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.

Waffle was nice and crispy, with lots of fruit. Made fresh to order! The gentleman who made my…read morewaffle I would have guessed was the manager/ owner, obviously seasoned knew peoples names..but Coffee was a let down but I don't think it was this places norm the worker told me if was his second day. So ‍ If I was a local I would go back and try again

Absolutely stunned!! We were took excited to take pictures…read morebefore eating!! Special Sandwich: 10/10 This sandwich was amazing. Definitely worth the two hour drive. It had freshly cooked bacon to perfection, butter lettuce, the freshest tomatoes, an aioli sauce, on perfectly toasted sourdough bread. Would 100% get it again and I hope it's not seasonal because everyone should try this sandwich!! Flourless Brownie: 8/10 It definitely is a flourless brownie the texture of it is almost like fudge. It melts in your mouth instantly, there's not really much of a structure to the brownie. If you're a texture person this might not be for you as it's not a traditional brownie it's extra gooey. However, absolutely love the flavor of it. It's a rich chocolate flavor with powdered sugar on top. As a dark chocolate lover this was pretty good!! Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips: 6/10 It's nothing too special, it was more on the dry side but still strong banana flavor! Overall experience: 9/10 Customer service wasn't the greatest while waiting for our sandwich we didn't really know we had to wait, where to wait, and when I changed my mind on a pastry someone gave me a face. However, the ambience of the restaurant and food made up for it. I loved sitting outside, an amazing way to sit down and have a chat.

Holllyy. The best bakery I've ever had! &…read moreI'm that person that sees out bakeries everywhere I go! - get there by 10:30/11 for the best baked goods! - try: fruit tart, almost croissant, chocolate croissant Cute, homegrown, very nice staff!

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! :(

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.

What an adorable little place, with cute atmosphere! The…read morestaff was all super friendly from the cashiers to the baristas. The coffee was smooth, I applaud their ability to flawlessly whip a thick foam on non dairy milk and even decorate the top, oh and also their cups are so darn cute! I will definitely be back next time I'm traveling to Monterey.

We were in town for a street festival. We wanted to start the day with some coffees…read more This location is right on the main street. So there was a line. The barista s kept the line moving. Good thing I pre read the menu. When I got to the front, the barista said what do you want. Not the most polite greeting. But I truly understand that this was not a normal day. So I quickly explained what we wanted. The coffee was good. A nice smooth roast. Because of the crowds, I didn't get to look around. Is it just me, or has coffee really gotten expensive.

The food was great, I had never had that good of an eclair. Also the staff were great,extremely…read morenice and welcoming.

Holllyy. The best bakery I've ever had! & I'm that person…read morethat seeks out bakeries everywhere I go! Super cute decor inside & such nice welcoming staff! - get there by 10:30/11 for the best baked goods! - try: fruit tart, almost croissant, kouign-amann & rectangle shaped filled cream puff pastry (forgot name but incredible, in top R of last pic) Cute, homegrown, very nice staff!

We found ourselves with some time to kill in between meetings on a trip to Monterey. This place…read morelooks cute and my husband and I are both readers so we decided it would be a no-brainer to stop by. The bookstore section is kind of small, but it is nicely decorated and organized. There's a large children's section that I appreciated and the plethora of plush puppets was something I had never seen before. They had several items that were gift varieties like candles and stationary and crayons, etc. It's attached to a coffee shop so if you wanted to grab a book pay for it and then grab a coffee, you could actually sit and read for a bit.

I love the vibe here at Bookworks, but the Wifi is very poor here. Every time I come to get coffee…read moreand work, I end up finishing my drink as fast as I can, and heading down the street to other places with Wifi. There are folks living here who simply need 21st century pipes. For example, if you're doing university work with Stanford and want to get away from Hopkins. But the Wifi here is from the 1990s. If you don't need reliable wifi, Bookworks is amazing. The food, the service, the bookstore, everything. Unfortunately, living in a "connected" world, I can only give it 3 stars, as cafes are workplaces now.

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!!!