Excellent experience and food. I had delicious Yerba Mate. I also had wonderful vegan empanadas and croquettes.

Very attractive, and visually appealing interior, nice music, seating also available outside. No vegan baked goods, no vegan empanadas. Offering non-dairy options for espresso beverages is an acknowledgement that a certain percentage of customers don't want to consume dairy, so why nothing to eat? Sure, server said, "I'm sorry," but excellent customer service would require at least a reply such as, "If we did carry vegan baked goods, what would be your favorite, chocolate chip cookies, or muffins, etc?" "How could we improvise on an empanada to make it vegan?" read more

2 empanadas and 2 coffees was $35..... made me more mad bec they were good and gone in 2 little bites but $10 each . Gtfo!!!! Empanada cost $3-5 ...... this is shameful read more

Amazing empanadas, delicious cocido and desserts. Great atmosphere and excellent service! read more

Finding a place that offers Paraguayan fare is practically impossible so we made the pilgrimage from Southern California to check it out and I was not disappointed. Liliana, the owner, was gracious enough to come out of the kitchen to meet us and she couldn't have been nicer, as was her son who served us. The chipa was just how I remembered it from Paraguay and the sopa was sublime; it really took me back to my childhood. I also sampled the pulled pork empanada which was delicious. Hot terere and a dulce de leche medialuna rounded out the meal. The whole experience was delightful. We will definitely be back. read more

This eatery is increasingly becoming one of my favorite go-to-spots. Items we consistently purchase are the ham, egg & cheese empanadas, Medialuna pastry and a vanilla chai (extra chai to make it sweet). My partner loves the chimmichuri that accompanies the empanadas. I tried the sopa with meat, out of pure curiosity; it was just Ok, I'm not sure how they keep it hot, so the texture was weird, which I attribute to "'maybe" being microwaved?? Not sure--concept and story behind it is cool, but I wished it had more flavor. On the flip side of that I tried a pulled pork empanadas recently and it had the kind of savory flavor I would expect of an empanada! Honestly, I like the customer service--the friendliness of the counter staff; they genuinely seem to enjoy their job! They want you to enjoy the experience and that goes a long way. The secret garden is also a must-see; a cute first date kind of space! Any who, as long as this cafe is serving up tasty delights, I will continue to try all that their menu has to offer! Thanks for bringing something new to the neighborhood, Cafe Guarani! read more

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Amazing. The empanadas are amazingly good. I had the beef (shredded with a boiled egg) and another special of the day which was so flavorful I didn't even need the chimichurri. The pastries are also so good, I had the guava tart and it was more of a shortbread cookie with guava jelly but it was very yummy. I don't drink coffee but I asked the guy working the counter to make me something that was on the sweeter side and it was the best. Definitely happy I don't live in Monterey or I'd be here everyday. Give this place a try! read more

Best food in PG, hands down. Yelp wants me to add more, but everything in this restaurant is fantastic. The fruit tart is also fantastic, one of the best. read more

We ordered an assortment of empanadas beef, chicken and ham and cheese. All were delicious beef was our favorite. We also got a cream cheese blueberry scone and alfores. Both delicious fresh and quality ingredients. Very clean inside the cafe will return as we live nearby. read more

I simply love this family-owned and run cafe! Pacific Grove is lucky to have this place as I have not seen a Paraguayan cafe anywhere else. Most recently my husband had the smoked brisket and pulled pork empanadas which he said were to die for! I always have the vegan empanadas with lots of chimichurri. I also love the vegan (and gluten free) chocolate chip cookies and vegan tapioca pudding. Long-time coffee drinkers, we have been hooked on their toasted Yerba Mate drink called "Cocido" ever since our first visit but their coffee is also the best in town read more

The smoked brisket empanada is probably the BEST snacking food on lighthouse, perhaps even in Monterey/PG. The brisket is smoked 12 hours and the flavor reflects that. They give you an olive oil based dipping sauce that complements the smokey meat flavor of the empanada. I highly recommend! read more

Really enjoyed the empanadas - the soy one was awesome and I'm not usually a soy fan. Pastries were all good - especially the guava tart - and the espresso was excellent. Nice staff and really cool bathroom floor! read more

I was headed to another local cafe but they didn't open till 8am so I decided to settle for Starbucks (no judgement)..Saw cafe Guarani on the way and decided to try it and hit the jackpot. The coffee and pastries we tried were great and the service was very friendly..This place is family run with a history of (at least) 3 generations of Paraguayan bakers in the family. They opened their dream business as the pandemic started and are still open. While I can't imagine how hard they must work they couldn't be more cheerful and optimistic (and pandemic appropriate) in their interactions. We will be back for the empanadas. For enquiring minds - Guarani is a South American language spoken along the amazon (by over 5 million).. words like Jaguar and Piranha, came from Guarani through Portuguese to English. So for the love of a Jaguar, go to Cafe Guarani. read more

This place is a MUST if you live around the coast! Or even if you don't, it's destination you need to come too! The food is absolutely AMAZING! Anything you get from Cafe Guarani is delicious! The chimichurri sauce is to die for.... (drooling now!) The desserts are divine! Empanadas slathered in the chimichurri sauce... bomb.com!! Lily (the chef!) is so kind and sweet and just a ray of light!! Keep up the great work Lily and all the yummy delicious food!! read more

My new favorite spot on the peninsula! Friendly staff, great service, and the BEST empanadas I've had. All of their pastries are out of this world too! Also, it's the only restaurant you can get real, fresh Yerba matte at. Definitely worth checking out. You'll be hooked. read more

Cafe Guarani - Chicken empanada and guava tart - Cafes Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Went there on July 24, 2020. They were open and there is a bit of seating outside, however we took ours to-go. The food was very good! I tried a guava cookie, an almond cookie, and a beef mandioca empanada. Another family member tried one of the other empanadas. We all devoured our food. My empanada came with a green garlic sauce on the side that was super yummy. One of my family members is born and raised in Paraguay and she loved the food there, and the rest of us loved it too. We ended up going back later the same day to get more! Also the lady at the counter was very nice. Highly recommend this place! Oh also my daughter got a dolphin shaped cookie with blue icing that she really liked. read more

Cafe Guarani - Dolphin cookie - Cafes Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Exceptional food. Had the stellar brisket empanadas and the BBQ chicken wrap. So delicious. This seemingly simple street cafe surprises with the high quality of food they serve. read more

Cafe Guarani - Brisket empañada with guava cookies. - Cafes Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

What a gem! If you're looking for a unique cafe while in Monterey I'd try this one. The place is a local little shop with empanadas and tons of South American pastries. We got the beef, brisket, and chicken empanadas with a chimichurri sauce and they were fantastic, light and fluffy and not heavy. The alfajores cookie was delightful. Please try if you're in the area! read more

Cafe Guarani - Chicken and beef empanadas and alfajores cookie! (Latte on side) - Cafes Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Nice little spot with a good assortment of pastries/empanadas and tasty coffee. I didn't try their beer/wine selection but it was well curated and had some local offerings. Worth a visit. read more

Beautiful cafe with delicious food! My family is from Paraguay and this cafe made us feel right at home! The empanadas, the croquettes, the cosido! All so good! Liliana, the owner is so nice and welcoming as well. Definitely worth the trip to come here. read more

Gotta love this place for breakfast empanadas pastries and coffee the service is always great and it feels very welcoming when your dining in and also in the backyard very down to earth like places like this. read more

Ordered a custom cake and it came out perfect! They were super nice when I came to pick it up and the entire experience overall was great. The cake was just as I had expected! read more

I love empanadas, but as a vegetarian, it has been hard to find them with vegetarian filling. When I learned Cafe Guarani had empanadas I reviewed the menu and they have a soy version! I went to the bakery and ordered 1 soy empanada and 1 soy mandioca, which I'd never heard of before. I enjoyed both the soy empanada and the soy mandioca, especially with the green sauce they give with them! I've been back numerous times and they are consistently delicious! I asked if they ever considered making a soy chorizo version and they hadn't, but they experimented by making a couple soy chorizo mandioca's for me...and they were exceptional!! I called about 10 minutes before going in and they made them immediately and when I arrived they were ready and piping hot...and so good!! I love this place!! read more

You have to try this place! It's so rare to find a place with excellent coffee AND food. Their empanadas are the best I've ever had. Lattes are excellent too, incredibly smooth. read more

This review is for empaniadas. We truly enjoyed it, flaky pastry and delicious fillings! Service was great and the place is super clean.

This place has great service and great food! The empanadas are amazing as is the chimichurri sauce that goes with them. We also loved the different Yerba mattes! read more

Cafe Guarani is my favorite cafe on the Monterey Peninsula. There are countless places to sip coffee and eat a pastry in town, but Cafe Guarani is distinctly good. They offer a unique selection of delicious Paraguayan foods in a very aesthetic atmosphere. The staff is friendly and happy to tell you about their many tasty food and drink options. The empanadas rock. The drinks are flavorful. The desserts are worth saving room for. And on top of this, they have a large selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Love this place! read more

The empanadas here are delicious. I tried the yerba maté, not really my cup of tea but I liked the way that it made me feel. Definitely try the cassava empanadas, I've never seen those on any other menu. Their dessert and pastry selection was also a nice treat, although the prices are rather expensive read more

This is quite possibly the best cafe I've been to in all my travels with the Navy. Their empanadas and pastries are great, but boy do they know how to make a fantastic pour-over coffee. I go there way too often not to finally leave a review. Please keep up the great work. read more

Went here to try the empanadas. Lady was rude. She was friendly to the group before me. If I could, I would give it zero stars because of her unfriendliness. Giving a one star because empanadas were good. Never going back here. read more

Great food but service (barista) was awful. Her lack of attention messed up our order + extremely impolite customer service + did not wash hands between cash register and food service read more

Great place! Very clean and friendly staff. The only thing I was sad about was the eclair having whip cream filling instead of the traditional vanilla custard. The empanadas were good as well read more

Went in today was excited to try it. Was disappointed in the service. The girl who waited on on was not helpful or friendly! The cookies we purchased were good, we ordered 4. 16.00 is a lot for the cookies in my book. We went to Starbucks down the street and had better service. Need to work on customer service if you want to attract more customers! I won't be returning! read more

I had a wonderful cappuccino, empanada and various yummy pastries. All were excellent and fresh. Definitely recommend.

Cafe Guarani - excellent tasting food and coffee . The young man and lady behind the counter were awesome . Thank you for your customer service . read more

A gem in PG. Everything is super yummy: empanadas, BBQ pork, spicy mochas, guava and dulce de leche treats, and of course yerba mate. They should sell their chimichurri sauce. Amazing flavors in just the right portions with gluten free and veggie options. Great service every time. A sure favorite! read more