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    International Cafe

    4.5 (42 reviews)
    ModerateCafes
    Open 10:00 am - 7:30 pm

    International Cafe Photos

    INTERNATIONAL CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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    Claire G.

    Gloria the owner was such a breath of fresh air in the world today! Her restaurant feels like a cozy welcoming home. The gyro sandwiches were so delicious. I highly recommend the hummus/babaganoush 10/10!!! Turkish coffee was a unique experience. We also enjoyed a fun game of mancala! If you're looking for a place that values community, delicious food, and supporting Palestine this is your place!

    10" pepperoni hot honey pizza
    Tiffany L.

    Our server was amazing and provided great recommendations for us. Hummus was good, pizza was ok. The dessert was amazing. Ambiance was quiet. Would recommend

    Catering order for 15 (falafel, gyros, chicken, mezze, rice, lavash, and roasted veggies)
    Hannah C.

    Summary: a delightful catering experience with generous portions of flavorful food and wonderful communication and service. We wanted to cater a large family dinner (~15 guests) at the vacation rental we were staying at for a family wedding. I contacted Gloria at International Cafe via phone and was able to get immediate feedback that: 1) yes, they could cater our dinner event about a week later, 2) yes, they could accommodate our Mediterranean menu requests, and 3) no, we were not crazy for thinking we could do this all in the budget we had in mind (a restaurant in Carmel was incredulous when we gave them our ideal budget). Gloria was prompt and thorough emailing me the menu options that fit our vision, and it was super easy to communicate via email to refine and and finalize the menu. Gloria gave us helpful feedback to round out the menu and was very flexible when we asked for something beyond the menu options provided. When we picked up the food trays for our event, there was a minor hiccup where one tray did not get picked up. Gloria immediately reached out and had her delivery guy bring the missing tray to our vacation rental. She went above and beyond to remedy the situation quickly, and it was so appreciated. The food was beautifully arranged, and the portions were so generous that we were able to enjoy leftovers for lunch the following day as well. The crowd favorites were the soft and fluffy falafels, smoky and smooth baba ghanouj, and tender gyros. We were absolutely satisfied with our experience catering from International Cafe and would not hesitate to cater again for any event in the area. I wish every catering experience was this easy, delightful, and delicious!

    James V.

    Delicious food, awesome Turkish coffee, and best of all, amazing customer service!!! Gloria has such a bright and helpful personality and was amazing with recommendations. We had the "Shutdown Special" which was 2 gyros and a Greek salad. The gyros were so good - the pita was lightly pressed so it was warm, soft yet toasty; the beef/lamb was moist, and had the perfect amount of tzatziki sauce and red onions to top off. The Greek salad was fresh and delicious as well! We also had the Turkish coffee and mint yogurt drink, so good!!! To top it off, the Turkish pistachio baklava and pistachio ricotta cheesecake were AMAZING!!! Definitely saved this spot for next time we're in Monterey. Thank you for the wonderful time Gloria!!!

    Storefront
    Stan W.

    Went here for lunch and a pleasant experience. This location has been open for a week through soft openings. The folks serving food and waiting on customers are very nice, and took the time to explain every menu item. They have WiFi if you want to sit and work on projects and they have ample space. They serve Turkish coffee. They have Arab, Turkish & Asian fare. The bathrooms are very clean, but no high chairs for the kids. As for the food itself, I had the lamb/beef gyro (spicy style). It was very good. It came with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and sauce. It was really good. My friend had a falafel and it was delightful. I will definitely be back to try other menu items.

    Baklava!
    Leona L.

    Such lovely people running this cafe. they've always been really helpful and sweet. We usually get the Turkish Delights but we tried the Baklava this time and it did not disappoint! Every time you take a bite it's like the flavor explodes in your mouth. Succulent! They used to be at the market but now they're down the street where Subway used to be fyi!

    Missy W.

    This review is for weekend take out. Pics included to evidence food and sadly things are fresh but absolutely do not taste good. Anyways not sure if take out is the cause of how terrible things were but regardless I'm never coming back. First, I'm very sorry to give this a 1/5 because the service is friendly and fast but the food is by far the most terrible I've ever had on the peninsula and close to the worst thing I ever put in my mouth. Zero flavor, over cooked, and just tastes wrong. I really want to be honest because the 5 star votes on here led me to believe this place was amazing but i feel completely misled. First I was actually tempted to throw out everything and get a mcds after this...and know that I never waste food and am not a huge mcds fan. Secondly, what I was eating... Avgolemono - 0/5 absolutely inedible sour mess. Chicken is way over cooked and tastes like they dumped a vat of cheap lemon juice in the broth. Broth is sour, flavorless and dull. Beef schwarma - 1/5 super dry, super over cooked, super gristly and barely any real flavor. Hummus - 2/5 flavorless, and swimming in way too much oil that is also flavorless. I have a jar of tahini in the back of my fridge that is jam packed with toasted sesame flavor and they obviously did not use that. Baba ganoush - 3/5 okay, smokey and standard. Nothing to write home about Tabbouhle - 3.5/5 normal and fresh Pita - 3.5/5 decent but obviously store bought Dolma - 4/5 decent enough but not outstanding Beans -4/5 sadly the best thing from today but it's literally like canned pork and beans without the pork fat and huge beans instead The above sounds unkind but again it takes a genuine lack of passion and talent to make fresh ingredients taste this bad and bland. And if I made this in my own kitchen I would be horrified and ashamed to serve it to anyone. So a recap that the food wasn't just terrible, it wasn't cheap, it wasn't worth the time struggling with difficult parking and is definitely not worth the 5 star rating. On this I'm not sure how they'll survive in Monterey with real restaurants around them. But I decided to post this review to be fair and to reflect the ugly truth: you should eat elsewhere. It's not doing places that are legitimately good, like epsilon, dametras restaurant, and petras any justice to be nice to places like this as their own ratings are lower than International Cafe. On this please rate for **food** people because you cannot eat customer service.

    Iftar menu

    Amazing food and service. I've had meals all over the Middle East, and this dinner took me back there. Can't wait to go back.

    Cold Turkish Espresso/Coffee

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    7 days ago

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    9 days ago

    Friendly service, fresh food. Nice to stop in for a quick bite between browsing at the local shops

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    2 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Clean atmosphere, delicious food, and wonderful people. My favorite thing to order is the gyro and avogolemono soup!

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    2 months ago

    The food was fantastic! Great drinks! Wonderful service!!! So happy we decided to eat here. We definitely recommend!!!!!

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Food does not taste good in my opinion. Only coffee was good. Shawarma was not flavorful and hummus and baba ganoush was very sub par.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Beautiful place beautiful people absolutely lovely. I can't recommend it enough. The food was incredible as well.

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    2 years ago

    The best food and a fun beverage selection from around the world. Highly recommended checking it out.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    This place is highly recommended, It is a very affordable place, with polite service. Clean and quick, the best gyros ever else had

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    2 years ago

    Just discovered this gem of a cafe. Great, authentic Mideastern food. Friendly service in a sparkling clean environment. On our list now!

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    2 years ago

    The shawarma needed more flavor. The ambiance and pricing seemed okay. Employees were very nice to customers.

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    ALTA Bakery & Cafe - Spinach & feta roll

    ALTA Bakery & Cafe

    4.2(926 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    I visited at the recommendation of a friend. I was headed to Carmel and decided to stop for…read morebreakfast. There was quite a line early Saturday morning. It didn't look like it died down which is awesome for this business. I believe I waited 20-30 minutes in line before I reached the display case. There were so many delicious things to choose from, it was a challenge to decide! I opted for a croissant sandwich, a blue corn cookie, and some sweet treats for the beach. I also ordered a seasonal latte, I believe it was cherry chocolate with oat milk less sweet. There's a nice outdoor seating area with many tables in chairs. Since the weather was nice we decided to stop and eat for a bit. The ambience was very nice and calm. The food was delicious and their house made pickles were fantastic. They were crisp, fresh, and complimented the turkey sandwich so well. The blue corn cookie was very interesting and reminiscent of a tortilla chip. I'd definitely come back here if I were in the area.

    Charming bakery and cafe with plenty of outdoor seating in the back connecting garden…read more Nice flaky, buttery dough on their pastries. Latte was decent, not too bitter or acidic and it was creamy They try a lot of variations for pastries, both savory and sweet! The savory danish was really tasty and there was some pickled / citrus component that added more depth and made it super interesting to eat! The salmon croissant was alright, had a really nice flaky crust but the filling tasted kinda gamey , would've been nice to have another component to balance it out. Cookies were niceeeee the buckwheat choco cookie had nice amounts of sea salt and was like a brownie texture on the inside. Choco chip cookie was thin and crispy on the outside with chocolate blobs spread around, quite sweet though There was a line going out the door but only had to wait around 15 min!

    Photos
    ALTA Bakery & Cafe - Inside the cafe

    Inside the cafe

    ALTA Bakery & Cafe - Chocolate strudel

    Chocolate strudel

    ALTA Bakery & Cafe - Mixed berry strudel

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    Mixed berry strudel

    Kafe Toribashi - Outside, view, taiyaki, ice cream

    Kafe Toribashi

    4.5(42 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    On a rainy afternoon in Monterey, we were wandering around Fisherman's Wharf looking for something…read morewarm, coffee or tea, and a cozy spot with a view of the water. After lunch at Sand Dabs, we stumbled across this really cute café, and it ended up being the perfect stop. When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was that they were making fresh taiyaki, those sweet, fish-shaped pastries. The fillings offered were red bean, Nutella, and Oreo. There's a small discount if you order two, so we started with the red bean and Nutella, and honestly, they were so good that wished we ordered the Oreo too...warm, freshly made, and really delicious. I'll admit, I've had Taiyaki desserts before and was never a huge fan, sometimes they're bland or overly sweet. These were different. Even my friend said the same thing, we were both pleasantly surprised by how good they were. We both ordered hot teas, which felt perfect for the rainy weather, and I was totally intrigued by their ramen vending machines. You pick your ramen, choose your toppings, place it in the machine, and it fills with hot water and cooks right there. A few minutes later, your bowl is ready. It felt very Asia-inspired and not something you see very often around here, especially in a café setting. This spot is the café version of their main restaurant, which I believe is on Alvarado Street (I haven't been there yet). The service was genuinely great. The guys working were friendly, patient, and took the time to explain everything to us without rushing. You could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. Because it was raining, it wasn't crowded at all, which made the experience even better. We ended up hanging out for about an hour, just chatting, sipping tea, enjoying dessert, and looking out at the water. They also carry Marianne's Ice Cream, so I'm already planning a return visit on a warmer day. And honestly, next time I'll probably try the ramen too, if only for the fun of it and all the topping choices. Parking around the wharf is paid. We parked in a nearby lot and walked over, which was pretty easy, just something to keep in mind. Overall, the vibe was fun, cozy, and relaxed. Great desserts, a unique experience, kind staff, and a really nice place to spend a rainy afternoon by the water. I'll definitely be back.

    I thought the cafe name was super cute. After browsing the menu, I decided to give this place a…read moretry. It's the only place that offers matcha/taiyaki so I thought it was worth a go. I ordered the mango matcha latte, which was a whopping $8.75 ($9.55 after tax). I gulped pressing the "pay" button; part of me wanted to swallow the doubt and see if it was any good. TLDR: it was bad. I'm not sure what the mango is made out of, but it is not smooth like a mango jam or puree. The texture is like blended up unripened mango meat. I will say, matcha taste is there, but the entire drink was just extremely sweet and there was little to no mango taste, besides chewing on the chunks in each sip. It's as if the drink was purposely made extremely sweet to hide the quality of the matcha and fruit. I tried finishing the drink since I paid nearly $10 for it but I couldn't, and had to throw the rest away. However, the worker who made my drink was kind and seems very friendly. The interior is very simple and cute, and there is a nice view of the ocean from the outside seating. I just wouldn't recommend the matcha here. Especially for what I paid for, I am pretty disappointed! :(

    Photos
    Kafe Toribashi - Lovely place to stay

    Lovely place to stay

    Kafe Toribashi - Ramen with a view at the patio

    Ramen with a view at the patio

    Kafe Toribashi - Prepare your own ramen

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    Prepare your own ramen

    Paris Bakery Cafe - B.L.T. Sandwich

    Paris Bakery Cafe

    4.0(1.1k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $

    I had a delicious cherry croissant and clam chowder bread bowl at this cafe. My boyfriend…read morethoroughly enjoyed the free hot coffee they had at this location! The cherry croissant was perfectly buttery and flaky, with the acidity of the cherry adding just the right kick to this breakfast pastry. I was initially hesitant on getting the clam chowder at a bakery and was thinking of getting it at a seafood restaurant on Cannery Row, but the reviews were glowing and the price was reasonable. I'm glad I took a chance on it, because the bowl was chockful with clams, potatoes, celery, and a briny creamy seafood broth base. The ambiance in this bakery is great- there's a beautiful wall mural on the back wall of this bakery and lots of inside seating. Don't miss out on this spot!

    This was my fav French bakery and was very popular spot abt 20 years ago. I remember their fresh…read moresandwiches, almond croissant-super popular, and chocolate cake! Recent visit to Monterey, I went to have my fav but wow.. all the pastries were flat. They were not risen they all looked cheap, pretending to be french pastries... and chocolate cake and the rest did not look french at all. In good french bakery will never advertise $30 for 5 pastries. We ordered cappuccino and cafe a'laite . Worst ever. Bitter and tasted cheap cheap coffee. This is not french bakery/patisserie it was once. I doubt that it is under the same ownership. So very disappointing.

    Photos
    Paris Bakery Cafe
    Paris Bakery Cafe - Calamari Sandwich

    Calamari Sandwich

    Paris Bakery Cafe - Quiche

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    Quiche

    Troya - Chocolate Pistachio Bakl/ Walnut Honey Bakl/ Walnut Bakl/ Pistachio Baklava

    Troya

    4.0(577 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    This is it. Varied and various choices to indulge from. Staff was able to help me curate a half…read moredozen of their classics. I was lucky and he also let me try the dried fruit candy and it was the best. They offer boxes of all different sizes and styles so you can take back a gift. You cannot leave without bakalava, i was able to enjoy some with ice cream ghardelli and it made for an amazing combo. Just stop by before your aquarium trip or walk to the beach. Parking is abysmal but if youre able to walk by you have to take some home. There are seating options but they are rather tight but quite the experience considering the vast decor.

    The storefront pulled me in immediately--sweet smell, gorgeous display, total "take my money"…read morevibes. Everything looked stunning. The Turkish delights were basically edible art with petals, pistachios, and vibrant colors. And the baklava? Sitting there like it knew it was about to win. Unfortunately... looks were doing all the heavy lifting. Spent $28 on six small pieces and walked out excited--only to be let down. The Turkish delight tasted overly artificial, almost perfumey in a bad way. The marshmallow rolls had a weird paste-like texture. Baklava was fine, but nothing special. Also, the packaging? A struggle to close and somehow managed to give me a legit paper cut. Love that for me. Great location, beautiful presentation--but the taste just doesn't justify the price. Pretty, but meh.

    Photos
    Troya - Back area where coffee is prepared and seating.

    Back area where coffee is prepared and seating.

    Troya - What we bought

    What we bought

    Troya - Traditional Turkish coffee

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    Traditional Turkish coffee

    International Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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