They who love unicorn maximalist breakfast spots, for you this place was made…read more A rec by a friend's ex, Sugar and Scribe did not disappoint for breakfast number one of a girlfriend get-away in La Jolla. After being sat on the patio and before ordering, we checked out all the merch inside, an explosion of color and sparkle. The indoor seating is a room of inviting, plush, forest green chairs and the walls dripping in white and blush pink flowers. The quote "Cooking is my soul's desire, eating is my heart's calling" catches your eye on the north wall. One of my friend's and I decided to order 2 entrees and split them - the Spicy Shakshuka Sunrise Skillet (2 eggs poached with fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, fresno pepper, cilantro, yellow onion, feta, harissa, cumin, chili flakes, and sourdough bread) and the Windansea Breakfast Bagel (with scrambled egg whites, Irish cheddar, sauteed garlic spinach, and avocado on a Big City everything bagel). That was a smart call because both were amazing and re-orderable. The shakshuka was flavorful but not intolerable spicy hot. The bagel made the sammich. All was washed down with a Cafe Viennese (coffee with honey, cinnamon, and vanilla, a great sub for my usual Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbies). The service was great and engaging and not a hustle for us to churn and burn our meal. Would love to return and indulge in some of the retail in addition to some pancake or waffles. I only had 1 bite of the single fluffy pancake that my other girlfriend ordered...quite the tease.

This bakery provided great service in making my colleague's special order 60th birthday cake…read more Adorably shaped like a mini keg on the outside, the cake was so much fun to behold and made an excellent centerpiece for the dessert table. While the snickerdoodle interior had good flavor, however, it was a bit dry. If only the cake tasted as fantastic as it looked!

When people talk about the magic of La Jolla Village, this is exactly what they mean. Nestled among…read morethe walkable, sun-drenched streets lined with palm trees and ocean breezes, this boutique café captures that rare blend of upscale SoCal charm and effortless European sophistication. It's an absolute staple of what makes exploring the Village so special. Walking through the front entrance, you're greeted by a curated retail space that feels like Crate & Barrel met a boutique shop in the heart of Paris. It's packed with unique home goods, chic trinkets, and aesthetic lifestyle items. Be sure to wander all the way to the back shelves--there are so many hidden gems worth taking home! The staff upfront and on the floor were incredibly warm, welcoming, and happy to chat while you browse. As you head toward the back, the space opens up into a dream of a café. One of the cutest touches is being able to actually watch the bakers rolling out fresh dough and crafting pastries right before your eyes. The smell of rich espresso and buttery pastry crust filling the air is irresistible. I grabbed a coffee and a fresh pastry, waited a short bit for a table on the patio, and pulled out my journal. Listening to the ambient music and ocean breeze in the courtyard while writing was pure heaven. Whether you're stopping in to shop for home decor, grab a top-tier espresso, or just soak in the slow, luxurious rhythm of La Jolla, this place is perfection.

Why??? Why did I not know about this patisserie? It is like walking down the street in Paris from…read moreour Airbnb and grabbing a bite to eat. This is an amazing bakery, the desserts were out of this world, and the savory tarts were even better. I am not going to even tell you which ones we bought, because honestly you need to just walk in here, look at which one fills your eyes with joy and buy that one. They are all delicious. Beautiful to for all your senses. Now I will have to find the quickest route of Ramona to La Jolla, just to enjoy these delicacies more often.

Il Giardino di Lilli is such a cute bakery/coffee shop in the La Jolla area…read more My party ordered an assortment of croissants and beverages. Croissants were buttery and flaky; the jam maybe only filled 2/3 of it though. They have two water dispensers off to the side. Their water is flavored and is actually really good. I think it's more unique than their drinks lol. Very aesthetic outdoor seating. Limited indoor seating. We came on a weekday for brunch and it was pretty busy. Street parking not bad for a weekday.

What a cute little cafe. I went on a Wednesday morning…read morearound 8 am and there were only a few people in line. Parking: a tiny bit rough since it was close to school drop off and the cafe is close to an elementary school but there are a lot of street spots and parking wasn't an issue when I left around 9 am. Food: I got the lavender agave latte. If you like your coffee strong, don't get this drink. It was good but tasted like hot sweet milk, I couldn't taste the coffee at all. Pistachio croissant: this thing is giant. And heavy. It will fill you up. The filling was thick and definitely needed a drink to help move it along. It was okay, nothing to write home about. Service: everyone was super kind and I got my drink quickly. Super sweet employees. The ambience was so nice. I loved spending some time reading my book there before work. I would not come back here again because I didn't love the coffee nor the pistachio croissant but thats okay. I'm still glad I got to give it a try.

The cinnamon pull apart bread was so delicious but they start serving it at 11 am and run out…read morequick! Then the strawberry pistachio croissant was so fluffy and soft like the cinnamon loaf bread and the kouign amann is apparently one of their most popular breads. The blueberry almond financier was rly moist inside, rly good and outside was crisp. The cinnamon bun was actually soft and flaky biting into it. Possibly my favorite one. However for the chocolate croissant, I tasted most of the croissant, not much chocolate. Gotta go there early in order to get the breads you want (for the cinnamon pull apart loaf bread it serves at 11 am) but this is one of my favorite bakeries ever!

I had been wanting to try this place for a while because all of all the recent hype! We ordered…read moreonline the day beforehand for pickup in store - definitely would recommend doing that so you can try the pastries you want before they get sold out and so you don't have to wait in line! From photos, the bakery looks cute! We tried the peach and vanilla tile, kouign amann, strawberry pistachio croissant, and the ham and cheese croissant. The kouign amann had an interesting burnt caramelized crunch on top. The croissant didn't have a very strong pistachio or strawberry flavor, but the texture was decent. My favorite pastry was the peach and vanilla tile, as the peaches were sweet and refreshing and complemented the vanilla well.

My husband and I LOVE the cookies from Magnolia! They are typically at the La Jolla Open Aire…read moreFarmer's Market on Sundays and so we often splurge and get half a dozen cookies to eat throughout the week. They offer a variety of unique cookie flavors along with granola. You really can't go wrong with any of the options (pretty much had them all), but our favorites are the salted brown butter chocolate chip, espresso toffee chocolate & sea salt, peanut butter brown butter butterfinger, and the s'mores. They can package up your cookies in a nice box as well or they are wrapped individually. It's hard not to eat all of the cookies in one sitting, but they do last throughout the week if you have some self control! They do offer samples and even have a frequent buyer card. Buy 12 and get one free! I've gone through probably more cards than I should, but these cookies are just that amazing! Pricing is reasonable for the quality of cookie you get. The owner, Max, and the rest of the folks that work there are super friendly and you can tell that they have a passion for baking these delicious goods. I definitely recommend checking out Magnolia!

I am not the type of person to just buy cookies because I've been perfecting a recipe. Max makes…read moresuch amazing cookies- my favorite is the earl gray, fig jam, and almond cookie. It honestly could not be replicated so I won't even attempt to do so. Max is also such a pleasant owner. He's super nice!! Give him a follow!!

Service-5 out of 5 Food- 5 out of 5 Homemade and Fresh…read moretotally recommendable Ambiance-4.5 out of 5 Feels really homie and really recommendable Owner is really kind to all customers and the desserts like the homade cookies are really good.My daughter loves going on Sundays and on Tuesdays.She loves eating healthy and if healthy is a precaution go to Girard's for healthy options.Go to is always daily soup and baguette to combine is amazing.Thank You Girard's for everything!@!!

Love this place ! But I always love me some baked goods! It's like a deli and bakery right in the…read moreheart of La Jolla village. Lots of goodies , mouthwatering selection of baked goods and reasonable prices. We ordered some shepherds pies, fruit tart and beautiful cookies to take back to our hotel to eat. Tasty! Definitely coming back :)

The Aileen gateau is The best cake ever I've had. I wish I could order a cake every month…read more My mouth waters, at the even the thought.

One of life's joys is to celebrate another birthday with cake, yes CAKE! I like cake, not all cakes…read moreare alike. Specifically, a white or yellow fluffy bread with light not sugary sweet icing and a light vanilla custard filling with multiple berries...this cake has many names and I found some of the best at Tutto Bene Beverly Hills, Sweet Lady Jane Beverly Hills and sometimes at WholeFoods all named differently. When I saw some posted pics of this cake from this shop, I was so excited to try it. This is a very small shop with only one table inside and a few more in the outdoor patio. For reference, this cake shop is across from Pavilions in La Jolla, where I parked and grocery shopped before crossing the street to this cake shop. Upon entry I saw their version: Gateau Aileen. 'Gateau' is french for cake and Aileen is someone's name. I ordered a slice togo. The female staff behind the counter was helpful and friendly. The display case also had macarons and lots of other enticing desserts, and a small shelf of wines and sparkling wines. With excitement and anticipation, I headed home immediately and plated my slice on my fancy porcelain dish. After the first bite, I was shocked with disappointment to realized this is NOT the one, Not even close to other versions I've had. Apparently, this cake looked better than it tasted, and it tasted horribly bad, possibly the cake passed its expiration date, because ups on closer inspections, the strawberries on top looked over ripen. Good thing I didn't order a whole cake, but I hate spending any $$ on anything I can't enjoy. Perhaps is was just an off day at this bakery. Sadly, whoever Aileen is should not be associated with this awful tasting thing they call Gateau Aileen is cake NOT worthy of your Royal tastebuds. Sorry, NOT Sorry, Cannot Recommend

LOVE this place so much. My boyfriend and I are now regulars. Great food (excellent…read morevegetarian/vegan options), coffees (he gets a London Fog and loves it), homemade salsa and organic pesto sauce are amazing, nomnom potatoes, avocado salad, all good stuff. Most of all I love the chill atmosphere, comfy courtyard/patio, cozy indoor nooks with bookshelves - I sometimes bring my laptop to work there on the WiFi and enjoy the shady plants and vibe. They are very dog friendly and we adore the nonstop parade of doggies!

This is a quaint spot for breakfast-brunch. 2nd time here and it did not disappoint. The coffee was…read morevery good and flavorful. I don't usually order a breakfast burrito as they are often bland and require gobs of salsa for flavor. Not here! From the first bite to the last, no added sauces needed, however, their house-made salsa is incredible. You could put this salsa on a piece of cardboard and it would be amazing. We are not from SD but visit often and this will be a regular stop for us now. Thank you!

We were excited to use this bakery for our wedding after tasting their sample flavors--they were…read moredelicious, and we left feeling confident in our choice. Unfortunately, the actual wedding cake was a major disappointment. We ordered a classic/simple two-tier cake, but when it was picked up, it arrived disassembled with plastic separating the tiers which clearly showed when it was assembled, making it appear cheap. It didn't feel like the polished presentation we expected for a wedding cake. The venue staff had to place the top tier themselves, and because it wasn't properly secured, it nearly fell off during our cake cutting in front of our guests. We were under the impression that wedding cakes were a standard part of their business, but based on our experience, I wouldn't recommend them for weddings or other special occasions when a polished product is expected. I truly wish our experience had matched how great the tasting was. I haven't gone to this bakery for anything else so based on my experience with this cake I'm giving it 3 stars.

I ordered desserts from this bakery for a special occasion and was disappointed, especially given…read morethe cost of the order. When I placed the order, the employee asked if I would like to leave a gratuity. I told her I preferred to wait until I received the order, but she said they only accept tips in advance. I found that surprising, but I went ahead and left the tip anyway, expecting excellent service and attention to detail. The large strawberry cake was disappointing. It contained whole (not sliced) strawberries, (one had the green stem still attached) baked into the cake. Not only was this unexpected, but it also made the cake difficult to slice and serve. And truthfully, it wasn't very enjoyable biting into large whole strawberries. The cake itself was good (but not great), but for something costing close to $100, I expected much better. We also specifically ordered three vegan, gluten-free mini cakes. When my daughter picked up the order, she was told they had forgotten to make them. Instead, they offered gluten-free substitutes and, for the vegan option, a muffin because that was all they had available. She was left with no real choice but to accept the substitutions. Okay, what can we do, but why they didn't make them or call in advance to let us know? The biggest letdown was the response when I called. Rather than acknowledging the mistakes or trying to make things right, I was told that this is simply how they make the strawberry cake and that the substituted desserts were an acceptable replacement. After some back and forth, they offered to refund my tip, but I declined because I didn't feel that was the right thing to do. I also asked whether I could at least receive the missing gluten-free mini cake we had ordered, but was told they couldn't provide one because they didn't know whether the baker was available to make it. Mistakes happen, but when customers spend over $120 on a special-occasion order, you expect better quality and service. Based on my experience, I was disappointed with both the execution of the order and the way my concerns were handled, and I would hesitate to use this bakery again.