Shake Shack

Update Review, July 2026

I know a lot of people who really like Shake Shack, and go regularly.  Even when traveling to interesting cities.  I also know people who consider it a treat to go there, rather than a more common fast food restaurant.  I am not any of these people.  I've been a few times, always when others I was with wanted to go, and was never particularly enthusiastic about anything I had (burgers, hot dog, fries, custard).  I've not sought it out since.

And then I was at Citi Field, and had a lobster roll (see review coming soon!), and wanted some fries rather than just the chips it was served with.  So, I swung by Shake Shack as it was right next door.

I should have just stuck with the lobster roll chips, or actually, the generic burgers + hot dog stand's fries (which I had later, and enjoyed so much more).  Meh, Shake Shack, meh.

Cheese Fries. $5.99.

"Crispy, crinkle cut fries topped with melted cheddar and American cheese."

I've never been a fan of crinkle fries in general (they were what my family always had, the frozen ones, and I think my brain still equates crinkle fries to those mediocre, always soggy, not very good fries that were on our dinner table all the time).  And I've not really been into Shake Shack's fries in the past.  But I got really into fries in general the past few years, so I decided to give them another try.   I also remembered at least liking the cheese sauce before, so I got that (on the side, not my request, that is just how they did it strangely).

The fries were ... as meh as I remembered.  They aren't that crisp, they aren't that flavorful, they just frankly weren't very good.  Again, maybe my bias from growing up with them, but they tasted like grocery store oven heated crinkle fries to me.  I did not like them at all. 1/5 fries.

The cheese sauce was good, smooth, good flavor, I really do like American cheese and the cheddar gave it some depth, so that I enjoyed, although it didn't have any other seasoning or anything to jazz it up.  3.5/5 cheese sauce.

Would not get these again.

Vanilla Shake. $6.

"House-made vanilla frozen custard with real vanilla."

I don't think I've ever had a shake from Shake Shack before, but I was wanting something dessert-like, and thought it might be nice to dunk the mediocre fries into.  Our event had only vanilla or black and white as options, neither of which are what I'd really want, given that Shake Shack does have some more interesting options.

The shake was a letdown too.  It was not very thick, really quite milky.  The flavor was ok, not artificial tasting nor too sweet, but it also wasn't particularly interesting, just generic rather plain vanilla.  It was fine, but really served too melty/thin.  Very very low 3/5, generously.  

Update Review, August 2021

While I've never really loved Shake Shack custard (the egg really is just too strong for me!), it was a hot day, and a soft serve cone with sprinkles sounded perfect.  The nearest place I could meet my craving was Shake Shack, so I gave it yet another chance.

The whole experience let me down more than usual.  It took 20 minutes just to order, a huge line, moving at a snail's pace, with single cashier. 12:45pm on a Friday, how did they not have more staffing?

And then ... they were out of cones.  They were out of sprinkles.  My dreams of a soft serve cone, in the sun, with sprinkles were dashed. Ugh.

I nearly left, and went elsewhere, even McDonald's soft serve seemed better than this, but after a 20 min investment I just went for it. I did ask what other toppings they had, and was told I could add chocolate chips or Oreo.  Chips it was, they are just like ... big sprinkles?

And then I waited. And waited.  Another 20 minutes, just to get a single dish of ice cream.  Oooph.  I think their ordering system doesn't start on order until the others before it are processed, but if you are just getting ice cream, shouldn't that enter the ice cream station queue faster? 

Vanilla Custard, Single.
w/ Chocolate Chips.

Anyway.  The custard.  I felt the same way about it as always.  Great texture. So creamy.  But ... ugh, it tastes too eggy for me.  I like richness, but this just isn't for me.

The mini chocolate chips were great to mix in though, dark chocolate, seemingly decent quality. And, uh, some little buttery hunks of chocolate chip cookie somehow wound up on it too.  I'm not complaining.

*+ for the custard, *** for toppings.

Update Review, Summer 2019

After many lackluster attempts at the vanilla frozen custard at Shake Shake (see previous reviews), I gave the only other option a try, chocolate, even though I don't really care for chocolate ice cream generally.

Chocolate Custard. Single.

It was ... ok.

It was super rich, super creamy, and melted beautifully.  Thicker than traditional soft serve, no question, but then somehow it melted so very fast, like all the other times I have tried their custard.  The flavor was intensely chocolate mousse like, which I did enjoy.

But ... it was just soft rich chocolate ice cream.  I desperately wanted it to have chocolate topping of some kind (fudge, crunch, chips, anything), and whipped cream, and a cherry ... and you can't get toppings there, besides sprinkles.

I think I need to just bring my own toppings.  And likely go back for vanilla, unless I really feel the chocolate urge.

Update Review, Summer 2017

Shake Shack is most known for their burgers of course, but, they do also offer a few desserts, all of the frozen variety. The desserts center around frozen custard, which can come as a cone/cup, a milkshake (classic burger pairing), or a "Concrete" with mix-ins, several of which I've tried before (like the Lobstah Shell on my first visit, where I liked the custard but not the mix-ins, and the Blueberry Pie Oh My on my second, where I felt about the same, and vowed to get just a cone next time).

Frozen Custard.

This time, I went for just the cone. Well, with sprinkles of course. Because, sprinkles.

Newbury Street Location.

I visited a different location this time, in Boston proper (Back Bay) on Newbury Street.

It was rather adorable. If you didn't know there was a Shake Shack here, you'd never guess this was a big chain location.

Since the floorplate is small, inside is two levels, with ordering, kitchen, and some seating upstairs, bathrooms and additional seating downstairs. They also had seating on the sidewalk out front.

Really, the most adorable chain restaurant I've been to!

Frozen Custard, Cone, Single Dip, with Rainbow Sprinkles.

"Our dense, rich and creamy frozen custard is the real deal – spun fresh daily at the Shack!  Our vanilla and chocolate recipes use only real sugar, no corn syrup, and milk from dairy farmers who pledge not to use artificial growth hormones. "

I opted to just get a cone.

My choices were limited to vanilla or chocolate. Shake Shake used to offer a flavor of the week, but they did away with that, and have moved to monthly special shake flavors instead. This makes me sad, as I was there for the simple custard, but, alas, the custard is mostly used as a base for the other treats. Good vanilla (usually soft serve), in a cone, with sprinkles though is a nostalgic summer time treat for me, so, I just re-created that.

My options were cup or cone (only one type), single or double scoop.

I ordered a cone, and this is how it was served. I have no idea if this is normal or not. I gave a look when I went to pick it up, as I certainly expected to be handed a cone that I could lick. Why was it face planted into the cup? Was it made as a cone, and then just stuck in a bowl? Or was it made in a bowl, and then had the cone placed on top? Very strange.

The cone was a fairly classic sugar cone, sweet, crispy. I haven't had a sugar cone in ages, but it almost seemed longer than I remember? This is the only type of cone offered.

I also asked for rainbow sprinkles, since I knew they had them for Concretes (they actually have tons of mix-ins, and I'm surprised they don't offer sundaes or toppings on bowls of custard), and I love my ice cream in a cone with sprinkles. My server didn't really know how to ring up sprinkles on a non-Concrete, so she gave them for free. The sprinkles were standard, fine.

I also ordered a single. This seemed fairly large to me, but, maybe this is a single? Not sure what a double would be.

Cone: Salvaged.

Anyway, like I said, I wanted to re-create my childhood summer ice cream stand classic order: vanilla, in a cone, with rainbow sprinkles. While not soft serve, frozen custard is softer than traditional hard ice cream, so I knew it would be similar.

I grabbed a spoon, scooped the custard onto the cone, and went out into the sun to enjoy my treat. It was 90 degrees out, *perfect* ice cream weather!

The custard was very creamy. It was quite soft, certainly more like soft serve, but it actually melted way too fast. I licked and licked and licked, but honestly couldn't keep up with how fast it was melting.

However ... I didn't really like the custard. It was very plain, without any real flavor. I couldn't detect "vanilla". Just plain. And it was too rich. I know custard is all about that richness from the added egg yolks, and I love rich things and custards in general, so I was surprised to feel this way. But, it was just too rich, perhaps just for the weather?

Overall, just very meh, and I'm not sure I'd get another. Maybe I'd try it in a dish with a fun topping?

Update Review, Summer 2016

As always with update reviews, I encourage you to go read my original posting first, as it contains all the details on the establishment.  This post just contains specifics on the items I tried on my recent visit.

 Shack-cago Dog. $4.25.

"Dragged through the garden with Rick's Picks Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato,
sport pepper, celery salt, mustard."

I was craving a hot dog when we visited Shake Shack.  And, since Shake Shack was originally a hot dog stand (did you know that?), I figured it was worth giving the hot dog a try.

I could have tried the standard hot dog of course, but, instead, went for the "Shack-cago Dog" (heh, get it?)

The hot dog was good.  I appreciated the bun, soft and fluffy, but, grilled.  The hot dog was split and seared, so, a bit crunchy with more surface area than usual, which I really liked.

The toppings really did mask the hot dog itself though.  They were good, but, actually, I felt it was a bit much.

Next time, I'd get the plain hot dog.  Maybe I'd add cheese or Shack Sauce.  But, I actually just want less toppings, so I can enjoy the dog itself more.  I know, for once, Julie doesn't want all the toppings!

Crinkle Cut Cheese Fries. $3.99.

On this visit, our group got several orders of fries to share.  I knew I didn't like the fries at all last time, and suggested this time that we try an order of cheese fries too.

They were much, much better.  The fries were still the same crinkle cut fries that reminded me of oven baked frozen fries.  I didn't like the fries.

But the cheese sauce was good.  The consistency was just right, smooth, almost runny, but not too watery.  Not too thick.  It was like a thinner version of Cheese Wiz almost.  Or liquid american cheese slices.  Really a thing of wonder in how well it coated and stuck on the fries.

Still, I wish the base fries were better, but I enjoyed my cheese fries, and I'd gladly share them again.

Blueberry Pie Oh My Concrete, Single, $4.59.

"Rich and creamy vanilla frozen custard blended with a slice of Four & Twenty Blackbirds blueberry pie and topped with whipped cream."

On my previous visit, I got a concrete, and didn't love it due to the soggy nature of the lobster tail shell.  This time, I was prepared to make my own concrete out of ingredients I like, as I'm convinced I would like concretes (I mean, frozen custard and quality mix-ins, what is not to like?).  And then I saw the summer special, the Blueberry Pie Oh My.  I still nearly got the concrete I wanted originally, but, at last minute, I changed my mind.

This was better than the Lobstah Shell Concrete I had last time but, I still didn't love it.

The base vanilla custard was good, creamy, sweet.  It melted nicely.  So, that part was good.

The pie however was really sweet, loaded with blueberry pie filling.  It made the entire thing actually just a bit too sweet.  There were also chunks of pie crust, which, like the lobster tail shell, wound up soggy, an aspect I didn't care for.

The whipped cream on top was just standard whipped cream, I believe from a can.

So, overall, fine, but too sweet, and still not the textures I was looking for.  While blending a full slice of pie into ice cream sounded great in theory, it just didn't work out that well in practice.  I like to eat pie and ice cream together, but, turns out, not blended together.

Next time, maybe I'll just get a custard cone, not a concrete?

(Oh, in case you are wondering, Four & Twenty Blackbirds is a famous pie shop in Brooklyn.)

Original Review, Summer 2014

Time for something a bit different.  A chain restaurant.  And not just a chain, a casual burger joint!

You've probably heard of Shake Shack, even though there are no locations on the West Coast.  Shake Shack started in New York as a hot dog cart, but now has locations in a few different East Coast states, and several international locations too.  The menu is pretty simple: hot dogs, burgers, fries, and frozen custard based desserts.

Perhaps the reason you have heard of Shake Shack is that (gasp!) Michelle Obama went there and ate a burger, fries, and a shake!  OMG, serious newsworthy item there.  Or maybe you have friends in New York who are crazy about the place.  I really don't recall how I first heard about Shake Shack, but, I've certainly known about it for a few years.

Burgers are the big draw, but I was most excited for the desserts, as I'm a bit of a dessert-o-holic.  But, I did also want to try the burgers.  From time to time, I'm known to enjoy a burger.  I don't always need fancy burgers, although the burger from Alexander's is still my number one burger of all time, and I did appreciate the infamous Spruce Burger.  I was far less impressed with the West Coast's trendy burger joint, Umami Burger.

But back to the Shake Shack.

They take ingredient quality seriously.  Burgers are made from fresh ground, 100% natural Angus, no hormones or antibiotics.  Hot dogs are hormone, antibiotic, and nitrate free.  Fries are trans fat free and cooked in soybean oil.  And of course, the ice cream is made with real sugar, no corn syrup, and no artificial growth hormones.

The location I visited was near the Chestnut Hill mall in Chestnut Hill, MA.  The lines were long, and the place was packed.  The lines were smartly broken into two however, one for people just getting drinks and ice cream, the other for everyone else.  Once you ordered, you were given a pager.

The wait for our burgers and fries wasn't too long, enough time to find a seat (inside or out, we went for outside since we were there enjoying the amazing east coast summer), fill up some containers with ketchup, and get ourselves ready for a feast.  However, I went back to order dessert later on, and, apparently the computers broke down, so orders were lost, and things got very, very backed up.  I waited about 30 minutes for my ice cream, only to find that my order was among the ones that was lost.  I wasn't alone, many others had their orders lost, and were being given free fries to make up for it.

Overall, I'm quite glad I got to try Shake Shack, and I'd return if I was craving a simple burger, and I'd definitely return for the frozen custard!

Hand Cut Fries. $2.85.

You can't go to a burger joint and not get fries right?  Plus, I heard that Shake Shack makes decent fries, from real potatoes, not frozen mush.

The fries did look like they came from real potatoes, with skin still on.  But, that was their only redeeming quality.  The fries were soggy, limp, and totally unseasoned.  Mediocre doesn't even describe these fries.

The only other option for sides is the same fries, topped with cheese sauce for $1 more.  There were no non-fried options, nor even onion rings.  Very weak selection for sides.

Even though there aren't any other sides, I'd still skip these in the future.  They just weren't good. Fries are also offered only in one size, which was certainly large enough that two people should share.

Single ShackBurger.  $4.85.

For the main attraction, your choices are burgers or hot dogs.  The hot dogs are split and griddled, available in chicken or classic beef.  Burgers are available in only beef (or, a vegetarian portabello mushroom "burger").  Standard toppings of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and bacon are offered.

I went for the namesake ShackBurger, a "cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce."  (A standard cheeseburger has pickles and onions in addition, but no ShackSauce, for $0.50 less).

As you may notice from the photo, the lettuce was perhaps the most significant part of the burger.  It was a huge leaf, very fresh and crispy, unlike any lettuce I've ever seen at a fast food or fast casual establishment before.  The other vegetable inside was tomato, 2 slices, fairly fresh, smaller sized, perhaps from a roma tomato.  Again, much higher quality than I expect from a fast food chain.

The cheese was impressively perfectly melted, but there was a bit too much for my taste, it somewhat overwhelmed everything else.  I wonder if it is possible to order half cheese?  The "ShackSauce" was classic special sauce, creamy, likely a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup.

Now, for the main components.  The bun was soft and fluffy, griddled on the inside.  It was fine, but not particularly remarkable.  Like the lettuce and cheese, it seemed to overwhelm the rest of the burger, as there was far more bun than burger.  I ended up using only one half the bun, doubling up the burger.  )Of course, you can also order a double burger in the first place, rather than a single, but I didn't want a bigger burger, I just wanted to be able to taste the one I had!)

And finally, the burger.  It was cooked medium-well, but was still a bit juicy.  The plentiful cheese and ShackSauce also helped make it not seem dried out.  The beef was quite good, very well seasoned, and, well, beefy.  It wasn't a high end burger, it was cooked more than I'd normally order, but, it was very very good for what it was.

So, overall, certainly the best fast food, or fast casual, burger I've ever had.  The produce was remarkably fresh, the cheese perfectly melted, and the beef tasty.  Not something I crave often, but, there is a time and a place for a casual burger, and this was a good one.  $4.85 price was incredibly reasonable for the quality.

Lobstah Shell Concrete. Single.  $4.25.

And, the part of the meal I was most looking forward to: frozen custard!  You know I like ice cream, but custard is leagues above ice cream, and such a rare find.  And, I always prefer soft serve versions of frozen dairy treats, and, the custard at Shake Shack is soft serve.

Now, I was pretty full from my burger and fries, and already had ice cream earlier that afternoon, but there was no way I could resist trying the custard.  Available in vanilla or chocolate, plus a special flavor that changes every day.  I absolutely love soft serve custard, and I really don't understand why more places don't offer it.  (Well, I guess I do, froyo is the trend these days, and, nutritionally, custard is just about as far from froyo as it gets.  But ... it is so much more delicious!)

The custard is available as a simple dish or cone, or can be made into a shake or float, or, into a "concrete", described as "dense frozen custard ice cream blended at high speed with mix-ins."  When I did my research, everyone recommended the concretes.  Plus, how do you resist mix-ins?

For concretes, there are 3 predesigned options, or you can make your own.  The predesigned options are all location specific, and generally feature ingredients made locally.

The first custom one at this location was the "Shack Attack", made from chocolate custard with fudge, chocolate truffle cookie dough, and Mast Brothers Shake Shack dark chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate sprinkles.  Since I avoid chocolate in the evenings, that one was out.  Next was "Revere's Tracks", made from vanilla custard, with cheesecake blondies, peanut butter, and chocolate sprinkles.  This sounded good, but the final option is the one that really caught my attention: the "Lobstah Shell", made from vanilla custard, lobster tail pastry shell from Boston's North End, strawberry puree, and ricotta cream.  It sounded like the most special and unique to the location.

Of course, I also had the option to make my own, picking vanilla or chocolate for the base, plus any mix-ins I wanted.  However, the pricing made no sense to do so.  The base concrete was $3.25, plus $0.60 for each mix-in vs $4.25 for a pre-designed one.  So if I wanted just two mix-ins, the price was already higher than one of their designed ones.  Plus, I figured they knew what ingredients worked well together.

The custard was pretty much perfect.  Soft, creamy, rich.  So good.  Unfortunately, I didn't like the mix-ins.  The lobster tail pastry was soggy and a bit off-putting.  It reminded me of the also soggy waffle cone pieces in Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream.  I like crunchy mix-ins.  The strawberry puree was too sweet.  And honestly, I never tasted anything ricotta-like, not sure how I'd distinguish it from the custard itself.

Even though I didn't like my mix-ins, I liked the custard itself so much that I devoured this in seconds.  I'd love to try another type of custom concrete, or, more likely, I'd just like it in a cone ... with sprinkles of course.

$4.25 was a bit pricey compared to the food options, but not that much higher than other ice cream or frozen yogurt shops.

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Firebrand Artisan Breads

If you ask someone in the Bay Area where to get a great pretzel, assuming they don't point you at the mall food court (I'm looking at you Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's!), chances are high that they'll mention Firebrand.

Firebrand is bakery located in Oakland, operating since 2008, known for, among other things, the pretzels.

"Firebrand is a mission-driven bakery creating quality jobs through the craft of artisan baking. Come try The Bay’s best damn pastries and wood-fired breads."

Firebrand is a bakery you feel good supporting (particularly after they had a horrible fire a few years ago!).   I've never visited the shop in Oakland, but the business started out as wholesale before opening a storefront, and I was fortunate to work somewhere that offered their goods as part of our morning breakfast lineup, and often featured their products at special events.  I also encountered their baked goods at coffee shops around town, their pretzels on upscale pub menus, and they distribute via Good Eggs (and now, even, are in Whole Foods), so, finding their goods has been relatively easy.

My feelings on Firebrand are mixed - they have a few very, very strong offerings, many "decent" ones, and some that just really weren't good.  When I see the Firebrand name on a menu though, I'll still seek it out!

Pretzels

While Firebrand is a full bakery, offering loaves, pastries, and more, the pretzels seem to be a signature feature of the menu.

Salted Pretzel. $3.25.

"Authentic german style."

This was a very good pretzel.  I see why people rave about these.

Soft, doughy interior.  Crispy "crust".  Excellent salt level.  Slightly strange shape.

Just a simple soft pretzel, but, a very good one. 3.5/5.

Sunflower Seed Pretzel. $3.25.

Firebrand also coats the pretzels with a few other toppings, like sunflower seeds, something I haven't seen done before elsewhere.

It was the same good base pretzel, soft interior, good bite to the exterior, but I wasn't really into the sunflower seeds.  They did add a nice crunch though.  3/5.

Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot. $3.50.

"Firebrand's classic best-seller is the salty, savory pretzel. Here it's been introduced to Cypress Grove goat cheese, herbs, French sea salt and black pepper! The Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot is a whole new level of deliciousness, ready for you to enjoy at breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

So, I don't like goat cheese.  Ever.  I'm sorry.  I've tried it all, I've had it fresh, I've had it from every producer who tells me, "Even people who don't like goat cheese like my goat cheese".  I've tried to work it into things I love: I've had it in ice cream, I've had it in whipped cream, I just don't like it.

So this goat cheese pretzel knot was unlikely to be something I liked.  But I tried a bite.  As expected, not for me.

The pretzel was great actually, soft inside, chewy crust, plentiful salt, deep flavor.  But the goat cheese?  Yes, it tasted like goat cheese.  I want one filled with gruyere instead.

Such good pretzels though. 3/5.

Gruyere Pimenton Pretzel Bomb. $4.50.

"A Firebrand favorite, these buttery, chewy pretzels are filled with Austrian Gruyere and topped with Pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika) and French sea salt. Why "pretzel bombs"? Well, of course, because they'll blow your mind!"

I remember reading about the pretzel bombs way back when.  I almost ordered them from Good Eggs several times.  I was thrilled to finally get to try one, although it was oddly served at breakfast at my office cafe.

I loved the form, and they had a nice chew and pretzel flavor that Firebrand is known for.  I wasn't really into the pimenton flavor though, and the gruyere was very minimal, just a dot in the center.   It was fine, but, sounded more promising than it was.

I think these would be amazing paired with french onion soup ...

3/5.

Gruyere Pimenton Ball (2024).  $4.75.

I was underwhelmed with these years ago when I tried them, but they looked dramatically improved (at least on the cheese front) so I gave them another try.

They were much better - the cheese on top was more significant, as was the cheese within.  The pimento flavor was less, which I preferred.  I still wasn't quite sure when I'd want it / how to enjoy it though.  I think warmed and served with french onion soup would be good, or cut open and stuffed with hot dogs or bologna, but otherwise, it still feels a bit like something is missing, at least for me.  But definitely better than previous versions.  3/5.

Croissants

Firebrand also makes croissants, both sweet and savory, some ... pretzel-like!  They are a very flaky (messy!) style.  These are found in many coffee shops around town.

 Pretzel Croissant. $3.50.

Firebrand's most unique, and iconic item, besides the pretzels themselves, is the pretzel croissants.

I really want to like these, but, I just don't quite.

The problem is the pastry itself.  It is kinda spongy, oily, and just not very good.  And the top is very dark, burnt tasting almost, but, this is by design, it is supposed to be like a pretzel.  Which almost works, but it just tastes burnt to me usually.  I do love the salt on top though, and this is *almost* great, hence the reason I try it all the time, just to be disappointed.  2.5/5.

Ham & Gruyere Croissant. $4.75.

"Black forest ham, gruyere, fontina, parmesan and whole grain mustard."

Gruyere!

I eagerly grabbed this one, but alas, I never really found the cheese.  Inside was a small slice of crispy, quality ham and flavorful grainy mustard, both of which were good components, but, I was looking for the cheese.  Perhaps that was cheese on top?

The fillings were ok (although seemingly cheeseless), but the pastry was not.  Spongy, oily, not good. 2.5/5.

Almond Croissant. $4.75.

"Topped with slivered almonds and powdered sugar."

Almond croissants are fairly polarizing for me.  Or at least, legit almond croissants, done the French patisserie way of double baking a day-old croissant, after slicing it in half, stuffing it with frangipane, and topping it with almonds and sugar.  I'm going to guess that most American bakeries don't actually make almond croissants as a way to re-use their more-than-4-hours-old croissants.

Anyway, almond croissants.  I should love them.  I always *want* to love them.  I like sweet frangipane filling.  I like the crunchy aspect of coating them in powdered sugar and almonds.  Of course I like flaky buttery croissants.  And I'm a big fan of not letting food go to waste.

Yet, nearly every time I eat an almond croissant, even at Boulangerie Julien and Ladurée in Paris, even from SF Darling Tartine, I'm left with a sense of "Hmm, that wasn't great", that I just can't explain.

Which is basically how I felt about this too.

The croissant was decent, fairly laminated, fairly buttery.  It was just the right amount of crispy on the outside, and the sugar/almond crusting was sweet and crunchy.  It was stuffed with about the right amount of frangipane, not too much to overwhelm, not too little that you couldn't tell it was there.  The frangipane was fairly standard, not too sweet.  Basically, everything about it was "fine", but, it wasn't particularly good or noteworthy. 3/5.

Classic Croissant. $3.50.

"Flakey and buttery."

Next, I moved on to a simple classic croissant, not an item I'm generally very excited about, but, I figured that I couldn't really judge Firebrand unless I tried the plain croissant.

I didn't like it.  The exterior was extremely crispy, too crispy.  The almond croissant was also crazy crispy, but I thought that made sense in the context of a double baked almond croissant.  For a plain croissant, it almost made it seem stale.  Inside, it wasn't flaky and light, rather, it was a bit spongy.

I need to try another, because this was extremely disappointing.  2/5.

Banana Chocolate Croissant (Seasonal Special). $4.75.

This was fun, but not exactly successful.

A regular croissant, sliced in half, filled with a line of chocolate paste and soft cooked bananas, slightly glazed on top, with a smear of more chocolate paste and slightly caramelized pearl sugar.

The problem here was the croissant.  Firebrand just doesn't make good croissants.  It was oily.  It was a bit spongy.  It wasn't flaky.  It wasn't buttery.  It wasn't well laminated.  The croissant just was not good.

The chocolate paste filling inside was fine, quality dark chocolate blended into a creamy thick paste (I'm not sure what else was in the mix), and I liked it more than just standard bar of chocolate that most places bake into chocolate croissants.  The bananas were soft and went well with the chocolate.

The glaze on the outside of the croissant attributed to it being not crispy, so that was a bit strange, but I did like the chocolate on top.  It was the same as from the filling, except topped with tons of pearl sugar and baked, so it was crispy and sweet.

I enjoyed the chocolate and bananas, and especially the top chocolate, but, overall, this was not good and I would not get another. 2.5/5.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo. $4.75.

This was massive.  It might be hard to see the size here, but this was a really, really large croissant, in height and in dimension.  I almost didn't take one, particularly as it also looked burnt and dark, but, my curiosity and love of chorizo got the better of me.

I'm glad I tried it.  The outside was coated in unexpected spices.  I tasted caraway, salt, maybe poppyseeds, and more.  They were flavorful and quite tasty, and went well with the flaky exterior.  I'm not sure what made it dark, but, it wasn't burnt.

This was labelled "Chorizo Croissant" at my cafe, but, Firebrand calls it the "Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo", which is a much better description.  The addition of the everything spices was unexpected to me, but really a creative fusion between what you expect on a bagel, and a croissant.  Which gets me to the filling.  3/5.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo: Inside.

It was a lofty croissant, and the layers were well done, buttery, nicely laminated.  Inside was the chorizo that I was expecting, but, also, cream cheese.  This made a lot of sense with the everything spices, but, again, I wasn't expecting that either.

I didn't love the filling.  The chorizo was chewy and just slices of chorizo.  The cream cheese was a big block in the middle, not very soft, and pretty firm.  A softer whipped cream cheese, or maybe mixed with chopped up chorizo, or mixed with the everything spices would have been more successful.

Still, overall I liked it, as the crispy flaky exterior and spicing were well done. 3/5.

Chocolate Croissant. $4.75.

"made with Valrhona chocolate."

This was a very large, but not particularly good, croissant.  This is just about 40% of one, so I could show the cross section.

The pastry itself just wasn't flaky, not well laminated, and not crispy on the outside.  Somewhat soft. It did have a buttery taste, but, just not really what I want in a croissant in terms of texture.  The two big batons of dark chocolate were fine, but not really noteworthy.

I wouldn't get again.  2/5. 

Danishes

Firebrand makes a every changing lineup of danishes, in several form factors, again both sweet and savory.

 

Spring Seasonal: Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Danish. $4.75.

A seasonal danish special for May: balsamic strawberry rhubarb!

The danish sadly went the way of the croissants, which makes sense, given that it is likely the same dough.  The dough was oily and spongy, not buttery, not flaky, not laminated.  It was glazed on top in a way that made it even soggier, and tasted vaguely of apricot, although it didn't have apricot listed as an ingredient.

The custard filling inside was good, creme fraiche and egg yolk based, and the strawberries and rhubarb were actually great, soft, sweet, accented with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

I enjoyed the fruit and custard, but, just like the chocolate banana croissant, it was the pastry itself that just let me down.

I do give them points for this one looking great though, and for the balsamic touch. 2.5/5.

Spring Seasonal: Blackberry Cream Cheese Danish. $4.75.

The other spring seasonal danish special was blackberry cream cheese, a different style than the balsamic strawberry rhubarb.  It used a folded over pocket instead of the open round, and had a cream cheese base rather than creme fraiche custard.  Like many other Firebrand pastries, it had a generous sprinkling of pearl sugar that crisped up the top.

Like the others, I was again let down by the pastry, it was slightly soggy, not flaky.  The pearl sugar on top didn't help.

I did really like the cream cheese filling though, soft and sweet, basically, like cheesecake.  The blackberries were whole berries, soft from being baked, but, still blackberries, which means seeds, which means I don't like.

So, about in-line with the other pastries.  The dough for the croissant/danish base just ruins these, but I really did like that filling. 2.5/5.

Summer Seasonal: Peach Root Beer. $4.75.

Summer brought a transition from strawberries to peaches, and, a peach root beer danish to go with it.

This sounded odd, and certainly worth trying, even though I knew I wouldn't like the pastry.

And, yeah, the pastry wasn't good.  Soggy, spongy, not flaky, not butter, not good.

And in the center, two small chunks of soft peach.  I didn't taste root beer.

Oh well. 1/5.

Black Forest Ham, Mustard, & Gruyere Danish. $4.75

This was truly delicious.

The pastry was extremely flaky, which I loved.  Seriously, pastry perfection, at least for this style of danish.

Inside was a mix of chopped up bits of ham, soft cheese (it said gruyere, but there really seemed to be cream cheese in there too ...) and a little mustard for additional flavor.  Good textures, good flavors.

My favorite of the savories I've tried. 3/5.

Mini Sweet Cream Danish.

I should have known better.  The danishes/croissants just aren't very good from Firebrand, at least, not when served at my office cafes.  Yet this one looked different, and so loaded with filling, that I gave it a try.

The pastry itself again let me down badly.  So dry. Not flaky.  Not buttery.  Just not fresh tasting or good at all. 

The filling was ok, but had a lot more lemon to it than I care for.  Sorta like cheesecake filling, e.g. sweetened cream cheese.  Overall though, big meh. 1.5/5.

Scones $5.00.

For years, Firebrand only made one kind of scone (blueberry vanilla), and a seasonal one that changed, but they recently introduced a chocolate orange version to the regular lineup.

May Seasonal: Pecan Apricot Scone.

The pecan apricot scone were a pleasant surprise.

A very rustic style, not triangles, not round, not square ... very full of rough edges and crags.  They weren't pretty, but they were tasty.  The base had a fantastic tang to it (although it didn't have buttermilk), and plentiful bits of chopped pecans.  It crumbled just right.  A fantastic base.

In the middle-ish was apricot jam, sweet and fruity, and it went nicely with the scone, although apricot and pecan aren't necessarily a combination I would have thought of.  Like many Firebrand pastries, it had generous pearl sugar on top, which added additional sweetness and crunch.

3.5/5.

July Seasonal: Blueberry Vanilla Scone.

July brought blueberries, and thus the apricot pecan scone was swapped out for blueberry vanilla.

It was also a slightly rustic style, a triangle that wasn't quite a triangle, full of crags.  The base was ok, not particularly interesting, I do prefer a buttermilk tang.  It had generous blueberries throughout, but they weren't particularly juicy.  Hard style scone again, very crumbly.

Overall, fine, but not particularly exciting.  Due to the hard, crumbly nature, I found myself wanting some clotted cream or whipped cream alongside.  Which of course I did have on hand. 3/5.

Raspberry Jam Buckwheat Scone.

Once fresh fruits were out of season, it was time for jam based varieties, such as the raspberry jam topped buckwheat scone.

This was a decent scone.

Again, quite rustic in nature, triangle-ish, jagged.  Good crumb.  The buckwheat made it slightly hearty, but certainly didn't dominate and it did not come across as a "healthy" item.

The jam was good, sweet, gooey, and made it an easy option to grab and go, but I would generally rather slather fresh jam and clotted cream on a scone.

It also had a few juicy raspberries integrated throughout.

A good enough scone overall.  3.5/5.

Raspberry Buckwheat Scone (December 2019).

It came back the next winter, slightly different style with less jam.

I again found the scone base "fine", slightly hearty, but nothing over the top healthy.  I again liked the fruity gooey jam in the middle, but still wanted more, and some cream with it.  

Chocolate Orange Scone.

I was drawn in by the huge hunks of chocolate, and the pearl sugar on top.

It was an ok scone - not too crumbly, kinda boring flavor (e.g. no buttermilk tang that I like), but did have pretty strong essence of orange, which just isn't my thing.  I did like the crispy sweet top, and the big hunks of chocolate though.

Overall fine, but not my thing. 3/5.

Blueberry Vanilla (half).

Although I didn't really care for it before, I tried the blueberry vanilla again after several years.  It was again lackluster.

It just had no real base flavor, I really wanted a buttermilk tang or something.  Not really sure where the "vanilla" was.  The blueberries were tiny bits of dried berry, and didn't add a juiciness or much flavor either.  I liked the pearl sugar on top, but the scone itself was soft in a strange way, not crumbly like most American scones, but also not soft like a British scone or biscuit either, it was more like ... a scone that had been stored in a container for a few days? 

Anyway, big meh.  2/5.

Muffins $4.50.

Firebrand makes 4 standard kinds of muffins, basically, the classics: bran, blueberry, lemon poppy seed, plus a vegan sweet potato one, and occasional others.

Bran. 

Bran muffins are one of those polarizing baked goods, much like oatmeal raisin cookies.  Those who want chocolate chip have their day ruined by unexpected oatmeal raisin.  Bran muffins, often the losers, except some really love them.

Me?  I *sometimes* love them.  The right texture, heartiness, mix-ins ... and usually a quality butter or jam to slather on, and I might love one.  But the majority?  Dry, boring.

I had hope for this muffin.  It was studded (albeit not consistently) with little currants and seemed loaded with shredded carrots.  It glistened on top.

However ... it was solidly in the "meh" category.  Dry.  No sweetness like honey or molasses to liven it up.  No particular flavor at all really.  Meh.  1/5.

Blueberry.

Wow.  I'm ... surprised this is a fresh baked Firebrand product.  It tasted, and kinda looked, like it came out of a plastic wrapper.

The top was not crisp as I like, rather it was moist.  The texture of the whole muffin was  rather spongy.  The base flavor was ... processed.  Everything about this seemed like it was plucked from a cellophane wrapper, a mass produced, scary long shelf life kind of product.  At least it did have generous distribution of large juicy berries?

But wow, just, a fake, processed tasting muffin.

1.5/5.

Blueberry Lemon Muffin.

This was not a very good muffin.

The pearl sugar on top was nice, but otherwise, it was not a very moist muffin (almost seemed over baked), the flavor was pretty boring besides a hint of lemon, and my muffin had exactly two blueberries, both of which had sunk to the bottom.  Eh.  2/5.

Sweet Potato Flaxseed. Vegan. 

This muffin ... looked sad.  Shrunken into the wrapper, considerably smaller than its non-vegan counterparts.  It looked, from a distance, almost like it might be a chocolate muffin with nibs on top, but, closer inspection revealed it was flax seeds on top, and the dark color was ... who knew.  Not chocolate.  I expected sweet potato to give it a more orange hue.

Anyway, it was actually much better than it looked.  It was a healthy, hearty tasting muffin, reminding me a bit of a bran muffin.  It had very little sweetness, I think only naturally sweetened by the sweet potato, and, besides the flax seeds on top, very little texture.  I did like the crunch they added, but sorta wished for this to be more like a morning glory or carrot muffin, with a bit more interesting bits inside, or, gah, even some raisins.  It was very dense, likely due to its vegan nature, and much of why it looked so sunken.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, and when I'm in the mood for a hearty, healthy, bran-like muffin, I'd get it again.  I suspect it would be good with some cream cheese on it too.

3.5/5.

Orange Spelt.

I was drawn to this muffin by the little bits of pecan I could see on top.  While I shy away from orange flavors generally, I do love pecans, and I do love hearty muffins, so the spelt element did not detract.

I almost liked it.  A reasonably moist, hearty style muffin, not too sweet, nearly healthy tasting.  I liked the crunch from the pecans.  But, it was clearly an orange muffin, and those orange notes were too strong for my taste.  If you like orange, and like you healthy-hearty muffins though, try this.  I think my mother would like it.

2.5/5

Wheat Free Pumpkin Muffin.

This is an interesting muffin.  I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it.

It was mostly like a lightly spiced pumpkin cake (luckily not too much aggressive nutmeg!), with pleasant warming spices, and mild pumpkin flavor.  It reminded me a bit of Starbuck's pumpkin loaf.  It didn't taste oddly gluten-free, but was kinda oily.  Not greasy, but, dense oily if that makes any sense.  The texture was otherwise fine though.  I liked the bit of streusel/nuts on top, but there wasn't much of it.  I think it would be even better with nuts throughout.

As a muffin I wasn't particularly interested in it (just not my style) but warmed up and topped with blackberries, a scoop of ice cream, and pumpkin whipped cream I enjoyed it.  3/5.

Veggie Muffin.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this muffin, labelled as simply, "veggie". It was topped with both black and white sesame seeds.

It was an interesting muffin. I didn't know what to make of it.  I sorta thought it would be like zucchini bread or a carrot muffin, just more intense maybe.  But it had a slew of veggies in it, including bits of bell peppers, and definitely some shredded veggies too.  It had a lot going on.  It was very moist, but also somewhat oily/greasy in an odd way.  It was savory for sure.  I couldn't tell if I actively disliked it, but I didn't particularly like it.

I am not sure where this muffin would make sense in my life.  It was a bit too much to think of like a side bread/roll/biscuit that you'd have with a meal.  It was far to vegetable-forward to make sense as a breakfast item.  It certainly wasn't a dessert.  Maybe something to have on the side with a salad as a light lunch?  I'm really not sure.  It basically just confused me (and why was it so oily?).  2/5.

Blueberry Hemp Muffin.

I'm not entirely sure why I grabbed this, but my coffee bar had them one day, and for some reason, even though covered in hemp seeds (not something I really care for) I still wanted it?

It was a shockingly moist muffin.  Really remarkably so.  And the blueberries within were massive and juicy.  These elements all set it apart from most blueberry muffins immediately, and were the highlights.  But ... it did taste pretty healthy (sorta bran like) and the hemp seeds definitely dominated.  I still enjoyed it, more than I'd expect to, but I wouldn't get another as hemp just isn't my thing (in this form). Low 3/5.

Brown Sugar Spice Muffin.

I picked this muffin because it was adorably ugly.

It was an exceptionally boring muffin.  Some vague slight spicing, but not much.  Some vague sweetness, but not much.  Three tiny bits of pecan on top, none within.  Not dry exactly, but not moist.  Exceptionally boring. 2/5.  

Other Pastry

And then there are ... the "others".  And yes, spoiler, I saved the best for last.  In the more decadent morning lineup, Firebrand uses their croissant dough for morning buns and kouign amann, and for the really decadent, a sticky bun made with their pretzel dough, covered in gooey goodness, with plenty of pecans.

Morning Bun. $4.75.

"Made with croissant dough and rolled in cinnamon sugar."

This was my first time having the morning bun, for some reason, my cafe at my office always offers the pecan sticky buns, which, are glorious but far more dessert appropriate.  The morning bun, while still certainly a "treat" felt more appropriate mid-morning with my coffee.

It is a decent morning bun.  Flaky croissant dough, TONS of cinnamon and sugar, slightly caramelized bits, moist inside.  I think I detected a hint of citrus as well.  No Tartine morning bun, for sure, but, good.

3.5/5.

Pretzel Sticky Bun. $4.75.

"This is one of Firebrand's favorite treats!  Our delicious buttery pretzel dough is rolled with butter, Saigon Cinnamon sugar and organic black currants. It is then topped with organic pecans and a dark caramel glaze like no other. These babies are decadent and addictive. Eating with a napkin nearby is recommended!

We use spices from our local Oaktown Spice Shop and brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners."

OMG.  That is all I have to say about this.

What do you get when you take Firebrand's fluffy, softy pretzel dough, roll it with layers of butter/cinnamon/sugar/currants, and coat the whole thing in caramel and pecan bits?  Answer: you get sweet and salty magic.

I don't think I've ever had a sticky bun that uses pretzel dough as the base, but, I absolutely loved the sweet and salty combo, and the fluffy dough was a natural match.  As they say, a napkin is recommended as it is sticky and a complete mess to eat, but just licking your fingers after is totally accepting in my book too.

I loved this, and it wasn't nearly as indulgent as it actually sounds, the pretzel aspects made it feel lighter and slightly savory. 4/5.

Update:
I've had many, many of these over the past few months, as they are available in my cafe at work daily (yes, danger!).  I'm not quite as enamored as I was at the start, although I still really love the pecans and sticky caramel.  I've certainly been known to go near the end of breakfast service, when I know the sticky buns will be gone, and the serving bowl will be filled with all the bits of nuts and caramel that have fallen off.  My favorite part! 4/5.

However, sometimes they really are burnt.  The nuts in particular are sometimes bitter tasting and actually visibly burnt.  I think some quality control is needed.

Pretzel Sticky Bun (2026).

When my office first started getting Firebrand products, I was low key obsessed with the pretzel sticky buns.  I had one nearly every day at breakfast.  I always scooped up all the extra sticky sauce/nuts/dried fruit that fell off of others, and used it as a topping on my after lunch froyo.  Eventually I started to grow sick of them, spurred mostly by the disappointment of them being frequently overdone.  And then covid happened, and when we returned, I stopped going in to the office in the mornings, choosing to work from home in the mornings, and only commute in later in the morning.  Thus, no more sticky buns for years.

But I recently was there in the morning, and was delighted to see these still offered.  They did seem a bit different - far less topping, and a bit taller, but smaller in diameter.  I still eagerly dug in.

And ... yeah, other things had changed, besides the look.  It did still have the fairly unique pretzel wash, but it had considerably more currants between the layers than I remembered (as in, it was loaded with currants, which I tolerate a few of, but certainly don't want dominating like this), had no nuts besides the few on top, and very minimal cinnamon.  It was pretty dry.

I was sad, but took the rest home, heated it up, added caramel sauce, and a scoop of ice cream, and finished it, but I wouldn't get another.  2.5/5, maybe low 3/5.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. $4.00.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but, the cinnamon rolls went the way of the croissants and danishes, which makes sense, given that they use the same base.

The pastry wasn't flaky, it was oily, it was spongy.  There was just a little cinnamon between the folds.  The icing was cream cheese based, sweet, ok, but not particularly interesting.  3/5.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann. $4.75.

"Made with caramelized croissant dough."

Kouign amann are a wondrous creation. 

They are crispy on the outside, buttery and sugary, wonderful wonderful things.  One of the best pastries ever.

However, these ... weren't great.  The pastry wasn't as crisp, it wasn't as caramelized, it wasn't as buttery, it wasn't as sugary as it should be.

The frangipane filling was nice though. 2.5/5.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann #2.

I tried again.  I couldn't give up on the wonder of a kouign amann!

But ... it again wasn't good.

The frangipane inside was really mushy and gritty.  The pastry layers were oily, spongy, and not really flaky nor crisp, except for the very top.  The very, very top was ok, but, generally, it really suffered.  Was it not stored properly perhaps?  Not fresh? 2/5.

Sour Cherry Kouign Amann. $4.75.

Sour Cherry! I love sour cherry.  And the hope of a good kouign amann was still there.

Sadly, this still wasn't it.

The sour cherry filling was good, basically, slightly sour cherry compote, but not particularly more interesting than any jarred variety.

And the pastry.  Sigh.  Just not flaky, buttery, caramelized.  I need to give up on these.  I do.  But ... kouign amann!  It *should* be good!!! 2/5.

Nutella Kouign Amann. $5.

I waited probably 3 years before trying another.  But one day, I couldn't resist.  A kouign amann!  Nutella!

But ... sigh.  The pastry really did just seem a bit spongy, not flaky, not caramelized, not buttery.  Its just not very good.  The glob of Nutella in the middle was, well, Nutella.

Sadness. 2/5.

Cronuts. $4.75.

Firebrand doesn't always offer cronuts in the cafes, but they do for wholesale.  I tried them years ago and really enjoyed them, so I was thrilled to snag one recently.  Flavors change seasonally, they were chocolate hazelnut, strawberry, and vanilla on the day I found them.

Iced Croissant Donut.

Oh, the cronut.  Er, croissant donut.  At least the hype has died down about these, with even places like Dunkin' Donuts offering them, so they are now just a normal thing to offer at breakfast gatherings.

We had these for a special event, and I was thrilled when I heard they came from Firebrand.  I had no idea Firebrand made donuts, or, cronuts for that matter.  I was eager to see how they approached them.

For the event, the croissant donuts were iced with different colors of royal icing, per the host's request.  They were ... very generously iced.  And the icing was quite thick, very, very sweet, and made a mess.  I wish the host hadn't done this to the otherwise perfectly good croissant donuts!

Croissant Donut: Layers.

The donuts themselves were great though.

The layers were nicely laminated, the donuts lofty.  Good croissant component, better than their regular croissants, really.  Flaky, buttery, just right.  Perhaps because not made in such large scale batches?  And they were certainly fried as well, greasy in all the right ways.  They ... did sit heavy in the stomach though.  Particularly if you ate more than one in a day.  I mean, what, who doesn't that?  Gulp.

Some were a bit burnt, but you could tell when you grabbed one if it was too dark, but I'll say that consistency is not a strong point of Firebrand.

Overall, a good croissant donut, but the icing was unfortunate, here you can see what happened when we cut into one, the icing just all came off everywhere.  3.5/5.

Chocolate Ganache + Pistachio Cronut.

Things got much better with the chocolate dipped cronuts.

Wowzer. This was crazy good.

The same good croissant donut base, flaky, layered, fried, greasy in the right ways, horrible yet delicious, and then, thick, rich, very chocolately ganache.  I loved the ganache, so much better than standard chocolate dipped donut topping.  Little bits of crushed pistachios added a little crunch.

<3 this so much. 4/5.

Chocolate Hazelnut.

I was drawn to the chocolate hazelnut not because I like Nutella-like flavors - I don't generally, but because I wanted the house made hazelnut brittle on top.

The brittle was great - candied, crispy, exactly what I wanted.  There was very little of it though, just the dusting you see here.

The cronut was well coated with chocolate, I think with a slight hazelnut flavor to it.  It was creamy, and a nice compliment to the rich dough below.

The base was pretty different from the last time I had one.  Before, they were crazy lofty, easily double the height, with beautiful layers.  This was more compressed, the size of a regular donut, just with a bit of a croissant-like aspect to it.  It didn't flake as well, but it did have a reasonably buttery taste, quite rich.

Overall, it was good, but not dramatically great, and I remember liking the other versions more.

4/5.

Custom Cronuts.

Ah, the Google colored cronuts strike again.

While the concept is fun, I think Firebrand's regular cronuts are considerably better.  However, these were exactly what I remembered from before - lofty and really thick sugar coating.  All colors taste the same.

The texture of these was more soft, like a mediocre croissant, and less fried like a donut.  It was tasty, but, the one I had the week before that wasn't a custom one was considerably better.

3/5.

Cookies. $4.00.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of regular cookies: chocolate chip, ginger, oatmeal cranberry pecan, and peanut butter, along with specials like rose pistachio, or vegan double chocolate or sugar cookies.  I find it interesting that only vegans can get classic sugar cookies, or decadent chocolate chocolate ones.  All are large size cookies, which makes sense, given the $3.75 price.  My cafe always cuts them in half.

Ginger Molasses.

I'm not a cookie person, but this was a good cookie.

It was fairly soft, yet crispy on top from the pearl sugar (yes!).  The flavor was strongly like gingerbread, but it also had large chunks of candied ginger inside (double yes!) which added a ton of flavor and nice chewy bits.

Still a cookie, so not my dessert of choice, but very good.

This is clearly just half a cookie. 3.5/5.

Rose Pistachio.

This was another decently soft cookie, yet crispy on top with pearl sugar (and rose petals?)  I didn't necessarily taste rose in it though.

I did taste pistachio, ground bits were throughout the cookie.

A very fascinating, different cookie, well prepared, just, not necessarily what I like.  3/5.

Vegan Double Chocolate.

The vegan double chocolate cookies were quite interesting.  At first glance, they looked almost like cakes, or brownies, just, in a strange form.  This wasn't helped by the fact that my cafe had attempted to cut them in half, and the result was mostly a platter of crumbly rubble.  

The cookies continued to be quite interesting as I bit in.  Clearly a crumbly texture, but also they had a lot of grit to them.  Not a bad thing exactly, much like a stoneground dark chocolate bar, but there was a grit to every bite.   They were soft due to being so puffy, but not cake like, and also crisp, if that makes any sense.  There is a reason they were just hunks of rubble! They were intensely chocolately.

I think I liked them?  But definitely a bit of an odd cookie.  Wonderful to dunk in milk (uh, soy milk if you actually *are* vegan?), or top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

3/5.

Confetti Cookie.

This was an exceptionally crunchy cookie.  The complete opposite of the style of cookie I like.  Sooo crispy.  The sugar cookie flavor was fine, but, yeah, wow, way too crisp for my taste. 2/5.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan.

These were nice, soft cookies.  Large size. Fairly standard quasi-healthy oatmeal base, little pops of flavor from cranberries (a step above raisins!).  I didn't really find much pecan.

Not really the kind of item I crave, but, it was good for what it was.  3/5.

Cakes & Cupcakes

Cakes and cupcakes are not part of Firebrand's normal lineup, but they do make them for wholesale requests, or sometimes, seasonally.  We get the regularly for special events in my office, so I've been able to try several.  The buttercream keeps drawing me back in ... 

Chocolate w/ Chocolate Buttercream. $4.50.

This was ... a cupcake.  It didn't seem better than anything a decent enough home baker could make.  The cake wasn't that moist, the top not crispy, the chocolate flavor not very intense, in neither the cake nor the buttercream.  The buttercream was fluffy though.  3/5.

Vanilla w/ Lemon Buttercream. $4.50.

The vanilla cupcake was about the same - not bad, but not particularly good.  Not very moist, no crispy top, no real flavor.  The buttercream was again delightfully fluffy, sweet, but, surprise (!) lemon flavored (I thought it was vanilla with vanilla buttercream).  The lemon caught me off guard, and I wasn't particularly pleased with that, since I don't care for lemon, but if you do, this had some nice zest in it. 3/5.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Vanilla base with vanilla frosting."

I've had Firebrand cakes and cupcakes before, but it had been a while when I had this, a classic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.  I believe the logo on edible paper was added by our catering team, not Firebrand, but I'm not certain.

The cake was good, but not quite standard.  The texture was almost like a cornbread, with a bit of texture and more dense than you'd expect in a cupcake or sheet cake.  I liked it, but, definitely not a light and airy cake.  It was sweet but not too sweet.

The frosting was very sweet, fluffy, and quite tasty.  I really liked it.

Overall, a decent cupcake.  Not amazing, and didn't quite fit the mold of a generic cupcake, but, it was good.  3.5/5.

Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Chocolate base with chocolate frosting."

The chocolate cake was fairly standard generic chocolate cake.  Not particularly moist, but not dry.  Very homogenous, no crispy top.  Reasonable cocoa flavor.  Generic, but fine.

The frosting was very good, light and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.  Light chocolate flavor.  

Overall, this was slightly above average compared to a reasonable generic cupcake, the frosting was the star.  I would have preferred even more frosting to cake, but I think the ratio was fairly appropriate for most.

3/5.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Yes, this was originally a full size cake, sorry for the slightly-destroyed photo.

The cake was far better than average.  

Two layers of chocolate cake and plenty of frosting both inside and on top.  Basically 1:1 cake to frosting ratio, which I was pleased by, particularly as I really enjoyed the sweet, fluffy frosting.  The cake was fine, decently moist, some chocolate flavor.  Not amazing, not bad, certainly better than grocery store cake, but not better than what a really good home baker would make.  The frosting though I really, really liked, and put together, it was just a very nice cake.

I had way, way too much of it, and of course took all the extra frosting around the edges that no one else claimed!

4/5.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.
(September 2022).

A few months later, it was time to celebrate for my own team, and we ordered the same cake I had enjoyed the remnants of before.  Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream.

This one didn't live up to my memories.  The cake was fairly dry, and it wasn't as intensely chocolatey as I remember.  But really, the dryness was the downfall.  The cake part itself, around grocery store quality, certainly no better, perhaps worse.  

The frosting that I so looked forward to was also less great - it wasn't as fluffy, it wasn't as sweet.  It was a harder style, and tasted mostly like corn syrup and crisco.  

I was pretty let down by this cake, and although I salvaged some by warming it up, and serving with a scoop of chocolate hazelnut ice cream, it wasn't that great on its own.

2.5/5.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream.
(October 2022).

The next month, it was time to celebrate again.  This time we had a MASSIVE sheet cake, and went for a real birthday theme: funfetti.  Funfetti cake, sprinkles around the edges, and swiss buttercream.  It was also a three layer deep cake, rather than only two.

This cake was considerably better.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream: Layers.

First, we have to talk about the ratio of cake to frosting.  OMG.  Yes, this was basically equal parts.  Which, for me, was perfect.

The cake was dense, moist, loaded with sprinkles.  I'd prefer a more interesting cake base, a touch of tang from buttermilk or something, but it was a good funfetti cake, and the moisture level in particular made it better than average.  3.5/5 cake.

And then of course, the frosting.  It was quite plain, and sweet, and yes, tasted mostly like corn syrup and Criso (I really don't think it was true swiss buttercream ...), but, it worked. 3/5 frosting. 

When you got a bite of equal part cake and frosting, which, given the construction of the cake was basically every bite, it worked together quite well though.  While the individual components were only slightly above average, together they were much better.  Overall experience of eating it? 3.5/5, approaching 4/5.

This is cake for people who really like frosting though, beware.

Pies

Pies are available for special order only.

Cherry Lattice. $54.
(Special Order).

For National Cherry Pie Day (an VERY important holiday after all!), I was able to special order a cherry pie from Firebrand, not something normally on their lineup.  They did a decent job with it - and it really did look impressive with the beautiful lattice top!

The one slight issue with the pie is that it was really stuck to the pie pan, very hard to serve and chisel out.  It seems someone may have forgotten to lightly grease it?  The crust though was good, very clearly high butter content, but that is not a bad thing at all. It had great depth of flavor, and was nicely crispy.  Good bakery quality crust, better than home baker crust.

The filling was fairly standard cherry pie filling, a bit unnaturally red, not a deep dark red, but more bright red than I was expecting.  I think it did not use fresh cherries (which makes sense, because the holiday is in February, which is not cherry season).  It was good though - juicy cherries, slightly tart, slightly sweet, and appropriate level of goo.  I detected some citrus in there too for a bit of brightness and slightly unique taste.  I appreciated that it wasn't over the top sweet.

Basically, better than average, and great for somewhere that doesn't make this regularly.  3.5/5.

Breads

And finally, the breads, the other main attraction besides the pretzels, given that the business name is Firebrand Artisan *Breads* after all.   They claim to be the "Best Damn Bread in the Bay".  Firebrand makes a number of wood-fired loaves, assorted classic batards (sourdough, whole wheat), baguettes (regular, sourdough, whole wheat, olive), and specialty loaves like walnut wheat, german or sprouted rye, and even a croissant loaf.

Pull Apart Roll.  $8.50/6.

This is a good, classic dinner roll.  Fluffy.  Lovely shine on top.  Some subtle sweetness to it.  A simple dinner roll, no more, no less, but a nice one.

3/5.

Croissant Pullman Slice. $9/loaf.

Well, huh.  Its amazing to me this was my first time having croissant bread, but, well, I'm glad I tried it!

It doesn't necessarily look all that special - just a slice of bread with a kinda different structure, but the taste is 100% croissant.  It is buttery and rich, and tasted, well, exactly like the inside of a croissant, just no messy flaky exterior to deal with.

The flavor is deep enough that this is actually quite enjoyable just toasted with a little jam, but I think it would make killer breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and bread pudding.

What a unique product!

4/5.

Banana Walnut.

"Moist, sweet, and nutty — whether for breakfast, or a between-meal snack, this walnut banana bread hits the spot! It's also a great loaf to have out when hosting, so guests can nibble as they please."

While banana bread doesn't generally excite me, I was drawn to this by the streusel topping, and visible caramelized banana slices on top.  

It was, well, banana bread?  Reasonably moist, and kudos for having generous walnut chunks for crunch, but at the end of the day, just banana bread.  Likely best toasted and topped with sweetened cream cheese, but alas, I had it room temp.  The sweet streusel topping I did enjoy, and the actual slices of roast banana on top were unique.

Good, for banana bread?  3/5.

Sliced Breads

"Firebrand is now proudly introducing a fresh look at sliced bread.

Never frozen, every loaf is crafted with our signature sourdough starter and power-packed with 100% organic sprouted whole grains, a 25-day shelf life, and hard work. We offer a full-service DSD program, delivering directly to your shelf."

After years in business, Firebrand went very, very mainstream.  Sliced bread.  In the regular bread aisle, in the grocery store.  Available in 6 varieties, all whole wheat based, all loaded with toppings on the outside, which look quite inviting.  The most simple version is the Honey Whole Wheat, but even that includes a seeded exterior.  Unfortunately for me, they all use a sourdough base.  Sigh.  I really wish I could bring myself to tolerate sourdough.

Sprouted 18 Grain & Seeds.

This bread is a powerhouse.  The base contains a slew of grains (yup, 18 of them), so I won't enumerate them all, but all the usual suspects are there.  It is a hearty ground grains base, studded with flaxseeds and ground groats.  I liked the textures and depth of flavor to grain/seed aspect.  

The topping on this one has a bit of everything too: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and two kinds of sesame seeds along with rolled oats.  I liked those too.

But ... I could taste (and worse, smell!) the sourdough, which just ruins it for me.  I wish they made just one without a sourdough starter ...

2/5.

Sprouted Rye.

The sprouted rye is more focused: rye berries, rye flour, rye starter, and with just sesame seeds on the outside.  It does have wheat berries in the base (as do all of Firebrand's sliced breads), and a slight sweetness from honey and brown sugar too.

This is my favorite of the Firebrand sliced breads that I've tried.  Yes, it has a bit of sourdough to it that I'd like it not to have, but, toasted with copious amounts of butter, cinnamon, and sugar for breakfast, or slathered with melty nutella, I barely care.

3/5.

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