Rustic Bakery — Restaurant in Novato

Rustic Bakery, PLEASE answer your phone. Calling them with no answer has been a problem I've experienced for years now, and I see from other reviews that I am not alone in this frustration. I am a nurse and my breaks are few and far between, so this past Friday when I found a miraculous sliver of time that I could quickly run over to grab a salad and bring it back to work, I decided to treat myself (also being aware to order directly from the restaurant these days to help them avoid a cut in their profit from DoorDash). I placed an online order and arrived at my designated pick-up time. Not only did I stand around waiting 12 extra minutes after the promised time, my order was missing the extra avocado ($2.95) and dressing ($1.50) of which I'd ordered and paid. (Word to the wise, always double check that your order is correct before leaving the bakery.) And because I was now in an anxious rush to return to work (due to the lateness of my order), I left quickly, without checking inside my bag. The ChowNow app does not have an option to dispute an order, so I called later to follow up about a refund for the missing items, no answer. And no answer the following day. And so on. A critical Yelp review is now my best option for communicating with management. I am well aware the pandemic has put a strain on the service industry, but the phone answering issue has been going on for years before COVID. Please help your time-sensitive customers out here, Rustic. I'm going to be taking a long hiatus from to go orders, it's not worth it to...

This is not a review of the Rustic Bakery at this location only; it applies to Rustic Bakery as a whole. They sell online but they don't give contact information. I would not buy their products anywhere: their allegedly organic wild mushroom and white truffle flatbread is not organic. Had I been able to email them I would have said, "Your Wild Mushroon and White Truffle flatbread contains 'white truffle oil'. According to E-How "Truffle oil is considered an inexpensive alternative to actual truffles. But truffle oil may not be what you think it is. Truffle oil is made from an olive oil base to which aromatic ingredients are added to mimic the taste of either black or white truffles. The primary ingredient is a synthetic thioether called 2,4 dithiapentane, which produces an scent and flavor similar to real truffles. Other organic aromatics are also added to give a taste closer to either black or white truffles. Real truffles are extremely expensive, so some people consider this less costly alternative a reasonable option for producing truffle-flavored dishes.". I feel their organic claim is unsupportable and a dishonest way to cut corners in order to...

I’m a regular At the Marin Country Mart location as it’s near my office. I’ll occasionally stop by the Novato location but am constantly disappointed. Usually, it’s the service that’s a turn off. Today I picked up three breakfast Panini‘s For my family. No customization, just as it comes. I eat these very regularly From the Marin country Mart location. What I got from the Novato Café is something I would expect from a Dunkin’ Donuts. Dry bread, dry egg, sparse ham, and they forgot the cheese. Normally, the eggs are fluffy and more abundant, and the ham is thin cut, and warmly placed in the sandwich. Not today, the exact opposite. Overall, disappointing. This location does run out of items, especially pastries fairly quickly on the weekends. I don’t judge them for that because they’re a bakery and it’s first come first serve. But this breakfast sandwich order was so disappointing. I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I used to appreciate that little Novato got a great café like rustic bakery. And I root for successful companies like rustic bakery being originally from Marin. I wish they would actually deliver a product that was worthy of me...