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'slunchofferings. although not the least expensivelunchoption downtown, thelunchmenu 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.

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

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 havelunchthere...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