Bites Nearby: Pioneer Bakery

I was strolling around the quaint sidewalks of downtown Puyallup when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a cute little bakery so close and so near.  The establishment I am speaking of is Pioneer Bakery at 120 South Meridian which has been part of Puyallup’s history now since 1926.

Upon entering I immediately became distracted like a little kid in a candy store or maybe more accurately like a grown up waiting all night in line for the newest iPhone.  There were shelves and shelves of homemade treats such as pies and kuchens made with freshly picked local rhubarb and marionberries.  Then there were the donuts that were bursting with creamy clouds of custard, wedding cake cookies dusted with powdered sugar from the angels above and of course…the fritters.

Now I am not one to go to a store and buy sweets like candy bars or boxed donuts but there is something about a from-scratch bakery that drives me insane and creates this immediate sense of urgency in my mouth.  Must….have…now…that one there…the…BIG…one. 

And that’s how I ended up with a bigger than life, mouth watering nine inch blueberry fritter.  I’ll take that sweet crispy pleasure any day for just two bucks!

Of course I then did what I always do as I get wrapped up like a rainbow colored swirly pop; I decide after I have been rung up at the register to order something else.  This object of desire was in the form of the rhubarb kuchen. 

Having grown up on all things rhubarb, I eagerly waited to take that first bite and was instantly in the land of kuchen kadizzle that made my mouth drizzle!  The tangy tartness combined with the sweet crunchy and flakey topping was amazing.  Even more incredible was the fact that for $3.25, my kuchen could have fed a family of four.  (It didn’t, but it could have).

So enough about me and my sweet treats:  it’s time to talk about the bakery.  Pioneer is a full service bakery and specializes in specialty and wedding cakes.  Due to upcoming graduations, this is an extremely busy time for them.  They make everything at the shop from breads and rolls to donuts and cookies to pies and cakes.  You name it and they pretty much have it covered—in frosting!

Prices are very reasonable for homemade goodies that keep customers coming back for more.  Also featured are daily lunch specials with fabulous sandwich creations, wraps, fresh salads and homemade soups.  The employees, or should I say the family, are down to earth, friendly and eager to please. 

Overall, I give the Pioneer Bakery two jam thumbprints up!  I am positive I will be strolling the streets of Puyallup a little more regularly know that I know where this little gem can be found and when I say stroll I mean hardcore walk-a-thon so I don’t get mistaken for a jumbo jelly roll.