essencia artisan bakery

a real french bakery downtown.. essencia bakery is one of those unique places, that in a larger city might be common, but in a small city is unique, not duplicated and fills a niche that is not filled by grocery store bakeries or chain coffee places.

pastries and deserts are very typically artesian and generally are sourced from classic french recipes. essencia also creates artesian breads, the kind you select from a rack on the wall. the staff is happy to run your selections through their bread slicer when you make your purchase.

i'm familiar with essencia's lunch offerings. although not the least expensive lunch option downtown, the lunch menu varies from day to day and is always fresh and homemade. homemade soups and stews are nearly always available along with a "sandwich of the day" and various pasta or green salads. paninni's are also regularly on the menu and are made from essencia's own bread and available fresh ingredients.

essencia also has a very nice espresso bar. essencia sources their own beans and has their own custom roasts. a paninni and a brewed coffee make for a remarkably filling lunch. a bowl of soup and a small salad is also a very generous and healthy lunch.

now that essencia is open on sundays while the yakima farmer's market is operating, a late breakfast, or improvised brunch of pastries and coffee is possible. sit out on the sidewalk with your goodies and enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown yakima on a lazy weekend morning.

unbeatable in yakima. well, we admit to spending a lot of time at a corporation coffee house at 56th and summitview simply because we like the outdoor seating there. but for excellent pastries and bread... i mean really excellent pastries and bread... and good coffee... we go to essencia. after partaking of the mass produced banana and pumpkin breads at the aforementioned corporation coffee house, the locally prepared delights of essencia are a breath of fresh air.

really cute spot! had nice service and a great menu, the lunch special was really well priced and there was a large variety to choose from. we will definitely be back!

no bread. bread is not available until after 12. hours have now changed, not open on monday. web site does not work.

went in looking for a delicious bread to go with dinner. met by friendly, helpful staff and gave a wonderful reccomendation! the placed looked and smelled great. we will be going back soon!

great place for a quick nosh.. i had to do some business in uptown yakima, so as i was in the area anyway, i decided to visit my favorite bakery and café. later i was going to take my sis and brother-in-law out to dinner at joy garden, so i didn't want to eat a big meal before eating a big meal.

it was about 2:00 and i hadn't had lunch, so i popped in and had a delicious blueberry bran muffin and a chocolate dipped macaroon. essencia makes their own pasteries and let me tell you...they know what they are doing. both were stellar.

my only complaint is that they don't seem to have any of my favorite breads available on my days off. i really love their whole grain wheat (or multi-grain) breads and my favorite is their kastenbrot (a dense german-style rye).

they sell coffee there and i sampled their columbian and their house roast. both were pretty good. when i have more time i am going to have to have lunch there...and their coffee.

if you haven't visited this fine place i highly recommend it. it is a smallish but cozy and lovely little café and even has a few nice tables outside. it's a great little place, but beware of their hours. they close at 4:00 pm.

best bread in central washington hands down!

enjoy :-)

-tim d.


-----13 jul, 2011-----

essencia's kastenbrot (rye bread). essencia artisan bakery is by far the best bakery in central washington. i've been there several times and the quality of the breads is as good as it gets anywhere.

essencia's kastenbrot (an authentic german-style rye bread) is awesome and one of my favorites. it is dense and heavy (like the great rye breads of germany) and the flavor is amazing. i've been to germany and have had really good rye bread. essencia's kastenbrot is every bit as good as the best rye breads i had in germany.

i like this bread toasted and served with a little fresh butter, quark or nutella ®. essencia's kastenbrot is also good in sandwiches or with a good bean soup.

kastenbrot and many of essencia's other whole grain breads are far better for you than the typical store-bought bread. they cost a bit more, but they are also much denser and made with better ingredients. pound for pound essencia's breads are a bargain and their kastenbrot is no exception.

those of us who live in the yakima valley are so fortunate to have our own artisan bakery and essencia is certainly one of the best in washington state...if not the best. their little restaurant is also a great place to have lunch. the food is wonderful and the atmosphere is warm and cozy.

and they even make their own chocolate! i had some the other day and it was terrific.

-tad

spectacular with a couple of tweaks.. my co-workers and i have been to "essensia" fairly extensively in the past few months...

the thai curry soups (chicken or the shrimp) are to die for! many who hate curry love this, because it is such a mild version of curry. it is served over rice and it's perhaps the most satisfying soup i've ever tasted in my life.

the "can't miss" items are their pastries and breads. besides their daily offered breads, occasionally, they make a batch of specialty breads (like a pantry bread or irish soda bread…) seriously, unexpected wonders.

their cold sandwiches are phenomenal. any sandwich on their own croissants will blow your mind! however, i am not a fan of their panini's (with the exception of the mediterranean version). my co-worker and myself had a reuben panini this past week, and the corned beef, not only was lacking in the color you'd expect from corned beef (a dark shade of red)…it was akin to the color of well done roast beef…and what was worse, the seasoning that you'd expect in the corned beef was not there either. additionally, the sauerkraut was almost non-existent. only the cheese and the bread saved that sandwich for us.

also, the staff is fun and pretty playful, which is very refreshing in this overly stifling "pc" world.

seating is a bit tight, so plan accordingly. customers are requested to bus their own tables, which while a turnoff right away if i would have known that before going in for the first time…i endure that nuisance for the joys of the sounds/smells/most of the food and experiences here.

amazing sticky buns!. essencia's breads and pastries are simply delicious! you're not going to find their variety of specialty breads and pastries anywhere else in yakima.

the bakery is immaculate, comfortable, welcoming, and family friendly.

my favorite treats from essencia? it's a three-way tie between the chocolate croissants, the pecan sticky rolls, and the chocolate bread. yum!

i great place to have morning coffee along with a delicious ham and cheese croissant. everything i have eaten there was very delicious. i really enjoyed their,"bread of plenty". the staff is very friendly and they always have a daily paper to read. try it, you will like it.

ohhhh, i'll try one of those, and one of that, and .... oh, just thinking about this place makes my mouth water and my tummy grumble. it's not just good, it's amazing. i mean ... don't go there. and stay away from the chocolate croissants. ;)

my hubby special ordered a gluten-free treat for me for valentine's day and they created an amazing white chocolate raspberry torte. it was fabulous! the desert itself and the care that went into making it special just for me :)

beware that it’s hot in the desert during summer harvest months, so seek shade for rest. i took a bag of cherries for the road and made a final stop at essencia artisan bakery and chocolatier for tea of the iced kind (and some sweets as well),

have a strawberry rhubarb blossom. you won't regret it!

the pecan sticky bun is delicious. a perfect balance of caramel, pecan and pastry. also, the raisen custard roll has a lovely orange addition that lingers on the palate.

good pastries. i love going to this place because of their yummy pastries. the staff is very friendly, but not the chef. saw him couple of times but not very friendly (at least to me maybe because i'm asian.) but i do see him talk to other fanatics but all the 3yrs ive been going there, never got a smile from the chef even in farmers market, though i havent seen him lately. but i will still go here because their impecable pastries and bread.