We drove an hour to try this Pasticceria and we are glad we did and will be back. We felt like we…read morewere in Italy enjoying the best pastries, pizza and cafe late ever. The owners, two brothers from Italy are professional trained chefs. It is definitely a must visit cafe.

5/5: The rhum baba is perfection. Get it. It's a cocktail in pastry form…read more 5: Chocolate covered zepole cream puff 5: Regular zepole cream puff 4: The chocolate covered cake with a layer of orange 4: Big cream puff with a Coffee choux cream. 2: The pistachio gelato is way too sweet. All I can taste is sugar. This might be ok for little kids who like super-sweet stuff, but it's cloyingly sweet for anyone over the age of 18. 2: The chocolate bombe uses very mild milk chocolate mousse. It is lacking the intense bitter chocolate flavor and complexity that I'm looking for. 2: Tiramisu: The espresso layer is too mushy.

Second time here and the pastries are very good and fresh, though the barista was very rude, had a…read morecrazy attitude, and made it feel like she didn't want us there. I'd go again but I'm avoiding her

I was in town for two days and went everytime it's hard not to buy to much. Everything is amazing I…read morelove the cheesy garlic sticks and almond croissant almond croissant cookies, lemon cookie and chive biscuit I love this place the coffee is really good as well!! It's not laid out how it works so your first time is a bit confusing. Grab a ticket a listen to them calling out numbers and raise hand for your number. Lots and lots of sitting it can get pretty busy so be aware of that waits can be a bit but so damn worth it

This is one of the lesser known local bakeries filled with awesomeness…read more Parking is street only. Sometimes there will be a spot open right on front, sometimes not but there is a pay lot more or less right in back of the building that always has room. It's not the largest space inside, but it does have a fair amount of table/booth combos should you chose to lounge on site. The window displays are pure old school European bakery and when the owner feels up to it can be quite creative. They do offer a limited lunch/breakfast menu which looks to be light fare-pasta, egg dishes, salads, sandwiches etc, but in reality is quite substantial. The portions are large, and are just stuffed with ingredients. They can be quite filling. While the food menu is pretty great I don't go to a bakery-which is what this business is-for a sammich, or soup. I go for the pastries, and occasionally when I feel lazy, the breads. The pastry here is outstanding. The baker/owner is an italian baker originally from Milan that got lured to this area and eventually decided that the only way he'd get the super awesome Italian pastries he loved was to open a bakery and do it himself. It goes without saying that any of the Italian stuff is entirely worth your time and expense. The croissants are buttery perfection and yeah if you wanted a rustic tuscan loaf, tiramisu, panetonne, sfogliatell or cannoli this is THE place. Just to mix things up they do some mean bear claws and almond filled thingys as well. The also do some coffee products-american style drip and of course espresso, but they are handicapped by being located right next to what is arguably the best coffee shop in the area. Regardless the coffee is a little bit cheaper and almost as good, and who doesn't want coffee with a bear claw? Pricing is on the higher side (other then the coffee, which is quite reasonable.) as this is very much an artisanal kind of bakery with lots of labor of love put into the product. Bare bones coffee and a sweet can be had for under ten bucks, but lunch/breakfast menu item can get into the ten-fifteen dollar range in a heartbeat. A loaf of bread and a couple of croissants will be in the ten ish range. Less for basic croissants, more if you go for the millionaire bacon stuffed option. Service is usually solid, but at times they have trouble getting good people for the front counter role which leads to new teen employee levels of confusion about the products. All in all this is an excellent lesser known bakery choice, very much worth the time, parking and expense for the sheer luxurious treats they offer.

Pretty good. Generous portions. Need to serve Peroni beer. Good setting. Nice breeze. Planniing to…read morereturn soon.

Stumbled upon this place on the last day of our trip. Bummer as I would have come back for another…read moremeal. Don't wait! Come check out this place for a very satisfying and delicious meal! The broccoli quiche and the lemon tart are our winners! My daughter loved her cheesecake too! Service was great!

Oh la la. This place is absolutely amazing at producing outstandingly delicious traditional…read moredesserts. The berry cobbler is insane. Their lemon meringue tart is so good. The bread is fantastic. We love Companion but this place may supersede them for our family. Wow wow wow.

Such a cute spot! They have a wonderful selection of pastries and baked goods as well as drinks and…read moresandwiches. I got the tomato pesto croissant, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, and the cinnamon roll. Everything was so tasty and the croissants live up to the name! So buttery and flaky!! I'd love to come back and try some of the drinks and sandwiches. Note: One single gender neutral restroom is available

First, I'd like to say Emma at the counter was awesome. She was very helpful and kind. And Kenneth…read moreon the phone, who took my original order was also nice. Go Emma and Kenneth! Solid 5 stars for these two. Now, on to the pastries... I purchased a French baguette, an apple tart and chocolate chip cookies. The French baguette was flat, soft, and didn't have any flavor. There was no crust to it, no crackling. Nothing against plain white bread, but it was like plain white bread... when I wanted a baguette. Maybe it was an off day, but I would pass on the baguette. 1 star. The apple pear tart was pretty sweet. And the crust was dense without any layers. It was alright, but nothing special. 1 star. The chocolate chip cookies were the best part of my purchase. Although not a full rant, these were your basic chocolate chip cookie. Slightly better than what you would get in a package, but not the cookie you would come back to. 2 stars.

Great bread, can not recommend online ordering alas. Moved from Bay Area, so I ordered online since…read moreI was missing my favorites. Order arrived Friday at 12:50 pm, missing one of my wheat sourdough's. ( ordered 4, received 3). Sent email at 1:04, ( complete with photos of products received and packing slip, double checked final charge to see if i was charged for all 4, I was. tried email from order form, tried the contact us link/form on website, tried to call the direct phone line Monday morning and left messages. Update: Tuesday morning, got an email they are sending a loaf out.

I just ate a piece of Beckmanns Cherry Pie! OMG the Crust!!!…read more Its the best crust ive ever had. I love it and want everyone to know that they should give it a try. Yummy

Donnie Darko!! This…read moreis what makes the surrounding towns/ Santa Cruz unique. Living in SF we wanted to find something different and unique. We appreciated this corner coffee shop and the vibes. We even came back the next day just for Donnie Darko - if you enjoy iced coffee this is it! One of the cons of this drink is it comes only in one size; apparently a specific formula or proportion of ingredients. Would come back to this town just for this amazing coffee!

An OK place to get coffee and a pastry here in the Santa Cruz area. Definitely a bit dingier and…read moredarker than most coffeeshops, with some concerns about cleanliness - tables were sticky and there was food and crumbs on the floor around my chair before I sat down. Coffee and pastries are decent, although the pastries are priced pretty expensive. Lots of activism and messaging by the coffeeshop, which can be a plus or minus depending on your proclivities.

My husband and I combine our morning Capitola walk then share a "Big Turkey" sandwich and sit on…read morethe benches in the Esplanade to eat. It's one of my favorite sandwiches (from anywhere). The service is great. The price is great. The portions are great. The owner is very friendly. I've lived in Capitola a long time and have seen places come and go. I hope he sticks around. Tell a friend!

Review time!!! Is there nothing this fabulous cafe can't do?…read morePizza!!! Hot fresh dough,full of flavor with the tastiest ingredients and toppings. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes!!! 5 Stars We ordered two types of pizza and both tasted uniquely different.

El Rosal Bakery has the best tamales in town!!!!…read more I never been there, but had gone to that shopping center many times, and never even noticed that place!! Because so many people recommended this place on FB, I ordered 30 tamales, rice and beans for my family's NYE get together, and boy it was so good! Even my Mexican niece, who is a great cook, thought they were delicious!!! WOW, and they were the biggest tamales I've ever seen!! THANK YOU!!!

They have variety of pasties, desserts and breads but my favorites are the Bolillo with cream…read morecheese and jalapeño! The best I've ever had. The bread was crunchy in the outside and soft in the inside. The amount of jalapeño and cream cheese was so well balanced. They also have the best tamales in town! Staffs are all nice and accommodating. Store is clean and has plenty of parking space.

I came here with my mom on a Fri and Sat morning. Fri it was not too crowded and Sat it was very…read morebusy. The pastries were delicious and I love the vibe here, it's very comfortable and everything is made fresh in house. I got their fritatta which was yummy. I also purchased their lemon meringue pastry which was yummy. I did not try their coffee. My mom got a morning bun which she said was very good and she also tried their bread and butter.

Yes originally began for sourdough bread but now a variety of styles (all with sourdough starters),…read morepastries, coffee, breakfast and lunch. The line can get long on weekends but unlike neighboring coffee shops, it seems to move quickly and food comes out faster. Order pastries and bread at the glass case and coffee and breakfast at the registers. Coffee comes out by exit door while food comes out from the kitchen in the middle. The coffee is well balanced. Not sure whose they use but syrups are made in house. Breakfast sandwich looks small but is quite hearty and filling. You can add avocado, bacon, and aioli. This is a go to. West side avocado toast: adds garlic aioli, avocado, and poached egg to the Aptos version. Defn better Pesto goat cheese baguette: three letter review -- OMG Kouign Amann: this one is square, rather than classic round, and a little denser but still layered and not overly sweet. GF brownie: quite good for gluten free but sweeter than I like. Bacon egg galette: the puff pastry is nicely flaky with onions and crispy bacon. Messy but good. The premade sandwiches are all tasty and much better than you get in a grocery store. Customer service is a little hit and miss, based on personalities. There's plenty of seating inside and out.