One of my Yelp friends made a post about $3 medium drink rewards this past week for Paris Baguette rewards members, and when I checked my account dashboard, I saw that I had two such rewards: $3 Latte or Macchiato and $3 Matcha or Chai.
I just so happened to pass by this Paris Baguette while visiting Kearny Mesa, and since I was getting thirsty, I decided to stop in and see what drink I could get.
Unlike the other Paris Baguette locations close to where I reside, this Paris Baguette is actually located inside Zion Market on Clairemont Mesa Blvd right off the 163 freeway. It's kind of like Tous Les Jours embedded inside Hmart where it'd be impossible to stop by the bakery without first entering the grocery store.
There were a couple of customers waiting to order, and then when it was my turn, the cashier (Isabella?) went to make some drinks. They seemed short-staffed because it took her a couple of minutes to get to me, though she did acknowledge my presence and said she'd be with me in "just a second" even though it took way more than a second lol.
At least I had ample time to peruse the menu. At first, I was planning to get an Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte, whose regular price for a medium size would be $6.50. However, I noticed another TV that was showing the seasonal drinks. I was getting annoyed by that TV because it kept flipping back and forth between two different screens, which really hampered my decision-making process.
The screens would change at random times, so I hastily came to a decision of the Iced Caramel Apple Matcha Latte, though I wasn't totally sure if either reward would work on that specialty latte.
When Isabella was ready to take my order, she did confirm the Iced Caramel Apple Matcha Latte would qualify for the $3 reward, but then I had to ask which reward? Since it was a matcha drink, it could have worked for "$3 Matcha or Chai", but since it was also a latte drink, it could have also worked for "$3 Latte or Macchiato". Surely, Paris Baguette could have been a little less ambiguous about which reward such a drink would qualify for, especially since "Chai Latte" is also a drink they offer.
I showed Isabella both rewards, and she determined that the Iced Caramel Apple Matcha Latte would work for the "$3 Matcha or Chai" reward. I had noticed that the drink was listed as $7.99 on the menu, but it actually rang up as $6.99 at the register. My goal was to get the most expensive drink that would qualify for either $3 reward, and $7.99 was the highest price tag I saw; there easily could have been another $7+ drink out there that I could have ordered to maximize my savings, but oh well...
Isabella went off to do something as I was paying, but forgot to press a button on her end to request payment, so the payment process took a little longer than expected. If the TV screen hadn't kept flipping back and forth so much, and if that particular line item had shown the correct price, I could easily have chosen a different drink instead.
But no complaints about the drink itself. It took just a couple of minutes for them to prepare my Iced Caramel Apple Matcha Latte. I was expecting them to give me a straw, but they have them on a counter by the right wall.
I had an Iced Matcha Latte from Dunkin' earlier in the week, and it was on the order of "meh". This matcha latte was way better, though it certainly wouldn't be fair to compare a seasonal flavored matcha latte from a patisserie to a regular matcha latte from an average fast food chain that sells dry, day old tasting donuts lol.
The latte was topped with the caramel drizzle, and it paired so well with the matcha that even if the matcha tasted grassy to begin with, I didn't sense it at all. I also thought the drink was at just the right consistency without being overly frothy, like the matcha latte from Dunkin'.
Also, it's worth noting I'm not particularly a fan of matcha, so if you are, rest assured that you can get good quality matcha here! Is it the best matcha in town? If you're asking me, you're asking the wrong person LOL.
Overall, it's a pretty decent Paris Baguette to go to, and it will definitely keep you company as you do your shopping in Zion Market. If you're not a rewards member, don't forget to join and download the app! These kinds of deals show up from time to time, but you don't necessarily get notified when they come up; instead, you'll have to check the app on a consistent basis or be Yelp friends with someone who posts these kinds of deals on their Yelp feed lol. Like yours truly for example; I'll let you know they're issuing these $3 medium drink rewards for the next two weeks as well. You're welcome :) read more