Studio Cafe

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.

Back area where coffee is prepared and seating.

What we bought

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Traditional Turkish coffee

Captain + Stoker

4.4(952 reviews)

1.3 mi

This is my go to spot when I'm in the Monterey / pacific grove area! The cafe is super aesthetic…read morewith ample seating, both inside and outside. Love that parking is usually pretty easy to find. The coffee itself is always a hit and I love their seasonally flavors and syrups. This time, I got the honey lavender latte and it was so delicious and floral! The staff are super sweet and the baristas nail the latte art every time.

Stopped in here a couple times while visiting from out of town after seeing good reviews and wanted…read moreto love it but was rather underwhelmed by the coffee. Cappuccino came out beautifully (pictured) but tasted a bit weak, as did the triple-shot iced latte I ordered a couple days later. Wasn't awful by any means but I probably wouldn't come back. Baristas were pleasant, interior was spacious, and decor was cute!

The ordering counter. Still nostalgic

Iced matcha latte

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Pistachio and rosehip latte

Tidal Coffee

3.9(390 reviews)

0.3 mi

•$

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.

Check out

Dill, kale, and feta scone

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Wonderful view on a beautiful morning.

Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop

3.9(696 reviews)

I love Ghirardelli- we usually go to SF. This was my first time at Monterey. The views at this…read moreplace are spectacular! We got gorgeous weather and lucked out. It was so decadent and yummy - 4 of us ate one dish and we were stuffed! The service is very efficient- you get in line to order - they give you a token and then you go to pick up your order. Had a lovely time! It was not very crowded, as it was a weekday.

The line to order snaked out of the ice cream shop, but the line moved pretty fast. I ordered the…read morechocolate lover's milk shake (small) for $12.99, but most small ice cream sundaes were $14.99. Ice cream prices go up from there. Some people (like me) were given a buzzer thing that was supposed to let you know when your ice cream was ready to pick up at a separate counter. Some people where just asked their names and their names were called when their order was ready. Unfortunately, the person taking my order forgot to enter it into the computer system until I asked if my buzzer thing was working because it had taken an awfully long time to get a simple small shake. If you are able to find a seat outside at the rear of the store overlooking Monterey Bay the view is awesome, but there is not much of a view from inside seating nor the courtyard seating in the front of the store. They need an assigned person to patrol both inside and outside eating and seating areas since there is such a high volume of customers, the eating and seating surfaces need to be better cleaned. The shake was OK, nothing spectacular and it was less ice cream than milky (I saw them adding liquid to the ice cream machine just before my order was prepared so maybe it had not had enough time to freeze properly). As with most Cannery Row businesses there is no parking close by. This business does not seem to have any bathroom facilities nor anywhere for parents to wash off the sticky sweet treats from the hands and faces of their kids.

Beach View & Dining

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Pick & Mix

Starbucks

3.3(113 reviews)

This location is super clean and always has a great vibe. Our drinks and food were ready on time…read more This store is eco friendly and their iced drinks do not come in plastic. They do not use plastic at all. Our drinks were ok but my partners feta wrap was not its normal taste and he only ate half to prepare for our day in Big Sur. I did love seeing my nickname on my cup though.

Bro they always make my drink perfect at this location . Rate 10/10 and u like the way the place is…read moreset up

Unicorn Cakepop

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Order counter

First Awakenings

4.3(4.1k reviews)

0.2 mi

Food always good and worth the wait....Have followed this restaurant for many many years…read more Call ahead and out your name in the waiting list as very popular.

The Pancake --Monkey something, Banana , Chocolate Chips and walnut. They are inside of the…read morepancakes, not on top. The syrup is hot ! Warm syrup on top of the pancakes, extremely good! Caution: The pancake is huge! The portions on the entrees are generous! I got the steak and potatoes -- delicious !

Innenbereichen

Day Starter Skillet

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Sonoran Frittata

Cafe Guarani

4.5(260 reviews)

0.2 mi

Nice decor. I've had mochas all over the country. Their Guatemalan mocha was as good as any I've…read moreever had. The empanadas were great, as were the pastries. My wife and I enjoyed our first experience so much we returned the next day!

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.

Front counter

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Secret garden in the back, so peaceful

ALTA Bakery & Cafe

4.2(925 reviews)

1.4 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!

Inside the cafe

Chocolate strudel

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Mixed berry strudel

Lilly Mae's Cinnamon Rolls

2.0(495 reviews)

•$

Cinnamon roll was good but the prices are insane. I didn't mind paying 10 dollars for the cinnamon…read moreroll because it was tasty but I also ordered a breakfast sandwich and it was incredibly small and really small breakfast burrito for another 10 dollars, both underwhelming. Not worth it. Coffee is not the best either. Definitely just order their cinnamon rolls.

earned a star for: 1. great cinnamon rolls…read more2. fast service 3. friendly staff 4. my kid loves the 'otter in a blankets'

2024

Yummmm beside the aquarium- this place is The Best! Hee

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Wave Street Café

4.3(1.3k reviews)

0.2 mi

Great location, great service and excellent food! The Brooklyn Benedict was amazing. Fresh salmon…read moreon everything bagel and hollandaise sauce with capers and homestyle potatoes. Creamy and delicious! Pancakes was big and cooked to perfection. Definitely worth it!

Where do I begin? Wave Street Cafe is always such a treat. I can't believe I haven't written a…read morereview yet. I enjoyed THE BEST OMELETTE of my life yesterday, the garden omelette with goat cheese is next level. Bursting with mushrooms, spinach, carmelized onions and the creamiest goat cheese- it's an umami delight. Their breakfast potatoes are also the best I've had- We also enjoyed their pancakes, we tried cinnamon bun and buttermilk, they're delicious and worth a visit to try these epic pancakes. They also have an extensive coffee menu, we tried their mocha and pistachio rose latte- both amazing. And their house coffee, which is provided by Carmel Roasting company - I asked where it came from, it was that good. Such an epic way to start our day, I highly recommend it.