Alexis Baking Company and Cafe Review

Alexis Baking Company & Cafe
1517 3rd St.
Napa, CA
(707) 258-1827

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30 am-4:00 pm | Sat 7 am - 3 pm | Sunday 8 am - 2 pm (breakfast only)

Alexis Baking Company & Cafe food

Bakery  & desserts

Weekend breakfasts

This is hands down the best weekend breakfast in Napa proper. They have daily breakfasts which are good, but they're on the small, dainty side. It's the weekend breakfasts that you have to check out if you're in Napa, ESPECIALLY SUNDAY. Saturday's breakfasts are much grander than the weekday breakfasts, but Sunday's breakfasts (where they only serve breakfast / no lunch) are really when you want to go as the selection is better than the Saturday's breakfasts.

The Sunday breakfasts are much more ambitious, creative, and overall very yummy. Their Eggs Benedict (not served on Saturday, I think) is the best in Napa. I think I could eat two orders of that stuff. The eggs are always nice and gooey, you don't want to leave a drop of the Hollandaise sauce behind (that's what the potatoes are for), and so on. They have a set of stalwart specials like the Eggs Benedict or the chilaquiles (also very good). They also have some items that they'll rotate in, often pancake, omelet, or quiche variations. For instance, we've had the Lemony Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries (great pancakes, lemony creamy, was really good), a variation with cinnamon apple, various mushroom or spinach quiches, there was the wild mushroom omelet with thyme and parmesan and cherry tomatoes...*drool*. Here are two samples:

Bananas Foster French Toast. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. Very tasty. ABC frequently does little variations on the pancakes and french toast every week.

Quite possibly the best breakfast in all of creation, their eggs benedict. This one is an anchor player that you'll find every week. Don't even think about putting ketchup anywhere near that heavenly hollandaise sauce.

Here's a ham, egg, and cheese special that they had. Homemade delicious biscuits, some thick ham, and their exquisite eggs. Simple but really good.

We really struggle with what to get for breakfast because so much of it's pretty good. The weekly specials change periodically so you should check out their website or call for more info. But the website tends not to have the full breakfast menu so check it out in person. One bummer is that the breakfasts are fairly heavy. Don't forget to order some of the baked stuff to split afterwards (some of the desserts, even at one slice or piece, can be pretty big)

And then you'll want to go back home for a nap.

Lunch

The Alexis Baking Company also serves lunches which are on the light side. Salads make up a good chunk of the menu although there are a few sandwiches. Their burgers are very good. The meat itself is great and cooked to order, and the buns, as you might expect from a bakery, are awesome. Fluffy inside, firm and a bit toasted on the outside, that is the best hamburger bun. I think I could eat two to three of those things. But it's not a burger and fries type of burger (in fact, the side dish is a caesar salad) if you're looking for that kind of thing. You can add various cheeses like cheddar, fontina, etc, but my personal favorite is the gorgonzola.

Alexis Baking Company & Cafe setting and service

The ABC Bakery location definitely won't win any awards. Let's see. We have the abandoned building next door. Then there's the old-school barber shop on the other side. Oh, and then the liquor store right after. Just how you imagined Napa Valley, right? A lot of tourists miss it, but it's very popular with the locals.

Inside, it's sort of like a diner, but plenty of quirky, artsy stuff to set the eclectic mood of its breakfasts. There's usually a highlighted artist's paintings or photographs on the back wall. Lots of quirky candy and merchandising stuff at the front. Men and women's restrooms are designated by an eclair and bagel. Always fun to watch the new people pause in front of the restrooms trying to figure out the signs.

It's pretty crowded for breakfast and lunch on Sunday, particularly during the typical breakfast and lunch times, as the inside sitting area is small. You'll come in, sign up on the waiting list, and then either wait outside or be all squished in the small waiting area right by the front door. The service is friendly and alterna-hip, but the service can get lost in the rush when they're really busy. If you ask them for item X, there is a half decent chance they'll forget because they'll get hit with 4 other requests on their way back to retrieve it. Could it be better? Yes, for sure. But it's understandable to a certain extent. Just manage your expectations here.
We usually try to get there off-peak hours on Sundays as it is a nuthouse at peak demand, but we still expect to wait regardless. I hope you aren't planning to leave on a tight schedule. But it's worth the wait and the haphazard service even if you have to go through wanting to beat the crap out of that lone guy hogging up a table reading the newspaper while 12 of you are waiting, crammed together in 4x4 space.

Price for our meal

$35 (2 breakfasts, 1 coffee, w/tax and tip)

Other Alexis Baking Company and Cafe reviews and links

• Yelp ABC Bakery Reviews
• Chowhound discssion on those sublime eggs benedict