SandPiper Bakery is a hot topic around the town of Ipswich. The small, female-owned business opened in Ipswich on February 26, 2021 and has been a hit ever since. Both of us have heard many great reviews about this particular bakery, but had yet to try the goodness for ourselves. Before we wrote our review on this local bakery, we wanted to research as much as possible to find out what we were getting ourselves into.

SandPiper Bakery is owned by Susanne Clermont and Molly Friedman, two women who have totally different yet fascinating backgrounds. The two prioritize supporting local farmers, practicing sustainability, and nourishing the community. Together, they are very passionate about what they do and want to provide the highest quality food and service for the town. The bakery offers pastries, breakfast, lunch, and retail/drink. The menu is seasonally influenced, so some items tend to change depending on the time of year. The bakery has 5/5 stars on Google reviews with the frequent mention of their friendly staff. 

One Sunday morning, we went to SandPiper bakery to see for ourselves what all the hype was about. While walking in, we immediately noticed that the bakery was crowded. Several locals were conversing, waiting for their food, and eating. The environment was extremely welcoming and had a calm atmosphere, which both of us admired. We checked out the breakfast menu, but the pastries were grabbing our attention the most. We asked the two cashiers which pastries they would recommend to us, they picked the croissants and sea salt chocolate chip cookies. Both the cashiers were very friendly and open to answering our questions, just as the reviews said they would be. We ordered the sea salt chocolate chip cookie, peanut cookie, and some tappos (bite-sized brownies). The prices were reasonable, as our total came out to be around 12 dollars. 

We thought we should have a third party try the pastries with us. We asked senior Kiera O’Keefe to come along, as she was interested in trying the bakery for the first time as well. She expressed to us that she has heard awesome reviews as well. Additionally, she admired how the bakery was located right in the middle of town. She remarked, “It’s a great spot, very convenient for everyone.” Kiera also shared what she liked about baked goods in general, noting, “I typically like pastries and baked goods, except when they’re too sweet. I like a cookie that’s not too undercooked or overcooked, so right in the middle.” 

We started off by trying the sea salt chocolate chip cookie, which we all agreed was the perfect size right off the bat. This cookie was probably our favorite due to the salty and sweet combo. We asked Kiera if it met her cookie needs, to which she responded, “Yeah, I actually like it a lot.” Next, we tried the peanut cookie. This confection seemed like a sugar cookie with peanuts mixed into the batch, because it didn’t have a strong peanut butter taste but the peanuts were clearly noticeable. We also liked this cookie, but would recommend it to an older audience or anyone who prefers peanuts over sweets. Lastly, we sampled the tappos, a sweet we had never heard of or seen before. They satisfied our sweet tooth, tasting like a perfectly cooked brownie with just the right amount of sweetness to meet your needs. 

Overall, this bakery was exactly what the numerous positive reviews make it out to be. With the friendly and welcoming staff and aesthetically pleasing shop, we can confidently say we will be returning. We both truly admire how much both the owners are working to help make the community of Ipswich a better, more sustainable place. We look forward to returning and trying some more items on their menu to support this wonderful local small business.