McGavin’s Bakery

One of the worst bakeries I’ve ever been to. Maybe the pink champagne cake is super outstanding or something. I have no idea how this place is still in business. I’ve grown up going to bakeries all over the US. My sister is a chef and I bake a lot myself. The baked goods here are a tier down from the grocery store. No flavor. Dense, stale textures. Inferior quality ingredients. What is that gelatinous mess that’s supposed to be cream cheese and fruit, on the danishes? The pecan rolls, way over coated in caramel, had hardly any cinnamon, pecans and the caramel was terrible and flavorless. The cookies and crisp were brick hard and also lacking in spices and flavors. I now its an old building but it doesn’t have to look dirty. Go to Larry and Kristie’s. I was hesitant after here and the bakery in Port Orchard, being so bad, but they are wonderful, old fashioned doughnuts and cookies and other goods. And only a buck each, not over a buck for a tiny tasteless puck of a roll or damn near $ 3 cookies! Very over priced here. I almost cried walking out with 4 pastries for $ 9, but I thought they must be good from a place this old. I took a bite of each, spit it out and tossed it. I should have taken it all back, but the lady didn’t seem like she’d been nice about it, so I just threw money away. I’m so tired of wasting my money on these bad food places. 90% of restaurants and bakeries suck these days… Just make food from scratch. Stop cutting corners. People will pay more for real, great food AND come back and not leave negative comments.

McGavin’s Bakery in the Charleston District of Bremerton… old school bakery, but consistently delicious as I remember growing up. Pink champagne cake marked many family celebrations, including a belated one during a 3÷5÷16 visit.

I grew up in Kitsap county. 3 complex flavors that stay in my mind and the memory banks of my tastebuds is milts doughnuts, the white bread from McGavins that gave my sister and I the hick-​ups on the way home from town (Bremerton) we still call it hick-​up bread. AND the famous pink champagne cake also from McGavins. My tastes have changed to a heavy dense white cake with crazy sweet butter cream frosting. Tonight I had a piece of pink champagne cake. The cake itself, is so light. Not too sweet, not over sweet. As if you are tasting white fluffy clouds. The frosting is perfect and the whole cake smelled like what you imagine a beautiful angels hair would smell like. Do I sound crazy. lol. But I know there is a lot of people out there that know just I mean. Born in B-​Town 1951

They haven’t answered their phone morning noon or night I’ve been calling for a week to order my dad’s birthday cake and I’m coming from out of state to celebrate with him. Also he’s very sick and the pink champagne cake was a tradition with my Grandma which is why I’m really upset I can’t reach anyone in this place. Maybe they don’t answer the phone to different area codes it’s not going to charge them long distance if that’s what they’re worried about. How frustrating! What is this place mayberry from the Andy Griffith show? Only in bremerton. how disappointing!
3 weeks later and they still never answer their phone during business hours they sure don’t like selling cakes I guess.

Pink champagne cakes are good! However there sugar cookies are pretty solid like a brick, they are not super bad they just don’t taste really fresh. This is a mom & pop place totally family ran so sometimes if they have big orders then the customer service is brisk, other times the customer service is fantastic. The recipes will take you back in time.

The staff (lady) who served me was very friendly, patient and helpful. She answered my many questions about their different pastries and was very friendly about it. This is an old fashioned bakery which I love. It may not be for everyone but I do love it. I like pastries that are not so sweet they are like eating sugar. Their chocolate chip cookie was the best I have had since I was a little girl (that was a long while ago). This being my first visit has made me become a loyal customer.

I’ve been getting the two kids’ birthday cakes here since forever. They don’t do everything, but what they do is very good. Nothing is fried. If you can’t tolerate the owner’s eccentricity then this place isn’t for you. If you can then you are on your way to being a «local» and will have some nice goodies at home. I like the little cinnamon crisps best. Yes, they open late (for a bakery) but I was t going to be in there at five AM anyway.

My mother came in today with my children. She was letting them choose a cookie. The lady behind the counter asked them to hurry because she has things to do. You may consider getting a new employee. She was very unfriendly.

Best pink champagne cake in the state. We come from Seattle for it because no one is on par locally.

I arrived today to purchase a pink champagne cake for my co-​workers birthday. The bakery hours online say 7am which WAS going to be awesome since I ride the 8:45 ferry to work in Seattle. I called the bakery and a man answered. I explained my predicament, that I had gotten the hours of operation from Unilocal and all I needed was a cake before I got on the ferry. I could see 4 cakes in the window. The man said he couldn’t sell me one for «security reasons». Kick rocks McGavins. I will Not ever attempt to bring you my business. Also, what kind of bakery opens at 9am? Weak sauce.

Went here based on a recommendation from someone as a place that served donuts. Lady was extremely rude when my three year old asked for donut holes and said «what you see is what you get». Then proceeded to argue with me when I told her I heard they had them. Walked out and will not go back.

Still a shitty place to go for a bakery, go to the grocery store– you’ll get way better service and baked goods. Fred Meyer/​QFC has a fantastic bakery.

The cake might be good. But in my book the tea cookies are the best! They are kinda pricy at i think a buck each and they are small. but they are dipped in colors that scream thirties and sprinkles and just delish! I wish the atmosphere was cooler and more young! But I guess thats what you get for an 80 year old man working 7 days a week opening a bakery at 5 am. He does it for the taste mmmmmm.
— I have also herd his one employee say things like «I made this for my first time today by myself, what do you think?» So maybe if you had a bad experience it was cause the old man didn’t make them that day;)

I have to say the Pink Champagne cake is one of the best white cakes I have ever had. Super light and fluffy with great taste. It would be a 5 star if the bakery it self was cleaner and updated.

The PINK CHAMPAGNE CAKE has been a birthday tradition in our family for over 40 years! It’s a little pricey which makes it a special-​occasion treat, not an everyday thing in our family. Which is fine because it wouldn’t be so special if it were everyday. We do stop by when we’re heading out of town sometimes for another treat some days though. We love this bakery because it supports a local business that has been a Bremerton icon forever, not to mention their wonderful taste.
I did however give it only four stars because the customer service can more likely than not be a bit monotone and flat. My father-​in-​law said he likes their cake when we serve it for birthdays, but he probably won’t patron them again which is very unfortunate. His reason… he is a small business owner himself who prides himself on only shopping local establishments. We’re almost forbidden to mention big box stores in his presence, lol. Anyway, he stopped in about seven years ago he said for a dozen donuts to bring to his employees. He said the service was so cold. Not icy, snappy, or rude, but just indifferent. No smile and stuff like that. You know what I mean. Come ‘on McGavin’s! Locals love you and your yummies, but if you’re reading this, please put on a happy smile and try to give a little love with your sweets!

I’m new to Washington and I’ve been looking for a bakery to satisfy my sweet tooth. I found this bakery through Unilocal and after reading the reviews about the famous Pink Champagne cake I decided to go give it a try. The bakery was small and quaint and looked very old fashion, which I liked. The lady at the counter was extremely helpful and polite, which is always a plus in my book.
Now onto the cake.
In my opinion the reviews hyped up the cake too much. It wasn’t as moist as people said it was. I’ve tasted my share of moist cakes in the past and this was definantly not in that category, so I was actually pretty upset. I probably would have been better off baking a Pillsbury cake out of the box, those are definantly more moist than this cake was. The icing was too thick and sweet for me, I’m more interested in icing that’s light and fluffy. The flavor however was different and I really liked it. Maybe I had a bad cake or maybe the cake was sitting there for too long. but I really think I paid too much for a cake that small.

Pink Champagne Cake — the Epitome of Cakes! After reading the Unilocal reviews, I went by to pick up a champagne cake to take to a family dinner. After tasting it, I ordered their biggest pink champagne cake for Thanksgiving to take to a dinner. I was sick that day, but picked the cake up and took it to work the next day. I left it on the table with plates and forks and waited… each review was different but with the same ending: «who brought that incredible cake?» «What kind of cake is that?» «That cake!!! — it’s unbelievable!»…“It’s so light, I could eat the whole thing!”
Truly a work of art… I have never tasted a cake so light, so moist and rich, but habit-forming…and I have a gluten sensitivity! For the next few days, everyone at work wanted to know where the cake went, and where they could get more. You just have to try it to believe it.

Two words. Take your pick:
Champagne Cake.
Must try.
Go now.

Holiday weekends means I have the time to go places that I would usually not frequent. Thus, I decided yesterday to take my first visit to Bremerton. One of the places on my list to try in Bremerton was McGavin’s which is one of the oldest bakeries in the area. There has to be something to be said about establishments with longevity.
The shop is a bit away from downtown Bremerton. It is in a central shopping district near a Safeway. The businesses in this area look a bit aged, as such the storefront did also. I was fortunate, but unfortunate as the shop owners were going on vacation. As such, there was no pastries to be found.
Not seeing the full repertoire, it is kind of hard to rate an establishment. Still, the storefront had some selection to choose from including their signature pink champagne cakes, several pudding cakes, pecan rolls and several types of cookies. Everything here is pretty reasonably priced.
From the truncated selection, I picked up a rum pudding cake ($ 5) and some pecan rolls ($.80 each). The rum pudding cake is reminiscent of chiffon cake for me. I liked the flavor, but it is excessively sweet. Not a good sign when your teeth ache from sugar overdose. The pecan rolls had the same result.
Nevertheless, I think McGavin’s is worth a visit given the relative dearth of bakeries in Bremerton. I believe there are just four, not counting Safeway. The offerings here are of the old fashioned American bakery sort which I appreciate. There is no gimmick here, just goodness.

Why, no review, Unilocalers? I’ll be the first!
The doughnuts are just as cheap by the dozen as your random Safeway, QFC fare; and my favorite standout flavors are the buttermilk (good if you dig the old-​fashioned glazed) and orange (with little pieces of orange rind mixed in with the icing). Not to mention all the cookies with hypercolor frosting and designs… neat!
NOTE: The pink champagne cake McG’s is famous for is DEFINITELY something you need to try. Do you like cake? Do you like champy? All systems go! It’s so light, fluffy, and moist… and RICH… super for special occasions and birthdays.
Also, I found they’ve started a special Saturday cinnamon (or cinnamon-​raisin) egg bread that is simply beautiful… complete with swirl.