Parker Lusseau Pastries is an absolute hidden gem! The ham and cheese croissant (warmed up) is the…read morebest one I've had! Also love their macarons, apple galette, and croissant- whether it's butter, chocolate, and almond, you can never go wrong! Great service is always happily provided by the staff. Cozy little patisserie alongside the postal service. They have outdoors tables and chairs and street parking.

We were recommended this bakery by a friend who visits Carmel often and really loves it, so we were…read moreexcited to try it while visiting from Texas too. It's a small shop, and since I wasn't sure yet if I wanted a pastry, I ordered a coffee first while my husband looked at the case. One of the women behind the counter told me, "Usually you order pastries first and then we get the coffee at the end." The way it was said immediately made me feel uncomfortable, like I was somehow doing something wrong. I apologized and explained we weren't from here and I wasn't even sure yet if I wanted anything else. Their tone changed after that and became much friendlier, which honestly made the interaction feel even more awkward. My husband ended up ordering pastries, including a chocolate croissant for me, and both the latte and croissant were good. Sometimes the experience matters just as much as the food. It's hard to fully enjoy a place when your first impression made you feel unwelcome. I truly wanted to love this spot because it came so highly recommended as she visited it daily, but I left feeling more embarrassed than excited to return.

I visited at the recommendation of a friend. I was headed to Carmel and decided to stop for…read morebreakfast. There was quite a line early Saturday morning. It didn't look like it died down which is awesome for this business. I believe I waited 20-30 minutes in line before I reached the display case. There were so many delicious things to choose from, it was a challenge to decide! I opted for a croissant sandwich, a blue corn cookie, and some sweet treats for the beach. I also ordered a seasonal latte, I believe it was cherry chocolate with oat milk less sweet. There's a nice outdoor seating area with many tables in chairs. Since the weather was nice we decided to stop and eat for a bit. The ambience was very nice and calm. The food was delicious and their house made pickles were fantastic. They were crisp, fresh, and complimented the turkey sandwich so well. The blue corn cookie was very interesting and reminiscent of a tortilla chip. I'd definitely come back here if I were in the area.

Charming bakery and cafe with plenty of outdoor seating in the back connecting garden…read more Nice flaky, buttery dough on their pastries. Latte was decent, not too bitter or acidic and it was creamy They try a lot of variations for pastries, both savory and sweet! The savory danish was really tasty and there was some pickled / citrus component that added more depth and made it super interesting to eat! The salmon croissant was alright, had a really nice flaky crust but the filling tasted kinda gamey , would've been nice to have another component to balance it out. Cookies were niceeeee the buckwheat choco cookie had nice amounts of sea salt and was like a brownie texture on the inside. Choco chip cookie was thin and crispy on the outside with chocolate blobs spread around, quite sweet though There was a line going out the door but only had to wait around 15 min!

These pastries were out of this WORLD. I don't remember the exact ingredients, but I got a savory…read moredanish and some kind of berry pain suisse. The danish was my favorite. It was the perfect way to end my trip in Monterey. The line was a bit long, but they were efficient and it moved along pretty quickly. It's very nice and clean inside, and it was really cool to see inside their open kitchen! The menu probably changes a lot, but the staff is super friendly and can tell you exactly what's in each pastry. Shoutout to the cashier who we found out from a quick chat graduated from UCSB the same year as me!

super cool bakery and cafe in the heart of downtown monterey…read more loved the variety of pastries and artisanal bread. family got the salami and chicken caesar sandwiches. they enjoyed it! got a pretzel for the kids and they liked it. the grapefruit cream bun looked interesting so i got that - reminds me of the cream bread at asian bakeries. i liked the grapefruit! kouign amann was good, but wanted it crispier. bought a seeded loaf to go and that was yummy! appreciated the patio seating and that the cafe also sold merch and other grab and go items.

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!

This was my fav French bakery and was very popular spot abt 20 years ago. I remember their fresh…read moresandwiches, almond croissant-super popular, and chocolate cake! Recent visit to Monterey, I went to have my fav but wow.. all the pastries were flat. They were not risen they all looked cheap, pretending to be french pastries... and chocolate cake and the rest did not look french at all. In good french bakery will never advertise $30 for 5 pastries. We ordered cappuccino and cafe a'laite . Worst ever. Bitter and tasted cheap cheap coffee. This is not french bakery/patisserie it was once. I doubt that it is under the same ownership. So very disappointing.

A staple in this community for ages and always the freshest, most delicious everything. CS is more…read morethan coffee but community and culture. Every order is treated with care & artistic vision, as is the merch. Thankful they exist.

Stopped by Captain + Stoker and really enjoyed it. The matcha latte was DELICIOUS, best matcha yet!…read moreI subbed oat milk and a little vanilla sweetener and it was perfect. Service was quick and friendly, and parking was super easy with plenty of open spots nearby. When I got there there was no line at all, but by the time I left there was a line out the door, which definitely says something. I didn't try the food this time, but everything coming out looked amazing. Looking forward to going back!

Cash only! Traditional establishment with large pastries…read more - Muffin : was a blueberry flavor that day, very soda bread scone tasting. Enjoyed the crumb top and plentiful berries! Very moist - Berry danish : the pastry itself was a little chewy for my taste, but overall not bad!

Oh Pavels! How dear you guys are to my heart…read more If you are in pacific grove on a Saturday do yourself a favor and wake up early and head down to pavels. Open one day a week...sold out by noon. Truly deserving of all its praise. If you want to do Pavel's right, get the berry danish. Yes you can get the cream cheese berry but if you want the true fall in love experience, get the berry danish. Trust me. The sheepherders bread is to die for. I always get a few loaves. Slice it up and put them in the freezer for my avocado toast in the morning. The salami sandwich is also a must. Never have I ever had a sesame seed baguette be so soft. Other than that, you really can't go wrong here... it's a sweet community of people that lineup in the morning. Locals and travelers that have found this hidden gem. Anybody with a negative review about them being open only one day we're having a line in the morning needs to learn how to enjoy the simple things in life. Pavels is an experience. A true joy to get to enjoy. BRING CASH THEY ARE CASH ONLY:)

Ashley and the barista team made total 5 star worthy drinks. The service and atmosphere also an A+!read more

The shop is delightful. The quaint decor and bright white doors makes for an inviting shop. Despite…read morethe long line, the staff work hard and move quickly. The shop is very dog friendly and even provides treats for your loved one. There are limited seating but you'll manage to find a spot somewhere. Their coffee is good. The hot latte was bright and not bitter. The iced latte was not bitter and strong. They also have seasonal drinks which are also not too sweet and the flavors work well such as their Vanilla Cardamom Latte and Kiss of Carmel. I also really enjoyed their Special King Charles Cider drink which reminded me of fall. Elisia (I apologize if I've spelt your name wrong), who headed the Espresso drinks, was exceptional. Despite the tremendous pressure of endless drink orders, she pulls the shots expertly while timely steaming the milk to ensure the best quality for the espresso drinks. She also kindly greets customers picking up their drink and manages remakes very professionally. I appreciate her efforts and applaud her dedication to craft while ensuring a lovely experience for her guests.

Delightful cafe, with delicious pastries, cute tables outside and friendly, helpful staff!…read more We got here a bit later around 11 am so we definitely missed some of the popular items like the ham and cheese croissant. I will try to come earlier and see if they have it next time! I was in the mood for savory not having eaten breakfast yet so the quiche was calling me. This was my first time here and many people ahead of me in line were ordering them. Truthfully I'm not really a quiche person but this one looked divine. Maybe because instead of a slice of quiche it was my own little quiche. It was so savory, flavorful with the perfect balance of goat cheese and tomato! (I got the goat cheese & tomato flavor obv). They also heated it up for me! It was delicious and the crust so flaky. I also got an almond croissant because I love me some almond filling. This too was delicious! It was really cool to try their style of almond croissant which is a flatter style--flaky and moist and crisp. My hubby got the apricot pastry and it was also so good! I am ready to visit here again the next time I'm in Monterey! Hopefully I can snag a table outside this time because it's such a cute outdoor space to eat after getting your pastries.

Been here many times ... Actually EVERYTIME we are I. Monterey!…read more But ... Disappointed this time AND many other times because there were no mention of when they are closed. Just remember, call ahead and follow Instagram Here are their hours for Jan Why? You guessed it, this place is sooooo good that they can afford to NOT WORK and still do well. A must visit when in Monterey.

What a cute shop, super clean and nicely maintained and the location is super nice, the food is ok…read morebut that's the only good things I can say about this shop. The staff is ok but not the nicest, they got my order wrong and I don't feel like they were too pleased with my correcting it. The shop is very small so no room for a large group but it's a quaint shop. I'm sorry but I'll never go there again as the prices were not good and portions were not good as well.

Wonderful food and pastries and the best Lavender Fog coffee I've ever had!! Forgive the bite out…read moreof the burrito and as simple as it looks every bite of food here is homemade. I am beyond impressed, the owner even mills her own flour. i will definitely make this a regular stop.

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.