Pushkin's Bakery — Restaurant in Sacramento

Being completely gluten-free, I appreciate Pushkin’s bakery so much. Places like this are a lifeline for me when I normally can’t eat anything from a regular bakery and rarely enjoy desserts or donuts etc. because everything contains wheat flour. That said, I do a lot of gluten-free baking at home, and it is quite frustrating for the fact that gluten-free flour doesn’t have any elasticity and it is thicker and harder to work with, and often doesn’t cook fully through the middle unless you use shallower pans and bake it longer at a lower temperature. It tends to be gluey and wet on the inside with most things like muffins etc. Unless you learn to work with it and bake it longer at lower temperatures in a shallower pan. Then, it works pretty well, all things considered. I have made muffins and cakes that have faked out anyone, it can be done, and Pushkin‘s often has the right consistency in their muffins. That said, their bread rolls that they sell are typically too wet on the inside and should be a little bit dryer, and I went there this morning and tried their banana bread mini loaf, which frankly tasted like spice cake. I had no idea where the banana flavor was but it wasn’t there. My husband tried it and said it tasted like spice cake. Banana loaf should not taste like spice cake. It should taste like banana. That was disappointing . I also hadn’t left a review about a cake I purchased there a couple years ago, but it was inedible and we actually had to throw it away. It was a chocolate birthday cake that we had special ordered and the frosting tasted like beach sand and the cake was so dry and flavorless that you could barely swallow it. I have been to some gluten-free bakeries that have been so spot on that I was in heaven. One in San Diego in particular. I have also been to others that have really fallen short because of the texture issues working with gluten-free flour. If you’re going to open a gluten-free bakery, you need to test and try your recipes over and over again for quality control. I feel like Sacramento should have a top of the line bakery that is dedicated to gluten-free patrons that always gets a five...

At Pushkin's Bakery, you will find the greatest and healthiest treats; but even better, you will find the sweetest and most caring people in the business world. On the eve of this (2014) Thanksgiving, I stopped by in rush on my long daily out of town commute. It was about 30 minutes after the store had closed. The wonderful staff briefly stopped their final wrap up tasks, watched me staring at their shelves through the windows, and briefly talked among themselves. They certainly read my desolation on the face; I was thinking about how my dear son, who is on gluten and dairy free diet for health reasons, would have to miss out the best part of the Thanksgiving tradition-The yummy pumpkin Pie he has come to expect. The lovely J. walked to the door, slightly opened it to confirm that the store had closed 30 minutes ago, but she still asked me about what I was coming for. I barely articulated what it was, out of emotional disbelief re: the kindness of this beautiful young lady. She then swung back inside and in no time she walked back toward the door, cracked it open and handed me the pie I wanted. I insisted to pay, but she refused simply pointed to the nicely hand-painted inscription on the box, "Happy Thanksgiving," with the most heart warming smile I have ever seen. I should mention that this was only the second time I went to that store, since I have known it as of the prior Thanksgiving - to say that I wasn't even a familiar face to these People. It is definitely gone be one of my best attractions around, no matter how long I have to drive. Thank you so much Pushkin's Bakery for making my Thanksgiving memorable. You are a blessing to...

As someone with multiple food allergies, finding a gluten-free and dairy-free bakery is always a big deal. I’ve been a huge fan of this bakery’s cinnamon coffee cakes sold at Nugget, so I was genuinely excited to finally visit the bakery itself.

From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with such warmth. Sebastian and another gentleman behind the counter were incredibly sweet, helpful, and welcoming. Even the other customers were kind..one of them even helped guide me as it was my first visit. The customer service was truly exceptional and made the whole experience feel special.

I ended up choosing the “No-Name” donut or pastry, which was described as tasting like the inside of a cinnamon roll..something I was really looking forward to. Sadly, this review is about the food itself, and I hate to say I was ended up disappointed.

When I got home and tried it, it was cold, the texture was off, and the flavor was strange..nothing like the warm, gooey cinnamon experience I had imagined. Not only did I not enjoy the taste, but I actually started to feel nauseous after eating it. I couldn’t even finish the first one and ended up not touching the second.

As someone who can’t often indulge in baked goods due to allergies, this was especially disheartening. I so badly wanted to love it. That said, I truly appreciated the kindness and care from the staff, thank you for making that aspect wonderful!

Hopefully if I come back, some other pastries...