Pearl Bakery

The staff was incredibly distant and didn’t care to be nice when taking an order. I ordered the grilled cheese and found more than a few little hairs all over the bread and in the grilled cheese. It was beyond repulsive and disgusting. I’m so grossed out, I am never going back there. The only upside I found was their seasonal peppermint white mocha. I walked them for a for here cup and the guy completely ignored me on that portion, not that it matters much but it shows he wasn’t paying attention. And there was no changing table in the bathroom. I had to change my baby on the floor after I laid out my jacket and her changing pad as well. Not my cup of tea… I was looking forward to t but very disappointed in the service and food prep.

I need pastries in my life! After minutes of Unilocaling to fine a good one, here I am writing a review for this bakery! it is pretty small so you just get what table is open.
Ham and gruyère croissant — I am not a fan of eating this because its messy and it all taste plain to me but I was in a different city and decided I should try it and I made a good decision it was good but the messy part is still there «what are you gonna do» is all I heard from the bear.
Cinnamon bun — I LOVE IT! I don’t think I need to add more on this one.
Seasonal danish — This one has peaches and apple I think? And yes I did like it, I think when it comes to pastries i’m just going to agree that everything is good!
Hot chocolate — Yes I know such a bummer not to try any of their latte, nothing really caught my eye and I need to cut those espresso shots due to some medication I’m on but that didn’t stop me from drinking a beer that night! lol
There’s more bakery I want to try but obviously I live in vegas which is gaaaaaaaay.

A solid offering in the Pearl District that quickly serves up sandwiches to a quickly moving line of regulars. The fish for the tuna melt feels like it was same-​day sourced and rushed to the store – perfect – and juts the right mix of cheese to tender flakes of tuna.
Will return when in the area.

I ended up here to kill some time while waiting for a train and didn’t want to leave. Lovely staff, the most perfect peanut butter cookie I’ve ever eaten and the holiday white chocolate peppermint mocha was exactly the right balance of holiday and coffee. Would absolutely go back anytime I was in the area.

Gibassier is one of the best pastries in the world: Anise and orange flavored with fine granulated sugar on top, and very soft and chewy. Perfection.

Pearl Bakery is a cute little place in the Pearl District, just slightly off the beaten path.
Our second morning in Portland led us here for a few small bites to bring on our hike. There was a lot of great looking items in the bakery case, but we ended up going with:
+ CINNAMON CROWN (sort of like a cinnamon twist in round form?)
~ PUMPKIN BRESSANE w/​PECANS (a little dry for my taste)
I think I’d want to go back and try more of their baked goods, but I’d probably avoid anything too bready that might run the risk of being dry.

I have had a lot of croissants, pearl’s croissants is by far the best ! Flakey, buttery, but not greasy, light and moist inside ! Their Demi baguette was so simple yet so flavorful ! Also got a slice of Chocolate chiffon cake, it was not too sweet, however the texture is more like a light pound cake to me, either way it was So delicious !

My family and I ended up here by total accident after running into the owner, Eric. We accidentally went to the factory 18 blocks away and Eric took us in and gave us a little tour of the place.
He was SO passionate about the whole business. He explained how they only get the best ingredients for the bread and chocolates; everything non-​GMO. He spoke highly about his sons and other family members and how they’ve contributed to the business. He’s even had employees go oversees to Europe to compete in a tri-​annual baking competition.
At the end he let us sample some pieces of chocolate and it was easily the best piece of chocolate I’ve ever had. Some chocolates leave a waxy or bitter after taste like Hershey’s or Godiva, but these chocolates were light and sweet. The hazelnut and salted caramel are not to be missed!
After saying goodbye we made our way to the store and bought about 15 pieces of chocolate and a baguette. Not sure when we’ll be in Portland again, but we’ll definitely have to get some chocolates if we return!

We loved this place. My daughter had two of their croissants, because they were just that awesome. I took a bite and it was one of the tastiest croissants I’ve had. My son got a blueberry pastry, which he loved. I got the Italian Meat Trio sandwich which was so so good. I also had a café au lait which was so delicious. My husband got a sandwich (I don’t remember which one) and coffee and he loved them both.
The décor was nice, and the service was friendly. I wish I lived close to this place because I would be here all the time! Loved it!

My first restaurant stop since arriving in Portland, and it set the tone for the rest of my trip. You immediately get how laid back this city is by walking into this bakery. The bakery itself has a nice open space and is very close to the waterfront.
+ PARISIAN MACARONS: I typically think macaron’s in general are overrated, but there’s always something about them that makes you want to order one. Their macarons look tasty and are delicious. I enjoyed the coffee flavor in their macaron
+ THE PEARL: One of two sandwiches that I ordered. It’s a hearty grilled cheese with hints of mustard and I believe a bit of garlic. Even though it sounds and looks heavy, i thought the dish itself was light and full of flavor. A great option for a comfort food-​style grilled cheese
+ CORNED BEEF: I may be mistaken if it was corned beef, but it was their Reuben sandwich panini option. Similar to the Pearl, the dish sounds heavy, but it surprisingly doesn’t leave you in a food coma. The rye bread is delicious and the meat and sauerkraut had great flavor without being too overpowering
+ GREEN TEA LATTE: I got the iced version of the drink, which was much welcomed on this warm day. The latte is not too sweet and has the perfect amount of matcha flavor

I guess when you display that Food and Wine considers your business to be one of the top 10 bakeries in the nation you have to live up to some pretty high standards. They do offer a very good product. However, if I think of all my favourite bakeries and compare them to the Pearl Bakery it doesn’t quite measure up. My grilled sandwich was ok, the brownie I could have made better at home. I was expecting to be wowed especially given their reputation and I wasn’t.

I’ve always been a fan of the Pearl Bakery. I often find myself craving their apple & fig cold sandwich. It’s usually available in the cold case. The half size is perfect for a light lunch. If you’re feeling hungry, grab a small salad too!
It’s not super busy during lunch, I find most people are at the Pearl Bakery for pick up orders, which leaves plenty of tables available to sit and relax with your lunch/​coffee.

Are you near a PDX Streetcar stop? If so, jump on it now and go to Pearl Bakery! It is that good!
Things I love about PB:
–Clean and comfortable seating/​tables
–Numerous pastries, breads, sandwiches, lunch items, coffee/​espresso beverages, and other baked goods to choose from
–Quick and assertive service
–Lots of parking across the street
–Within walking distance from a PDX Streetcar stop
–Seating that allows you to people watch
Must Try:
–Cornmeal pound cake
–Bouchon (chocolate pound cake-​like treat)
–Seasonal house salad (if you want a light meal, it often comes with a piece of bread)
–Chocolate croissant
–Seasonal danish
See you at Pearl Bakery!

On a food tour of Portland, Pearl Bakery was one of our stops. And really, it was quite like being in the Disneyland for bread lovers. The place just emanated the smell of freshly baked bread which is always quite effective in taking me to my happy place (it is the scent of my happy childhood).
As we were on a tour, we got a behind-​the-​scenes look. They showed us how certain breads were made and their machines. Oh my! A machine that folds and refolds dough over and over to make flaky croissants, an oven that was baking all sorts of delicious cookies, another oven baking all sorts of breads. They showed us the dough that is resting while the yeast works its wonders. And just all that amazing scent enveloping us… I was really truly in my happy place.
Now, all of the things I mentioned would have paled if the breads that they make do not deliver. But deliver they do. The cookies were not cloyingly sweet, the croissants flaky, and the breads that we tried (I lost track as my friends and I bought at least six different varieties that we promptly ate when we got back to the hotel) were as good as they smelled.
Next time I am in Portland, I will stop by and get a few things to take back home.

I wish I took some pics but I really loved the Cinnamon Bun here. My wife also had the chocolate croissant and their gibassier which she loved!

All I had was a petit pain and an almond croissant. The little bread was perfect. That right balance of crispy crust soft chewy inside… even though it had been sitting in a shelf until 2pm.
The almond croissant was quite possibly the best almond croissant I have ever had. No joke if I have another review that talks about almond croissants this trumps all previous comers. Perfect croissant with defined buttery yummy layers. A perfect center of almond paste filling in just the eight distribution to the pastry crust. Oh so yum…

I cruised by here on my bike on a sunny Sunday around 2:30. I ordered a 16 oz. dark roast coffee ($ 2.00) and a frosted sugar cookie ($ 1.50) and ended up getting charged $ 5.00. I didn’t say anything because I’m not a mathematician and I figured I misread one of the price labels. Plus, I’m extremely non confrontational. But it left a bad impression on me.
Great atmosphere though. Big southwest facing windows let in that rare afternoon Portland sun. Also, they have lots of outdoor seating.
The frosted sugar cookie I ate was a leftover from valentines day. It said «I Like You.» I liked it too. It was buttery, crumbly in all the right ways, and the frosting was perfectly sweet.
The coffee was pretty watery though. I wanted something robust and full bodied. Needless to say, I was disappointed. After I finished the coffee I saw why. They use one of those industrial drip coffee makers with the half gallon size filter holders.
Calming classical music on the stereo though. Good people watching, too.

OMG. Cake.
I needed a really good cake for a very big birthday but did not think I could find a good enough cake at any bakery and was prepared to make it myself (I’m not all that good baker but if you use really good ingredients and are very careful and know what you want it to taste like you can work to produce something pretty good — it just might take you a day or two). But I had such a busy week I ran out of time to make it myself, so after a city-​wide search for a good cake (good=not so sweet the sugar is the only thing you taste, a nicely textured and flavorful cake, a filling that complements the flavors without taking over, and a frosting with a rich chocolate and butter flavor (most bakeries use too much sugar).
I ordered the Genoise filled with lemon curd and frosted with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. It is an incredible cake. It’s worth getting old if you can also eat this cake. Thank you, Pearl Bakery!

Cold pastries? They can’t heat anything up but they have a massive bakery oven to make the products?
How about offering your customers the option to microwave your frozen ham croissants or mushroom Danish… Put a small tasteful microwave by your silverware… Costs you 40 $,
Maybe they don’t want the microwave to ruin the flavor of a freshly baked product, but when it sits in this cold establishment in the middle of Portland in the winter, you should consider not selling hot pastries…
The inside of this place is an ice box also, and that’s coming from someone who is always always hot.

For my 300^th Four Star Review, and my 825^th overall, I wanted to share a cool place on my recent trip to PDX. My cousin is a cookie hound, so we stopped by here after touring Lan Su Chinese Garden, on the way to a late lunch at Lardo. Pearl Bakery is in the Pearl District of DTP on NW 9^th Ave and Couch. In addition to cookies, PB offers cinnamon rolls, macarons, and full breakfast & lunch. Not surprisingly, they bake their own bread on the premises.
My cuz bought a shortbread cookie w/​a lemon frosting filling dipped in white chocolate ($ 3). He said the cookie was very good. It was nice and moist, and the filling paired well with the shortbread. I had a bite (a very small one — lol), and I agreed with my cuz.
I would definitely come back to PB to try some of their other items, or a sandwich for lunch. The place looks like it would be a good place to hang out, relax and have a cookie or sandwich.

El Cubano! nomnom!