Hands down the best place in Watsonville for lunch!! Been a long time favorite of mine ever since they opened. Highly recommend the Local and the Messy Hot Pastrami.The staff is always friendly and they hustle, they do get busy so if you're going around noon, not a bad idea to call in an order. Looking forward to their new location by the airport. This place rocks!! read more

Their coffee and sandwich are super delicious! I've been there a couple of times now and their sandwiches are the ones that get me all the time. Staff is super friendly. Make sure you don't forget to get yourself a cup of coffee on your way out!!! read more

My first visit on a rainy afternoon. I had an excellent spinach salad and pastrami sandwich. Everything was especially fresh, and I loved the tasty toasted ciabatta. They have a cheerful and very helpful staff. It's decorated shabby chic inside in a small space that might seat 20, but they have additional outdoor seating behind the shop. I'll go again, and recommend it to friends. read more

Great spot! Great sandwiches! Loved the Pavo Mia. There pomegranate lemonade is very very good!. Service is awesome very friendly people. Definitely going to try other sandwiches read more

Love this place!! Best fresh food in Watsonville. Try the Pavo Mia and the Ella salad!!

I really wanted to like this place but the service is just so so bad. My partner and I went in and ordered a latte, a chai, and 2 paninis to go. First we got our sandwiches (not wrapped to go we had to send them back to be wrapped) and they hadn't even started our drinks yet, the drinks took FOREVER (i finished my "to go" sandwich while waiting for my drink and I'm not a fast eater) when we finally got our drinks they were terrible! And soy for some reason which we did not want or ask for. When I requested a refund on n the drinks they said that's just how they serve them, even though I've been there before and it wasn't soy. What a waste of $30. read more

Always busy so you know that it has good stuff. My favorite is the Pavo Mio panini and love their ice tea. They always have daily specials which are usually very good. It has fun decor and great for a quick bite and to meet a friend. It's small but quaint and has outdoor seating. read more

Today was my second visit to this place and it was another pleasant experience. I ordered the morning wrap with a tomato tortilla and the kale salad, let me tell you, both were freaken ahh-may-zing!!!!! I will definitely be going back again. I highly recommend this cute little place. read more

Strawberry Patch Cafe - Kale salad is sooooo good!!! With walnuts, apples and dried cranberries tossed with the perfect amount of tanginess. Fresh and filling. - Sandwiches Near Me - Watsonville, California

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This is one of the cutest places I've been to and perfect for a quick lunch or breakfast. I really like their paninis and smoothies. Their backyard area is sooo beautiful. read more

I had the cafe provide coffee service at a large Celebration of Life and cater a large brunch the day after. Everything was great: quality and deliciousness of food, timeliness of deliveries, and billing and payments. Great business! read more

Twice now I have ordered their overpriced salads and they have twice screwed up my order. "Would you like to add Chicken to that?" "Sure" No chicken...twice..... CHECK YOUR ORDER BEFORE YOU LEAVE They said they would refund me the next time I went in (not going back) I was the only one in the place and they messed up a SALAD order! "Sorry" doesn't put chicken in my belly. Nine bucks for a pile of spinach... read more

I still like Cafe Ella a lot. The sammiches are good, the food is fresh and often local, and the service is friendly. Two additional comments. 1. I don't know what it is about pannini, but it never fails that after eating one, particularly at Cafe Ella, the roof of my mouth is torn to shreds. I'm talking about raw mouth-roof in a way that only Cap'n Crunch could understand. 2. As of last month (August, 2008), Cafe Ella is now serving pizzas from a wood fire oven in their back patio. The pizza offerings are tasty and good, but the claim is that they are 10" pizzas? Truthfully, the pizzas seem to be more like something around 8". Also, their prices are quite high considering the actual size of the pies. The average pie is $8.50. And you're still hungry when all is said and done unless you spend another $5 on soup or salad to accompany. Suddenly you've spent $15 for lunch. In Watsonville. Where competing taquerias will sell you a massive (filling) delicious burrito for $3-5. Ouch. Hopefully Ella will read this and revise prices and/or pizza size accordingly. read more

I love their food, from their salads to their breakfast wraps! I highly recommend stopping by and grabbing some food to go. Oh try their banana bread its the best I have ever tasted!! read more

My wife raved about Ella Cafe and how cute it was and how good the food was, and I am tired of always going to Santa Cruz when I want to read over a good espresso. I ordered a vanilla latte and sat down in a comfy, worn chair that I occupied for two hours. The latte was OK - nothing to write home about - and the cafe was cute, I guess, and moderately quiet despite the constant deliveries and the owner and employees preparing a catering job. But the smells wafting about were amazing. I kept glancing over at what was happening behind the counter - spices, cheeses, vegetables, BBQ - the place smelled amazing. I read the menu 3-4 times and everything sounded unique and delicious - I swear they use AT LEAST 12 different cheeses on their sandwiches - gruyere, brie, fontana, feta, plus the norms like cheddar, provolone and swiss. I got so excited that I brought my wife and a friend back for lunch! I ordered the Messy Hot Pastrami sandwich and my wife ordered 'The Local.' Unfortunately the staff was STILL prepping a catering job and we waited 25 minutes for our sandwiches. Also, the lemonade was not that great this time, my wife said. The ladies sitting next to us waited 35 minutes for their salad. The sandwiches were very tasty and flavorful with the unique 'Ella spread' and melted cheese, but the bread to meat ratio was off a bit - too much bread, too little meat. Even just one more slice of pastrami would have taken it up a notch. But maybe that is the panini style and I am used to HUGE American sandwiches. Each sandwich came with a sweet slaw that was warm (probably because the were in a hurry) My Advice? Visit Ella in the afternoon or morning when it isn't packed and your visit will be nicer. Overall - I will be back because the only other option for a Watsonville cafe is Starbucks and there are still 400 things on the Ella menu I want to try - pizza, waffles, BBQ, drinks, etc. read more

Panini and coffee: how can you go wrong? My sister and I stopped in here for a quick breakfast and man was I happy after we left. I ordered the La Manana panini with ham and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. I really enjoyed my panini, especially the caramelized onions they put in. My juice was good and my sister enjoyed her panini as well. Aside from making awesome sandwiches they have a wide selection of coffees. They also have a good selection of fresh fruit smoothies and tea. I know I'll be coming here for coffee soon. The inside is nice and features lots of local art. There is a cute little back patio that would be good to enjoy an iced coffee on a summer's day. I do believe they have wifi as well. The ingredients here are fresh, tasty, and the environment is welcoming. The prices are good and you'll get the best panini in Watsonville! read more

Actually TWO AND 1/2 STARS... Ok so I'm in a quandary...I want to recommend this place, however I only can half-heartily declare it a winner. I've been here twice (thanks Groupon) to try out various things on their menu. Ella's nice little café menu has enough "healthy" choices to please almost everyone along with changing daily specials. They also make smoothies ala Ella, freshly squeezed juices and of course organic coffee. And, what really surprised me was not a fried food can be had here, however note to Ella, I do love me some good "pomme frites." Let me start off by saying the quality and taste is notch above average. On my first visit, I had the Italiana Panini ($7.75) and hot Earl Grey tea ($2.35). I love a good cured salami panini and this one wasn't too shabby, or should I say shah-bay just a little on the smallish side. The panini had thinly slice, allegedly imported cured salami, sweet onions, and some nasty wilted baby greens (*Note to cook don't heat baby greens in a panani press) and on the side about 2 tablespoons of "europeanesque slaw" a tangy, salty gremolata which they simply call "Ella Slaw." . The tea was good for one cup because when I had them refill it half way with more hot water, it was just that...hot water. My second visit, I decided to do the Soup and Panini combo ($8.95) which consists of half portion of any panini on their menu board including the daily sandwich special. I think the lady who took my order said the soup was an "Italian Soup" and I decided on the "Local" which is a roast beef panini. Decided to skip their weak tea and opted for a "freshly squeezed" lemonade ($2.50) to round it out. Again, the even smaller 1/2 portion of panini had little pieces of shaved beef, melted mild cheddar, sweet jalapenos and that ever so present "spread d'Ella ." The soup had nice variety of vege chucks and what I think was italian sausage, but the cup was just to small, a tad on the salty side and sitting on the warmer too long. Clearly they're trying to be a wannabe euro-bistro in Watsonville and this is where my complaint lies--portion size is much to small for the price for this locale. In fairness, if this were a "light" meal just to tide you over then this may fit the bill. In other words, this ain't farmers food! Service: You order up at the front counter, they bring you your food when ready, and when your finished you basically bus your own dishes which is totally cool with me. What I thought was nice and interesting is towards the back of the restaurant is a sink basin to wash your hands before you eat I guess. Self-serve (filtered?) water is provided. Nice friendly vibe inside, and they have a quaint outdoor patio area for lingering on those warm summer days. Tables and floor were clean, didn't get a chance to check out the bathrooms. Staff was friendly both times I visited and they seem happy to answer any questions you have about the menu. Hmmm, but NO WI-FI for customers. In this day in age for a café not to have wi-fi is not très chic...c'mon Ella's! I love what what they say..."we have an expresso machine & we're not afraid to use it...!" Gotta love that sassy little attitude! Would/Will return if I have a little bit extra to splurge for a smallish lunch snack. Maybe linger a bit with a cup of coffee and pastry when Ella un-tightens her purse strings on the wi-fi. read more

I ordered a greener me without cheese--it came with cheese. Then they put meat in my second sandwich. They clearly don't care about dietary choices or religious preferences. read more

The place looks great. The décor is well thought out for the cozy little place, and the outdoor seating area is pleasant. The food is delicious. Its presentation is very nice and they have a variety of tasty snacks to enjoy in the relaxed atmosphere. The music choices are very broad and refreshing. They support local community events which is how I discovered them. The owner is very hospitable as well as the rest of the staff. Their prices are not bad. read more

This is seriously delicious food...Pizza, Salad, Sandwhiches etc. Lot's a good home cooked local dishes to choose. read more

We have enjoyed Ella's over the past years but since it has been bought by a new owner they are constantly short stocked on items. Today we ordered on line and were told they were out of mushrooms and onions. I still placed our order. When I arrived 15 minutes later I was told that they were now out of bread.... in a sandwhich shop they are out of bread. They said they tried to call me back but I show no calls on my phone. The food is good when you can get it. The service is always just ok. read more

My first time coming here and the staff was super friendly. I ordered a morning wrap in a tomato tortilla which was one of the best breakfast wraps/burritos I have ever had. Super tasty food and full of flavor! I also got the pineapple mango smoothie which ended up being just the right amount of sweetness. Will definitely be back again! read more

Great spot. Looking for some food in Watsonville and found this little French fairy cafe. Best orange juice I've ever had, awesome sandwich and had an iced lavender latte that changed my life. Love this little gem read more

Passed by here on the way to a church retreat and I'm glad we stopped by. A little hard to find just because we didn't have GPS and it's on the corner of this huge office building, but it was so cute! The food was delicious and it looks like they cater as well because they were roasting these herb potatoes in their outdoor oven, which looked amazing. My friends and I got the paninis: Pavo Mia and I got the Jambonella, but switched out the black forest ham for turkey breast. I didn't get the chance to eat it until later, but it was still so good! The bread was delicious and soft plus the Ella spread was great (I think she said it was mayonnaise with mustard seed mixed together). A little on the smaller side and far from my place, but if I'm ever in the area again, I will definitely stop by and try out one of their fire-roasted pizzas and their fresh squeezed grapefruit juice! read more

Good place they have a good sandwich variety. They might be a bit slow at times and the service is not all there. They once forgot my sandwich and didn't not apologize like if it was my fault they even gave me attitude. I've also order a sandwich and it took like 10-15 min. Overall give it a try just be ware of the time frame. read more

Very good food but pricy. The ambiance in their restaurants are very comfortable. At the airport location you have great view of the airplanes and the landing track. read more

I've been coming to this spot since it opened several years ago. The service is always amazing, the food is spectacular, local and fresh ingredients. My personal favorite is the Pavo Mia with an Italian creme soda. The little cup of salad that comes with the sandwich is such a nice touch. read more

Since I have not been happy at Ella's at the Airport the past several visits and wrote a review regarding my disappointment there I decided to go back to Ella's Cafe on East Lake. Am soooo happy I did‼ Same wonderful service, and same delicious food ( soup & jamonella panini). If only Ella's at the Airport can turn it back up. I will begin returning to Ella's on East Lake on a weekly basis. As for the airport.........?! read more

Zero stars deserved!!!!! I ordered a matcha latte with my order & when I got it, it was WHITE. I kindly told the owner it tasted sweet, I got no matcha flavor at all. They said they'd remake it, to which I apologized again. The RUDE ASS barista who apparently doesn't know what a matcha latte looks like, made it white again & when I asked if she could add an extra scoop of matcha in there even to stir it in with a spoon so she wouldn't have to remake it again she started talking back to me for no reason. "You haven't even tasted it!!!" Like girl, I know what the heck a simple matcha latte looks like. It doesn't look white. I don't even mind paying extra. I told her it was fine I rather get a refund. When I kindly asked for a refund that it was ok, the girl started talking sh*t about me. The owner didn't even acknowledge the attitude the dumb employee was giving me!! All I told her was "you're working, so you should know how to talk to customers better". If I'm paying $5 for a damn coffee, then at least make it like I ordered it. F this place. They don't care for the customer. Never again. Hope it goes out of business. This is not the way to run one. read more

Great breakfast and lunch panini's!!! Fresh squeezed lemonade, orange or grapefruit! yum yum Very cute setting and the people that work there are very nice =) read more

Great hangout place, with outdoor seating in the back garden. The chai was the best I've had in a long time.

A wonderful time was had by all! My daughter's wedding was over-the-top with the food provided by Ella! Mushroom Crostini and Chicken & Beef Sausage Bites were passed around as pictures were taken after the ceremony. Dinner service was excellent: Strawberry Salad, Roasted Veggies, Potatoes Augratin, Garlic Bread, and the BEST Mushroom Marsala Sauce with Tri-Tip and Chicken Breasts. The Mushroom Marsala sauce was stated as the most incredible flavor by those in attendance*****! For a small fee, Ella provided tablecloths and compostable plates, forks, knives, spoons, water cups, & napkins. Ella arrived with a professional staff willing to help wherever needed. Ella has a calming influence as she works her magic with her staff. Thank you, Sweet Ella and your fantastic staff! read more

My mom and I went here for lunch today and enjoyed the food. I had been wanting to try it after eating at their booth at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival (I got these little mushroom crostini things--so delicious and good with the wine). Today we each got a small salad and split a sandwich. My mom got the Panzarella salad (sp?), which has spinach, tomatoes, grilled bell peppers, cucumber, capers, and I think ricotta cheese, and hers was really good. I got a special salad with snap peas and almonds and spinach and it was just so-so (a little bland). We got a veggie panini that was really good. It had sauteed carrots and other veggies and cheese. Our sandwich was also served with what tasted like a pesto-slaw. Very tasty! I also had a look around and the pizza's people were eating looked really good. My mom also got ice tea that had a hint of peach in it, and I got a pot of tea, and the whole thing was $20. Not too shabby for a healthy lunch. I can see how the people who gave less stars may have had a bad experience. The food here is really good, but their operations need a little fine tuning. The owner was outside when we first got there and I could hear the girls making the sandwiches talking and they seemed a little unsure of what they were making (they were looking at a recipe book as the orders came up), but once she came inside things went more smoothly. But I can see how a plate might go out that is not perfect if she were not around. Cafe Ella also looks like a nice place to go for dessert and coffee/tea or for studying. Very quaint and cozy. Ooo, one other thing. Someone posted about how they liked that they had soap by the sink. I thought that was weird (of course there is soap by the sink), but now I get it....There is a sink in the dining area, not in the bathroom, that is set up really cute. read more

Cute place. Quality food. Not overly crazy prices. GREAT Waffles! Went this am. Waffle with cream cheese & lemon curd was divine. Had my favorite Espresso Can Panna, which contained REAL whipped cream. Yum! Not a ton of seating. But does have a nice back seating area. Have to try the pizzas some time. read more

I just discovered this little joint a few months ago but I have to say, I LOVE IT! The customer service is always warm and friendly, and the food always delicious. The food is always consistantly good, which is something I'm always looking for. So far I have had the pleasure of trying 'The Local' panini, Beer Braised Beef Sandwich (which for $7 is a killer deal!), the Manana panini (in all 3 different variations, yum!), the "Cheese Please" pizza and the one with sweet jalapenos & salami on it *drool*. ALL of these items were fantastic and left me not only full but very happy. :) Also, they make great coffee. Being a coffee fanatic, this is extremely EXTREMELY important! As a side note, their signature candied/caramelized (?) jalepenos are to die for. The only down side?.. Cafe Ella closes at 4pm. D'oh! Go down and visit this hidden gem, it's worth it. read more

It took a while for me to give Ella's another chance after my last experience, but I am so glad that I did. I probably caught them on a bad day before because I've come back a few times lately and the food is nothing short of amazing. Both fresh and full of flavor. AND it's priced competitively with your average run of the mill places. The staff is also great. Really attentive and prompt service. Ella's is a gem in this town and I just want to go there every day for lunch now and say "Please take my money!!!" read more

Strawberry Patch Cafe - The Local sandwich. So good I need 2 mouths to eat each half at the same time. - Sandwiches Near Me - Watsonville, California

Great place to have in town. Good coffee, great space. Nice and friendly staff--definitely my go to. read more

Strawberry Patch Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Watsonville, California

Love this place for lunch, and I love the location. Usually we have to drive a bit out of town for some fresh fare like this, so the fact that it's just planted in the middle of our neighborhood is so great. The food is always fresh, and very well made. I've had something different at each visit and am always happy. Excellent menu. Their juice is fresh-squeezed, the atmosphere is comfortable and cozy, and there's a little patio in back for outdoor seating. Can't beat the prices, either. Just minus one star because your food will usually come out at a..."leisurely" pace, let's call it. It's not a painfully long wait, but long enough that I don't swing by if I'm pressed for time. read more

Amazing cafe! Incredibly cute interior, wonderful food and coffee, very nice owners. I had the morning wrap and it was delicious. The patio is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the sun. read more

Cafe Ella has been a long time favorite of mine, but recently I've felt a little let down by the staff. Maybe me and my own hipsterness are the problem here, but the staff used to be a little more... I dunno - cool, hip, youthful, articulate. In the past, that drew me in. I've been visiting frequently again and the staff right now seems depressed and melancholy at the register - compared to Verve where everyone is upbeat to the max. The older hispanic lady seems to mostly speak Spanish. Which I guess is fine if management is down with that, but it's kinda off putting to me in that previously Cafe Ella was kind of an escape from the rest of Watsonville's lackluster, often depressing, and typically Spanish-only establishments. Again - maybe I am the problem here. Or maybe not, depending on their target audience. The food is still pretty amazing. "The Local" and the waffles are my favorite. The espresso drinks are about a 6 out of 10. 10 being espresso in Europe. It's pretty good, but kinda watered down - not very bold. I recommend getting a small with extra shots if you like it strong. Otherwise the large drinks taste mostly like milk. This is of course a matter of taste. The outdoor patio is really nice and well maintained - as is the indoor area. Probably one of the nicest in Watsonville. Definitely the nicest for a coffee shop. It would be nice if they posted the wifi password out in the open, so you didn't have to ask. read more

As a sandwich connoisseur, this is one of my go to places. Their panini's are awesome. I usually go with the Local (delicious with sweet jalapenos and cole slaw) or the pastrami (roasted peppers - amazing). Highly recommend. read more