Reviews for Shambala Ancient Grain Bakery & Bistro in Mount Vernon, WA

Really cool place! They are not only gluten-free but also free of many common allergens AND extremely vegan friendly. There's a... health-conscious theme here with the grain blend they use and also a whole line of adaptogen drinks. But the vibe is not "healthfood bar", it has a very warm and intimate, and a little quirky, cafe feel. The staff was really welcoming and helpful with allthe questions I had. Order at the counter, and they bring the food to you if you're eating in. Not inexcusably slow, but theyseem to take their time with the food, so this is not the place to order a meal if you're in a rush. The drinks come out muchfaster and if you order a baked good they'll grab it for you on the spot. I had a Red Pepper Reuben with Coleslaw, CarrotCupcake, and Chaga Latte. I went with the vegan option for the reuben - if the vegan cheese option had just been one genericflavour, I would've gone for the "regular" version so that I could get the Swiss for my reuben, but they actually had differentflavours of vegan cheese (the worker mentioned cheddar, swiss, and provolone) so you can actually get a suitable replacement forthe standard recipe when you veganize here! Anyway, this sandwich was delicious! A little messy to eat because the roastedpepper and sauerkraut made it very juicy, and I think vegan cheese doesn't hold things together as well as real cheese, but themess was worth it. The gf bun was quite good - not as tender as traditional bread, but the wholesome flavour was very nice.Their coleslaw was very interesting too, it tasted like there might've been tahini in the dressing and I was into it. Thecupcake was indistinguishable from a non-gf carrot cake and the coconut frosting was really good. Finally, the latte, which Igot with hemp milk, was also very nice. I'm not sure how much of the subtle nutty flavour came from the chaga and how much wasjust the hemp, but it was a nice change from the usual hot drinks I get. The only thing I have to criticize i Read more

This place has very high quality food and coffee for a reasonable price, especially considering its mostly sourced from their... own local farm. The gluten free vegan bread products are some of the best I've ever had. Evrrything here is thoughtfully made,tastes good, and is a bit unique. The atmosphere is a mix of cute antique vibes with some bakery chaos that lets you know thisplace does things in-house. Glad they are here in Mount Vernon. Read more

Yum! I don't need to care about whether their menu is gluten-free, I DO care whether their food tastes good - and it does!! We... ordered the french toast and the (vegetarian) biscuits and gravy. The french toast was superb, with a light crust of visible eggon the bread, and a perfectly sweet (but not overly sweet) topping of blackberry sauce and honey. As for the biscuits and gravy,the biscuits weren't as fluffy as I would ideally prefer but I'll give them a pass since they tasted fine *and* because thegravy was vegetarian and very flavorful. We also bought two cookies to-go that are quite good - I really like their thincookies. We live half an hour away but the eye surgery center I occasionally visit is in Mt Vernon so I plan to be a regular onthe days when I'm in town. Read more

$15- loaf of GF bread from a safe CD/100% GF dedicated facility. That?s why I try and stop there and grab a loaf. It tastes best... after being toasted. They?re doing great things at this bakery. I arrived in the afternoon, unfortunately it was mostly empty(their case of sweet treats available.) I recommend trying it out, but go early and call ahead of time to see what they have. Read more

Needed a quick lunch spot while going through Mt Vernon and this place was recommended to us. It was an excellent choice. I'm... not vegetarian or vegan but still enjoyed my sandwich a great deal and would love to come back when in town again. Read more

My wife and I have tried this place three times over the past year. We really wanted to like this place but we won't be going... back, at least not to eat for breakfast. The positives are that the food is good. We had the Sunshiner sandwich and we got somepastry things the other times. Good. The negative has always been the service. Once the breakfast ( the two sandwiches) tookover a half hour to get. We were the only people in the place. This morning we ordered coffee and were eating breakfast there.The coffee (we ordered drip) was served in paper cups for dine in. I asked for a refill and it never came. The servers havenever been very friendly and seem bothered that anyone is there. I think the place stays open because of their baked goods thatthey sell retail? It's not for the restaurant/cafe. Read more

I am dairy-free so I love that there is a vegan restaurant in Mount Vernon! They have kombucha on tap... The waitress was sweet... and let me sample a few, and I got the blood orange. I also ordered the Real Cod Fish 'n Chips, but by mistake of the waitresswas served the Wish 'N Chips (which is cauliflower breaded in panko). They made good on their error and I got to try both...Thanks Shambala! To my surprise, I liked the Wish (cauliflower) better! ???? The coleslaw & fry sauce served with this was alsodelicious. Got a Lemon Cupcake with Lemon Frosting to-go... Happy tummy. Greasy meal, but hey what did I expect ordering fishand chips? Altogether good experience Read more

Shambala bakery is one of the best places I've been to in awhile!! Everything they make is from scratch, they have so many vegan... options and they serve breakfast till 4!! Their rosemary sourdough with avocado, rainbow omelet and side salad was to die for!!My girlfriend got the Gyro which was so good too. Read more