Standard Baking Co — Restaurant in Portland

We arrived around 45 minutes after they opened on a Friday morning and there was a line out the door, but it moved pretty quickly. I got carried away and ordered farrrrr too many items, but no regrets, they were all amazing.

First, I’d like to give kudos to the tall young man behind the register that was helping me. With a long line out the door there has to be no down time and it has got to be stressful. He was calm and deliberate and cheerful and helpful. He was awesome, actually. A place that is busy like this needs people like him to work there.

I ordered a German rye bread, a baguette and seeded fougasse. I haven’t broken into the rye yet, but the baguette was great and the fougasse was surprisingly good. Lots of poppy seeds, sesame seeds and pieces of salt. Great texture.

For pastries I got a cardamom bun (they didn’t skimp on the cardamom, so if you only slightly like cardamom this isn’t for you), a morning bun with nuts (which is really more of a sticky bun bc there was no orange, no raisins), a plain croissant (beautifully laminated), an almond croissant (the best I’ve ever had), the prosciutto and asiago croissant, the cork (moist chocolate cake soaked in a coffee liqueur with cacao nibs and dusted with cocoa powder), and a financier (tastes like the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve never even had).

I also appreciated the coffee. They only have drip in carafes (likely because if they offered espresso drinks the line would be wayyyyy too slow moving and inefficient), and I wasn’t sure about it, but got the coffee, anyway, and am glad I did. I got the SBC dark roast and it was flavorful and brewed strong enough to be enjoyable.

The bakers are so talented, and everything they offer is a piece of art, not just visually, but in the flavor and texture, as well. I wish every city could have a...

Meh. Overrated mediocre tourist trap idea of a bakery. Very inconsistent unfortunately. This is from someone who knows high-end pastries and baked goods well. First off let’s start with the ‘croissants’. I understand the American twist on French pastries which to over bake everything. The idea is that extra caramelization equals flavor which is debatable. Fine line between a pleasant or a burnt flavor. Their ‘croissants’ are unfortunately always completely over-baked and one minute from being totally burnt and inedible. French croissants are supposed to be flaky, buttery and make a ‘mess’ which is a hallmark of an authentic croissant. In this case their dry as a bone prosciutto and Asiago version completely disintegrated into bits of burnt dust and the prosciutto was like beef jerky and the cheese was nowhere to be found. SMH. NOT supposed to be like that anywhere. Their financier yet again a complete disaster. The shape is unique but a financier is a lighter teacake and not a break your teeth crunchy cookie like I had again today. Awful! Considering the look, service and the expensive price point, please learn the correct recipes if you want to make the real thing with your own little twist. Also, calibrate your ovens and make sure your staff uses timers and follow the correct recipes. I’ve been to standard many times but it’s been progressively getting worse with no consistent ‘standard’. Clearly no one with a clue is overseeing the different areas or is taste testing their products. Sad. They should change the name to ‘hit or miss’. Go to Belleville instead where everything is 100 % every time. Consistency! Won’t be going to ‘Standard’ again. Too long a line for really no reason whatsoever and inconsistent overpriced ‘pastries’ and whoever runs is place has little knowledge of how to run a...

The Standard Baking Co is outstanding. The exterior of the building is beautiful and the energy inside was vibrant, welcoming, and delicious. Standard had on display more types of pastries, breads and other baked goods than I have ever seen at a bakery. There must have been dozens of offerings and each one looked more incredibly tasty than the one beside it. I’m not good with lots of choices, but I did finally narrow it down to a frangipane tart and a loaf of olive bread. My sister got a morning bun for her partner and a few different loaves of bread.

The frangipane tart was so good that I was glad I was sitting down when I tasted it, for I think my knees would have buckled and I would have fallen down had I been standing. The pears had a delicate, yet firm and juicy consistency; contrasted with the crisp pâte sucrée crust and the rich, nutty frangipane, it created a beautifully balanced treat (which I slowly savored, tiny bite by tiny bite, over the course of of the afternoon). The tart was first-time-in-Paris-eating-a-croissant good, which is to say better than you thought better could be.

The olive bread loaf — which I fully consumed, all by myself, over the following 24 hours — was also absolutely delicious, whether eaten plain, with olive oil, or toasted with butter and topped with a bit of flaky sea salt.

The Standard Baking Company is the standard by which other bakeries will...