Note: Marita’s is now closed
For years, we’ve driven or even parked by Marita’s Sweet Potato Pie Co. as we visited our friends Regina and Boris, who live in the neighborhood, or stopped by for a drink at Zocalo. I’ve always been curious to check it out, but the concept of “sweet potato pie” just does not appeal to Mike. In the last few weeks, however, I’ve started walking by Marita’s once a week and have had my opportunity to give it a try, and another, and another 🙂
Marita’s is a bakery but one that sells basically two things, cakes (mostly by the slice) and pies. The cakes are simple affairs, consisting of plain cake and frosting. The slices are displayed in two large display cabinets, one of which is filled by slices of Red Velvet Cake alone. The latter is their pride and joy. I liked it, the cake itself didn’t taste like much but the creme cheese filling was delicious. Indeed, this seems to be the case with most of their cakes, the cakes themselves are not special but the fillings are just plain yummy. So far I’ve had the Red Velvet, the coconut, the butter cream and the yellow chocolate – I enjoyed the latter most of all. Still, I’m planning to taste them all in my weekly visits. The slices – priced at $2-2.75 each are quite generous, you shouldn’t have a problem sharing one.
The full cakes ($13-18) are quite large, and they only seem to have a few on display so you may want to call ahead if that’s what you are looking for. In addition to cakes, they serve sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, bread pudding and pecan pie.
The bakery doesn’t have a place to sit, it’s strictly a take-out operation
Marita’s Sweet Potato Pie Co.
600 Dutton Avenue
San Leandro
510-562-3844
I was at the Oakland Farmer’s Market today and bought a piece of your chocolate-chocolate cake for my wife. I brought it home and tried it and thought it tasted dry but gave it to her anyway. She said the cake itself was not great but it was obviously a week old and terrible anyway. The guy who worked the stand said their cakes are “the best” several times. I paid about $3.25 or so for the cake but threw it out immediately after my wife tasted it. Of course, we will never buy cake from you but I will be sure to tell the 5 floors that we have in Oakland right near 12th and Broadway. I like the market but you clearly should not be there if you sell OLD and BAD cake. Perhaps, you just figure if you sell one piece of cake to everyone who ever passes through it will make you money so be it. I will not ever go there and (as I said) will make sure I tell as many people as possible to stay away from your cakes. Unfortunately, the only power of the consumer is boycott.
Maybe some of your other cakes are good but the slice of chocolate cake we got was garbage and is garbage since it is now sitting in our garbage.
I’ll leave my email address to allow you to defend yourself but I believe I have it right when I say that you know your cakes are bad but just sell as many as you can to make money and do not care about repeat business.
Since my wife had a bakery in NYC, it bothers us to see bad baking. Perhaps, you feel otherwise.
Thanks,
Robert
Concord, CA