We spent weeks chasing down the best chocolate chip cookies around the Bay Area for our recent round-up of 11 great, cookie-centric bakery destinations. As it turns out, there were even more — and you stepped in to help, offering up 15 fantastic restaurants, bakeries and markets to add to the cookie-centric list.
Among them: Gunther’s Restaurant and Catering in San Jose, where six readers wrote in to rave about the legendary chocolate chip cookies.
Also worth noting: One of the bakeries we featured, Santa Cruz’s Pacific Cookie Co., got a shout-out from reader Tom Landgraf, who notes that these cookies are served to donors at Stanford Blood Center locations. Any bakery that helps woozy blood donors get back on their feet safely gets bonus points with us!
Here are 15 more cookie destinations our readers swear by for the next time you’re hankering for some chocolatey-chippy cookie goodness.
East Bay
Denica’s Real Food Kitchen, locations in Dublin, Livermore, Castro Valley and Pleasanton
With 14 varieties of cookies baked fresh daily since 1987, Denica’s is a baking powerhouse with four locations throughout the East Bay. Recommended by Bob Starr of Danville and Laura Gong of Livermore. Details: Opens daily at 6 a.m. at 6058 Dougherty Road in Dublin and 7 a.m. at 2259 Las Positas Road in Livermore, 2723 Castro Valley Blvd. in Castro Valley and 4503 Rosewood Drive in Pleasanton; denicascafe.com.
FATAPPLE’S Restaurant & Bakery, locations in North Berkeley and El Cerrito
This beloved bakery and restaurant offers a wide selection of sweet and savory pies and baked goods — including chocolate chip and chocolate chip walnut cookies ($2.75 each). Recommended by Diane Trewin, Oakland. Details: Open daily at 1346 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley and 7525 Fairmount Ave. in El Cerrito; fatapplesrestaurant.com.
A Sweet Affair Bakery, Walnut Creek
Offering an array of chocolate chip cookies — regular, chocolate chip with walnuts, white chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip — this classic bakery has two Walnut Creek locations. Recommended by Elaine Kooyman, Walnut Creek. Details: Opens at 7 a.m.. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m. Sundays at 1815 F Ygnacio Valley Road and at 9 a.m. weekdays at 1990 N. California Blvd. in Walnut Creek; asweetaffairbakery.com.
Timeless Coffee Shops, Oakland
These shops offer not just coffee subscriptions and a build-your-own cake service, but also great, classic chocolate chip cookies. Recommended by Mayumi, Piedmont. Details: Open daily at 4252 Piedmont Ave., 85 Webster St. and 1700 Webster St. in Oakland; timelesscoffee.com.
Market Hall, Oakland
Market Hall Foods is closing its Fourth Street location in Bekreley on May 26, but the Rockridge spot will remain. The bakery is known for its pizzas, desserts, puddings, breads and cakes — and, it turns out, giant salted chocolate chip cookie ($3.50 each). Recommended by Matt Williams, Oakland. Details: Open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 5655 College Ave., Oakland; rockridgemarkethall.com.
The Speakeasy Baking Co., Brentwood
This Brentwood-based cottage bake shop and dessert caterer is home to “Delilah,” a repurposed 1957 Piaggio Ape used for staging desserts. They offer macarons, cupcakes, custom sugar cookies — and chocolate chip cookies. Recommended by bakery owner BrieAnna, Oakley. Details: thespeakeasybakingco.com.
Lavender Bakery & Cafe, Berkeley
This European-inspired bakery sells cookies by the pound ($15.50/pound). Recommended by C. Ball, Oakland. Details: Opens at 8:30 a.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday-Sunday at 1820 Solano Ave., Berkeley; lavenderbakeries.com.
Batter Bakery, Berkeley and San Francisco
The cookie selection here ranges from a cherry chocolate cardamom option (vegan and grain-free) to classic chocolate chip, chocolate mint and triple chocolate espresso options ($4).They’re available by delivery from Good Eggs too. Recommended by Adam Sachs, Corte Madera. Details: Opens at 10 a.m. for walk-up Wednesday and Friday and preorder pickups starting at 8 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 2701 Eighth St. Suite 105, in Berkeley; 8:30 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday at 555 California St. in San Francisco and 8 a.m. Saturdays at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market; batterbakery.com.
Peninsula/South Bay
Gunther’s Restaurant and Catering, San Jose
Six readers wrote in to praise the chocolate chip cookies at Gunther’s. “They make the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had,” says San Jose resident Patti Workover. The cookies, listed on the restaurant menu with the tagline “These are the ones you’ve heard about!” sell for $2.95 each. “They seem to be baked only halfway, leaving a soft lump of delicious dough in the middle of each cookie,” says Julie Shepard of Hayward. Other recommenders: Kate Kosoglow, San Jose; Susan Bishop, San Jose; Michael Mulcahy, San Jose; and Fran Vader. Details: Opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays at 1601 Meridian Ave. in San Jose; guntherscatering.com.
Antoine’s Cookie Shop, San Mateo and Palo Alto
This specialty cookie shop offers a wide selection of cookies, from the standard chocolate chip variety, made with Burlingame chocolatier Guittard’s 54% cacao chocolate wafers, to Honeycomb chocolate chip cookies, made with honeycomb toffee and chocolate mixed in ($2.50 each). Recommended by Kirk Vartan, San Jose; Rebecca Thomson, Santa Clara. Details: Open daily at 10 a.m. at 855 El Camino Real, Suite 15 in Palo Alto and 220 Second Ave. in San Mateo; antoinescookieshop.com.
Specialty’s Cafe and Bakery, Mountain View and Brisbane
After the well-known cafe chain filed for bankruptcy and closed all its locations in 2020, it rebounded, opening a Mountain View location in 2021 and earlier this year, a second outpost in Brisbane. The cafe is known for its lunch fare and cookies. Recommended by Karen Lattin, San Jose. Details: Opens at 7 a.m. weekdays at 645 Ellis St. in Mountain View and 6:30 a.m. at 880 Sierra Point Parkway in Brisbane.
Greenlee’s Bakery, San Jose
Greenlee’s may be better known for its famous cinnamon bread, but its array of cookies deserves kudos too. Baked in-house daily, the lineup includes chocolate chunk, salted caramel, ginger molasses, snickerdoodle and peanut butter-dipped chocolate cookies. Recommended by Gary Buck, San Jose. Details: Opens daily at 6 a.m. at 1081 The Alameda in San Jose; greenleesbakerysj.com.
Manresa Bread, locations in Los Gatos, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Campbell and Santa Cruz
Founded by Avery Ruzicka, a 2020 James Beard finalist, with support from three-Michelin-starred chef David Kinch, in 2013, Manresa Bread soon grew from farmers market stand to brick-and-mortar bakery. Check out the chocolate walnut cookies ($5). Recommended by Anina Van Alstine, Santa Cruz. Details: Opens daily at 8 a.m. at 40 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Los Gatos; 271 State St. Los Altos; 855 El Camino Real, Suite 138, Palo Alto; 195 E. Campbell Ave. Campbell; and 330 Ingalls St. Santa Cruz; manresabread.com.
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North Bay/Wine Country
Quail & Condor, Healdsburg
According to Peggy Snyder of Santa Rosa, this bakery has the best chocolate chip cookies in Sonoma County and beyond. The large cookies ($5) are crunchy on the edges and chewy in the center. Details: Opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday-Monday at 149 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; quailandcondor.com.
Everywhere
Costco, locations across the Bay Area
Two readers said their favorite chocolate chip cookies come from Costco. “Under $3, this substantial chocolate chip is excellent, especially if you happen to get it right out of the oven,” says Andrea of San Jose. The cookie, Arun Rama of Cupertino adds, is “Perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the center.” Details: www.costco.com
