Mariposa Baking Company — Restaurant in Oakland

I love this bakery so much. I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease in 2005. In 15 years I have consumed more gluten free bread, pasta, and baked goods than most. When I first went gluten free we used to have to order products sight unseen and untested over the internet and it would come packed in coolers with dry ice. Haha, so much of it was nasty. Then I found Mariposa. MARIPOSA IS THE BEST GLUTEN FREE BAKERY EVER! DELICIOUS BREAD THAT ACTUALLY TASTES AND FEELS LIKE BREAD, NOT FLAVORLESS CARDBOARD!! BAKED TREATS THAT ARE TASTY AND DON'T FEEL LIKE SAND OR STYROFOAM IN YOUR MOUTH. The frosting is delicious on all the cupcakes and cakes. Cookies are crunchy and just right. I really love the molasses ginger cookies. I wish they made a peanut butter cookie but I understand accommodating peanut allergies so they are cool like that. I do wish they make a coffee cake without walnuts!!! I am ONLY allergic to Walnuts and not being able to eat their coffee cake makes me so so sad, but it looks and smells delicious. The ham and cheese pastry pockets are AMAZING!!! I LOVE THE FAUX RYE, I use it for patty melts and reubens at home. The sandwich batard is chef's kiss. The baguettes are the right combo of crunchy outside and soft inside, my family likes to slice them up, lightly toast them and eat them with melted raclette cheese on Xmas. We have used Mariposa bread to make stuffing at Thanksgiving and Turkey sandwiches. My wife and I even had a Mariposa cake at our wedding!! They even have some breads which don't have eggs or diary, so if you are vegan or allergic to those you can still eat them!! They used to make rosemary pull apart dinner rolls which were fragrant and so good with butter. They still make dinner rolls, just not rosemary, and they are just as tasty with soup or as a side with butter. Also, the focaccia is to die for. If they have it, get it and eat it slightly warmed up with GOOD OLIVE OIL. Just trust me and eat their baked goods you...

As far as gluten-free /dairy-free allergen conscious go, Mariposa Baking Company hits the nail on the head. We were only looking based on a friend's allergy/intolerances, so what we tried was a little limited by those restrictions. We also were not worried about cross contamination on the level that a celiac might. Bear in mind that all of the packaged bakery items that we purchased specifically noted allergens and warned that the bakery also creates products with dairy, eggs, nuts, and soy. My friend did not get sick after eating at Mariposa baking company and we all enjoyed the baked goods, so that's a major win.

I would most recommend the cinnamon roll for those looking for a gluten-free option. The Viennese tea cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan so they make a great allergen conscious gift. However, I would not recommend that you eat them without a hot beverage. The almond flour can make it a little gritty, but as long as you're having a warm drink with it that texture improves a lot.

We did not try any of their artisanal lattes/ beverages, but they looked lovely and had a wide variety of flavors and options. The bear claw was also a standout amongst the gluten-free...

We totally love this place! My kids can't eat wheat, so sometimes we make a special trip 2 Mariposa 4 goodies. They make their own bread and everything, of course, but the prices are a bit on the high end for some items so we get most of our everyday stuff at Trader Joe's. But for Sweet Treats, Donuts, bear claw or chocolate croissants this is the only spot and they do it well. My only complaint, which was why I dropped one star, is that they use sprinkles with chemical dyes. I have asked employees if these are organic or natural sprinkles and they have said they are not. And they do put them and their sprinkle cupcakes and on top of their donuts. They use all quality ingredients, and there are all natural sprinkles available that would not raise costs much. And when you're paying $5 for a single donut or a cupcake, if using natural sprinkles raises their costs of the cupcake by 7 cents, it really seems like a reasonable expectation. It would really help customers like my kids who have bad reactions to the chemical dyes. If they used naturally colored sprinkles instead, this would be a...