Essence Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in Phoenix

First, let me start off by saying that I really wanted to like this place. I and some friends went there mid morning on March 2nd, 2014. We have a lot of trendy restaurants in the area, and this is a great new addition. Having said that, I wouldn't choose to return for the following reasons:

The place was really quite dirty with numerous uncleared tables. I had to wait for someone to clear and wash a table before I sat down. The cashier was unfamiliar with the menu. I asked twice if they served sugar-free flavors for coffee, was told both times they did; and then, I was served a coffee with sugar-based flavoring. The latte I ordered was undrinkably sweet. Not only was the flavoring sugar-based, but it was so incredibly sweet you couldn't taste the coffee. It was like drinking syrup from a bottle. Truly terrible. They did remake the drink when I asked, but of course that's when I found out they had no sugar-free flavors. Orders placed at the same time delivered at different times. It was approximately 30 minutes between the first order delivery and the final one. Incomplete order. A sausage ordered and paid for separately was not included in the order (we didn't ask for this to be corrected mainly because it took so long for the order to be delivered to begin with). Terrible wait times and service, although the young lady cleaning tables and helping us with issues was pleasant when we engaged her. Price / Value for Food / Service is way too high. You definitely don't get your money's worth here by any measure. For the price of food/service, I'd expect decent utensils--we were provided plastic. Wasteful, and low class considering what it costs to eat there. They didn't have enough coffee cups. They ran out of coffee cups and it's a coffee shop / cafe. Stunning. The product was delivered to the table cold. The overly sweetened coffee was cold as well.

I think I'll stick to Over Easy--it's just...

First time guest. They misplaced our order; unknown to us. 40 minutes into our visit I asked when our food would be served; they were dismissive and stated they were busy and it should be out soon. At this time other diners who arrived after us had been served their meals and I informed them of this. When I reapproached to ask how much longer 10 minutes later, they realized that our order was not prepared and they didn't know where it was. They had to retake the order. I should mention that diners are required to prepay for their meals.

The tables were not cleared timely after diners departed. This left multiple diners waiting to be seated and made the small diner look disheveled and unclean.

The first table we sat at was a safety hazard. The tabletop was unstable and unfit for use. This table was so unstable that there is no way that wait staff or others could not have known. This was not like unbalanced pedestals one has experienced from time to time; it was the mounting of the tabletop itself.

We alerted the staff about the table and cleared a dirty table so we could sit elsewhere. Shortly thereafter one of the wait staff attempted to sit a blind diner at that same table. I reminded them the table was unstable and it would be unsafe to sit the blind diner there or anyone else.

Once we were served about an hour after placing our order, we were informed that they were out of several items we ordered. Our order was standard, with no custom requests. The meals were not visually appealing and the sliced tomatoes looked gritty and unfit to serve or eat.

If it was an option to leave a zero rating, I would have since it is most fitting for the experience. The tab was over $60 and the overall experience was not enjoyable.

We are intentional to choose a new restaurant each time we go out for breakfast on Sundays so we can support our community restaurants and experience something new. This...

Since Essence Bakery opened their Arcadia location in 2013 (shortly after we moved into the neighborhood), we've always had wonderful experiences - customer service is friendly and the food is fantastic. During this time of uncertainty (COVID-19 pandemic), it is so important to support our local small businesses to ensure their longevity. We've visited Essence twice in the past week. This past weekend, we picked up an almond croissant (my go-to and always amazing), pistachio croissant (also very good), blood orange ricotta brioche (delightful), and a walnut streusel cake (Mmm...). In addition to these pastries, we purchased what we primarily came for, which was one of the weekend specials - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. A-maz-ing! The pastry was flaky and buttery, and the fruit filling was tart but sweet. If you've had anything with rhubarb before, this is the way to do it! I took a photo, but it doesn't do it justice, so I won't share. And it was the perfect size for two. Then today, in addition to a couple of Macarons (best in town!), we had the lunch special - Turkey Burger with Roasted Poblanos, Jalapenos, and Oaxaca Cheese on an Onion Roll. This was the BEST turkey burger we've ever had - possibly the best burger PERIOD! The turkey was cooked to perfection, the Oaxaca was creamy, the roll tender, and just the right amount of heat from the chilis. It's too bad these items aren't on the everyday menu, but then they wouldn't be so special (or in season in the case of the pie). I would also like to add that when I picked up our lunch order today, the Owner, Eugenia, thanked me from the kitchen. Very considerate. Some people complain the prices are on the high side, but when you realize how much of it is sourced from local farmers, and you understand the time and effort it takes to create these delicacies, it's well worth it! Needless to say, we highly recommend...