Smitten is Bakersfield's latest darling for a good reason: it's Nouveau Bako, i.e. cool and young and endeavoring to be like food places you *wouldn't* expect to find in Bakersfield. The coffee bar / restaurant has the vibe of a LA brunch spot with only a fraction of young Instagrammers. That being said, the indoor space and outdoor patio can get crowded at meal times. Plan accordingly. DRINKS: 3.5/5 -- Smitten has a decent offering of espresso-based and American brew-syled coffee. Given the cool, unique atmosphere, it's surprising not to find coffee options original to Smitten. Quality is excellent, options are wanting. Same for other beverages and alcohol -- the options are pretty limited, but I haven't tried a disappointing drink at Smitten. FOOD: 4/5 -- same as drinks in that the menu gets tired if you visit more than once every season. Speaking of seasons, the "seasonal dessert" options (delicious) oddly stand out against menu items that are decidedly not seasonally based. Pricing is fine for quality of your meal, but a place like Smitten could've easily set the bar for local, seasonal options in Bako. It's a shame they didn't take that opportunity. OVERALL: Great, relatively inexpensive spot to take your out-of-town friends while telling them "Bakersfield is actually pretty nice." read more

Cafe Smitten - cute, modern, hipster - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Very nice and busy place. I ended up somewhat stranded in Bakersfield due to an asphalt spill the day before coming back from LA and I was sort of forced to stay in the area overnight. I decided to come out for a late breakfast/brunch(whatever you wanna call it) I'm not aware of any particular popular places in Bakersfield but this seemed to be one of them. There was a semi long, but steady moving line when I arrived but the staff seemed to get everything taken care of in a reasonable amount of time. I decided to get an iced Chai latte and the Moroccan Eggs..everything was good I might have gotten an extra slice of bread(you get two) but honestly it would've just filled me up haha. I'm a big fan of spice so I would've added more heat to the dish but it didn't lack flavor. I thought the eggs would be more runny like a poached egg but it was pretty cooked which wasn't a bad thing...maybe they can adjust your egg type...not really sure...I just wanted to try it as is. I'm not sure the next time I'll be "stranded" in Bakersfield haha but at least I know a nice little spot to go to now. Thanks to the staff for a good experience and for being open. read more

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I can always count on delicious and innovative food, pastries, and drink here. But yesterday I was very disappointed with one policy that I don't believe belongs in Bakersfield. I arranged to meet my child and their partner for a special lunch. They were driving down from the Bay Area to visit me. We ordered a $59. meal - three lunch items, three desserts, and three drinks. It was 100* out and as we prepared to leave I wanted to take my ice tea (plain black tea) along. I asked to have my 1/2 empty cup refilled and was refused. No refills, even on simple cheap ice tea. I hope they rethink that policy. I understand on the fancy coffees and hot tea blends, but I hadn't just ordered one drink and made a nuisance of myself by hogging tables as I observed others doing. I left embarrassed, hot, and mad! read more

I am--wait for it--the biggest coffee snob! And don't you think I jumped on the mainstream coffee wagon when the carcinogen infested Starbucks came along. Oh no, I've been proudly drinking--top-of-the-line-coffee since the early age of two. For those mathematicians, that's pretty much when dinosaurs ruled the world. Anyway, I was greeted by the knowledgeable LJ who surprisingly enough knew the roast of the espresso bean (Durham, NC), it's origin, and get this, it's texture! Boy, was she right. I ordered an almond milk latte and i was the most glorious cup of coffee I've ever had. Smooth, sweet (without an added sugar) and above all velvety. It was so delicious, I ordered a second cup within a 20 minute span. Ha! No joke, I even ordered two bags of the espresso, which LJ was more than delighted to grind. Love love love this place! Please don't ever leave me!!! #thisisnotanad read more

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The coffee is legit. The service was nice. And the ambiance of the place was great. Good place to hang with friends and have good coffee and discuss the incarnation of Christ. I'll be back for sure. read more

Cute spot in the arts district in Bakersfield, bery hipsyer downtown LA vibes. Fresh and local foods, small shareable dishes and each one better than the other. A very chill vibe, they have great selections of food and beverages. read more

Cafe Smitten - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Great food and coffee. Service and atmosphere is friendly. Love to spend my Saturday mornings here.

The place for a real good cup of handcrafted espresso - great blend for a mellow, nutty, non acidy & aromatic cup of latte. read more

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Great atmosphere and food!! Had the Moroccan Eggs and shared the grilled cheese! Fantastic! Service was awesome and don't forget the dessert!! read more

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Love their food. The mushroom omelette is my go to breakfast. My kids all love the Moroccan and Greek eggs!

Who knew there was such a gem in Bakersfield? From the outside, it's bright blue building with outdoor seating. Indoor, the decor is modern. They have coffee beverages made with Counter Culture, matcha lattes, toasts, burritos, salads, and sandwiches. It's a nice spot for breakfast and lunch. I came here on my way to Yosemite for coffee and a fig jam, slivered almonds, and lemon ricotta toast. I picked sourdough instead of their walnut raisin bread. The bread was fluffy in the middle and perfectly crispy. I wanted more ricotta and less fig jam. The jam was overwhelming but nonetheless, it was delicious after spreading the jam around. read more

Beautiful place. Great food. Breakfast lunch and dinner menu all include amazing dishes

This place reminds me of LA. Has a really good atmosphere and I get homesick at times so I am always here! Everybody here is always polite and welcoming, the music is great and I love how they decorate the place Vegan chocolate chip cookies are the best LOL. so they need to order more and keep those on deck at all times! read more

THIS PLACE IS EVERYTHING!! It saved us on a trip from San Diego to Paso. The decor is adorable and the coffee is incredible. This is a Bakersfield MUST!! read more

Cafe Smitten - Iced decaf almond milk latte on their adorable patio! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

My bestie took me here Mother's Day weekend. I loved the decor & the vibe. Lots of parking availability. We had a slice of strawberry cheesecake, iced caramel macchiato & matcha green tea. Delicious! read more

Bright and cheery in every way. Creative food and drinks. Lovely sweets. Great service. Will happily return next visit to Bakersfield.

They make the BEST Green Tea Macha Lattes EVER! They blew the local competition out of the water.

Love this place! Great coffee, food and a very cool vibe. This is a hidden gem in Bakersfield. So glad to have found it!

Cute, clean, tasty! Plenty of parking and lovely seating areas inside and out. It's a nice place to have downtown. If you're in the mood for coffee, tea, pastry, or lighter meals, this is the place! read more

I stopped here while driving through and had the most amazing Lavender latte. Super kind staff that made helpful selections. Super clean restaurant with great ambience! read more

one of my absolute favorite brunch places, super cute hipster vibe. all the food is really good, i love the schnitzel and avocado toast. mint lemonade is a must! read more

Always delicious with great service! I'll keep coming back. The ambiance is great. I usually stop by on a Saturday morning, before the crowds arrive. read more

This is such a cool place! I love their industrial decor and love their greek eggs dish. Also the mushroom omelet is great. Very cool place for young adults! Located in downtown bakersfield perfect if you're in town! read more

Their portobello sandwich is INSANELY good. It's one of the best sandwiches I've ever had and it just happens to be vegan! Nice atmosphere and plenty of outside seating. Such a nice little place! read more

Cafe smitten is my go to breakfast or meet up place. The coffee is great and I loveee the pies there!

Great little coffee spot in what appears to be in the hipster section of downtown. Great Latte and mushroom omelette.

Finally Bakersfield has a real 3rd wave coffee shop--one that would fit into a cosmopolitan city. I grew up in town (all the way to HS), the local coffee scene from 1990s on was mediocre--the local places were all vastly overrated, your best bet was Starbucks... which arrived in the late 90s at the Marketplace and quickly spread. I was resigned to the fact that, despite rapid population growth, Bakersfield's demographics only supports fast food and chain restaurants. When I saw this opened on a trip to see my family in 2017 I was willing to give it a try--I was impressed. They clearly hired an architect to turn an old downtown garage into an attractive space: the material choices and implementation flow together logically and create a warm, chic atmosphere inside and out (the back patio especially). More importantly, the coffee was actually very good. I test a new coffee place with a cappuccino. If they know what they're doing, it will come in only one size (it's not a latte) and be to the point. Cafe Smitten's cappuccino was just that. I've now gone to having their nitro cold brew which isn't bitter and has the smoothness a nitro pour is supposed to have (not all spots achieve that). They use Ghila Dolci Bakery, and their chocolate chip cookie is a spiritual experience if you like a rich, buttery chocolate chip cookie (their other ones are good but, seriously, the chocolate chip is the best). So check out the space, check out the patios, get some good coffee. [they also have a kitchen but I didn't go there to eat and am rating this as a coffee shop against what's available in Bakersfield] read more

Cafe Smitten - Happy Easter! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Excellent spot to relax and enjoy an interesting variety of breakfast options, lunch or dinner. Never had a bad experience all these years here! Healthy fresh food. Beautifully presented! Delicious coffee and teas as well. Love the outdoor seating spaces. Ample parking. Fresh soup every day is my personal favorite. read more

This place is so cute! The ambiance, the staff, the drinks with designs... all great! Be sure to check out the patio in the back, great option if the weather is nice. I split the breakfast burrito with my sister and it did not disappoint. If you are downtown, definitely try this adorable coffee shop! read more

Cafe Smitten - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Definitely one of our go to eateries. The food matches the ambience and they have friendly people that works there.

Yummy! Yummy! Felt great to eat a fresh and healthy breakfast. I regret not ordering the mini pastries they looked yummy and were probably not that many calories. Delish! read more

Cafe Smitten - Dog friendly patio with lots of space - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

A little more expensive than most cafes, but nothing unreasonable. The food was delicious!

Greek eggs were great Pet friendly seat outside available Nice and clean and neat Service was good read more

Found this gem after a quick yelp search while road tripping up north. So glad we stopped - the food, tea and coffee were all delishes! Unfortunately, finding a table can be difficult, they get busy and people like to hang around, so the table turnover can be slow. read more

Cafe Smitten - It was as good as it looked. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Found this place well visiting Bakersfield for work purposes. I tried the Steak Sandwich and WOW!!! This has been the tastiest Steak sandwich I have ever had!!! I would highly recommend this place to eat, plus you would be supporting your local business!! read more

From the super cute decor, to great food, I love this place. Coffee was so good. Avocado toast is to die for. You why is it so good? They put all sorts of unexpected yummy stuff on the toast. It also comes with a very fresh great salad! I will be coming back again and again. read more

I like the centralized location and I enjoy the vibe at Smitten, in fact I think it's what our downtown needs more of. My fiancee and I recently stopped in on a Thursday evening for their Happy Hour. She ordered the chicken schnitzel and I chose the beef kabobs with hummus. I liked the kabobs but the schnitzel had a certain frozen fishstick quality to them, especially with the bowl of Heinz ketchup on the side. With two KRBC Church IPA's (allegedly on happy hour and 20% off), this was $32 with a 15% tip. All in all the ambiance was nice, but the food was lackluster. read more

We have been a few times and out of those times the wait has been the same. To me when you have customers line-up out the door you really should take time and open a second register. This review should be getting lower stars just because of the wait but the staff, customers and the ambience makes this really a 5 star. The food and coffee are some of the best in Bakersfield. I had the Moroccan Eggs which were 2 over easy eggs in a spicy tomato sauce served in a pipping hot metal baking dish with toast points on the side!!!! WOW I could have dipped a entire baguette in this dish. It was out standing, had just enough spice to make you want to lick the bowl clean. My wife had the Peanut and Raspberry Jam toast without the coconut flakes. It was about 1 inch thick loaded with fresh peanut butter and what appeared to be homemade jam. I just got the regular coffee. Just to note they did make a huge improvement on this. Instead of just getting one cup you can now order a multi cup crafe. The Americani my wife ordered was long gone by the time the food arrived. If you wanted to order a seconded cup of anything with the exception of regular coffee you have to wait back in that line that will take you 15 minutes to order and another 15 minutes to get. In short if you don't mind to long wait in line and the long wait for your food. This place rocks!!!. read more

I've heard a lot of hype about this little cafe from friends so I thought I would check it out for myself! I went around noon on a Friday and was very impressed. The aesthetics are very cute and fitting for the cafe vibe. There was a lot of open seating when I got there--in the front of the cafe and the back area. I ordered an Almond Cafe Latte and a banana walnut muffin. The latte came with a small sugar cookie which was a delight. The latte itself was only decent, nothing really special. The banana walnut muffin was delicious, although I expected it to be a little warmed up because it was slightly stale. This place also offers many sorts of snacks and lunch items that I'd love to come back to check out some time. Smitten can also a good study place for students with well-lit seating areas and outlets. I was also able to get free wi-fi at the place and it's a nice area to get some work done if you don't mind the noise. All the workers that I interacted with were also extremely friendly. Overall, I had a wonderful time at Smitten and look forward to coming back! read more

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Yum, yum yummy. Their avocado toast is the best! The quinoa bowl is great also! Lovely ambiance and great service.