Bear Buns Bakery — Restaurant in San Diego

I've found out about Bear Buns Bakery just from driving by one day so I checked them out. I first went mid afternoon and they were closed. Found out they are only open mornings and close early afternoon. So I came back before noon this time. I ordered a "Bella" Breakfast Sandwich, minus the bacon, and a blueberry muffin. To drink, I often order organic fruit smoothies and juices so I ordered the "Berry" Smoothie. I ordered to dine-in and they gave me my muffin in a bag. I had to ask for a plate. You have to help yourself with their plastic dinnerware and napkins, so I did. Since every table inside was dirty, I also had to ask for a rag to clean the table, but after a couple minutes, they brought my "Bella" to me on a plate and also saw the dirty table and cleaned it after going back to get the rag. The sandwich was just OK. I'm guessing the bread wasn't today's freshness. The muffin was very good which I enjoyed the most, but expect it's loaded with additional sugar. I was TOTALLY 100% disappointed in the smoothie. This place offers vegan-friendly food so I expected healthy food as well, but if you want "Healthy", I don't recommend Bear Buns Bakery. I know they don't advertise healthy and it's a bakery, but I didn't expect the smoothie to be "a fake" in my opinion. After drinking it, I suspected it wasn't natural so I went to the counter and asked for the ingredients. It's not really a smoothie but a refrigerated packaged "puree" mix with the ingredients starting with, Water, Sugar, mixed berries and "other" ingredients. They just blend the sugar loaded water and berry puree mix with ice and call it a smoothie. I was extremely disappointed after learning that. Shows me that I really need to be more aware and ask more questions when I order prepared foods, including my drinks.

I walked away from there feeling "YUK" from drinking that so-called smoothie.

Will I ever go back there? Maybe only for the muffin or a coffee, if I don't mind the sugar load, which I...

The pastries are good. The sandwiches are OK. I think the breakfast sandwiches are a bit overpriced, but I wouldn't mind if the people who serve were correctly trained. Here are two necessary trainign points that I spotted:

The staff should know about the products that are being oferred. If the store sold a product before, and stopped selling it for any reason, the staff should know about it. When the customer asks a question like "Where is this product, that I have bought here before" the answer should be informative (e.g. "We don't carry it any more", "We ran out", "It will be here later") The answer I received to all my questions was "That's all we have" It didn't matter what question I made, the answer was "That's all we have" "Where are the lime cookies?" "That's all we have" , "What is your special coffee today?" "That's all we have" "What time do you close today?" "That's all we have"

The staff is entitled to speak any language they want among themselves, but it is unnacceptable that one member of the staff points at a client, says something in a foreign language and starts giggling; and that on top of that, the other member of the staff addresses the customer and says "sorry about that" making it evident that they were making fun about the customer. In any busness, but especially in a bakery, it is important not to make fun of people appearances or any other circumstances. I felt so ashamed, I will probably never go back, despite the deliciousness...

Known for their fresh sticky buns (they have take and bake, if you want to save for later) this awesome little neighborhood coffee shop also makes excellent pastries and standout sandwhiches. It also has quality coffee and tea of course.

There are a handful of tables inside and then 5 tables outside. in comparison to other coffee shops it's more pickup and go then sit around, but you can definitely sit and study or hangout if you choose. Also, outside seating is dog friendly a they have water bowls and a spout for furry friends. Service was beyond excellent and its also very clean. Pricing was excellent. 3 sandwhich, a muffin, a sticky bun, and 4 coffees for $34! I read a couple people say it was pricey but when looking at the prices, I sort of wonder if they've actually been to a Starbucks/coffee shop (not diner)/bakery in the past couple years.

The only negative (sort of) is parking. Not much in their lot but there is plenty of street parking and you can always park in the strip mall across the street that has tons of parking.

If I wasn't on vacation and this place was near home, I'd probably be here 3-4 times a week. It's the type of spot that becomes a local legend.

Recommendations: breakfast sandwhiches, coffee cake muffin, sticky...