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! :(

I'm visiting from Florida and Just left the coffee shop and we truly enjoyed our coffee and…read moredessert! Our barista Andrea was sweet and amazing! This young girls's customer service was so nice! it was a pleasure! Thank you and I pray you have a wonderful future!

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.

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.

2.5 stars I've had…read moremuch stronger coffee even with two shots of espresso so I was surprised with how milky and weak my large white mocha macchiato was at 3 shots. It took the cashier a while to type in my order in the system which is fine but I was surprised that the order was put in for hot instead of iced. Then for the barista to say "seriously?" and rolling his eyes when I told him that I asked for iced, I understand that was at the situation and of course not at me. All that, only for the coffee to not be good anyways. Disappointed and cannot recommend this place.

Great service and I loved one of the baristas, Paige! She provided excellent customer service and…read morekept the work environment so positive and uplifting. My coffee was amazing as well!

i would've given it more but i had a really uncomfortable experience with one of the baristas here…read more And it could be cause it was busy but still if you're going to be named business of the year at least try to be a little nice. the lady at the register was very sweet and understanding but when i went to get some water i noticed there weren't any water cups so i asked a barista with reddish hair if there was anymore and she answered by saying "we're kinda busy.. but here" and she gave me a kinda dirty paper cup. i mean it was fine since i wasn't expecting a glass cup but i think the way she said it made it feel like i was making her stop her work just to get me a cup.... which i wasn't trying to do at all. so it was a very awkward experience. other than that experience everything else was wonderful the drinks were good and the whole vibe of the place was lovely maybe i just caught her on a bad time which could be my bad but still...

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!

decided to give this bakery a second chance, but unfortunately I was disappointed again…read more My first purchase was a kouign-amann, one of my favorite pastries. I've had many excellent versions over the years, and this one missed the mark. It seemed overbaked, lacked the rich buttery flavor that makes a kouign-amann so special, and simply wasn't enjoyable. Considering the price, I was disappointed enough to return it. Thinking I couldn't go wrong with a croissant, I then ordered the almond croissant. It was enormous--easily large enough for two people--but size couldn't make up for the quality. The top layer had some flakiness and a hint of buttery flavor, but the interior was dense and heavy. Both pastries also had damp, wet bottoms, which made me wonder if they were not cooled properly after baking and ended up steaming from their own heat. The almond croissant was filled with far too much filling. Instead of complementing the pastry, it overwhelmed it. The filling was excessively sweet and heavy, and I ended up throwing away about three-quarters of the croissant. The only standout feature was the fresh sliced almonds on top. At $8.95, this was the most expensive almond croissant I've ever purchased. Even by Monterey-area standards, the pricing felt very high. For those prices, I expected pastries with better texture, balance, and execution. Unfortunately, my experience did not justify the cost. The prices are not posted!!!

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!

Stopped by here for a snack with my pup and husband. And I am so glad we did…read more They had a nice patio area where you can see the wharf and the water in the distance and it was spacious. You order your food first and then find a seat, the cashier helping me was very friendly and recommended I add their famous homemade whipped cream to my crepe, so of course I did. The crepe itself was filled with fruit and very delicious. So glad I stopped by for this snack.

What a sweet place! Beautiful and great oat milk latte…read more Gorgeous courtyard with pond and a turtle greeted us. The concrete bench that wraps around pond is HEATED! Happy buns!! In the room next door the owner was selling CDs and Vinyl for a dollar each, an added bonus. Picked up a few records... ;) Great little surprise stop! Don't miss it.

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.