Acme Bread Company

Delicious delicious carby goodness.

Every single time I drive by Acme there’s a line (always) never once have I not seen people standing to get these Baquette or other breads they offer. I took my mother here and she says she can eat this every day if it didn’t affect her cholesterol level. (Aging so she needs to watch her health, so says her doctor). Perhaps I feel in love with the ham and cheese turnover/​croissant or the jalapeño and cheese. May be both plus the sweet Baquette. From the pricing to the freshness of these breads, it’s the best I’ve had.

When I lived in berkeely student coops at euclid and kidd hall our kitchen manager would hit this place up and get some bread yummy. That was one of the best parts about living in the coops. Totally took that forgranted. Ah miss those days now I’m in another state attending a pathetic college that is more like a boarding school than an actuall university and is greedy. If only i had chosen CAL east bay or SF state. Now im prisoner of University of West Florida dropout factory INC. Oh and yes Acme is really that good moew you should totally buy one hell buy two.

Simply the finest European style bread bakery in the East Bay. With the California miracle of sourdough, too.
My faves include the simple apple tart, spelt cube, pain au levain, walnut cranberry levain and almond croissant. But their signature rustic baguettes are the real thing, and not to be missed.

Fresh every day. Be there early if you are looking for the favorite items because they run out so quickly. There is always a line outside to buy bread. My favorite place to go buy bread when I am in the area.

I drive all the way across town, and wait in the line that is always outside the door, to get their sweet loaf (best sandwich and toasting bread I know), and their pizza bianca, and their pan epis… They sell Acme breads in lots of stores, but not these favorites.
Luckily, they’re right next to Bartavelle, so I can also stop in for a great coffee drink!

Been here only once but knew even before I got there is would be a great place for bread. Kind of knew I got too much but was still able to finish before it got hard. Favorite was the baguette, would get two next time instead of the round. The round is good for sandwiches or paninis but it got hard very fast. Toasting or baking the round brought it back to life.

Very Nice, it’s on the small side. However the shear quality of their products you’ll taste at first bite. Not to mention so many varieties of bread. The last time I had bread this good was on the East Coast many years ago. Once you have paid and given your order, get out of the way, I guarantee people will be coming up from behind. some on foot who parked on the street, others who drive in looking for a place to park. I live 25 miles away well I look at it this way sometimes you have to go an extra mile to get the good stuff. Outstanding. One side note you need to already know what you want whne you reach the registar.

When we drove by, the line was about 10 people deep and out the door. When we parked around the corner and walked up, the line was gone, we walked right in, got two croissants and a baguette and were out the door in less than two minutes.
Both our items were FKING RAD. I get Acme baguettes from Taylor’s Market in my neighborhood and we HAD to go right to the source when we were in Berkeley last week.
So much yes.

What more can I say about this place? The line is out the door (and so worth), the bread is FUH-​RESH and affordable. The epi doe. Crunchy and soft all at the same time., the kaiser rolls are ON POINT, and the Pain de mie make FANTASTIC french toast. DROOL.
I also love that you can go grab a drink at the café while you’re waiting in line.
I totally didn’t know they had (limited) parking there and I went and parked two blocks down.
–_​_​_​–
Protip: best combo is bread from here + cheese (10 minutes down the street) from cheeseboard. yadiggit.

The best Bakery in Berkeley. The have a Sweet Rustic Dough with a spike form taste same like «marraqueta» (the best Chilean Bread)!

What I bought: So many breads!
Visit date: December 23, 2015
First time? No.
My favorite here is the herb slab, but today I also tried their newest addition: pastry puffs with sweet or savory fillings. The feta and kalamata olive puff is quite addictive. If you like satly, this puff is for you! I easily inhaled two, and I could have eaten more but I wanted to save some for my family to try.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the breads here. Try them all and pick your favorites. I like bringing loaves to family gatherings or for hostess gifts. Parking is lot or street and if you come at the right time there isn’t a line (if there is one it generally moves quickly). Cash only!

Another one finally crossed off my list! I have been meaning to come here for the longest time (am I the only one that is a bit starstruck to be in such proximity to THE Acme that breads for more than half of Berkeley and beyond?). XD
Conveniently located next to Bartavelle for all your caffeine needs, Acme is truly a heaven sent blessing for all your carby needs in the morning, be they of the sweet or savory variety. The line this morning happened to be shorter than usual (probably because it was so damn cold), but the fact that at almost any given time there is a line out the door for their baked goods means that it’s clearly worth the wait.
When it was finally my turn to open that door, the most delicious cloud of sweet, sugary yeast enveloped my senses and I was immediately in a state of bliss! LOL So many rolls and loaves dusted with sugar and nuts or studded with fruits or olives… truly a sight to behold for a bread lover such as myself.
Cinnamon swirl– not to be confused with a traditional cinnamon roll, this one felt more to me like a cinnamon morning bun in texture. Instead of the raised yeast of a regular roll, this swirl used something more akin to croissant dough. Love the layered flakiness!
Almond croissant– A wondrously buttery staple to pair with your coffee. Light and flaky without ever coming across as too oily. this one had thin sliced almonds sprinkled on top with a quick top off of powdered sugar.
Mini jalapeño cheese turnover– Nothing mini about this guy! Definitely full sized with a generous amount of both cheese (LOVE LOVE LOVE the cheese that melted out and got slightly burned… delicious!) and lengthwise pepper slices. Great kick with just the right amount of saltiness.
Definitely making a return trip here very soon.

NOTE TO OWNERS: we LOVE your bread — but not how you run the business. The customer service can be pretty terrible and that outrageously long line outside your door is screaming ‘HIRE MORE SALES CLERKS’.
Wish this company would leave the Dark Ages and started to implement a few modern touches — such as online ordering for large, advanced orders and convenient pick-​up. For example, we went to ACME one week in advance, stood in line for 40 mins (no joke), put in the order and paid (this wasted another 10 mins). We came back one week later to pick up our pre-​paid, pre-​packaged order and the nut-​case in the bakery tried to make us wait in the line a second time (again, this was a pre-​paid order that they already had bagged and ready for us). Who runs a business like this??? Lots of good bakeries allow online ordering and payment and then have the goods ready when you arrive.
Customers would be so happy if they remodeled the sales desk and entry to be able to hold more than 1.5 people, or added an awning for that horrible line. Anything would be better than the current set-​up.
All of these issues really makes you wonder if they do not want a retail business –and if this is a deliberate attempt to discourage all but the wholesale customers.
Anyway — go there for the bread — but hold your nose to survive the non-​existent customer service.
PS Parking is the worst — park around the block and walk instead.

Acme Bread has some of the best bread I have ever had by far! Some of my favorite things they have would have to be the pain au levain, jalapeño and cheese turnover, ham and cheese turnover, and almond croissant. But everything is delicious! If you have never had acme bread, you are seriously missing out! Even though the shop is small and you might have to wait in a line outside their front door, the wait is totally worth it! Even if you have to wait in the rain.

I do bakeries like nobody’s business.
Whether it’s 85 Degrees (Taiwanese) or Paris Baguette (Korean) or even Manresa (American), I’m all for that yeast and baking soda!
Acme stands out because it’s in West Berkeley and totally inconspicuous! There isn’t a huge sign, and it seems to share a space with a café or a bar… I’m not too sure what the other square footage is comprised of, but it isn’t just Acme Bakery. It’s a small bakery with a SUPER limited parking lot (I’d suggest parking in the larger parking lot behind the main parking lot) or in the super narrowly-​spaced street area.
I think they could definitely hire another associate to work so there are two people during peak times when there’s a line out the door (like after work-​time). The poor girl handling our order seemed super tired and wasn’t too friendly. She was smiley, but definitely seemed overworked and wasn’t too keen on answering our questions. Oh well, we enjoyed our quick transaction and delicious bread.
I highly recommend their pain au chocolat (CHOCOLATE CROISSANT) and apple turnover! We got too hasty and ate the turnover as we leisurely walked around Cesar Chavez Park and what not, but it would’ve tasted better toasted. We also got their cinnamon «monkey bread» and it was a bit sweet but DELICIOUS toasted. I’ll definitely be back if I’m ever in the area. Pricing was pretty good without breaking the bank!

Best place to get bread, period. This is the bread of the Bay – oh, you like that bread served at the restaurant you went to for dinner last night? From Acme. That croissant served at that one coffee shop you always go to? From Acme.
The bread is super fresh, super good, and never disappoints. Love that they now accept debit cards (it used to be cash only)!. I love the walnut levain. You can’t go wrong with the pain epi’s either (perfect pieces to tear off and eat by itself). They have every assortment of bread and pastries possible, I wish I could try it all!
Pastry wise, I love their almond croissant. It’s one of my favorites. Another one is the cinnamon twist, sweet with the perfect amount of cinnamon laced into the flaky dough.
Just a warning: especially on weekends, lines can get long and usually before opening people are lined up already. You’ll have to wait about 30 min at least while others take their time choosing breads if you get there a bit after opening hours. What I usually do is go to Bartavelle next door, sit down with a coffee and some breakfast, and wait for the line to dwindle to hop into line and get some yummy bread! :D

La sour baguette et le herb bread sont très bon quoique qu’un peu cher mais c’est apparement les prix dans la région.

Arrived early Sunday morning, and oh man there was already a crowd! The parking lot was full so I parked in the neighborhood for free. Super long line, which moved pretty quickly. Great, fast service. I ordered a Challah plain bread loaf (YUM) and a loaf of Chibata (more on the hard side). You definitely want to pay with cash as they give you a small discount. They also take debit. I would definitely recommend coming here, if you haven’t! There are so many breads I am hoping to try in the future!

Cute little bakery that reminded me of a place in Rome. The smell in here is just amazing and everything is so fresh! The service was great and to someone who doesn’t frequent Berkeley much, they were very accommodating. I was suggested by both customers and workers to try the apple turnover. I am so glad I did. The apple turnover was warm still and with perfectly sliced apples. The turnover wasn’t sweet at all and was just perfect. I also decided to try the cranberry walnut wheat bread which was AMAZING! Toasted with butter is just heavenly. I’ll be back! They do accept debit with a fee but nonetheless, no biggie.

Oh epi bread, acme bread
Such yummy chocolate bread
It is always a pleasure here and I keep on missing out on the chocolate bread! Need to get here sooner on the weekends