Salem & Sons Bakery — Restaurant in Union City

DO NOT GO IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE RACISM! 12/3/22 around 5:45pm I brought my wife to the store. We had just recently moved in to a high rise not too far away and have been exploring bakeries in the area. For context I’m African American and my wife is a Latina woman (who speaks fluent Spanish).

There were no bags available by the pastries, so I went to the woman at the cashier to ask for one of the many sitting in front of her. She said no and pointed to the top of a shelf to put the donuts “in there”. I looked at what she expected me to put uncovered pastries in and it was grotesque looking basket, clearly uncleared and in an unacceptable condition to put food in uncovered. I was super confused.

A gentleman at the time (who said he was a regular of the store) said just grab a bag at the front. He proceeded to grab one, with no issue from the cashier. When I went to grab one, the woman behind the counter pointed at me and told me to put the bag down. The gentleman who told me it was okay started to stick up for me asking what was the issue, noting that he got a bag everytime with no issue. She then she began speaking Spanish (assuming we don’t speak Spanish) and told the gentleman that he could have a bag, but I could not, while laughing. My wife immediately stepped in and told the woman if she did not want us to buy their pastries, we would be leaving. The woman behind the cashier simply did not respond and turned away. I’m not one to EVER leave Google reviews, but to be discriminated against so clearly warrants a warning to others. I hope no one ever experiences...

UPDATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2022, 9:46AM: I finally had the opportunity to return to Salem & Sons Bakery last Friday, August 12, 2022. The baked goods are still fresh and delicious, and the prices for them are still reasonable. If they did raise their prices in the last two years, I could not tell. The only problem I had was that none of the staff I encountered were wearing face masks. There is a sign on the door informing all customers they must wear face masks to stop the spread of covid19, and the bakery also sells face masks and hand sanitizers, but the staff does not take the same precautions. That makes no sense.

For years, every time I would go by this place, I would see two or three cars double-parked, and people going in and out of here like it was Grand Central. Now I know why. The loaves of bread, the rolls, the cookies, AND the donuts are all delicious AND reasonably-priced. The jelly donuts sell out fast, so buy them when you can. Also, the coffee is very good, too. They are open 24/7, and day or night, there is a line of at least three people before you get to...

As I was walking to the car with my family the smell of fresh bread called me over to the bakery. Everything looked so fresh and smelled so good. They have pastries, rolls, and delicious loafs of Italian and French breads. Their empanadas are next level! I got the spinach and cheese for my husband and me. It was the biggest empanada I’ve ever seen and it was totally stuffed! No weird air pockets, just delicious perfectly seasoned filling. I also got a loaf of French bread for dinner but my husband ate half of it with butter. I took a bite and the texture was so soft and pillowy. So so good. Lastly, they are obviously kind people because they stand up for human rights. I can’t wait to go back!!! 10...