Great Harvest Bread Co. Bakery and Café — Restaurant in Lawrence

I had seen Great Harvest while driving up Vermont, but being a regular at Wheatfield's (less than two blocks away), I had not bothered to stop in. My wife and I had to park across the street from Great Harvest during a recent visit to Massachusetts Street for some shopping, so we decided to go in.

As we entered, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pies consumed me as the baker and ovens are directly behind the counter and he was removing piping-hot pie from the oven. Flavors vary by season.

Unlike Wheatfield's, bread is self-service in plastic wrap on shelving next to the counter. There were samples of five different breads and a bowl full of butter next to the register and when I inquired about the offerings, the young lady sliced a piece of multigrain bread as wide and thick as the palm of my hand. The bread was moist and crunchy with chunks of wholegrain throughout, the crust being a bit too soft for my taste, but delicious nonetheless. At nearly $6 a loaf, the bread is more than I have ever paid for a loaf and $1-$2 more than their competitor down the street.

The pies were gorgeous, a plump golden brown, but at $16 a pop, a bit pricey for my taste. Their products are obviously high in quality and flavor, so the only thing limiting my rating to four stars and not five was the prices. The service was excellent, the bread delicious, the prices a bit high.

CombatCritic Gives Great Harvest Bread Company 7 Out of 10 Bombs ......

Normally I would give Great Harvest 5/5- the bread is wonderful, staff is fantastic and the atmosphere is delightfully "local." However, today I had an extremely unpleasant experience with the woman who I believe to be the new owner. I reiterate- I have never had an issue before this, with any staff member. But wow, this woman is rude.

My father and sister and I went in to pick up a couple of loaves of bread and get a few samples (how great are those samples!). We were greeted by the new owner promptly and I walked to the sample counter to inquire about what was new. She let me know what was available, and the interaction, verbatim, went:

"Ooh! I'll try the French!"

This woman stares at me like I'm a petulant child until I realize she's waiting for me to say please. At this point, I think it's a little funny. Maybe she's trying to be charismatic.

Then she does the same thing to my sister. And then my father. "I made them say it! You say it too!"

This behavior was absolutely disgraceful and I am ashamed at the disgusting power-grab this woman showed today. As a business owner, she has a responsibility to treat her customers with respect. I completely understand expecting respect from your patrons, but this was total nonsense.

I feel sorry for Nina and the rest of the crew that have to put up with this foolishness. Horrified by this woman, hope the business doesn't lose ground because of her...

Great Harvest Bread has some of the best raisin walnut bread ever! I went in there for the reason walnut bread and then noticed that they make sandwiches. I had the reuben and the soup of the day which happened to be a ham soup with bacon and green beans in it and some potatoes it was very delicious. The soup was delicious and the Reuben I must say was the best I've ever had. I'm not sure if all the flavor came from the bread or their homemade Thousand Island dressing where the meat itself or the cheese but it was spectacular. I cannot say enough about it I would highly recommend! On a side note they are not afraid to serve the food hot. Most places will not serve the food and a Fresh Off The Grill temperature that is really really warm. Well I'm going to say hot. Enough about the food the atmosphere was quaint and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Very...