I visited the Ghirardelli ice cream and chocolate shop on a Sunday afternoon for a sweet treat. It…read morewasn't too busy, and we got our order in around five minutes. We got the hot fudge brownie sundae, which was absolutely delicious. It had a warm brownie with great classic ice cream, and the whole thing was very chocolatey and satisfying. Exactly the kind of thing I needed on a hotter day. The portion is a lot, we shared it among five people, and we all got enough of a sweet-craving fix from it.

Is it really good? Yes. Can it get really packed here? Yes. Is it SUPER fricking expensive? Also…read moreYES. For one thing I paid almost $20. But the gold rush is also my go to since I don't like chocolate anything. The sea salt and caramel mix is so well with the whipped cream and ice cream. Okay to splurge once in a while but man are they super pricey here. Best tables are outside but they are small with the perfect coastal view.

COVID protocol - limit 10 people including the staff so be prepared to wait. Line goes fairly quick…read more Service - top notice. Super friendly and prompt esp since we were selecting all of our chocolate choices 2lbs worth! Overall live sees candies and the staff did it right.

I stopped in at del monte to get a 2 lb box of chocolates for a Dr. & his staff, found what i…read morewanted & waited in line briefly, the employee was nice & offered me a sample. i was a little shocked at the price, i remember when a 1lb box was $19, things have changed but not the taste of See's candy

I didn't picture it because i ate it so fast but: 1…read more Parmesan pretzel was #1 so good. Best iv ever had in my life. It kind of gives me a hint of croissant. 2. The chocolate macroon. Wow so good. A little too sweet for me but still very good. 3. The lobster tail was ok... i didn't think it was anything special. I probably wouldn't get it again. The process of getting into line is kind of insane because people just cut you and go straight to the counter. I had told a guy excuse me to let me get out of the shop 3x and he never moved.

Stopped by for some latte and cappuccino and the coffee was good!…read more We also got some of the chocolate biscotti and it was huge and crunchy i liked it and it wasn't too sweet. They seem to have other interesting pastries that i would love to try next time. Love the i side is cozy and have many spots to sit work or just chill. The service was quick and friendly.

Good location, customer service and products. My favorite…read morevitamin here is the fruit tart. However, in the last two months we discovered they prepare it on Saturday so it is crunchy that day , HOWEVER, if you try to buy it on Sunday, it's not crunchy anymore specially, the bottom... it is a pie at this point. Last two times it was not crunchy. . We spent 10 minutes this morning investigating why it's not crunchy anymore and that's where I got the information from. One of the staff at the patisserie suggested to recall them three days ahead of time and we ask them to prepare it the same day we want to buy it... maybe we will give it a third try for a Sunday (I hope they don't give us one made the day before and tell us" oh, it's all the same"...) By the way, they discontinued, the blueberry almond tart: that one stayed crunchy for days. I'll come back next time to either give them an extra star or to take off one more star, depending on how crunchy the tarte will be. By the way France, patisserie does not stay From day today. It is baked in the morning and by five or 6 PM nothing is left... same thing at any French trained patisserie. All over the world.

I've had strange experiences with service. At the bakery counter I wanted to buy several 'S'mores…read morecupcakes and the unpleasant person who decided to assist me didn't like that I asked for a box that wouldn't mess up the toasted swirl on top of each cupcake. Rather than understand that I wanted to keep the attractiveness in tact, she decided to take exception to my request. Then another employee walking past made some nasty comments about we don't even have those kind of containers. So I pointed them out in a nearby display of baking goods. Then after a lot of sneering and snideness a man came up from behind the counter to gruffly inform me that they are out of those containers and I will have to take they have. The girl knew, because I told her, that I wanted the cupcakes to remain attractive. So as she boxed them up I watched and she made a point of damaging a few. I should have told her shove them! What the hell is not understandable about wanting your carefully decorated baked goods to not get smear in the box?! Why was that so hard to understand? I have a photo of the cupcakes-- the only undamaged one in front. I'm reluctant to make any more purchases because they made it an unpleasant experience for no good reason

THE ICE CREAM WAS SOOO GOOD wow wow wow we absolutely loved this spot we wish we could've gotten a…read moreround 2 haha Highly recommend, there's a line for a reason

I was in Monterey for 2 days, and I loved this place so much I went back both days for ice cream…read morethat's how good it was! The baby cup size is honestly the best option, it looks small, but trust me, it's the perfect amount to enjoy without any guilt. Of course, I had to try the famous bee flavor, and it did not disappoint, those tiny honey bits scattered throughout make it extra special. I also tried the chocolate, but it was fine, nothing that stood out compared to the bee flavor. Perfect way to end a meal!

I stopped by Lafayette Bakery on Memorial Day morning and there were only a few people in line. The…read moreselection of pastries and breakfast items made it so hard to choose because everything looked amazing! I ended up getting the ham and bacon quiche and it did not disappoint. It was flaky, light, and had the perfect crunch. I paired it with a vanilla latte with almond milk, and as a barista myself, I have to say the latte was a 10/10. You can tell it was crafted with care. I enjoyed my breakfast in the patio where they had outside seating, it was clean and very spacious! The service was also great! The barista who took my order was super friendly and made sure I got my items once they were ready. I'll definitely be coming back to try one of their sweet pastries next time!

Uniqueness: Their pastries are well done! Wait Time:…read more [x][x][x][x][x] Food Quality: [x][x][x][x][x] Service: [x][x][x][x][x] Setting: [x][x][x][x][ ] Cost: [x][x][x][x][ ] Recommendation? Definitely stick with their pastries as their other savory foods looked alright (perhaps one day I'll try and see how they taste). Yelp told me about this bakery in the older Carmel Plaza here that's not in the main Ocean Ave. The plaza was sadly mostly empty but was still curious to see how this bakery is. The inside was also pretty sparse at the time of my visit and there were a decent amount of pastries still on display and first impression of their sandwich & other savory goods was a bit of a miss by the looks of it. Still I ordered a lime tart, tiramisu, and a guava raspberry tart with no coffee, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good they all were! Not too overly sweet, and it didn't feel like any other generic tart/tiramisu so I would definitely be curious to try some more. Staff were also friendly and the overall price per pastry was slightly on the pricier side but then again, this is Carmel. Perhaps another plus if anything about this place is you definitely won't have to worry about tourist crowds or long lines! Would I come back here? Maybe I will give their savory food a try next time as well but truth be told regardless, I'll check them out again for more pastries as they did a good job. Worth the visit!

Had a little trip to the aquarium today and forgot our sweaters so we bought some at this store…read more After I had put the sweater on I noticed this bug crawling on me didn't think anything of it. My fiancé later found the same bug on him but a smaller size. Then once we checked ourselves and realized they were coming from INSIDE our sweaters!!! Not sure what kind of insect this is but we did NOT have them until we put on our sweaters !!!

Five & Dime...not sure what's the story behind the name. Not a damn thing in this store costs a…read moredime. I would describe it as a general store or souvenir shop. After leaving the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I really needed some water. That was all I was planning to buy. Just water. For $3.25 + CRV....how?!?!? I ended up looking around at all the cute souvenirs (mugs, hoodies, t-shirts, shot glasses, etc). They are pricey, but, that's to be expected. I ended up grabbing a keychain with a sea otter...because it's cute and it's functional. Can one have too many keychains??? I think not. LOL.

Dick Verde: Brussel Sprouts are crispy with enough mass to…read morereally sink your teeth into! The balsamic vinegar adds enough sweetness to make each bite addicting. Just the right amount of char and flavor! Butter Brickle Malt Milkshake: Pretty solid! Thick creamy milkshake. Tasted like what Butterbeer would taste like. Roadsides hot dog: This hotdog was pretty sweet with the bbq sauce and sauteed onions. The dog is wrapped in bacon and topped with mac n cheese. It's a little hard to eat such a stacked hotdog but that's really not a complaint. Why complain when you get more of a tasty meal? I do wish I could order a pickle or something sour that I could use to contrast the hot dog in between bites. Overall, the food menu looks really interesting, the food is delicious and I'd love to continue to explore the menu the next time I visit. The service is friendly and the food comes out relatively fast! Ambiance wise, it's a pretty laid back beach skater vibe with lots of decorations to look at! I got the pleasure to come here on a day where there was a live band and it really added to the atmosphere. Highly recommend stopping by here when you get a chance. :)

Surfer / skater dude vibe snack / dessert shack along the lighthouse blvd near the Monterey coast…read more(technically pacific grove?). Good place to take a break and something for all tastes! Food is tasty and hits the spot good for a midday snack or to rest up a bit. They have some unique flavor combos like a tater tot / guac / nachos combo Brussels were good and had lots of char on it Didn't get to try their hot dogs but looks like a popular item!