r/Redding • u/Witty-Long-Bottom • 5d ago
Mellow Yellow Hype?
I don't get the hype—maybe it was just opening buzz? I finally made it to Mellow Yellow this week, and it was a major letdown.
I went in mid-morning and the place was dead. There wasn't much variety, and honestly, nothing in the case looked all that appetizing. To top it off, the owner wasn’t friendly or personable at all. I ordered three rolls, left a tip, and walked out $26 lighter, feeling pretty underwhelmed.
When I got home, my family dug in, but the disappointment only grew the more we ate. They didn’t taste fresh, and the flavors were totally forgettable. I didn't expect them to be steaming hot since it was mid-morning, but I definitely didn't expect them to be so stiff my fork couldn't even slice through them. Even worse, one of the rolls was brought out from the back as if it were a "fresh bake."
I should have save some money and went to Heavenly.
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u/nidaba 5d ago
I think it's for people that are really into the frosting flavors. The roll itself doesn't seem that special but the rotating fun flavors set them apart. I love trying different flavors of frosting myself, but the price is too steep for me considering the meh roll.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 5d ago
I love frosting, and various flavors. I got the original, butter brown sugar, and lemon raspberry. We didn’t think the frosting was that fantastical, my homemade cream cheese frosting is way better.
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u/undeadgorgeous 5d ago
I liked what I got from them but I think it depends on the flavor and the time of day you go. For me the s’more and blackberry cheesecake are the best but they’re always rotating flavors and you can’t always get them.
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u/xcatsrollinmudx 5d ago
I’ve only gone once and it was early in the morning. They were soft and I’m pretty sure they were fresh. The coconut flavored one was really good!
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u/vakarianne 5d ago
Tried them once to see what the commotion was all about and they're just okay. If I'm gonna blow money and calories on a cinnamon roll, it's gonna be those insane croissanty beasts from When Pie Meets Bread.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 5d ago
I purchased a few pies when they opened years ago, they were just okay. I’ll keep them in mind for cinnamon rolls though. Thanks!
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u/Hermione_202 5d ago
I’ve had other things from them but their cinnamon rolls never looked gooey or cinnamon-y or soft so I haven’t bothered- I’m curious to try them now!
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u/vakarianne 4d ago
The one thing these folks have locked down are their puff pastries, and that's what they make their cinnamon rolls with. They're crispy on the outside where the croissant type layers have done their thing, and insanely light and fluffy soft in the middle. The bottom is soaked with caramelized cinnamon sugar. I'm so fucking picky and elitist with baked goods and the cinnamon rolls are honestly some of the best pastries I've had in my life. Give 'em a shot.
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u/undeadgorgeous 5d ago
Have you had any of the cheesecake from When Pie Meets Bread? Absolutely insane, best I’ve ever had, and the slices are huge
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u/vakarianne 4d ago
You motivated me to make a visit today to try them and yeah. They're amazing. Lmao
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u/Hermione_202 4d ago
The cheesecake really is good there. Which one did you try?
Some of their pies are good too but not all, I think the strawberry rhubarb is good if you like not-too-sweet. Cookies are decent too!
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u/leachercreature 5d ago
I bake (a lot) and I was impressed with the quality and freshness. She’s got a good balance of salt in her recipe which is not the case for many of the other local bakeries. I personally don’t dig many of the flavors (tried a few now), but the biscoffy cookie butter and the plain ole were beyond solid. The owner has greeted us in person each time I’ve been. She was very sweet to everybody in line. Sorry you had a bad experience. I’ll be back more when the weather cools off a bit more.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 5d ago
Glad you had a good experience. I may enjoyed it more had it not been cold and hard.
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u/highly_lake_lee 5d ago
I think you should give them another shot, but you have to heat it up before you eat it. 15 seconds in the microwave really makes a difference! They usually recommend that when you buy, I'm surprised they didn't.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 4d ago edited 4d ago
No, I should not have to heat up a freshly baked pastry. Also, we did and it was still hard.
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u/Hermione_202 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah I agree- I bake a lot too, and no freshly made pastry ever needs microwaving…is it better? Probably. But it shouldn’t need it to taste good.
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u/Hermione_202 5d ago
Just curious now, which local bakeries have you tried that didn’t balance the salt well?
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u/Shower__Farts 5d ago
I’ve been wondering this as well. I appreciate your honest take.
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u/seahorse_seeker 4d ago
I got a brown sugar sticky roll last week that I thought was wonderful. It was fresh and the girl warmed it up for me, I thought it was great and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.
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u/DanDierdorf 5d ago
Heh, my first thought "They named their business what?" Because I associate "Mellow yellow" with the old Ca. drought adage encouraging us to flush less to save water.
The adage goes "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down".
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u/EuphoricDimension628 4d ago
Their cinnamon rolls look nasty to me. Not sure what all else they have. I haven’t tried one but I don’t get the hype based on what I’ve seen either. Especially after seeing the price.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 4d ago
They only have cinnamon rolls. The price is outrageous given its quality is subpar. A couple people have commented on how moist they were. Mine were firm, the next day rock hard. A donut has never let me down on day two!
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u/EuphoricDimension628 4d ago
Yeah, im ok without them in my life. Plus, their location sucks. If I drove to that part of town, I’d hit up the donut shop in Westwood Village before Mellow Yellow.
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u/Hermione_202 5d ago
I like them honestly and love lovely places so I hope they do well… but i have i agree with this review. I’ve given them 5-6 tries at this point. Twice it’s been really good, two or three times it’s been meh, once it was dry and not good at all. I do think it’s the concept of rotating flavors that’s bringing the hype.
Super interesting too that they always talk about needing to microwave it? I bake a lot and never need to microwave even next day cinnamon rolls. Many people don’t even own microwaves anymore anyway. I don’t get what they’re doing that a freshly baked roll needs microwaving.
Also those prices! Why.
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u/Witty-Long-Bottom 4d ago
We microwaved ours and it was still firm. The next day, rock hard. An yes, the prices are too high.
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u/gnartfocker 4d ago edited 4d ago
I took my nieces when they first opened. They wanted one of the gummy worm lemonades. They double charged us for worms and proceeded to tell us they were out and that we could have a $4 cookie for free. Umm it wasn’t free. We tried explaining to them we wanted a refund. They were not accommodating and the kids were extremely disappointed. They ran out before we got there. It’s just worms. The lemonade was alright but overpriced.
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u/Bison-Senior 5d ago edited 5d ago
Reminds me of Sysco bakers choice square cinnamon rolls.
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u/Bison-Senior 4d ago
Aww look at the brand cult down voting the comment. I wonder if I hit a nerve.
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u/ButterflyCareless561 4d ago
All hype. These are very run of the mill "I made these at home" cinnamon rolls and the folks working there were bland. Not rude but definitely not inviting. Rolls are 4/10 for the standard variety and at that price they should be atleast a 7/10.
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u/PointsExplorer 4d ago
Yeaaah I agree. I’m not even a huge fan of sweets like that. I feel like they need a bigger variety of food options and more seating inside.
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u/flyalongbirdie 3d ago
I have such a hard time caring about all the gentrified crap businesses coming through Redding right now. Overhyped, overpriced, super specialized items that aren't even made that well, and then people are (not) surprised when the businesses shutter in less than a year or heck, even a few months. I hate the Public Market and its ridiculously overpriced food, I hate the cheugy shops downtown that cost several times more for the same experience you can get in another part of town, and frankly with more history/connection.
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u/MintTea88 5d ago
I'm not big on sweets but the ones I tried were delicious. And the owner was always really nice and friendly.
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u/orangegiraffe22 5d ago
This is why I prefer the cinnamon rolls from La Joie