The Rising Loafer Cafe and Bakery

I was visiting the area from out of town, wandering around Ogawa Plaza looking for a place for breakfast before catching the BART into San Francisco. I walked into a couple of places, but felt unwelcome by the staff. I found the Rising Loafer and decided to give it a shot. I’m glad I did.
FIrstly, the place has a good location – you get a nice view of the plaza and the beautiful city hall. In the morning, it’s nicely shaded and a quiet spot to sip coffee. I appreciated that the business is green and local.
The breakfast I ordered, Anyway You Like It, was good. I got the fruit instead of potatoes, very refreshing. The bread tasted homemade, as it should have for a bakery.
I enjoyed the latin music playing quietly in the background while I ate my breakfast. Combined with the cool, quiet, sunny morning, it made for a very pleasant experience.

I came in here for a sandwich, not a lecture.
The roast beef sandwich wasn’t even good.
Don’t worry Maria, since you acted like my B of A money was so tainted, I won’t try to give you any more of it.

All I wanted was something warm to drink…
*Sigh*
Let me start from the beginning.
I’m a college student who works part-​time at an office in the 150 building of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. Part-​time = no key to the office = I have to wait for my boss to get there. Last Friday I forgot that my boss would be out until 10:30 am, and my silly self rushed to get there early. When I finally realized my error, I decided to take it as an opportunity to try out The Rising Loafer Café and Bakery. I’ve been working in Downtown Oakland for the past year and had always wanted to try it, but never got around to it.
There was only one lady in front of me in line, and the owner, Maria, finished helping her way before I was done looking over the menu. She asked me if I needed more time, I nodded, and she smiled and told it was no problem. After a few minutes I finally decided on a hot chocolate to legitimize me sitting down for a bit and waiting in the warmth of the café, and a half a sandwich to go because I had forgotten to pack myself a lunch.
She rang me up and it was around $ 5-​something. I pull out my credit card and —
Maria: «We don’t take credit cards; we only take debit cards.»
Me: «Oh, that’s fine.» I open my wallet, tuck my much-​abused credit card back into a slot, pull out my debit card, and —
Maria: «The minimum charge is also $ 10.»
Me: «Oh… alright then. That’s still okay.» I upgraded to a full turkey and avocado sandwich and grabbed a vitamin water from the fridge. Even though I’m an English major because I hate math (and I love to read/​write… kinda =P), I was able to tally up the total in my head: $ 2-​hot chocolate, $ 2-​vitamin water, and $ 6.95-full sandwich = $ 10.95 + tax =? (What? I wasn’t sure what the tax rate was!) In any event, I had met the $ 10 minimum. I handed over my debit card and —
Maria: «I was just talking to the other lady about this.» She takes my (Bank of America) debit card and waves it at me. «We are giving the banks the power to keep the economy the way it is right now.» She shakes her head, swipes my card, punches in my total ($ 11.91), and hands it back to me with my copy of the receipt and a receipt for me to sign.
Me: «_​_​_​_​_​.» + this face: o_​O. I sheepishly sign the merchant’s copy of the receipt and hand it back to her.
Maria: «I’ll get your hot chocolate first. Please have a seat.» She goes to prepare the hot chocolate.
Me: «Thank you.» Before I take a seat at one of the empty tables (they’re all empty), I grab some pamphlets near the register… pamphlets on credit unions.
I take a seat, put down my stuff, and begin to browse. A few minutes later she comes over with my hot chocolate and some napkins. It was the perfect temperature, not too sweet, and it had a good amount of foam on top. As I always say, there is nothing like a good hot chocolate after a serving of chastisement! (Emotional eater right here!) ;)
Maria packed my sandwich to go and brought it over to me as well. But before I could finish my hot chocolate my boss sent me a text to let me know that he was at the office. I hurriedly finished it, grabbed my sandwich, and clutching the credit union pamphlets in my hand, headed out the door.
~*~
My star-​rating breakdown:
+ 1 — This is not a chain restaurant; it is a local business.
+ 1 — The hot chocolate hit the spot on a very cold, rainy day
+ 1 — When I finally had lunch at 2 PM, the sandwich was not soggy in the slightest; there were also thick slices of turkey breast, cheese, and tomatoes.
+ 1 — This is definitely the biggest one for me: Maria is not afraid to tell it like it is. We are giving the banks the power to run things the way they see fit, by giving them our money and not holding them accountable. Maria is a prime example of the kind of person that Margaret Mead was talking about when she said, «Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.» Thank you, Maria, for speaking out and giving me the wake-​up call that I needed!
~*~
Why did I withhold that final star? Well, I haven’t tried the scones/​muffins, the crepes, the other sandwiches, the soups, the salads, etc.
I will definitely be back though.
$ 11.91 for a soothing hot chocolate, a filling sandwich, vitamin water, and a gentle kick in the pants? SO worth it.

I am going to start off by disclosing that I am an Occupy Oakland participant. From day one the owner, Maria, has welcomed us, occupiers, to the extent of allowing us to use her sink and refrigerator and back kitchen area for us to use when she was open during the day. So part of this rating is for the love of community that the owner has expressed. I will note also that she has been rated by some organizations with high ratings for her «sustainability» and green business practices and some of her patrons have helped her out by bringing her lovely sugar bowls to put on the tables (eclectic collection) and she is all about making local economies thrive and giving back to others.
Now, onto the food and beverage rating. I consider myself a food/​beverage snob… especially when it comes to coffee (as you can read from my other Unilocal) and I have to say I enjoyed the local roasting beans that Maria uses. I had breakfast and lunch there a few times and I really enjoyed the two egg breakfast that was cooked the way I like them (medium) and find it amazing that so many breakfast places DO NOT KNOW HOW TO COOK AN EGG TO MEDIUM STANDARD (whites cooked and the yolk not cooked) but Maria passed the test. The plate included potatoes and they were seasoned lightly w/​onions and a few diced green peppers (as I recall). The lunch I had was a lunch special sandwich which was ham and cheese and the ham was nitrate free which I appreciate since I am into organic foods. Maria is very conscious of using local and non-​gmo products as I could see and though she does have a few commercial products for sale, she told me that costs for providing all of her goods, organic and local, means she must raise her prices to the customer so she is not able to do that in this hard economy.
I hope this review will generate more business to the Rising Loafer as I really do want to promote businesses that not only care about providing quality food and services but that care about the wider community as a whole including those like me who are unemployed and trying to bring social and economic justice to the community I love and live in. Maria at the Rising Loafer is definitely in love with Oakland and the wider community!

I used to have Breakfast at the Rising Loafer 2 – 3 times a week when it was on my BART commute into SF. The owners were always thoughtful and courteous and went out of their way to make a great breakfast and meaningful conversation. It was the high point of my commute for months.
Not sure how the recent demonstrations have affected their business, but I hope the Rising Loafer is doing well.

I was on my way to a training, this café was right next to my entrance, so I decided to support local business.
I walk in and the lady stood up from her meal and walked behind the counter. I had a ceramic cup for her to use, she liked that.
I asked her for a vanilla decaf latte, and she gave me a whole speech on syrups and why they are so horrible for you, they cause cancer. I was in a hurry and wanted something while I sat at a long training, so I said can you make it sweet then, add some sugar? Sure, I turn to get sugar packets, all she had was white processed sugar– I asked her why doesn’t she have brown sugar, processed sugar is also bad for you… she gave me an attitude and made my drink (not very well, I was watching her, and I have barista experience)
I tipped her, as I always tip, and ran out the door to my training. As soon as I sit down and take a sip, wow the espresso was soooo biter, yuck, gave me a stomach ache!
I waited til the end of the training, went downstairs and walked in there, I told her the latte was biter and if she can dump it out, and I wanted my money back. She told me to go to the bathroom and dump it myself, then ignored me when I kept asking her for my money.
I walked out and went to Tully’s– they made it right. I told them and they said that lady drives many customers away…
thanks lady for the hypocritical health speech and a crappy latte that I had to pay for!
Dont go here, rude and nasty espresso!!!

I went to this place for the first time today, even though I’ve worked in the area for several years. I got the Loafer’s chicken salad. HUGE portion. Fresh veggies! Good chicken salad. However, the price was steep. The salad and a diet pepsi was just under $ 10! I wanted to order a salad because I find them more appetizing when someone else makes them for me. The food is good and I LOVE that they are a green business. I’ll go back to try the sandwiches and crepes! Lovely woman behind the counter too!

Instead of hitting the usual Oakland City Center lunch spots, I was feeling adventurous today and decided to venture to the Ogawa Plaza. Stumbled on this cute, smallish, mom and pop like café that is the Rising Loafer.
Had the loafers chicken salad. The meat was very fine –more in line with the consistency of tuna rather than chicken. The chicken had some chopped apples mixed in topped with cashews which was a surprisingly delightful combination. The lettuce was fresh and not the cheapo iceberg stuff. The dressing was like a strawberry or rasberry vinegarette, sweeter than I usually preferred to go with salad but it was ok. I usually don’t like my salad to be so fruity (i.e. with apple bits + berry vinegarette) but I was pleasantly surprised and it was quite filling for a salad. Portion size was decent, with two scoops of chicken salad (although kinda pricey, $ 8.95). It also came with a paper bag filled with bite size pieces of bread, the bread was kinda hard and blah.
Overall, I would come back again to try their other sandwiches, salads or soup of the day for some healthy lunch options but it’s not necessarily a place I would tell people they have to rush to.

I love love love this place for several reasons. First, Maria is the sweetest person. Secondly, they are a green business. Third, the bread is home made and delicious as are the muffins! And of course because the food is made with care and is delicious :) The place is unassuming but sit down and order some good food. You won’t be sorry.

I got the Combo Crêpe for lunch and it hit the spot. Could’ve used a little more flavor on the chicken but otherwise this place was solid and the lady behind the counter, Maria, was a real sweetheart. I’ll probably go back to try some other stuff.
I give this place credit for the simple fact that they make and bake everything fresh everyday, which is hard to find nowadays. Maria said they even grow their own tea leaves which I’ll put to the test next time I go. Solid, not mindboggling, but definitely solid.

I went here on my way to work, thinking they might have bagels. When I asked the owner if they had bagels, she replied «Why would we sell bagels, if we sell bread?»… I didn’t even reply, I just turned around and walked out the door. She was rude!
I support small businesses, but her tone and attitude was not appreciated. Especially at 9am.

I came in here for a muffin and it was quite likely one of the worst muffins I have ever eaten. Dry, crumbs falling everywhere, tasteless, and hardly any stuff inside. And this is supposed to be a «bakery»?

If you like to eat where the food is healthy and your business is appreciated, this is the place. The café manager Maria prides herself as being a green business, and is very, very personable. This is the primary reason, I’ve been patronizing this café for three years.
I had to drop the rating back to three stars from four because there is not much of a choice of food for my taste. The bread breaks apart so easily, it’s hard to enjoy a good sandwich. I can’t think of any other business in the city hall or city center area where you have to pay a minimum of $ 10 to use your debit/​credit card.
I love the Mediterranean chicken and the tuna salad, but a bit pricey.

I don’t get it. People have crazy expectations. This place is fine. Is it life-​changing? No? Is it the best breakfast I have ever had? No. But is it a perfectly decent sort of place you could stop into for a fine breakfast? Sure.
I think the reason it attracts such angry reviews is there are signs about how they’re green and they invest locally through their credit union. So you get the idea it’s some sort of special place. The prices also are a little high and it’s a little slow.
But if you want to stop in someplace that’ll fix a acceptable breakfast, even a slightly better than average breakfast, well, this is where to go if you’re in the neighborhood.

The smell of pastries wafting in the air in the morning as I walk across the plaza is always a welcome smell (over many of the non-​pleasant odors you can imagine that can sometimes be found in Oakland…).
They sell crepes, sandwiches, salads, and soups and are moderately priced. The owner is a sweet woman who is involved in the community and will preach about supporting locally owned business and not using your credit card. When I want a light lunch, this is a nice plate to eat at — especially on sunny days outside.

Yes… I’m a fan. People and setting are great. and the food is more than decent. I was in this area for a couple of days. The first day I ordered a sandwich which was very nice (not super… but very nice). Across from me was the ‘person that ordered better.’ A delicious looking crêpe. So I had to return the next day and I was deliciously surprised with the crêpe!
Let’s support a green business, an independent owner and a great discussion that goes along with the ordering. I will be back the next time I have to deal with this area (city/​state/​federal corruption offices).

i must have walked in here just minutes before 2:30pm without knowing that’s when they close… but no one said anything
so i ordered the mediterranean veggie platter and a latte…
the latte was tasty… a pretty big cup
the veggie platter was decent. at least the ingredients were fresh… but nothing out of the ordinary… half the plate was a green salad with vinaigrette on the side… then some seasoned rice on the other side with a heap of hummus and another heap of babaganough… on top of the rice was two small dolmas… would be nice if there was at least 3 of them… along with the plate came a side plate of a variety of bread.
i’m glad this place is supposedly a green business… the interior is clean and simple

The best place for a group of people go go and enjoy scrumptious food in downtown Oakland.
Everything — bread, sandwhiches, orders — is home-​made, hand-​made, and custom-​made, too.
Especially when it’s sunny outside.

I went there for the first time today, & was pleasantly surprised. They have a good selection, good prices, & the food is pretty yummy as well. I had the ½ honey-​baked ham sandwich & salad for $ 6.50 (on special).
I definitely recommend checking this place out if you are in the mood for a simple but good lunch.

Organic taste buds, non-​hipster arrogance, and Mediterranean beats fill this small spot, in the heart of Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland. Call me stiff… like a scotch on the rocks. But, this place takes the cake when it comes to stiff infrastructure, when acquiring wi-​fi, while utilizing a rarely used electrical outlet (broke into it like a first time virgin).
I came inside making an excuse to Unilocal another local spot for the short time being back in the Bay Area. With my wandering, eyes I gazed at the menu for what I’m curious to try, which is:
–1 order of a Mocha (in a large cup)
–1 order of their Banana Crêpe
I figured they must be good at baking… so instead of bread why not something sweet to go with it. As I sat down, typing up college papers and auditing my own finances with my now deceased laptop (goodbye old Dell), I was given my orders in a timely fashion (within 10 minutes).
Let’s start with the Mocha… it was ok, hot and filled to the brim. But it tasted… more like chocolate, than any «Mocha»…somewhat of a fail on that end.
Next was the Banana Crêpe… it was creamy (whip cream on the side), drenched with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar, and caramelized bananas… the problem… it got a bit messy, and the stinginess with napkins provided kinda turned me off. I felt like I was eating in Kindergarten all over again. Perhaps this is why I appreciated Crêpe places, like Genki Living and Heaven’s Delight… all for the fact of extra napkins, and less messiness when diving into the Crêpe.
The total cost $ 8.00. Would I come back? To try a sandwich, to see if they do a better job at it. To sum it all up, the service was fine… the food was a bit messy, and the inhibition of wi-​fi to Unilocal and writing this review much sooner. no good. Another spot, that needs some polishing and I think it’ll be just fine.