This cold brew will hit you in the chin like a randy johnson fastball . Strongest i ever did have…read more It literally cured a hangover. Also , friendly, personable staff. Wish they had a few more food options . Will definitely be back !

We came to Captain + Stoker because it had good reviews (more that a 4.0) so I thought it would be…read moregood, no - very disappointing. We got 2 seasonal item menus - snickerdude and leg warmer latte, both literally tasted the same. One was suppose to have a pumpkin flavor- no where to be found. They both looked and tasted the same. We got one of the pressed drinks and it was okay. I spent $30 on 2 coffees that tasted nasty and a pressed juice. Save your time and energy, go somewhere else.

Had a sausage roll that was so amazing that I had to leave my first review on yelp. Putting braised…read moreapple and caramelized onions in the sausage was a genius decision, whoever thought of this should get a raise! Will definitely be coming back and recommending to my friends!

Has some amazing looking cakes and croissant sandwiches. They had a day of the dead bread that…read morelooked cool. I really enjoyed their open faced tuna melt. And eating it in their back patio was really nice on a sunny day.

Bike & coffee review!!…read more Let's start with the coffee. By far the best I had my whole trip to Carmel/Monterey. Absolute perfection. We actually all got drinks from their seasonal menu. Highly recommend using the pistachio milk! Presentation was gorgeous and service was SO good. Friendliest people fr. The space is so clean and so trendy, welcoming, and smells amazing. Don't forget a pup cup for your pup! DO THE BIKE RENTALS! Absolute highlight of our trip. BUT the team at this location recommended we actually rent from their Monterey location based on what we wanted to experience (literally biking on the coast / 17 mile drive route- hello!!!). They were also able to recommend what bikes we should book, etc. Only thing that wasn't cute was the prices on the flyer at the bike shop are inaccurate. Said $50 all day ride from Monterey but in fact it was $75. They said the flyer was out of date. Regardless, Mad Dog is so fab

Saw this place ranked among Yelp's Top 50 Best Coffee Shops in America and knew I had to try it!…read more This review is strictly for the coffee shop! The coffee shop is located at the front, with bike rentals in the back. The store itself is super cute and extremely dog-friendly, which is always a huge plus. Parking: No designated parking lot, so you'll have to find street parking. It was pretty difficult on a Sunday, but honestly, that's nothing out of the ordinary for downtown Carmel. We got 3 drinks from their seasonal menu, and unfortunately, they were all just okay. Strawberry Fields -- $8.50 The matcha was decent, and I appreciated that they used strawberry purée. However, it wasn't memorable enough for me to order again. Vanilla Cardamom Latte -- $7.50 The cardamom was SUPER strong, and I felt like it overpowered everything else. The description mentioned rich espresso and creamy vanilla, but both were definitely lacking. Velvet Noir -- $7.50 This tasted as described: dark chocolate and cherry espresso. It was not overwhelmingly sweet. Service deserves a shoutout! Despite my mixed feelings about the drinks, the service was AMAZING! The cashier was super friendly and even made a special pup treat for my dog, which I genuinely appreciated. My dog absolutely loved it! As an avid coffee drinker, I'm not sure I'd personally consider this one of the "best coffee shops" based on the drinks alone. I was hoping for stronger espresso flavors, especially given the recognition and price point. That said, the customer service and dog-friendly atmosphere were fantastic! I didn't get a chance to rent a bike this time, but I'd definitely stop by again on my next visit to Carmel. Maybe I'll have better luck with a different drink next time!

Super friendly lads behind the bar. We asked if we could see the art work on the other side of the…read morecafe and very kindly welcomed in. We then asked about the wonderful spicy aroma in the air, and were told that was the daily fresh brewed chai. So we ordered a two iced chai with oatmilk, I instantly loved the abundance of cardamon in my drink. My wife and I are going to try and stop by when ever we are in town. On our way out we also had the pleasure of meeting the owner and a regular who had been coming in since the opening of the East Village Cafe. If only we lived closer we'd become regulars too.

I was honestly pretty annoyed with this experience. I ordered a matcha with raspberry syrup, and…read morewhen I got it, my matcha was literally white. I asked the employee about it, and he told me it was because of the raspberry syrup, which honestly made absolutely no sense. I went back to the counter and asked if I could just get an iced coffee instead. Rather than making a new drink, he said he could add more matcha powder to the cup I already had. He did that, and somehow my matcha went from being white to gray. At that point, I was already pretty frustrated. I finally just asked for an iced coffee because I was over it. They handed me a completely black iced coffee. So I essentially paid $6 for them to pour coffee and water over ice. By that point, I was genuinely so irritated hearing the two coworkers make jokes about doing better next time etc that I just walked out. I completely understand that mistakes happen, but the entire situation was handled so poorly. I tried multiple times to resolve the issue, and somehow I still ended up with a drink I didn't want, after wasting both my time and my money. $6 might not seem like a lot, but paying for something you didn't order and then having the situation handled this poorly is incredibly frustrating. Definitely not the experience I expected, and unfortunately, not one I'd want to repeat.

Bookworks a perfect coffee shop mixed with an old-school bookstore…read more The bookstore opens at 9:30 and is accessible via the coffee shop or from the street. It had a lovely selection of books along with local artist artwork and postcards that you can purchase. The coffee at Bookworks was solid. I really enjoyed the cappuccino and the iced vanilla latte. The overall aesthetic of the coffee shop feels like a scene from "Friends", I was a fan of the deep and comfy leather couches.

A CAFE AND A BOOKSTORE, ALL IN ONE PLACE?!! I couldn't run fast enough! No, seriously... I was the…read moredorko running to the door. Haha. And then I tasted their banana cream latte (a special), and it was as dreamy as its name! Mm mm good! Walking around the bookstore while waiting for my order and then after my coffee break was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Bookworks is a 'must visit' in Pacific Grove if you're in town. And if you live in the area, they have a large self seating area where you can easily stay to read, study or work.

Decided to try this place for lunch since they recently expanded their food options. I had the Lox…read moreBagel accompanied by a white needle tea. The bagel was a toasted everything bagel topped with cream cheese, lox salmon, pickled red onions, green onion, and dill. It was crispy, creamy, and oh so tasty. It made for a perfect lighter lunch option. The white needle tea was refreshing and went well with the salmon. They have many specialized, high quality tea options. This cafe is part of Wave Street Studio, which is also a venue that hosts a variety of events. The outdoor seating space is very pleasant, surrounded by plants with background music playing, a bubbling fountain, and offering some games like chess or mini billiards. The employees are very professional accommodating. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

Waffle was nice and crispy, with lots of fruit. Made fresh to order! The gentleman who made my…read morewaffle I would have guessed was the manager/ owner, obviously seasoned knew peoples names..but Coffee was a let down but I don't think it was this places norm the worker told me if was his second day. So ‍ If I was a local I would go back and try again

HUGE fan of this place. their croissants are always so delicious, and their coffee is good too. so…read moremany tasty pastries and they're always fresh beautiful location but not very many seating options

It was our last day in Monterey and were looking for a place to have breakfast and we stumbled onto…read morethis cute cafe. Some stuff was gone as we arrived at 10:15 but we did notice they were restocking some of the pastries. My boyfriend ordered the quiche which we enjoyed. I got the brioche which was delicious. The vanilla custard that was in the middle was yummy - and so soft. We grabbed other pastries to take to family. Overall, cute bakery with even yummier pastries that is a must visit.

Established in the nineties and still carries a funky punky vibe. The employees are so friendly and…read morecasual. You won't find Influencers taking pics with neon signs. You'll find friends making collages from magazines, lifelong friends battling over chess, employees working on their free wifi, and students practicing a presentation to other customers. It's a community. This is definitely a locals only place in the heart of touristy downtown. The food is completely sourced from Costco and they use a microwave judiciously. It does not taste great, but it does remind you of mama's sandwiches that she'd put in your lunch bag as a kid. Coffee and coffee drinks are available and rival Starbucks in their variety and "fun" trends. But they also fresh grind different beans and can do classic coffees (like pour over and cappuccino). It is not the best coffee in the entire world, but it kicks my butt in the best way. I can actually taste the love. Do not come to Plumes if you are looking for quality cafe/bakery experience to give you and your girlies mochaccino mustaches that will go viral. Go to Plumes if you want to feel like a normal human being connecting with your community. Some may disagree with my 5 star rating because the quality of food is disappointing to pretty much everyone, but to me this place fits the bill of a real and welcoming coffee shop where the barista remembers your order and you know the owner's name and hobbies. It's a home away from home. And that's why I love it.

Bottom Line: The little cafe you are looking for…read more Screw it, I'm updating my review. We just spent five days in Monterey for race week and stayed in the Hotel next door to this spot. There are a half dozen other breakfast spots in town that we enjoy when we are in Monterey - we blew all of them off. This place is too fast and too good, honestly to want to get in the car and head over to any of those other spots. Is this place fancy? No. Is this place big? No! Its tiny! Is the food gourmet? No! Stop asking questions. The food is delicious and hot. The coffee and tea is yummy and hot. Everything is hot. The people are super friendly and hot. I like how real they are too - it's Saturday at 6am, everyone is dragging. I asked the people behind the counter how they were doing and they were (gasp) honest! We don't want to be here! Getting to work at 5am on Saturday is terrible but I respect and appreciate a human response. I really like this place - even the pastries are good and thats a good thing because we bought a bunch of them. I will end with this and then leave you alone - we left this place at 615am and sat down in the main grandstand in Turn 4 at Laguna Seca at 715am to watch epic Historic car racing and sank my teeth into a HOT and beautiful croissant breakfast sandwich with bacon in it in the heavy fog. Everything was wet and cold - I drank my hot tea and ate my food.... and it was simply glorious. Thank you to the real humans at Plumes. Yall rock.

The employees were really kind and offered us a few samples of Turkish delight. They even shared a…read morecute little backstory about the scene in The Chronicles of Narnia where they eat it, which was a cute for the kids and they got to choose which flavor they wanted to try. The store itself is beautiful inside, with lots of unique things to look at and buy besides the candies and baklava. Overall, a cute little place to stop and check out, but definitely on the pricey side!

Wow!! Ok I was on a quick 24hr turn around road trip from…read moreOC up to Monterey, I needed coffee, I love sweets, I have never had Turkish anything. Omg the chocolate and other baked goods were delish!!!! I really felt like I was in Turkey, the decor, the music, the staff.... I think there were all family... once I entered they were so happy nice and willing to share the history behind the baked goods and coffee. One of the lady's there ( I think owner) over heard I ask my wife about coffee in Spanish and she corrected me, have some in-site and left me wondering.... Yes I had the tiny cup of coffee and it was worth it. Strong bitter tasteful, I could have had about 3 Thank you for the experience and knowledge and next time I'm in town I shall stop by and order more pastries!!!!

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!