On Saturday, The Lantern brunch squad took its food expertise to our latest spot: Angry Baker University District. The quirky cafe has a great environment and a menu that suits all taste buds and dietary restrictions.
Here are our takes on our latest brunch adventure:
Smoked salmon BLT from The Angry Baker. Credit: Sheridan Hendrix | Oller Reporter
Sheridan’s pick: Smoked salmon BLT, $9
The Angry Baker has been a favorite of mine since I first stumbled across its Old Town East location a couple of summers ago. Nothing beats fresh baked bread and pastries paired with a cozy cafe atmosphere. I’ve sampled a number of their brunch options before, but the smoked salmon BLT was something I’d been eyeing for a while.
Smoked salmon has a simple yet luxurious quality to it that makes it one of my favorite foods. Anytime I see it on a menu, it’s an almost instant yes. The sandwich was a pretty standard BLT, plus a sunny-side up egg and a healthy amount of smoked salmon, stacked between two pieces of toasted brioche bread.
This sandwich was near perfect for me. There’s always a chance with smoked-salmon anything that the restaurant will skimp on the portions so it can still jack up the price. Not with The Angry Baker. Combined with the egg’s runny yolk, the thick cut bacon and the fresh tomato slices, this sandwich was bomb. My single complaint was the choice of bread. Brioche sounds fancy, but in reality it’s just crumbly toast — not ideal for sandwiches. Had this breakfast BLT been on thick pieces of sourdough or whole grain toast, it would’ve been even more killer. But despite the bread, The Angry Baker is a spot I will continue to hit up again and again.
Crunchy Tofu Tacos available at The Angry Baker. Credit: Sara Stacy | Assistant Arts & Life Editor
Sara’s pick: Crunchy tofu tacos, $10; chocolate and peanut butter doughnut, ~$3
The Angry Baker will always have a place close to my vegan heart. Although its menu isn’t exclusively vegan, it is extremely vegan-friendly, and offers several plant-based pastries in its cafe (The Bitter Barista). The walls of the airy interior of the store are lined with artwork from local artists, often tempting me to part with $50 to take home a cool, abstract print. The menu is fairly short but has lots of variety, with vegan and gluten-free items clearly marked, something I always appreciate.
Since I’ve been here many times, I decided to go with something different from what I usually get (the seasonal pancakes or tofu scramble wrap). I was feeling tacos, so I tried out their crunchy tofu tacos. The meal came with three tacos, which is typically the perfect amount, and consisted of crunchy shells, vegan sour cream, vegan cheddar cheese, soy “meat” crumbles, lettuce and tomato. They were very similar to what non-vegans would get at Taco Bell, which I was fine with. However, they did make me wish I could get Taco Bell tacos for Taco Bell prices. My only complaints are that there was only a drop of sour cream on each taco and the tomato chunks were a bit big for my liking.
I was craving something sweet after finishing my meal, so I popped into the connected cafe to get a pastry. There was one gluten-free and vegan option — a peanut butter and chocolate donut,which is probably what I would have chosen regardless of my dietary restrictions. It didn’t taste like a regular doughnut; there was not icing or glaze and it was heartier. While it might not have satisfied people with more traditional tastes, I really liked that it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and didn’t hurt my stomach after finishing it. Overall, while nothing particularly “wowed” me, I was pretty happy with this meal.
Egg sandwich from The Angry Baker. Credit: Ghezal Barghouty | Arts & Life Editor.
Ghezal’s pick: Egg sandwich –– hold the bacon, $9
This week, I chose our brunch spot and decided to go with Angry Baker, a restaurant and bakery that welcomes people of all diets. It’s one of those places that I know my friends will enjoy no matter what, which is less anxiety for me because I am too indecisive. One of my favorite things about the restaurant is its atmosphere, which is filled with colorful walls, quirky local art and tiny potted plants at each table. It’s an environment that, I feel, reflects the friendly staff, delicious food options and general vibe of the place.
Since I’m not too keen on eggs, I usually opt for avocado toast or pancakes when I do breakfast or brunch. As a newly 22-year-old woman, however, I thought I’d take the plunge and give the egg sandwich a try this time. The meal came with the sandwich (no bacon) and a side salad, since I substituted the home fries. It was the perfect amount of food and tasted great, but I have to say, it was missing something. The sandwich was definitely a great place to start with eggs, since the flavor wasn’t too overwhelming, but I also wish I had more. I would’ve loved more spices, some veggies or a little more cheese on the sandwich to help mask the taste of pure egg. But either way, I definitely didn’t hate eggs after eating it, and I might even order another egg sandwich someday. My favorite part, though, was the simple side salad. I’m not sure what the dressing was, but it was tasty and tart, complimenting the egg sandwich perfectly.
I know that if I ordered the avocado toast or pancakes, like my heart told me to do, I would’ve been thrilled with my meal. I’m pretty sure the consensus is that Angry Baker is great, but how happy you are really depends on what you order.
