Glad we discovered this cute coffee shop!…read more Visiting Aptos we stopped at this coffee shop and right as we entered we noticed how beautiful aesthetic and clean it was. They serve a variety of bread and breakfast pastries. Great prices and quality. I wish we had one of these in the East Bay. Cappuccino was delicious! 2oz and perfect blend! Customer service was excellent and I will definitely be coming back!! 10/10

Came here with friends, and we were all delighted!…read more There are a lot of good coffee shops, but I like how this one had indoor and outdoor seating plus a video game for kids. Matcha and coffee were smooth, and of course Manresa bread was delectable. Donuts were very much enjoyed by my friends, too.

An OK place to get coffee and a pastry here in the Santa Cruz area. Definitely a bit dingier and…read moredarker than most coffeeshops, with some concerns about cleanliness - tables were sticky and there was food and crumbs on the floor around my chair before I sat down. Coffee and pastries are decent, although the pastries are priced pretty expensive. Lots of activism and messaging by the coffeeshop, which can be a plus or minus depending on your proclivities.

Donnie Darko!! This…read moreis what makes the surrounding towns/ Santa Cruz unique. Living in SF we wanted to find something different and unique. We appreciated this corner coffee shop and the vibes. We even came back the next day just for Donnie Darko - if you enjoy iced coffee this is it! One of the cons of this drink is it comes only in one size; apparently a specific formula or proportion of ingredients. Would come back to this town just for this amazing coffee!

Here's my review even though I got a drink I couldn't drink this isn't my first time here. I love…read morethere mocha and chai. I love whatever beans they roast here and the vibe is nice. The employees are also nice. I like how they have a big patio and is a neighborly vibes. I wish there was a number I could call because I wanted to tell them about a drink today 03/15 it was way too sweet and I couldn't do it. but other than that love this place

A very quaint coffee shop with lots of seating and friendly service. I was super excited to try…read morethis place because of its reviews but I am sad to write that I was disappointed. I tried both their matcha latte with vanilla and the season matcha tonic drink. If you are a big fan of matcha like myself, I would definitely recommend somewhere else. The latte tasted more like sweet milk than matcha unfortunately. I would love to go back and try their coffee as I'm sure that is where they thrive. As for the matcha... nah.

As someone who yearns for a stellar vacation coffee, this place nailed it! Both the brown sugar and…read morecinnamon iced latte and the london fog were fantastic.

Cute coffee shop with a wonderful view!! This coffee shop…read morelocated in the Capitola Village is up stairs from margaritaville. Great selection and flavors!! Something for everyone! Was the perfect way to get a 'pick me up' to keep shopping the local shops. Serve was so fast and friendly! Don't miss out.

Ok, so I'm not much a dessert person theses days, but when on vacation, I'll perhaps cheat a little…read morefor some of my long time favorites pastries since I'd need doing a lot of sightseeing and walking around for exercise anyway. I searched around the area for some popular bakeries and Gayle's came up on top, so off we went to try it out. As expected, the place was very busy when we walked in, we immediately grabbed a number, and waited to be called to place our order at the counter. It'd be a good idea, though, if you had made a good round to browse at all the goodies they have to offer, so you know what you want once your number is called... at least this is what we did. So, we ordered the Pain de Amande (almond croissant... my fave), a Bear Claw (loved these as a teenager), a Raspberry Napolean, and a Fresh Berry Tartelette with pastry cream. OMG! The almond croissant was aaammmaaazzing! I'm going to say this with all confidence, but this was the very best almond croissant of ever eaten! The croissant had a very nice light crisp on the outside, lovely dense layers of pastry inside, and that almond paste was just the best.... it has excellent flavor, just the right sweetness... not overly, and just pulled the whole croissant together to give one amazing yummy bite.... that you won't be able to stop eating! The Raspberry Napolean was excellent too....a bit sweet because of the raspberry jam. Regular Napoleans have flaky layers holding the sweet fillings, but this was more of a butter biscuit layer.... not quite the same, but still oh so yummy! The berry fruit tartelette was also excellent... fresh berries on that delicious pastry cream, inside a perfectly baked pastry shell. Lastly, the Bear Claw.... used to be one of my favorites, but I thought it needed something more most and creamy or moist on the inside, otherwise it tasted just a little bit dry.... still very good, but just needed something more. The one thing all the delicious baked goods we tried had was, they were obviously very freshly baked with the freshest ingredients.... and prepared to perfection. If I'm ever in the area again, I will definitely pay another visit to Gayle's as their pastries are simply the best you'll ever find anywhere.

I was in town for two days and went everytime it's hard not to buy to much. Everything is amazing I…read morelove the cheesy garlic sticks and almond croissant almond croissant cookies, lemon cookie and chive biscuit I love this place the coffee is really good as well!! It's not laid out how it works so your first time is a bit confusing. Grab a ticket a listen to them calling out numbers and raise hand for your number. Lots and lots of sitting it can get pretty busy so be aware of that waits can be a bit but so damn worth it

Came here for breakfast while staying at the nearby Sea Cliff Inn…read more Food and coffee: Small selection of baked goods including fresh breads, croissants, pastries. We ordered a raspberry "pop tart" (filled pastry with frosting), plain croissant, and avocado toast. All were very good. Their fresh breakfast sandwiches "weren't available yet" (not sure what that meant) and the avocado toast did take a while to make. Service: Service was a little aloof but fine. Ambiance: Only a few indoor seats, two outdoor tables and kids toys though next to the road. Very modern and new interior. Would recommend trying, be prepared for a short line / wait.

Really cute storefront. There's a store to the side, and a great display of pastries. I can see why…read morethey draw a crowd. Got here right after opening and took a stroll around. They were in the middle of making sandwiches, which did look appetizing. Got in line at a perfect time because it quickly grew behind me. I always go with the basics... purchased a true French baguette, and a delicious looking chocolate chip cookie. Solid 4 stars for the French baguette. Great crispy crust, nice airy inside, not dense at all. Awesome for dipping in coffee. My only downside is the price. $6 for a French baguette... why? I'm waiting to see if it gives me any super powers. As for the chocolate chip cookie... perfect example of how looks can be deceiving. I know it's all preference, but it was just a basic cookie. No sea salt added for that something extra and no browned butter to be found. Just an ordinary, overly priced cookie. Sadly, does not win a spot for my top 5. Also, the gentleman at the counter was pretty frigid. Maybe a bad morning? Perhaps that's his personality. Who knows, but I wouldn't expect much at the counter as far as hospitality goes.

Cute coffee and eats shop just off the 1! Charming outdoor area with seating…read more Ordered a hot latte with vanilla syrup--10/10. Perfect latte. I could taste everything without any particular flavor overpowering the others. Also got the Works Burrito for $16, which includes chorizo and avocado. I think it's a good price point. The burrito is huge so I shared with my boyfriend. He also had the breakfast bagel which he enjoyed. Picked up an extra bagel to-go and sped off. Great stop to make when passing through Santa Cruz.

We arrived early for a medical appointment in the area and decided to get some coffee here. I was…read morecaught off guard by 1) how tiny the inside is, and 2) there was a rack of fresh bagels!!! I honestly had no idea this place was here... and with bagels! I don't get bagels locally because, well, just because. I happily ordered us coffee and bagels. Now, bear in mind, we roast our own coffee, so to us, the coffee was on the "good" side of Ok. The bagels, on the other hand, were delicious! And boy, do they pack on the cream cheese (maybe enough for 3 bagels depending on one's preference)! Service was friendly and fast. And all the people coming and going were very pleasant - there were plenty of them. The sitting area outside next to the road is pretty small (next to a dumpster, I think), and my guy was having some mobility challenges (on crutches, etc.). Folks in the neighboring table were so kind and accommodating, voluntarily standing up so that he could maneuver into a seat. We went back the following week (yes, another medical appt), and this time they were out of the bagels we wanted, so note to self... get there early if you want a favorite bagel. We will definitely be back to Firefly for the bagels! Have I said "bagels" enough times already?

Parking can be a problem on the weekends during the summer, since the beach is right next door…read more Most of the pastries are from Companion Bakeshop. I tried two items: - 5/5: The Machiatto is excellent. They serve 11th hour coffee. - 3/5: The Mexican chocolate pie ($8/slice) is too sweet. All I can taste is sugar.

We came here twice during our stay nearby. The first time was decent. Coffee was good, staff was…read moreok, the food was tasty but inconsistent. (The meat pie and pastry we ordered were not warmed all the way, but the bagel was good) Then inside seating area was also sticky and slightly dirty looking. Our second visit was yesterday 6/20, and it sounds like we weren't the only unhappy customers based on other reviews. I'm not surprised to hear the lady in charge that morning rudely made customers leave because she "needed a reset". We asked about getting pizza around 10:45 am, which we acknowledged was early...but just asking to see what was possible. Instead of a real explanation, we got a snarky look at her watch and just an "um, noooo" with a bad attitude. If there was a real reason, like the dough wasn't ready or the oven wasn't on (it was, we could see the flames) I would understand. However, the lady was complaining to a coworker about an issue with the manager or something while we waited in line so there was already some unprofessional behavior beyond the lack of customer service. We left without getting anything at that point. We won't be back to Venus, The Pixie Deli down the street has good food and friendly service.