Essencia Artisan Bakery

I can overlook poor service - often I feel like I'm interrupting the employee's conversations when I'm trying to order. It's not the service that is going to keep me from going back. It's a disgusting revelation. When I was in the bakery yesterday afternoon I saw a little girl visiting and playing with some of the staff behind the counter. The problem is that the little girl was picking her nose and wiping it on the work surfaces. The employee with her (her mom?) appeared to see her do it but did nothing to stop this behavior or even clean the counter. This is the same employee who was working at the street market on Sunday. She seems polite and nice but if the policy is to let children play in the work area they could at least train staff on how to maintain the cleanliness customers should be able to expect. Disgusting. more

I've seen places like this come and go in Yakima. It's of a quality possible to find in large cities, I hope that the locals appreciate what they have! Here you will find the rustic breads not found in grocery stores and the pastries that don't have hundreds of incomprehensible ingredients in them. They also make the soup and sandwiches we wish mom had made. It's not always perfect -- sometimes they experiment -- but for the price it's amazing! It's not "posh" but it's a decent place to bring a frien more

I LOVE ESSENCIA... The food and drinks are to die for. Everything made fresh daily, what could be better than that?! The downfall...Some customers are intimated by the owner. You can almost always hear her yelling at her workers and you can tell that there is sometimes tension when you see the employees bringing items to the front. Something to definitely work on! more

Going to Essencia Bakery in Yakima is a terrific way to spend time on a Saturday, or weekday morning or lunch. The baked breads rotate, be sure to try the rosemary bread baked on Fridays. Soups here are very good; lately they've been having both a cold soup option such as gingered watermelon, or gazpacho, and a hot soup option (my favorite's the rosemary chicken with white beans). Pizza slices are flavorful and filling; one interesting option is topped with thinly sliced potatoes! The tomato basil is terrific. Desserts are also a big hit, and definitely a diet-buster. This is a great place to grab a latte or a lunch, and they cater, too! The only drawback to this location is that it's not open on Sundays (although they do sell bread at the farmer's market across the street in the summer). more