Stopped by Alfred Coffee and it was one of those spots that just feels good to hang out in for a bit. Coffee came out really smooth, not too bitter, and you can tell they actually know what they're doing with it. Ordered something simple and it still hit, which says a lot. Also grabbed a pastry and it was fresh, not sitting there all day like some places. It does get a little busy but that's kinda expected. Overall just a solid spot, good coffee, nice vibe, nothing to complain about. read more

Tried the mini conchas today and they were so fun and yummy! I had the cafe de olla, cinnamon roll, regular white concha and my bf got the guava empanada and they were all good and the perfect (guiltless) portion! Can't wait to go back! 4 stars instead of 5 cause they were low staff and we waited more than 5 minutes in line just trying to pay cause there was only 1 employee working. read more

I've been wanting to try La Monarca Bakery & Cafe for a while, and I finally stopped by their Santa Monica location on Wilshire to pick up some treats for my coworkers. The bakery uses a convenient self-service setup where you grab a tray and tongs to select your own pastries. I picked\out five conchas--three vanilla and two chocolate--at $2.60 each. When I mentioned I was bringing them into the office, the staff kindly offered to put them in a box rather than a bag for just $0.50, which was definitely worth it for the presentation. The conchas were soft, fresh, and a big hit with the office team. I'm already planning my next trip back to grab more pastries and to try their cakes. Highly recommended if you're looking for a quick, delicious treat! read more

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The presentation of the cake was really nice, it wasn't bad cake , it's just needed more condensed milk because it was really dry don't taste like tres leche cake read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Pretty cake but doesn't have much condensed milk it's dry - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I stopped by La Monarca Bakery for a coffee, and it ended up being one of those unexpectedly great café experiences. I ordered the Café de Olla Horchata, and it was absolutely spectacular. The drink had this rich, comforting warmth from the coffee, balanced perfectly with the creamy, cinnamon-forward sweetness of the horchata. It wasn't overly sugary or artificial tasting. You could really taste the quality and care in how it was made. The flavors felt layered and authentic, with a gentle spice that lingered in the best way. Overall, the coffee was outstanding, and the Café de Olla Horchata alone is worth the visit. It's the kind of drink you keep thinking about long after you've finished it. The employees were also the sweetest and spoke Spanish! A plus in my book. It's nice to sit and have a slow paced no rush vibe. Perfect to work out of or enjoy on a slow Sunday. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Right in front of the counter, there is a stand with a whole bunch of pre-packed cookies. In there, you will find the chocolate butter cookies- those are my son's favorite to put in his lunch box every day. If I sit and open them, I might finish the entire pack! its delicous! And the service here is always 10/10. read more

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Nice cafe with excellent selection of Mexican pastries and delicious coffee drinks. I had the Cafe Oaxaca - Mexican chocolate and espresso. So good. I really like their beverage menu. The churro pastry was nice as well. It's such a cheery, pleasant shop and the service was lovely. Great choice for a coffee meetup. Very relaxed. read more

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Came here randomly for some pastries for a friend . They had the typical options with conchas , orejas, wedding cookies, cake, trenza , and croissants. This spot was really clean. Luckily they had one restroom available in the back. Employees were really nice. Wish they had vegan options. I didn't see any when I was there. They had indoor and outdoor seating but really limited . read more

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Located on a boulevard corner, parking lot is located behind the building and is a bit tight to get in and out of. Ordered a to-go drink that was alright. Staff were sweeping upon arrival but graciously let us into the restroom. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Exterior - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

The staff were so welcoming and kind. The conchas are delicious, so soft and fresh. The coffee is delectable. I will definitely be coming back:) read more

Not the place for me. I ordered a salsa Verde burrito and it's snack size but premade and reheated in the microwave. The corn and cheese pastry was okay. It needed salsa on it. But the salsa Verde didn't have spice at all. It's more like a sweet jam in a sense. Then the conchas require dipping in hot coffee or a frothy drink. They don't have the moisture or fat content to be able to eat quickly. So dipping is a must. The flavors were decent, and the tres leches coffee was good. Just overall not my kind of place. read more

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The conchitas in town. I like the small ones better, the flan was good. But I always return for the conchitas

Your local bakery when craving pan dulce! This location offers a variety of coffee options, including cafe de olla, a Mexican style coffee. The staff is always so friendly and there are many tables to sit and enjoy your goodies. Their pan dulce is absolutely the best! I usually purchase conchas. However, my favorite pan dulce, called "pan de muerto," is sold in October and November during the Día de los Muertos season. It's savory, soft, and delicious! Highly recommend it-- be sure to pair it with a Mexican hot chocolate or cafe de olla! read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Pan de muerto and conchas - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Ordered the Dulce de Leche latte - it was good and hot. Also selected the guava cheese croissant and vanilla concha - very yummy. Street parking is available, and there are several tables inside and outside. Staff was super friendly. read more

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Good little bakery on Wilshire. Had the dulce de leche croissant which was pretty tasty.

Love this bakery and all of the different pastries, cookies and drink they serve. They always have large trays of assorted cookies during the holidays which is always a hit at parties. Their wedding cookies are my favorite read more

A unique cafe with a clean-cut modern touch to a Mexican bakery. The lemonade I tried was refreshing after a long run. The matcha lavender horchata latte was delicious with the right amount of sweetness. Surprisingly, I find it hard to find horchata blended drinks that taste good. This one was done right. The breakfast sandwich was okay. The biscuit was a little too soft for my taste. The side salsa served with it was a nice Mexican touch to a breakfast sandwich. I look forward to coming again the next time I visit Santa Monica. The servers here were friendly read more

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I love this place. We have been coming here for years. We come for a coffee and Mexican pastries. My favorite is guava taquito and vanilla concha. Nice friendly service and a nice place to have a break. At the back there is a parking lot (have to pay) and there is metered parking around too read more

Really cute coffee cafe in Santa Monica, but they have multiple locations across LA. Their drinks are what stand out. I highly recommend the cafe Oaxaca, which is like a super chocolatey coffee. The horchata latte is also great. Their pastries are hit or miss - I've tried the pan de elote (corn bread), dulce de leche tacos, and conchas. The corn bread was good but dry and deflated, like it had been out for a while. The concha was good and so was the dulce de leche taco. Maybe it's better to get the pastries only when they're fresh in the morning. read more

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Let's start with the good things, the service was great. They were open until 5 pm on thanksgiving, and the cake looked good! Unfortunately, the taste was just missing. We got the tiramisu, and it was so dry. There was almost a powdery coffee flavor, but no moistness. It tasted more like a sponge cake than a tiramisu. It was $38 for a standard cake. But they have a lot of other flavours, so I might be down to try out another flavour another time. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I'm here every other weekend, that's how much I love this spot. Not only is there delicious coffee and hot chocolate, but my favorite pastries. The flan is incredible, not overwhelmingly sweet, it's just right! The concha's are also great, one of my all time favorites. My go to drink is definitely the Hot Chocolate, especially on a cold day. Staff is always very kind and friendly, attending every one with the same care and respect. There will be people studying or reading there, tying it all together. Most often than not there's lots of seating. As well as a few places to charge devices. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Cute spot in SM, kind folks working there too. Very delicious and creamy coffee and drink options. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Tres leche coffee and lavender matcha - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Only got to come here for a short bit but I was pleasantly surprised by all the options and what we tried! Even more exciting I found out World Market sells their products!! Tried a couple cookies and the horchata latte. Cookies were great! Late was good but not as much horchata flavor as we hoped! Hope to try this place again there were so many options I was excited about! read more

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Came here to study it was very cute. Good priced pastries and free wifi for customers. Workers were super nice and gave personalized experience. Also closed later than most other coffee shops in the area! read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

They offer cafe de olla travelers which are great for meetings and parties because it's different than regular coffee for your guests. Their burritos are delicious. If you order for catered events, they're individually foil wrapped which keeps them warm for a good amount of time. Their conchas and cookies are a great treat but not overly sweet. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Love this place!! If you're looking for an assortment of pastries or cold hot chocolate, this is the spot! You can sit and study or read a book if you want with your coffee! They're also open until 8 which is amazing when so many other coffee shops close by 5 Parking is relatively easy (metered street parking or a paid lot behind the store) Definitely always going to return to try a new pastry (they have seasonal offerings!) and a blended Mexican chocolate (personally prefer cold drinks over hot drinks) read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Blended Mexican chocolate - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Lately I've stopping by in my way to work, but sadly the service is very slow they see you waiting on line and pretend they don't see you, I think they need another register and people who knows about customer service, they use to have great service, today I stopped by I asked for two moyetes the kid didn't know if they had bread for it, the girl signal him they were on the display but I do have to say that I haven't seen him before, but it reflects on who the manager read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Someone says guava in a baked good and I am there! I came across La Monarcha while searching for a bakery to buy something to have for breakfast and to bring back for the friends I was staying with. I came across the guava croissant and ended up buying that along with a Mexican hot chocolate. I was not disappointed with either. The guava croissant was flaky and the guava was not overly sweet. The Mexican hot chocolate hit the spot as it was a bit chilly in the morning. I got it with oat milk and it was nice and rich. The bakery was bright, clean and had a few tables for patrons who wanted to eat there. I will definitely be back there again! read more

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I had good memories of my brother picking up pastries and coffee from La Monarca a few years ago. We ate the goodies at our Airbnb and I hadn't visited. This time my brother and I visited and I wanted to buy coffee to bring to Houston. But the 12 oz bag was about $16. I felt it's too much because I can get good quality coffee for less. They sell Café de Olla too and cocoa. The slices of cake looked really good but I wasn't hungry. I just purchased a mollete with soy chorizo for my sister-in-law who wasn't with us. I hope to try a cup of coffee from La Monarca the next time I'm in L.A. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

La Monarca bakery was a pleasant surprise to find in Santa Monica. I bought some baked goods for a friend's birthday. As they were treats for my friend I didn't get to try them. They were apparently tasty. I bought a slice of horchata tres leches & the holiday conchitas. Customer service was very good. The two young ladies that assisted me were very friendly and helpful. One made a great suggestion about the cake. I plan to come back to try their cakes and coffees myself. read more

I've been coming to La Monarca since they opened this location back in like 2011 or so. What is reliable: Cafe de Olla Conchas Chocolate croissants Panitos de muerto (when they have them, they're seasonal items) I recommend against their cakes, they're quite dry. Also any of their fruity drinks. I am sad about menu items leaving like their tacos and their bread pudding (they removed this a loooong time ago). It seems overall their selection of baked items has continued to shrink over the years, probably due to economic constraints. However I hope they stay around and have new offerings! read more

Placed a same day order online in the early morning for a 4:40pm pick up. I was charged and received a confirmation email. I went to pick up my order and was told that it was not fulfilled and they did not have any of the pastries to provide for that order. The lady at the register was apologetic and refunded but the lady in the back was very rude and had an oh well attitude. I would order well in advance and never again place a same day order. read more

The only thing I don't like about this place is that there's not one closer to me I love Horchata based coffee drinks, so this place was a must and it did not disappoint. Their pastries were also delicious! read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Cinnamon roll - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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It's ok, and they have some nice croissants etc. which I'll get on a occasion, but in general we prefer Starbucks , and their excellent chocolate chip cookies, and their drinks . in addition I only use NON FAT MILK which La Monarca doesn't use that's very, annoying, so on the rare occasion I go there I get tea hot or cold , and not their coffees with 2 % milk, , and they also charge extra for using a credit card, which Starbucks doesn't. read more

Super friendly customer service from Diego. Nice selection of sweets. Parking on the cheaper side, at least on a Saturday morning. And good hot drinks. Definitely will be back to this location as well as recommended for a cup of Joe and sweets. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Morning sweets - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I have seen plenty of these across town and today, I finally got to try it! I ordered the soy chorizo burrito for lunch. Sorry no pics! This is a good size burrito and filling as it has potatoes. I'm not vegan but I opted for something "healthy." I am curious to try the torta and tacos at a future visit. At the recommendation of the barista, I had the oatchata latte iced. She said it was the most popular drink but I was torn with the tres leches latte. I will try that next. The oatchata latte was good- not very sweet. I could have added sugar but I chose not to- again me trying to be healthy lol. I really had to hold back on buying pastries. Guava anything has my heart and I saw at least 2 different type in the cases that will be haunting me until my next visit! read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Oatcahta latte - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Lovely pastries, good service. I recommend the guava tacos and the powdered tea cookies. So rich and sweet and the textures are a wonderful experience. TIP: Parking behind store and also metered parking. Try the Aguascalientes frescos for something refreshing to go with your treats. read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Display front - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I love this cafe! They have a ton of variety in their coffee options and even added a flavored sparkling water to their menu. You definitely get a bang for your buck here which I find so refreshing in LA! 15$ for 3 beverages and we even got an alternative milk. The employees are always so knowledgeable about the menu and are more than willing to chat. If you want a yummy, affordable latte that isn't the standard vanilla latte, this is the place for you! read more

La Monarca Bakery & Cafe - Food and hot drink menu - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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All around great baked goods and cafe. We love their breakfast burritos as well as their croissants and cookies. Wonderful and friendly service makes this the neighborhood bakery and cafe to go to read more

Stopped by on a weekday evening to grab a few pastries. The bakery/cafe was quite cozy and small. Service was quick. The food was not bad and the prices were a bit high. The Trenza (Jalapeno) was delicious, especially when toasted. It came with salsa and was not spicy. I also really enjoyed the Horchata cake slice which was not too sweet and had a nice cinnamon horchata flavor, but I felt the cake was a bit dry. The taquito (guava) and pumpkin concha were just okay, quite dry but the flavors were there. Overall, a hit or miss with some items. Hoping to try their coffee and guava cake sometime! read more

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