My expectations were higher than the food quality, taste, and portions that were given. I love the concept of having culinary students working at their own restaurant. The interior is modern and well organized with a cute mini bakery stand inside. It's great that you can buy baked goods within the cafe at a separate kiosk. Our server was very friendly and treated all of well and attentively. The downside was the food being not so great. The Brie sandwich I got wasn't too bad, but the fries were overly salted. My friend got the salad and added chicken which cost $16 but literally was few pieces of broken baby lettuce and dry chicken. Portions were not impressive. If I were to go back, I will only get the baked goods. read more

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Better late than not at all for this review given our experience at the CIA Bakery in San Antonio was a wonderful one when we visited last year. Having been to the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe at the CIA in Hyde Park, I suppose it is heresy to say I liked this San Antonio outpost bakery better. But there you have it. I did. If you're in San Antonio, look for this gem in The Pearl complex. Well worth the visit and the calories. THE DRILL Order at the counter inside from either the sweets selection in the bakery case or from a selection of soup, salad and sandwiches posted on the chalkboard above. If sweets they'll serve them up to you at the counter for you to take to your table in or out, or in a to go box for take away. If savories, seems they'll deliver to your table when ready. SEATING The space is small inside, but there are a few tables there and more outside on the sidewalk and patio surrounding. SERVICE Very friendly counter person who knew all the goodies in the case very well and could help us narrow down our choices. FOOD / VALUE So many good choices of sweet temptations, which is what we were after to take away, and only so many calories to invest. We loved all three of our take away items, which were carefully and beautifully boxed. Big woohoo here that they make alfajores! These delectable Peruvian cookies filled with dulce de leche are uber difficult to bake at home and super delectable as made here. Also, if they have the Monte Alban Oaxaca ($3.80) do not pass it up! Hazelnut dacquoise, hazelnut chocolate cris, dark (72%) chocolate ganache...it IS as good as it sounds. We thought all items were a great value for how delicious they were. TH'S N THAT: 1) ACCESSIBILITY: Level in and throughout. Standard height seating in and out. 2) PARKING: Pretty ample parking in an adjacent lot. 3) RIVER TAXI: You can get here by car and park in the adjacent lot. Or you can take the River Taxi from downtown San Antonio through the Museum Reach to get here. We did that one day. Or you can take the River Taxi from the Pearl here down through the Museum Reach to downtown San Antonio. We did that one day too. Point is, use the River Taxi. Great fun. http://www.yelp.com/biz/rio-san-antonio-cruises-san-antonio#hrid:uT8_CBTmPQkL-odl8rlO5w/src:self 4) IL SOGNO OSTERIA: Is just across the parking lot from CIA. Our meal at Il Sogno as outstanding. One of the best dining experiences ever. A tip...don't miss it! http://www.yelp.com/biz/il-sogno-osteria-san-antonio#hrid:J0_gPggV5jfKm-ctD2BSaA read more

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Best place Ever! My husband and I spent our 26th wedding anversry there in 2021... I M so pleased we did, because the love of my life passed away that April. What a wonderful memory I have of being there with him!! We had the 4 course dinner yet had to take half of it home with us.... Best place ever, and I will be retuning this year with friends.! If I lived there, I most likely woulding eat anywhere else!!!!! read more

Wonderful indoor and outdoor seating bakery at the Pearl. The atmosphere was calming. I tried out two Scones and a latte and they were quite delicious. The two scones I tried were the Manchengo sausage and the Orange cranberry. Both are different ends of the flavor spectrum and should not be put together, however I was adventurous today. The Manchengo Sausage Scone was a delicious square scone with a little kick and bits sausage with every bite. The Orange Cranberry scone was a favorite of mine. Even the birds came over to try out my food! Filled with oranges and cranberry, I throughly enjoyed this slightly sweet, tangy, and delicious scone. Employees were very friendly and attentive. I ordered and they asked if I was going to sit inside or outside. I elected outside and they brought my order to me. They even checked on me to see if I needed anything else. They also have a lunch menu and I will return to try them. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Cranberry Orange Scone - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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The overall atmosphere is very nice and welcoming. There is a great display of the pastries and other food they have available. I ordered the brioche french toast to go. Boxed up nicely and came with containers of butter,syrup, fruit preserves and something that looked similar to nutella. I only added the fruit preserves to the french toast and it was fantastic! I would definitely recommend if you are a fan of french toast. S'mores Log (not pictured)- It looked nice, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It was decent. Staff was okay. Their customer service was not something I would rave about. I will be returning while the shop is still up and running. There were other items that looked worthy of trying. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Guava Delight. Pecan bars. My heart hurts knowing that these little guys went *kaput* in my tummy. But they brought sheer joy for those few minutes of my life so their death was not in vain. I'ma pour one for my homies... read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Left - Guava Delight Right - Pecan Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Wonderful spot for a fresh made lunch! I really like the Vegetable Panini with the side of Arugula. The sandwich is packed with fresh veggies and a wonderful sun dried tomato spread is a stand out flavor. On my visits I have tried the Key Lime Pie, a simple Croissant, a Chocolate Cookie and took home a loaf of Ciabatta to accompany a warm stew dinner. I was really happy with each selection. In house, seating is limited, outside there are tables but also an area of grass which works for a picnic spot. Behind the scenes, the place is impressive! We toured it and felt such an energy even while the space was empty with no chefs to be seen or cooking to witness. If you can't find outdoor parking, check out the garage as it is open to the public and free. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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like a kid in a candy shop..... oh yeah. I am a big kid, in a pastry shop... so yes, we'll have one of each! ok, we got four pastries, a loaf of bread and a latte to go. we were in the area and I always loved visiting the st helena branch of the CIA (greystone) so I was anxious to try their new san antonio cafe. we brought them back to austin and surprised the kids and my mom. we were like heros as we unveiled these sweets. it was a chilly evening, we enjoyed these by the outdoor fire place, we had a glass of 10 yo tawny port.... it was just perfect! read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - pretty sweets! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I stopped by CIA for a quick bite after a yoga class during my last trip to San Antonio, and I was pretty wowed by their pastry case. The cafe itself is clean and seemed like a very pleasant place to meet up with a friend, have a business meeting, or get some work done. I can only speak to the yogurt and coffee that I had there, and all of that was a-ok. There wasn't a ton of savory food selection, but if you want something sweet, hit this place up! read more

Holy cow ! I just tried a pastry and it was absolutely delicious The best I've had !!! A vendor brought some for the office ... definitely going to have to stop by this bakery soon . read more

It happens. Your boo leaves. You lose a bunch of weight as a result. And then all the sudden in the paper you notice that your bae is back. They want you back? Get the stretchy pants out you're about to put the winter weight back on.. In this case, my rocky relationship is with CIA Bakery and I know they aren't in town for long. Pop up is Monday through Friday 8AM - 2PM with favorites like XS chocolate cake, alfajores, symphony cakes, sweet empenadas and a limited lunch and drink menu. Just like a dysfunctional relationship, this will end soon. Eat. Now. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - CIA Pop Up Store Front on Karnes - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Great alternative to Starbucks. The baked goods are super, which I would expect from the Culinary Institute. They do a great job on espresso beverages, also. There is some limited seating in an out, and with the ongoing build-up outside, it can be noisy at times. Service is great. You can also peek in and see the budding chefs at work through a window, which is a nice touch, versus what you'd see at Starbucks: unwrapping items baked elsewhere...! Less than 5 minutes from 281, it's worth the stop. read more

Went here with my friend and her mom this morning... I had the salted caramel chocolate tart and the hot Miami (?). Also bought my husband a monster chocolate cookie. Everything was so fabulous! If you are craving something really rich and divine, the tart was soooo good. But then again, everything is so good. The culinary students are truly excited about their craft and you can see it in the fine tuned details of their beautiful creations. So eye popping! Will definitely return to try other items! read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Salted caramel chocolate tart (bitten) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I always get the alfajores (absolute favorite!) plus one extra item to try. Unfortunately, there have been a few misses for me. For example, the coconut cupcake. It tasted like suntan lotion and had a weird liquidy center. I couldn't finish it and threw it out after one bite. Also not a fan of their fruit tarts. For me, the crust is too dense. HOWEVER, I had the chocolate caramel tart today that was very good! Super rich chocolatey & caramely. Not sure what the white football shaped thingy was on top of it. But it had a slight tanginess that balanced out the sweetness of the chocolate and caramel. Get it. So as long as CIA carries alfajores, Nutella cream puff, and chocolate caramel tart, I will continue to be a weekly customer! read more

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I attended the opening today and was pleasantly surprised by all the great customer service and knowledge of their product. Since this pop up is part of the culinary institute, I could see desserts being prepped in the back by what I assume are the students. The good: all my desserts were tasty. The key lime was good and opera cake. The bad: most of their stock was out by 1pm. Not a big deal since they make awesome delights The ugly: none I will return to by more of the food. read more

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Got like 6 things for less than 25 dollars. Zucchini bread, alfajores, pear and almond tart, pecan bar, pina colada roll and double xs cake. Oh man, for about 3-4 dollars per pastry, the stuff the CIA makes is amazing. Each item was so good. Double XS Cake - Moist and subtly sweet. Just the right amount of sweet and chocolate. Tart - Sweet, fruity and nutty. Crust was flaky and paired really well with the filling. Alfajores - Crumbly, flaky and buttery. The dulce de leche filling was also sweet and sticky. It was like eating a flan-flavored cookie. Pecan Bar - Not super sweet. You can really tasted the pecans. It's not just sugar with nuts on top. Pina colada roll - Wasn't as impressed with this one. Just tasted like preserved fruit in a flaky roll. Zucchini bread - Kind of tastes like carrot cake but not as sweet. Really good, I would go back for this. It has a honey ginger glaze too which I definitely appreciate. I wanted to try their guava empanadas but they were out. Go there early for them, I'm certain they're delicious. read more

The bakery is 5+ stars, the cafe only 3. Lots of great items in the pastry case.

I stopped by here with my son after a birthday lunch at La Gloria. I had two espressos and a taste of my son's key lime cheese cake. The espresso, the pie, and the service were fantastic. I'll be back. read more

Summary: Being that I'm more on taste and less on fancy presentation, I liked the food but can't say it blew me away. Service here was run of the mill. If you're somewhat near the place, give it a shot but don't make a trip out of it. All of the baked goods I've tried here have been pretty solid and none have disappointed as of yet. The mini banana pie dessert I tried the last time I went was probably the favorite thing I've eaten there. I plan to try some of their other food i.e. soups/sandwiches the next time I'm in the area. They also get additional props from me for having pretty good (and sometimes unique) drinks like jamaica. Reminds me of my trip to Honduras... The inside seating is somewhat limited from what I saw so plan on eating outside or getting it to go. Saturdays morning to midday can get busy pretty quick because of all the farmer's market folks but the wait is never too long. Nothing fantastic here but there are some selections worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Banana baked good - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I love this place. Great food, nice atmosphere, and amazing location! In my opinion, the Pearl Brewery area is one of the coolest places in San Antonio. Taste is amazing Price is good Service is fast read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Black Currant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This place is like heaven on earth. Where else in San Antonio can you find Thomas Keller quality pastries and other baked goods? I dare say that their passion fruit macaron is better than the macarons at Bouchon! read more

This place was kind of a let down. I was anxiously awaiting my first opportunity to try the tasty creations from the Culinary Institute of America. I ordered the oven roasted turkey sandwich and had a so-so experience. While the brioche bun was well down (nice and dense, but fluffy), the sandwich was unremarkable. It featured a chipotle mayo, which was decent, and gruyere cheese along with cucumbers and oven roasted turkey. The turkey was good, but it took the sandwich only so far. It needed more cucumbers, in my opinion. So, if you want a sandwich, maybe you should try a different offering. My girlfriend had a cafe mocha that she said was delicious, so I think the coffee and coffee drinks are a safe bet. She also tried the alfajores, which is a pastry sandwich with dulche de leche in the middle. She was excited to try this because she is a huge fan of baked goods, especially desserts, and because she tried the same dessert in Peru and fell in love with it. The CIA version was alright, but fell short of expectations. This may be because it is hard finding the same ingredients as one would find in South America, or at least I think this might be the case. Though I was tempted, I did not try dessert or coffee. I will have to return to try both of them and the fresh baked artisanal breads. For lunch, I would recommend you go elsewhere to find not only more options, but probably tastier ones. However, if you are in the mood for coffee and dessert, this may be a good stop. read more

One of my favorite places to get some work done outside of my home office! I usually grab one of their teas or flavored waters- the Jamaica is my favorite, a little like the hibiscus tea at Green Vegetarian but tangier and less watery (if that makes sense.) I've grabbed a few different baked items here, but my favorite is the Chocolate XS. It's over-the-top chocolatey and wayyy rich. Even at it's small stature, this can be shared between two people because the flavor is so intense. True Excess. I've yet to have lunch, but aim to sometime soon. Student service can be shaky at times, but the majority of time it's great and it's hard not to be understanding of students trying to learn the ropes. read more

This was my go-to spot in the morning for 3-4 days out of the week for months. I am determined to make my way through every selection in the bakery counter. Every pastry I've tried thus far has been fresh, well prepared and delicious. My favorite however, is their Mocha. I have not found a better cup anywhere - and no matter who makes it, it always tastes wonderful. The flavored iced drinks are a nice selection too, though the Hibiscus one has a bit of a wierd aftertaste. Overall, a great little spot, I hope to try their lunch offerings one day. Word of caution though, be prepared for crowds on a Saturday if you go in during the Farmer's Market - it can be tightly packed, chaotic and noisy in there, plus certain items can sell out before you have a chance to get to it - but they do their best to move customers along the line. read more

Transported back in time. I may be a little biased because all I had one of their beautiful pastries and a latte. The Mango Mousse was a work of art and delicous to boot. They have seating inside and out. They have their own blend of cowboy coffee. Their digital menu is a work of art unto itself. Sitting outside listening to a guitar player and watching the people at Pearl walking about I forgot I was in San Antonio and was back in Oaxaca in the zocolo or an Italian piazza. The service was quick. They delivered your food outside if you weren't at the counter to pick it up. The counter person took the time to explain how they brewed the coffee despite a bit of a line. Oh and the sandwiches are HUGE! Saw a few of them and thought I could have a few meals out of one. Highly recommend. read more

Lately I've visited the CIA Bakery every weekend. I'm a big fan of the poached egg breakfast plate, the orange-cranberry scone and the Infinito (croissant type pastry with creamy goodness all twisted into an infinity shape). Their cookies are pretty amazing, especially the traditional chocolate chip. I'm sure people will disagree with me, but I'm not a fan of their coffee. It's too acidic and not very smooth. They have a good amount of outdoor seating, but if the weather isn't favorable, it may be hard to find a seat inside. If you go on Saturdays during the farmer's market, expect a substantial crowd/line. read more

We stopped in here for some coffee on our way to the Farmer's Market. The cafe mocha was definitely "as good as it gets"! We also had the Croissantwich - Their famous croissant split in half and topped with black forest ham, fried egg, jalapeno cheese spread, and carmelized onions. It was so yummy and a perfect start to our Farmer's Market morning. read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Croissantwich and cafe mocha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Tucked away behind some condos in the Culinary Institute of America campus, this little cafe is a great find! My husband and I sat outside and enjoyed -Steel cut oats w/ honey and bananas (could've used more banans) -French toast -Empanada pastries -Mexican coffee: sweetened medium coffee The seating outside is great on a nice day, but there's a good amount inside the cafe too. A great selection of pastries and breads. Wish we lived closer to come here more often! read more

Buttery creamy goodness is the best way to describe the quiche! Open & friendly atmosphere. A must try! read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Saturday, 2 pm. Only pastries left are about 10 croissants and pain au chocolate. The nice gal at the counter sighed apologetically. Get there early on Saturdays. read more

Desserts were decent but nothing fantastic. Staff was curt to say the least, bordering on rude. Given all the dining options in the immediate vicinity, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else! read more

Get the Chocolate XS Cake or the Passion fruit Guava desert, Key Lime pie crust could have been better but the filling was spot on...affordable and delicious deserts for under 5 bucks..can't complain, and the patio is great with good people watching and views of the pearl complex...i will be back! read more

CIA Bakery Cafe - Chocolate XS Cake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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How do you screw up espresso? (It had to be tossed: over the top bitter.) How do you screw up iced coffee? (it also had to be tossed: absolutely weak and flavorless.) How do you screw up Opera Cake? (at least a week old. Needs to be fresh at all times.) Inexcusable mistakes. Someone needs to get on top of that cafe and be tasting the products for high quality acceptability. Reflects badly on the teaching program. Any rating less than five stars for this place from any reviewer should indicate that the program cannot be transplanted from New York. Are they not teaching management skills in addition to cooking skills? or tasting skills? It is one thing to learn recipes mindlessly it s another to have a discerning palate. Dr Evils' motto: "There are no second chances in this world": you only live and die once, that is until you are re-born to this exact same life when the entire universe recurs thru its cycle in the far future over far time. I'm digressing from the food. Went around the corner to iamacoffeehouse.com. read more