Syndicate Coffee + Bakery + Kitchen — Restaurant in Sierra Madre

I enjoy the coffee offerings. It's the main reason I visit. They're creative with the flavors and non-dairy recipes. The food is generally "too much" for me-- too sweet, too salty, too dry ... They also have a fly problem and an open baked goods display, so you do the math.

It drives me crazy that they constantly forget my girlfriend's bagel. She buys one almost every time we go together, which is a good 3-4 times a week. But they still manage to forget her bagel in the oven and one of us has to go up to the counter to ask for it after waiting 15-20 min. They recently got a new toaster, so on top of forgetting the bagel, they are now burning it.

The baristas are typically a little weird and cold. Outside of one really sweet employee, it took the rest of them a long time to even smile at me, despite being a regular for months. The owner is a really sweet, enthusiastic man but the vibe of the shop is really not it for me.

I hate Saturday mornings. The shop is small enough as it is and there isn't a whole lot of seating inside or out. But Saturdays are even worse. For instance, last Saturday they had three retailer/vendors and a duo singing live music set up inside the store. So zero seating inside and almost nothing outside. If you're going to do that, at least put more of the furniture outside. We almost left without ordering until I managed to get a table last minute.

This past Sunday was the worst. I was there with my husband and 6-year old, along with my girlfriend, her 11-year old and her 2-year old. The ages are important. The music was blasting in the store, which was a little unusual. They don't normally have it on that loudly.

We were there for a while and even said to each other, "Wow, it's really noisy in here. The music is super loud today." At one point, my husband took the kids outside because they were getting bored just sitting at the table and I was concerned the little ones would start running up and down the small, empty space in the middle of the store again.

When my girlfriend and I were getting ready to leave, an employee came up to us, "Kera, we had some customers complain that your kids were too loud. Yeah, I'm really sorry. I know that sounds kind of echos in this place but yeah ... Sorry."

We were so offended. The kids absolutely were not "too loud." The 11-year old barely said a word because she was too busy eating her burned bagel. The little ones are 6 and 2. They're louder than adults in general but they weren't loud. On top of that, how could anyone hear them above the music blasting through the speakers from the top of the store? The fact that an employee felt it was a good idea to tell me this made us feel like our children were not welcome there, that children are only allowed if they are seen and not heard.

When I informed my husband (who paid $8.00 for his cup of Jason Lee, by the way), he was so pissed. He and I only go there on the weekends for our weekly "morning dates." He said as much as he liked their coffee, he didn't like the people or the shop and that he never wanted to return, "You can come on the weekdays if you want to but don't ever bring me back here again." Between going with him on the weekend and my girlfriend on the weekdays, I am there almost six days a week.

So now I'm on the hunt for a new coffee shop. My girlfriend felt slighted over the comment about the kids, so she prefers us to go somewhere else too since there's nothing she can do about not bringing her 2-year old. Besides, why would we want to continue patronizing a business that doesn't make us feel like children can exist in their...

Dear ownership:

I try to support local business whenever possible. I bought a cappuccino & tipped. I asked to use restroom to wash my hands etc I was told NO. Their solution? “You can go to Starbucks”. If you don’t want chain brands to take over, please allow paying customers basic things like the ability to wash your hands etc before dining. I was treated better across the street at Starbucks.

Normally, I am in suit and tie, however I’m just getting back from a road trip and looked pretty grubby this morning. Perhaps they thought I was not fit to be treated like a human being or perhaps they are too lazy to maintain their restrooms. Either way, it left me in an awkward position, having to go to your competitor to clean up so I could enjoy your coffee. Thankfully, the staff at Starbucks were understanding and let me use their bathroom without having to purchase another coffee.

Just another reason we are tired of tip culture here in America. There is no value that justifies a tip- not even a thank you. Just another wasted dollar.

I’m not writing to complain- more like begging local businesses to understand we need to provide exceptional value if we are to survive against...

Great little bakery in Sierra Madre with amazing tasting coffee and baked goods. I visited on a Saturday morning around 10:30 and it was already packed. From what I gather, the bakery is still in it's soft opening phase so the menu options are limited.

When you first enter, you'll notice the bakery is brightly lit by all the windows facing the street. All of that natural light illuminates the interior, which is painted yellow. The bar is also busy with baristas and bakers making everything for customers to enjoy.

I tried their latte with oat milk that's sweetened by their house made honey syrup. It was delicious to say the least and the latte art was beautifully executed. I also had their chocolate brownie that looked amazing but my taste buds thought it was too sweet for my taste; not necessarily applicable for everyone.

I'd definitely come back and do work here once they get more tables because they only have one at the moment. I also hope they have WiFi...