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!

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! :(

Cute little coffee spot, they are very friendly and their coffee is delicious. Definitely our new…read morespot for a quick pick me up while in Monterey.

Lovely cafe! Quick, good service, great ambiance, and tasty pastries and coffee!…read more This place is a vibe and I love all of the decor! We didn't try any of the hot food like their burritos so I can't say if they're good but the New York crumb cake was just what I expected, simple, not too sweet, and moist! It went perfectly with my caramel macchiato which was piping hot, not too milky nor too sweet! We'll be back! Overall, very solid cafe and great spot to grab a small bite and beverage!

After completing the Big Sur 11 miler, I had the biggest headache and needed my caffeine fix. This…read morecoffee shop was adjacent to my hotel and literally a few feet away from the exit/entrance. It's a smaller shop with breakfast and various coffees. I got a large hazelnut latte which I enjoyed with an ocean view. Outside the entrance is a skywalk with a terrace and tables where you can sit, enjoy your coffee and admire the view. It was perfect.

Great little coffee shop with delicious drinks, pastries, and easy-to-grab food. It's cute and cozy…read moreinside with limited seating, but the outdoor patio overlooking the ocean is fantastic. I got a hot chocolate for my toddler at kid temp (thank the staff for suggesting that!) and a london fog for myself. The london fog unfortunately was WAY too hot and burned the whole roof of my mouth off. Still tasty, though. Parking is a bit tricky right around the area, mostly meters and paid parking. There is also no restroom. You'll have to duck into the hotel next door.

Fabulous and easy! We made an online reservation for a couple e-bikes while we were in town…read more Joselyn checked us in, gave us instructions, helmets and on we went! So fun! The famous 17 mile drive is a couple miles away, so my hubby and I had a great time! Customer service was great! Definitely recommend!

Brace yourself for a wait on the weekends! It can be a tight squeeze in the narrow shop; there are…read moretwo tables, two couches, and the rest is window seating. Beautiful natural window lighting, and I spent an hour people watching, sipping my coffee, and reading :) Velvet Noir ($7.50): Cherry Garcia is my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, so I knew I'd love this drink. It has dark chocolate, cherry, espresso, and milk! I got it hot for the colder day and it was perfect. Vanilla Cardamom Latte ($7.50 + Pistachio Milk $1): My friend liked this! The pistachio was subtle but she thought it paired well with the cardamom. Their merchandise is fun with different dog breeds riding bikes on T-shirts! I wouldn't mind waiting in line again since we were leisurely strolling around downtown anyway, but definitely expect a wait and snag seats while you wait in line if you can. They have an iced water pitcher for self-serve water as well!

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.

Excellent little Paraguayan snack bar!!…read more I saw this spot while scrolling thru Yelp's nearby function and curiosity of their yerba mate and empanadas brought me in. I was still feeling kind of sick but wanted something hot to drink so I ordered a mate latte with oat milk. I also had one of their beef empanadas to take away so I could eat it later. Mate latte was great and definitely would get this drink again. They also have a smoked mate drink and I would definitely come back to try this too! You have to like yerba mate to fully appreciate this drink. The mate latte is kind of a light version of what mate is like. Maybe start with this first to prepare you for traditional mate. If you get traditional mate, be prepared to have your mouth jolted and doing jumping jacks, its definitely stimulating and I love it! Later when I reached my destination, I ate the beef empanada with chimichurri sauce provided and it was delicious! After I polished it off, I had wished I brought a few more to take with me. But, at $9.50 a piece, they aren't cheap, so keep that in mind. They also have other Paraguayan/South American offerings here and I was so tempted to get a mini alfajor as it was eyeing me in the display case that said EAT ME (like Alice in Wonderland), but I did not give into this, but I so wish I did!! I will definitely come back here again and again when visiting Monterey! A true gem and next time, I have to check out their secret back garden too!

K this was not our first pick but we wanted to go to 1st awakening which is half a block away but…read moretheir wait was 2 hrs so we stumbled upon this cafe and we were lucky to. No long wait times. Outdoor seating in the back patio. The empanadas are sooo good. Best ones that I've had. So crispy and filled with vegetables and soy. The soy croquettes were so tender and creamy. We are vegetarian so that's what we got. got. I wanted to go for more seconds.

Awesome spot for a breakfast or lunch! The crepes were so fresh and warm, the toppings were great…read more The sweet and savory crepes were both great. I got a make your own with onions, tomato's, and turkey. So good. The apple cinnamon dessert one was really good too. Food was out pretty quick. Glad I got to check it out!

Great spot to grab a bite to eat! Located in the plaza by…read morethe Portola Hotel, it's close to other points of interest like the Monterey State Historic Park and the Old Fisherman's Wharf. The savory crepes are made with buckwheat, which add a fuller nuttier flavor and texture to the crepes. We got the breakfast crepe with scrambled eggs and it was filling! Also got the breakfast sandwich on the French baguette and it was delicious. The baguette had the chewy exterior and soft interior... chefs kiss for a sandwich. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Opted for outdoor since we had our pup with us.

Come we're if you want great coffee but really amazing ambience. We got the waffle, it was amazing.read more

Needed an afternoon caffeine pick me up and this place was perfect. They are not very big but their…read moreoutdoor patio area is so nicely decorated and very zen like. They had a water feature with some fish and a few tables and chairs. Some patrons chatted, read books, or laid on the stone bench around the water feature/fountain to enjoy the sun. Got an iced peach black tea and a hot chai and the quality of the tea leaves were great. Tea had great flavor and the employees were friendly. It's prom season and they were set up for some type of event. Def a cute place to grab a snack and cup of coffee or tea.

What an adorable little place, with cute atmosphere! The…read morestaff was all super friendly from the cashiers to the baristas. The coffee was smooth, I applaud their ability to flawlessly whip a thick foam on non dairy milk and even decorate the top, oh and also their cups are so darn cute! I will definitely be back next time I'm traveling to Monterey.

We were in town for a street festival. We wanted to start the day with some coffees…read more This location is right on the main street. So there was a line. The barista s kept the line moving. Good thing I pre read the menu. When I got to the front, the barista said what do you want. Not the most polite greeting. But I truly understand that this was not a normal day. So I quickly explained what we wanted. The coffee was good. A nice smooth roast. Because of the crowds, I didn't get to look around. Is it just me, or has coffee really gotten expensive.