time. My trip here today made my day brighter.

I will...