Brownie & coffee: the brownie was a small square, making me a little annoyed at first. However, there is a reason, because this thing is rich, and flavorful. That square was more than enough, and satisfying. The coffee was a surprise as well, quite tasty, smooth, elevated. Based on these two items, I would say this place is not a tourist trap, but good and worthy. Thank you. read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - House coffee, excellent, bring your own mug, help the earth out some - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Perfect mid day bite. They have all the sweets here. TBH, the hospitality is the best part of this place. Family owned, things are made fresh here daily. Ive been here for cookies and coffee, now im back for a bolo lunch. Its cute, not to much seating but enough. Bread is bomb, its fresh. They not lyn' read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Pesto panini - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

The cookies here are so delicious. Each one with its own unique flavor. I have to say they are my favorite cookies. I always garb a box. The rest of the family loves the tarts and cakes, also very yummy. read more

one of my favourite places to grab a pastry or breakfast whenever i'm in half moon bay! upon entering, i am always greeted by the most amazing display of cakes, tarts, cookies, breads, and other pastries. they always change the display based on the season, so springtime, you'll see easter inspired treats, with bunnies and chicks, and in the fall, you'll see frightful looking treats for halloween, as well as apple, pumpkin and cinnamon flavoured treats. their breakfast menu is pretty standard: eggs, fruit, toast, pancakes, bacon, etc. i typically order a veggie based omelet, which comes with their fresh baked bread and homestyle potatoes (usually i swap the potatoes for fruit, a bit healthier). when i want a treat, i'll add one of their homemade scones, or a cookie or bar. they even have a small microwave, which i've used to heat up a baked good! honestly, i've never been disappointed with anything i've eaten here, and more often than not, i order a few bakery items to take home and share with the hubs. the only thing is that there is no public restroom here, not even a restroom for customers. closest public restroom is at the intersection of main st & kelly ave (which are generally well kept). you can park anywhere on main street or one of the side streets, parking has never been an issue for me here. read more

I've been here a few times. The pastries are pretty good. They're a German bakery, so you can find the occasional German pastry, especially around the holidays. Inside the restaurant is a bit of a cold experience, literally and figuratively. The seating is an indoor courtyard with stone tables that are frigid, especially in always chilly Half Moon Bay, and the service is also quite robotic. The food is ok, just your basic diner fare, nothing exotic or special, and I've had it a few times, but usually stick to the pastries like the apricot pocket or pumpkin cookie. One quick note, you will not believe your eyes when you see the prices, so prepare yourself for the lofty bill. read more

Great desserts and food is just ok but the service is really bad...that's A BIG problem Go and expect to be treated like they are doing YOU a favor but take it to go :) THE STAFF ROLL THE EYES AT YOU, they say your name from the window when your food is ready and just move their hands for you to get up and get it without telling you in the most rude way possible I will say expect being treated really bad The staff is just bad read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - The rude staff :) literally she roll the eyes at us as soon as we say HELLO! - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Hazelnut ring: 4.5/5. A chocolate-covered hazelnut butter cookie. There are whole hazelnuts on this cookie, which makes it delightfully crunchy. Delicious combination. read more

Average pastries at premium prices. The palmier was flat and stale, instead of buttery and flaky. Would not come back.

Went for a walk on Main St. in Half Moon Bay and stumbled in this cafe. I ordered the Vegetarian pocket sandwich which was so good. It had Portabella mushrooms, summer squash, roasted tomatoes, basil, goat cheese in a focaccia pocket. Served with potato salad. My husband had the Turkey panini with mozzarella cheese, avocado, red onions, tomato, mushrooms with roasted garlic. Great and fast service. I remembered to take pics after we ate half of our food so please excuse the bad pics. read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Turkey panini - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

If you come here, don't come for the breakfast menu items. The bakery is fine, a bit over priced, but fine. The menu items are extremely over priced and very bland. I ordered a burrito. Let's put it this way. Safeway burritos are a helluva lot better than this place. Has the cook ever heard of "Salt"? Holy shit it was disappointing. At least I had a beer with it. read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Nasty, bland, burrito - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Good portions, convenient location. Came here during 4th of July parade; appreciated not having a wait time to be seated. Weird that they don't have bathrooms for customers here; we were told to go to the public restroom down the street. Tasty veggie and regular sandwiches. Basic salad. They have coffees, teas, and dessert/pastries. Indoor and outdoor seating. Iced tea had an odd spice (tumeric?); it grows on you over time. read more

Not sure why the ratings are so low here. I am all about the environment, experiences, and tastes. I absolutely enjoyed coming here a few times over the years. It's a great stop if you want a yummy bite or chitchat with friends on Main Street. Yes, they can certainly do better with customer service since their overworked staff is constantly busy, they don't display much of the pricing for their baked goods over the counter, and they may not seem like they are passionate about their jobs. People will complain that everything is overpriced here, but not all business experiences are right for every customer when it comes to pricing. The cashier area is usually filled with people and sometimes, you don't even know if it's your turn or if your order is being called yet. Some people might think they are rude or don't care about their orders. It's just a very cute and popular stop inside. Note: They could have easily gotten my 5-stars rating during my dine-in, but it took them over 20-30 minutes to bring the order to my table number. Cups and dishes were piled up in the front near the utensils. Not enough helpers? They had a few mix ups where their customers were not responding to pick up their orders fast enough. It's a new experience each time. There were flies flying around trying to attack my yummy meal while sitting indoors too. That was annoying. They really could have used a little more help during this pandemic. However, what I really liked most were all their pastries, breads, pizzas, beverages, and breakfast options. Menu is huge! Wide selections. The interior is absolutely gorgeous and spacious, as if you found a vacation spot or sipping up inside another city. Very colorful! You can see that my huge big breakfast order had everything in it and the portions were huge! Surprisingly, I finished everything, except for the french toast that I took to go. Yes, very yummy! I sat at my comfortable seat for 1.5 hours, just enjoying the huge portions of food and observing. Restrooms are convenient. It was all delicious! My hot cup of latte tasted very light. The muffin pastry topped with almond nuts and fruit jam was delicious too. There's always something different to try over here. If you're in it for the foodie experience and food tastes, then you have found yourself the right place to take your time eating here. Best part are all the fresh baked goodies to choose from. Loved the location! read more

See all

I was dining in and ordered a pizza and eclair. I sat outside and they brought me my pizza. My little one year-old wanted to walk away so we left the table and came back and our pizza was gone. I ate a slice and a half. It was a full pizza left on the table and I also had some personal items as well. I came back, and my table was completely cleared. Turns out they threw away my pizza... So I just stepped away from the table for a minute he threw in my pizza? Would it remake it for me if they tried to give me a slice of focaccia instead and I said no I want my pizza It was really bizarre they threw out my meal to begin with and cleared the personal items from my table. But furthermore, the way they handled it was just so bizarre. read more

This is the third time that I was being sold a pastry that was at least a day if not two days old. As a local customer, I called the business to give them a chance to correct before posting this review. Despite being promised that the manager would get in touch, no one cared to address this. What a sad decline of quality and care under the current ownership. For any visitor to Half Moon Bay: Scroll through the large number of one star reviews before you leave your money with them. This is no longer the German bakery that the positive reviews refer to. (The original owner sold it). Take your money elsewhere. There are lots of fantastic alternatives to this place!!! read more

We always try to include a visit here whenever visiting the area especially in the Fall. Their pumpkin cookies are superb! Very fresh and light in texture with just the right amount of frosting. There are lots of different goodies to choose from. Looks like they still have the big brick oven but not as many breads for sale as in the past. I miss the small pizza breads that I used to love for a snack. Maybe they still bake these sometime? There are tables outside and an adjoining inside patio---great for people watching. read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Cake window with oven in background - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

We arrived in Half Moon Bay this afternoon ahead of schedule to attend a memorial service nearby. Dear Hubby was in search of a cup of coffee. We found this bakery cafe and gave them a try. Discovered a charming looking place, but didn't walk away feeling embraced by charm. One of the first things I noticed was a large old-fashioned open oven with flames. Am not sure if they use it for breads or what exactly. Visually, it's striking, much like a wood-fired pizza oven. The pastry cases were calling DH's name. He chose a mini version of a breakfast Danish, and ordered a cup of decaf, as well. The counter help's version of a greeting was to call out "next" or "next customer". While adequate, it made me long for my beloved Apple Farm, where each guest is greeted with "Welcome to the Apple Farm" upon entering. Overall, I didn't see the staff acting like they were very happy to have patrons coming in. The pastry was a good one, with a flaky texture and the right amount of sweetness. I was underwhelmed with the coffee, and they didn't offer stevia as a sweetener option. We should have ordered a latte, but live and learn. There was a cafe section to the left of the bakery area that featured a high ceiling, and green plants. It looked really cool in that area. If the staff were more welcoming I would want to check it out. As it was, they are currently on the Maybe List for a future visit. read more

See all

The raspberry and apricot half moon cookies are top tier!! I always have to get one when I stop by HMB. I also love the big moon sugar cookie. Every time I stop by I think it would be nice to buy a cake or pie for a special occasion because they look amazing read more

The pastries here are FRESHHH!! So amazing I felt like I was in France eating fresh light crisp croissants and pastries. We ordered the chocolate almond croissant, cherry cheese danish, artichoke foccocia, ham and cheese croissant, and espresso poured over their homemade whipped cream. It was all so delicious. This place is a must try if you're in the area. read more

Great Cafe with delicious coffee and food options. It's a small space so there's not much seating. The beet/arugula salad is really good and a huge portion! read more

The Grill cheese was Bread - American cheese - Bread - American cheese Bread. The bread was also quite dry. Good service and ambiance. read more

Looks good and lots of customers. Pretty eating area. No table service. Self serve. Prices are high. With drink it's going to be over $20 for breakfast per person. read more

See all

In A Nutshell: -Moonside Bakery & Cafe was open for take-out, but also for sidewalk dining the weekend of 6/6/20. -If you want one of the best Big Breakfast Burritos & Artichoke Omelette's around, then you will want to stop by here. -The Big Breakfast Burrito was freakin' GIANT & filled w/ high-quality ingredients, plenty of eggs & chicken sausage (you can get pork if you want), it was also piping hot! -When in Half Moon Bay, you need to eat something w/ artichoke in it, so the Artichoke Omelette was filled w/ artichoke hearts, spinach & was thick. -The potatoes were the best I've ever had, b/c usually places have soggy potatoes, these potatoes were very crispy on the outside, yet soft & hot on the inside - they were surprisingly great! Overall, the customer service was friendly & fast. If you are Half Moon Bay make sure you stop by here for a terrific breakfast! read more

See all

This was beyond the best cake I've had!!! I went to so many places looking for a wedding cake and I was just disappointed. My mom told to come here and Isidro worked with me and had a tasting set up when I came in. He let me try different flavors and combined them. We worked hand on hand and at then end everyone loved it! The decor was exactly what I asked for and the flavor was sooooo good!!! Thank you so much Moonside for being. Part of my wedding team!!! read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Excellent wood fired pizza! How rare! The service was fine. Prices are a bit high but that's everywhere.

Wow. We have known about this place for years and often stop for their perfect meringue cookies. They're hard to find and these are like clouds from heaven. Today I decided to get something special to kick off the holiday weekend. My husband loves eclairs and they had two absolutely gorgeous options - chocolate and strawberry cream with sliced strawberries peeking out. I got some of each. These light, flavor packed delights were even better tasting than they looked which was hard to achieve. The choix dough was perfect, the creams delicious and so spot on what they promise in flavor, and the thin chocolate shell (white on the strawberry) added a perfect sweetness and crunch texture. We have a new family favorite. Sorry I don't have pics - we ate them! read more

We stop here every time we come to Half Moon Bay. The bakery is great. Breakfasts and pizza are good also!

Each and every time we go to Half Moon Bay, our first stop is Moonside Bakery. We always pick up their almond horns and their macarons (and sometimes we try other items as well) to enjoy over the course of our stay. The almond horns are heavenly! Do yourself a favor and try them; you won't be disappointed. read more

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ! 45$ for two paninis and an hour wait. This place is a waste of space here in HMB. The girl working the register stood around staring at the line for a good 15 min before she decided to come help with some attitude on the side. I placed an order through the phone 20 min before showing up for two paninis. Keep in mind the person who took my order through the phone said 10-15 min. When I arrived I waited another 30 min because they never made my order. The girl who originally gave attitude said "it's a process they are working on finishing it." During that wait several customers came inside complaining that they hadn't received their order that they placed quite some time ago. One lady came in questioning where the pancake was and politely said "I've been waiting outside for 40 min for my pancake and my family is already finished with their pastries". Her pancake was just sitting in the oven never brought out. It's sad to see this is what our selection is as area native when we take a stroll down to the beach. Such a cute location and lovely ambiance wasted away on shitty service and food. read more

Love the coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate. Drive over from east bay stop for a coffee down the street then here for a couple cookies and maybe a pizza or two. Have yet to try lunch here but some day read more

See all

The menu said breakfast burrito came with toast. I ordered wheat toast with mine, but there was none served. I let them know they forgot, they said it doesn't come with toast. I pulled out the menu and showed them the item I ordered definitely comes with toast and they said it's an old menu, and didn't offer me any. They also put loads onions it when I said no onions, and there was no cheese on it even though I asked for cheddar cheese. The menu said 3 eggs came in the burrito but I got about one, with a whole bunch of mushrooms and onions, and a few potatoes. All in all I basically got a random meal that wasn't what I ordered, and they wouldn't do anything to make it right. read more

ok, my fault for not checking with Yelp first. i thought this place would be just as good as before, but before was over 10 years ago. hahahaha. Pastries were not so good. Bread pudding was dripping wet, don't know why. Prices would be ok if pastries were good. Service was just ok. Place looks tiny from the outside and I didn't know they were also a restaurant. read more

Best bran muffin ever! Sweet garden courtyard to enjoy your meal. And they have small water bottles for sale. read more

Andy. Barney. Aunt Bee. Goober. Where are you? Half Moon Bay is so quaint it hurts. There's a feed and fuel store that sells hay. There's an old-time diner. There's a bunch of little art galleries. And on an early weekday morning, it's nearly a ghost town on Main Street. I happened upon this place as I strolled by and didn't think much of it since it's attached to a brick mall. Inside is a bustling bakery with all sorts of goodies I should not be eating, and they also serve breakfast. The menu isn't readily noticeable, but they have the standard fare. Since I've already tried the Main Street Grill across the street a number of times, I ordered a three-egg omelette with chicken apple sausage, mushrooms, red onions, feta and jack cheese. A bit pricey at $9.75, it came with home fries and a basket of toast. It was tasty enough though oddly, the jack cheese was just melted on top in one big glob. They serve it to you on their faux-terrace inside the appropriately named La Piazza mall. The paint-by-numbers murals won't transport you to Tuscany, but it does have a certain quirky charm. Coffee is do-it-yourself, and put something in the kitty for refills, will ya? FOOD - 4 stars...a decent omelette, tad pricey but hearty fare...the baked goods look awfully good, but hey, I'm trying to lose weight...don't tempt me! AMBIANCE - 3 stars...this is Italy...NOT! SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly and fast TOTAL - 4 stars...worth a stop if you happen to be in Mayberry...I mean Half Moon Bay read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Front door at Halloween - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

The food was just okay. The bacon was good. Plan to wait 45 minutes for your food if you're ordering breakfast. It was tough with a toddler. The service seemed very scattered and disorderly. read more

Came here during President's day weekend... and the S.O. and I ended up getting some pastries as our snacks. I got the apricot pastry = holy smokes! That pastry was heavy and loaded with apricots! It was baked just right... crispy yet flaky and I loved every bite of it. Also ordered a cafe mocha and it was actually good. Good amount of chocolate flavor but still had that coffee kick in there. Their baked goods looked delicious as well so I'm looking forward to our next adventure that takes us back here to get some more goods! read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Loaded chocolate chip cookie! - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

On our promenade, we stopped for a treat here....the almond croissant was very nice, as was the chocolate chip cookie. Nice outside, but the back room was very strange to me.... read more

Great pastries and coffee. The staff are very friendly, overall a great environment. If you get a mocha or hot chocolate they'll pipe out real whipped cream from an icing bag- what a treat! read more

Every time I stop by this place I always get a hot chocolate with whip cream. Their hot chocolate isn't overly sweet, and their whip cream is only heavy cream so it doesn't add anymore sweetness, making it perfect. Their chocolate and butter croissants are also very buttery. For lunch my go to is their Pesto Chicken Panini. However it depends on who prepares it. Sometimes I get it nice and hot, sometimes it's cold. This place is a solid 3.5 for pastries and sandwiches. read more

Made a stop at this bakery when we were at Half Moon Bay. I got the hot chocolate and the salmon breakfast dish. The dish was not great imo and it was overpriced. The hot chocolate was ok but nothing special read more

Moonside Bakery & Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

I love this place....great pastries and coffee, tea. I haven't tried anything else, but looking at the clientele, I'm sure everything is yummy. The reason for four stars is the servers aren't very friendly. They aren't rude, but there is no joy emulating from them. I get the feeling they are under paid, so resent working there. Maybe I'm wrong, but how about a little sparkle and showing you're interested in those that are opening their wallets to support the business. But like it is often stated, you can look to Managememt if the staff doesn't show well. I'm searching for a pastry place that welcomes me, remembers me, and smiles when I decide to support their establishment. Is this asking too much?? read more