Timmy S.

Located outside of the second floor of South Coast Plaza, at the base of the Bridge of Gardens (which connects the two malls), this pastry shop is a wonderful dessert destination. They had a great many pastries to choose from as well as some sandwiches. They have a few coffee choices as well as a cooler with bottled water, juices, and other drinks. The smiling workers took my order of an iced cafe au lait and a lemon tart. Their seating is all outside under umbrellas, which makes for a relaxing spot to enjoy your beverage and pastry while people watching. There is a cart with napkins, utensils, straws, etc. as well as a place to return your plates and dispose of trash. The lemon tart was sumptuous. It had a citrusy-tart yet slightly sweet lemon flavor with a dollop of lemon curd on the top-center. The crust was excellent too. The coffee was good but a bit more bitter than I like. Still, it complemented the pastry well. While it might be a little tricky to find on your first visit, it's worth it!

Terrence Y.

I'm a big fan of Moulin and have been to all of their locations. In fact, I just had Moulin in Laguna Beach yesterday. This location is really cool as it's right at the start of the bridge that crosses over from South Coast Plaza to Crystal Court. Although it's small, it still carries most of the sandwiches and pastries that the NB flagship location does. The servers are really friendly and patient and helped me while the person ahead of me was still deciding. I got two of my favorite items, a ham and cheese baguette and a chocolate almond croissant. Both were as delicious as always and I can't wait to visit another Moulin later this month.

Rom H.

It was late at night and I didn't know their closing hours. After the worker rang me up, they started to close the shop so I was their last customer and got there on time. Workers were nice and didn't pushed me away because they need to close the shop.

Worst almond croissant ever ! no filling.. and it's super dry..they mention they get their product made from Newport ...which someone needs to oversee the bakery department ... so pissed! Close the shop if you ain't gonna deliver Product that taste good! taste like it's five days old wake up people!

Mira S.

This is my first time trying this bakery cafe and I absolutely loved it. I think I died and went to French heaven. The baguette sandwiches...the pastries...the ready to eat food...the cheeses...the imported grocery items...omg! The best raspberry napoleon I've ever eaten and the apricot tart was sublime. I also had a potato gratin, corn salad, ratatouille, and quiche. The ham and cheese baguette was packed with meat. I wish I lived here to come back for more. There were just too many yummy things. The service was friendly and persuasive! Tres magnifique!

Sara B.

This cafe is one of convenience. You are not necessarily here for a view unless you like to people watch. Which, in the holidays, you will see a lot of people. Seating is limited for the amount of people who order so you definitely have to watch out for that. The workers are very nice and they seem to be busy. The pastry selection is good but fairly limited since this is a smaller location in South Coast Plaza. I enjoyed my berry tart and my mom really liked her almond pear tart. The Cafe Au Lait was also really tasty. I would say the drink options are also limited so do not expect like a bunch of specialty drinks, but that is what this place is! It's simple and French style. Also the complementary chocolate they give you is so yum, great quality dark chocolate.

Christian Vincent M.

The pastries, dessert and bakery is pretty good however the food is average. They do have a vegan option as a sandwich and it's OK. The service is really good and the people are very charming and helpful. I wish they had more vegetarian options but hopefullysomething's in the works.

Angie K.

Love Moulin In South Coast Plaza!! Amazing French Patisserie Cafe Shop!! Located At The Bridge Of Gardens That Crosses From South Coast Plaza To Crystal Court!! Nice Relaxing Ambiance!! Plenty Of Outdoor Seating!! Great Menu, Offers Bakery Items, Assortment Of Pastries, Cakes, Sandwiches, Salads, Coffee Drinks & Lattes!! Recent Visits, Enjoyed The Pear Tart, Apricot Tart, Lemon Tart, Fruit Tart, Always Paired With Ice Latte!! Love The Mini Chocolates Too!! Friendly Staff!! Line Is Always Helpful, Efficient & Courteous!! Looking Forward To Future Visits To Moulin!! ThankU

Melody C.

Located on the second floor going towards the garden bridge. People can be friendly while some aren't. They have a variety of sandwiches and pastries. Heads up, the later you go, the less there is to choose from. Their croissant is buttery and delicious. They can be pricey for the size of the items... They don't have much as the other location in Newport but still have a good variety.

Tony T.

Overall, when you think of French food and good service, this is my top recommendation in SoCal. I've been here so many times I could write an essay on all the delicious food. I highly recommend checking out the exotic car meet at the end of the month. A fair warning: parking has gotten difficult on weekends, so please be advised. Also, watch out for cyclists riding through the parking lot.... This is the best-priced and most authentic French spot you'll find in Southern California. I've been coming here for years, even before I became serious about Yelp and food reviews. The ambiance feels just like Paris, with small tabletops and rattan chairs imported from France. The owner decorates the walls with genuine vintage French decor, which makes the place truly unique. The pastry chefs are incredibly talented, and the staff--both French and American--have a strong work ethic. The owner is humble and kind, and I almost always see him hard at work there. Respect! In my opinion, this place is an OC institution. I hope they get their Michelin recognition soon!

Archie S.

I personally love Cafe Moulin. There are many locations scattered around Orange County now but I've been a fan of it even when they were practically unknown. This I believe is one of the newer one at the bridge that connects the two sections of the South Coast Plaza. I come here for mostly one thing only. The Tropezienne. It's my favorite dessert here. It's custard filled and has an orange zesty flavor to it. Simple yet decadent and rich. They do have really good pastries too like their croissants or if you like their cakes and sweets they always have some new and fancy item to try out. Their chicken panini was not the best but was just ok. I usually always get hot cappuccino or cafe au lait but on a hot day I had craved an iced cafe au lait. The warm version is a lot better as it doesn't get diluted with the ice. The location is consistent on their desserts and drinks. Realistically a 3.5 stars but the Tropezienne is the only reason along with their delicious espresso and changing pastries.

Alice D.

Double check your take out order before leaving. I noticed too late that I had less than what I ordered and paid for. The 2 clerks were more concerned about badmouthing the previous client in French and did not even notice me. The clerk who helped was more into her conversation than counting what she was packing. Not worth the $2.50 to drive 25 miles to go get it. But worth avoiding this location.

Amy B.

My longtime salad dreams just finally came true after I ate the best (healthy) lunch-worthy salad of my life this afternoon at the South Coast Plaza Moulin. For a frame of reference, I'm currently on a highly restrictive (and superfoods-focused) diet to fix my high cholesterol naturally and the stakes are high as I don't want to get started on meds. So, I've long wanted to try the salads at Moulin and today was the perfect time. Being a seafood lover, I went for the La Salade Niçoise, as I knew it has tuna, anchovies, and a hard-boiled egg sliced in half, among other very nutritious things (more on this later). I also wanted a decaf drink and upon asking the staff if they offer any decaf drinks, the lady kindly replied that they can make any drink decaf so I may choose any one that I'd like. After a bit of thought, I recalled that (dark) chocolate is good for health so I asked for an unsweetened hot chocolate and they even had the almond milk substitution I wanted (along with whole milk, low fat milk, and oat milk). The lady said they don't add any sweeteners to their hot chocolate so that was nice. When my drink was ready, it came with a complimentary Moulin-branded square of dark chocolate, which I loved because I really craved a healthy dark chocolate. I took my La Salade Niçoise and hot chocolate and happily sat at a table under one of their gorgeous red umbrellas on one of their colorful, comfortable, handcrafted French gatti chairs. It was a nice sunny day as usual. Eating the salad was a memorable adventure of continuous happiness, and as one cannot readily see the tuna or anchovies without opening the lid and digging deep into the midst of the many salad toppings, it was full of great surprises as well. The first things I ate in the salad were the hardboiled egg halves, the sliced (and super clean) mini potatoes, some of the beautiful sliced radish, some of the wonderful sliced red onions, the crisp and clean cucumbers, the fragrant de-pitted black olives, and the fun, crunchy green string beans. The salad dressing that comes with this particular salad was also extremely well-conceived because I don't usually eat radish or raw onions. Then, I came upon an unexpectedly generous amount of the best prepackaged tuna I'd ever imagined eating in super juicy and tender pieces and an aroma of true marine quality. The three full anchovy fish also included were smooth, delightful, definitely a health food (with a great taste). The butter lettuce inside were all as clean as they could possibly be and some of the pieces were utterly enormous (like almost as big as my head). I never thought I'd enjoy eating a salad so much... and it was really filling too! After eating, since I'm on a restrictive diet, I went back inside and asked another staff lady what oil is used in the La Salade Niçoise dressing and she kindly replied that it's sunflower oil. Did you know that sunflower oil doesn't contain any cholesterol? I was so happy to discover this and am quite elated that I may continue to enjoy the impressively engineered salads at Moulin without worrying about adverse effects on my cholesterol or health. I'm in my late 30s and am finally starting to feel that there is no better food than food that is highly nutritious, incredibly tasty, and accompanied by a sort of psychological purpose. I love Moulin not only for their artisan baked goods (which I'm putting on hold for the next few months as I do the 180 pivot with my health metrics) and impressive dedication and offerings, but also for all of the extremely healthy foods I can still eat that they offer there, even when on the diet of my life. It would be heartbreaking to not get to visit Moulin and so I'm grateful for their commitment to including superfoods and top-quality nutrition as well.