State Flour Bakery — Restaurant in Tampa

First off, let me start by saying that this is a small business. Don’t let the size of their business fool you though, this place is ABSOLUTELY amazing!!!

Quality: exceptional quality of all their products. We tried their croissants, blondie, and jalapeño cheddar bread and everything was delicious! All freshly baked and ready to be eaten! When we went, they had about 4 or 5 different types of crossiants and a few other products. Seriously anything you pick will be good, so don’t worry there! Also important to note is that everything they make is with a sourdough starter, which adds a great flavor.

Price: Prices are a little bit on the high side, BUT you have to remember this is a small business. Their products are not industrialized but all made by hand using a sourdough starter. If this was easy to make, using low-quality materials, then you’d get cheaper prices for worse quality products. You get what you pay for!

Location: Depending where you’re coming from, they are quite close to MacDill AFB in South Tampa, next to Guthrie’s (side note - they are nothing special). Easy to get to though right on Dale Mabry!

Cleanliness: Very small place with extremely limited seating. I’d suggest getting your baked goods to go. Though their business is very clean!

Friendliness: I’ve met the owners and they’re so so nice and friendly. Not only do they make great high quality products but they’re super friendly and humble as well.

Note: Whatever they make for the day is what they have. They’ve been blowing up lately, if you arrive later in the day don’t expect them to have all their products available. If they fully sell out early, they also close early!!!! I’d recommend getting there earlier in the morning to have a full selection available to choose from.

I truly wish these guys the best of luck and look forward to them expanding their business. Also, the owner is a fully trained and experienced pastry chef, if there’s something you’re looking for that they don’t offer, I’d suggest talking to him and see if he’s willing/able to make it. Right now they’re not doing a ton of special order/catering (as far as I know) but don’t let this stop you...

I'm very late to the game on this one. It's a sourdough bakery that I've been wanting to try for a very long time. It never appeared to be open the last few times I drove by it. Make sure you check the hours of operation on their website before making that special trip.

With all of that said... Everything I tried was absolutely delicious! You would think that sourdough would be heavy in a croissant recipe. Not these croissants. They are light considering the size and amount of filling that's inside of them. I split all 4 of these croissants with my husband in a 2 day period. I bought 4 different flavors: Guava, Pistachio, Butterscotch Crème Brûlée, and Almond. All were very good, but my absolute favorite was the almond one that was filled with a delicious frangipane mixture. I could really taste the butter in each bite.

I'm also in love with the Olive Roasted Garlic loaf. We're still sharing that one. It's even better toasted with an olive oil drizzle. I thought about getting the Cheddar Jalapeño, but I'll save that for next time.

Everything is baked fresh daily. They sell more than just croissants & bread. There were scones, muffins, Kouign-Amann, cookies, and even a savory BEC danish. So many different flavors that it's so difficult to choose just one. I'm definitely going to try the Cuban croissant next time. Oh, and go early in the morning (or order ahead) if you're looking for something specific. They sell out regularly.

It looks like I'll be adding a stop at State Flour to my list when running errands near the base. That list...

Update Jan 2025: Bought two egg croissants fresh out of the oven early this morning. So good!!

Update Nov 2024: For Thanksgiving I purchased rolls, plus s’mores croissants and kougin-amann. The unique variety and quality of these items exceeded anywhere else I have purchased bread and desert items like this in the Tampa metro area, with the exception of Sweet Caroline’s in Palm Harbor, which is also excellent. Day before Thanksgiving pick up was friendly and well organized.

Update Oct 2024: The egg and bacon croissant was still good, but it only gets into one of the best things I ever ate territory when it is hot out of the oven. I plan to get there earlier and wait out getting a freshly baked one next time.

The bacon egg croissant thing they make on the weekends is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Jammy egg yolk, just enough chili crisp but not too much. Plus that fantastic croissant dough. Apple croissant on the weekend is also good. Excellent croissant, but at $6 I will only buy if I can eat it right away fresh. Cookies are good. I did not care for the blueberry muffin - heavy tasting and could not taste the blueberries - it was almost savory, could use a tad more sugar - such as on the top. What I like most about this place is the service/staff-owner. This is such a unique place and they are really...