Ad Astra Bread Co.

The selection of baked goods may change, but the quality at Ad Astra is excellent, and they make the best coffee in town. I’m sensitive to gluten in the U.S., yet I can enjoy their baked goods and bread without any issues — the quality really shows. Their sourdough is excellent, and I always come back for their staple favorites, especially the chocolate croissants. FYI: Spicy fromage is a great catch to pair with the bread.

The Best bread in the area (in my opinion) made on-site (you can see how they make it). excellent pastries (croissants!). I have not tried their coffee yet, but I plan to. Very nice atmosphere too.

Clean, modern, yes, but the proof is in the bread! Excellent bread, pastries and coffee. It is not cheap, but younger a higher quality product. We had a baguette first and came back a different day for a whole (olive) loaf as it was so good. I added an flat white which was also very good. Funky atmosphere with a space theme. Service was friendly and efficient. You can see through a large window the bakers doing their magic. I didn't see any place to sit down, so assume this is a take out only.

Stored in just after opening in a Sunday to try this bakery. Firstly, the service and ambience are super cool. If you sit there, you get a direct view into the bakery itself. Secondly, the service and coffee are excellent. Finally, the pastries are overall very good. We haven’t tried the bread yet, and I bake bread myself, so I’m not sure we will. We got a couple pastries. My husband enjoyed both of his very much. They do laminated pastry very well. I had the pain suisse, which is high quality but really rich (lots of salty ham and salty cheese) so it overwhelmed me a bit and I couldn’t finish it.

I visited this place twice and absolutely loved it both times! The first time, I had a decaf cappuccino and a chocolate croissant — everything was delicious. The service was super friendly and welcoming, and the place itself has a great vibe. I really liked the open kitchen — such a cool touch! The second time, I tried the strawberry tart and it was unbelievably good. I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in town. The bread and sandwiches looked amazing too. There was a bit of a line, but it moved quickly, and there are plenty of seats inside.

I love Ad Astra, this is a great addition to Monterey. Although they're known for their pastries (amazing BTW) but on my recent visit, a friend recommended me to get a hot matcha latte with macadamia milk When I say they perfected the balance on a matcha latte, I mean it. It was amazing. I'm not a matcha latte person, but this surprised me and I liked it. If you are a matcha lover, try Ad Astras matcha, it's delicious!

Some of the best fresh bread I’ve had in a while ! My friend swears by their loafs, so we went by and got a fresh loaf- the seeded sourdough. And it was truly amazing. The place was super cute and small. They have a few fresh pastry’s you can purchase, as welll as, coffee and tea products. I really liked the glass/viewing of them baking. I thought that was pretty cool to watch the process of them making the dough and moving things around. Overall great little place !

Creative pastries with unique flavors, good coffee, yes there’s usually a line but it’s worth it. My highlight was the chocolate dessert with miso caramel, creamy texture and perfect balance between sweet and the saltiness of the miso.

Amazing bakery with a great rotating selection - there is also some counter/outside seating! The baklava croissant was a definite highlight - the walnut crunch was delicious and the crispy texture was like a palmier. The butter chicken pie had amazing flavor and very well packed - only wish they were able to reheat and serve warm. Flatbread was nice and airy but crisp! Cardamom bun was nice - crispy on the outside, it could use more of the cardamom flavor in its fluffy interior.

While in Monterey, we tried this bread at several restaurants we frequented. So on the day I was leaving, I went to the bakery, early! I got two loaves of bread to bring home with me. Absolutely did not disappoint. I sliced the bread and froze it, which means we can enjoy this bread for weeks to come. When you're in Monterey make sure you hit them up!

Great bakery and coffee shop. They curate great coffee but the breads, buns, and bakery items are the show stoppers here. They always have a great selection of sweets in their case. Their variety of cruffins and cardamom buns are my usual favorites. This last visit they had a breakfast sandwich and the chimichurri in it was so damn good. Always friendly and the line moves fast. Parking is street parking. Seating inside and outside is limited but go for a walk and take your pastries to a local park or the wharf or your car if there isn't any. There's another popular spot down the street but skip that line and come down to this place! (Way better imo)

Good place for sourdough and baked goods, they are in the downtown area of Monterey and have a neat, minimal interior with a viewing windows to watch the bakers at work in the kitchen. Turnaround for our food was fast and we came specifically because we saw they had a breakfast sandwich and coffee. We ended up leaving with way more; a loaf of sourdough and a branded bag. Breakfast Sandwich: sausage, fluffy egg, arugula, and a delicious pesto spread. I got this for myself but ended up probably eating 1/4 because everybody else wanted a bite. S'mores Cruffin: croissant formed like a muffin with Nutella in the middle and toasted marshmallow on top, way too good. Pepper Sourdough: looked unique so we bought a loaf for later, it was very peppery and tasted better with plain toppings. Sourdough quality was great though and next time we would go for the more basic country loaf.

Snagged one of the last chocolate chip cookies left and also had a cappuccino too. So delicious and definitely want to go back and try more goodies!!

Listen. This bread is hands down the best on the MP Cinnamon Rolls not good save your money Other items are good Your not alone if you come for the bread and go to Alta for more bakery items

The Chocolate Chip Cookie at Ad Astra is one of the best. I have tried many and this one was baked just the way I like it with a crisp edge and sort of soft yet chewy center. It was a little heavy on the salt, but otherwise, it was a perfect cookie. I went back for a second one! I also had the Chicken Caesar Sandwich, which was good because of the amazing bread. It was soft and chewy on the inside (weird that I described the cookie the same way) and the taste from the seeds was delicious. I will be back to try more!

Ad Astra is a cute boulangerie/pâtisserie in downtown Monterey. We arrived early where there was no line for breakfast; by the time we ordered, the line was out the door! I opted for a cardamom bun and strawberry-vanilla cream puff with a miso-caramel latte. I tasted the sweet caramel from the latte, but not so much the miso: otherwise, it was just a solid latte. The cream puff was very simple, but I loved how fluffy and sweet the cream was. The cardamom bun, while not in the traditional Scandinavian form, was yummy and very earthy from the cardamom. The cinnamon sugary top was a nice touch, if a bit messy to eat. Overall, solid place for breakfast and brunch. Ad Astra is worth a go!

This was our last stop before we left to go back home to LA. We were looking for a place that had coffee and light pastries since we did not feel like eating a heavy breakfast. I ordered a vanilla oat milk latte. It was delicious. We also ordered a few assortment of pastries. Everything was delicious. My favorites were the raisin croissant and the cardamom bun. They also had seasonal drinks, which we did not get a chance to try. It was very busy on a Sunday morning.

Located in downtown Monterey with the most DELICIOUS BREAD EVER!!!! All different types of to offer depending on what you're looking for! You WILL NOT be disappointed and if you gonna eat bread you might as well EAT THE BEST Pretty much this is a Grab & Go as extremely limited seating ~ paid street parking if you can find it~ we dropped off a person circled the block to pick up.

We are probably getting there too late typically to get our pick of selection but always go away with something delicious. Never a long line though when we go and staff are always really patient in explaining our options. Standouts I've tried include their tebirkes (recommend by staff - that skirt!) and chocolate cookie. I haven't tried the sourdough but that's on the list for sure!

Stopped in just before 8 on a Wednesday morning. The place wasn't super busy and had a great selection of pastries. Grabbed a black coffee (not my fav, but I'm new to plain black coffee so it's probably me) and 2 pastries because they both looked so delicious I couldn't choose. That was the right way to go! Had the chocolate croissant with my coffee, it was so fresh, lightly crispy, and perfect amount of chocolate inside. Had the poptart as a mid afternoon snack and it was flakey and flavorful. Both were delicious and I'd highly recommend stopping in! Inside has limited seating, but it's a bright clean place.

The staff has been wonderful: kind, considerate, polite, professional with positive sweet energy. Their products are fabulous. I can cook, but olive loaf bread and the seeded rye were amazing.Kudos to them for such an outstanding project. The sandwich samples look awesome, but have not yet tried them. Thank you so much!!!

So much to choose from! Everything is freshly made in house, you can see them through the window -- and they have a wide range of housemade pastries, coffee syrups, and sauces for their drinks such as miso caramel and chocolate sauce and much more to choose from! We can't wait to try their pastries but we had their miso caramel mocha drink and it was delightful.

Managed to catch them at their farmer's market stand in Carmel Valley on Sunday. Their seeded sourdough bread is excellent, good flavor and holds up extremely well to freezing and re-toasting. The pricing is similar to the prices of high end sourdough bakers in SF (e.g., Josey Bakery, Rize Up). Stick to their breads though, the snickerdoodle cookie we got was so hard and crunchy, it was basically inedible. We ended up throwing it away after a bite.

A cozy bakery in downtown Monterey. Service was quick and friendly. The Kouign Amann and Cardamom Bun. Both were incredible. The Kouign Amann was a perfect balance of crisp flakiness, butteriness, sweetness, and moist on the inside without being doughy. Perfect caramelization on the outside. The Cardamom Bun had a bold flavor of cardamom, of course. The sweetness comes from the abundance of sugar on the outside. The dough was a good balance of flavor, butteriness, and light sweetness. It was flaky on the outside while being soft, chewy, and airy on the inside. A nice bonus was that they were still good the next morning as well.

Yikes I've never had to throw away a $7 latte before until today. The vibes when I walked into this place were chill but fast paced. It was interesting to watch the bakery folks until they seemed to not like it. Why have a huge glass window if you don't like being looked at? The price of a vanilla latte with oat milk (that's what's offered) is $6.50 and a an automatic 15% fee is added for cost of living for their employees. And then they again ask for a tip. Got the latte pretty quickly, it looked pretty then I tasted it. Yuck. It tasted burnt and had zero hint of vanilla syrup. I tried my hardest to drink it but I couldn't. My wife who is also a coffee lover tried it and had to spit it out. I would go back in but I felt like it would be very awkward asking them to remake it after already a not welcoming experience. I won't be returning. Their crew doesn't deserve a 15% cola if they treat their customers like poop.

I come here regularly and happy to say, haven't had any unpleasant experience until recently. Last weekend, my girl friends visited me and I took them here before heading back home. One of my friends nicely asked if they could sliced up her sourdough bread and the young lady's reply was the bread is still soft. Like, what?? What does that even mean? Will they only extend that service if the sourdough they're selling is too hard to eat?? That was a big disappointment considering they've been looking forward to this visit, they bought a bunch of stuff (and hello, they still don't have a bigger box!) and it was such a simple request! Doesn't this place has some kind of added $ built in to the check? I've read it a while back but haven't really checked my receipts and I always add tip anyway so I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, I hope this review somehow leads to improvement in customer service.

Their bread is SO good. I wanted to get their sourdough but for some reason they only had it in loaf form, which was still good. I'll definitely visit again to buy a loaf of their sourdough bread, which I've heard so many good things about. They also have a bunch of fancy looking pastries, will definitely come by to try those next time for breakfast! We had a latte as well from here and it was a nice standard latte. They do also offer alternative milks for an additional charge.

SO GOOD. So good that we came 3 times within 24 hours. Visiting from San Francisco, we're no strangers to excellent baked goods and Ad Astra is right up there with the best of them. You can't go wrong with their pastries and their espresso drinks are great too. Some highlights: smoked salmon sando, pain au chocolat, cinny bun (light and airy but not too sweet...incredible!) and the grandma's pie. They add different items throughout the day so it's worth stopping in a couple times to see what's fresh out of the oven. We'll definitely visit again next time we're in the area and will hopefully take home a loaf of their bread and Basque cheesecake! People who work there are great too.

WOW! I just had one of the best pastries I have ever had in my entire life. I wish I took a picture of this beautiful delicacy, but as soon as I took my first bite, I couldn't stop eating. This was my first experience at Ad Astra and it most certainly won't be the last. I happened to walk by on the way the shop on my morning smoothie quest and decided to give it a try and that was probably one of the best decisions of my life. The shop is bright and welcoming. There is even a large window to the back of the shop where you can see the bread and pastries being made on site from scratch. The employees were friendly and knowledgeable, which I really appreciated because I definitely had questions. I went with their recommendation and wasn't disappointed.

Incredible pastry selection! We waked here from our hotel for coffee and a treat. I only heard the patient staff explain what a Kouign-amann is 7 times in our 10 minute visit, all I can say is it was delicious! Husband said the croissant was excellent. Focaccia looked a little dark so we got the weekly loaf with rosemary we're excited to try. Oat milk latte was fine.

Had a recommendation to try a new item so I was happy to give them another try. Whoever runs their online presence had said the items on the menu are "made to order" which is only kind of true. They are premade but substitutions are not accepted... even for allergies and preferences. It's basically a big "too bad!" to your face. This place just keeps getting it wrong.

Absolutely love this bakery! They have some of the best bread that we have ever had. Particularly, we very much enjoy the olive loaf. They incorporate a green olive that does not have too strong of an olive taste, but is definitely noticeable. That and a very nice toothy crust make for a piece of bread to toast And have with cheese meat, or some clams. Really recommended. They also do a nice job with pastry and coffees. At a counter, and they have a nice outdoor seating area if you wish to enjoy your coffee and baked goods on site. They also sell a few things Like cheeses and prepared meats in case you want to pack for picnic.

I stopped in here for a couple pastries because I was going to check out Alita while traveling, but the line was out the door. I feel like an idiot for leaving this place without a loaf of bread as I do not live anywhere near here. The blood orange cruffin was one of the best and most memorable pastries (in the running for #1 in fact) I've ever had and I'm a pastry FIEND. The cruffin is was out of control, I had to pause my podcast because I was so engrossed in the flavors I couldn't follow the story. I even savored the garnish. I still have a sticky bun for later, was going to save it for breakfast but I don't think I will be able to resist eating half tonight.

Delicious pastries and bread, great service, and a top notch muffuletta. Well worth the wait and price, there's only two things that detract: 1. Terrrrrrrrrrrrrible coffee. Holy shit. It was awful. 2. Douchey chef clientele - the kind that have to loudly name drop while mentioning the latest "it" ingredients. So grab a cuppa elsewhere and take it to go, or bring your headphones. Beyond that, excellent all around.

Ridiculously flaky, layered, buttery, deliciousness. If you're a pastry, bread, sweet carb fans, this place is as good as it gets...best baked goods of anywhere in Monterey...and most anywhere else I've been from San Jose to SLO!

Interesting choices. Nice presentation. Cute store. Some seating inside and out. Just a little too adventurous for us. I tried the cream corn puff $6 which was good. I would get it again. Husband got 3 plain croissants. $6 each is a little pricey especially since they are on the small size. There is also an automatic 15% service fee. That would make me not go again. Maybe change the service fee if you are staying and dining there but not for to go orders.

Didn't go to the brick and mortar restaurant however did have the bread every morning at our ranch - incredible. I looked forward to the seeded toast every morning. Top notch. Amazing

Amazing! Best croissants that I have ever had. I tried the baklava and the ham & cheese. Both were delicious and blew me away!

what a perfect addition to dt monterey. it's a great place to grab a coffee and catch up with a friend, or grab a quick treat on the go. TONS of baked good options to choose from; to please every taste bud! the coffee is delicious as well. they have a miso caramel syrup that i bet is delicious. they can do no wrong! tried the kimchi scone and it did NOT disappoint. parking is always a gamble downtown, but there's always a spot if you have to circle around. it's so cute and clean inside as well. a must try in the 831!

Very friendly service. Smells amazing and good options. Got an olive loaf and a blueberry scone. The scone was SO good. Perfect sweetness with a good mix of crunch and fluff. Load was nice and soft too- everything was fresh baked and line moved fast. Pro tip: get a day old loaf on TGTG for a bangin deal

Time to "cut to the chase" and write about Ad Astra. Usually get a loaf of seeded sourdough. I've noticed over the last few weeks the bread is close to being burned black , not quite and taste isn't burned but it seems odd as it is not especially appealing. When you're at the Alvarado St bakery you can request get sliced -- one caveat-- should be after 11am. If it's earlier they balk at slicing because the bread hasn't cooled sufficiently to allow the machine to cut it cleanly. Think about trying to cut a very soft cheese vs taking it out of the fridge while firm. The bread is tasty, not strongly flavored sourdough ( I do like a little more taste ) good texture, some pockets from the bake. This is great toasted. The seeds add a lot to the experience. If you don't get sliced then get used to your bread knife-- and lots of seeds on your cutting board. I can't ever get them sliced as clean or as consistently. So what, right? Comments about the store-- it's not a great user experience. The "flow" seems off to me. On a busy Saturday people are waiting outside forming a line to get in. Once through the doors you run into a table with products for sale. You have to figure out whether to go right or or left to place your order. Left puts you in front of the pastries display, the bread on shelves behind. To the right is the cashier and still to the right is the Coffee station. So if you only want a coffee you wait for anyone in front of you doing bread stuff. I think it's confusing and both lines get full. The bakers are all visible through glass windows. Kind of adds to the allure I guess. The staff is generally helpful. Not overly friendly but not nasty by any means. I think they're just trying to be efficient but it can come across a bit cold. I had a Jambon ( ham) and cheese sandwich last week. It was $11 not counting the 15% rip off that's added to the bill -- I feel those add-on fees are the responsibility of the owner. Pay your people a fair wage and be done. I don't know how it's working especially if customers then don't tip on the final bill. The sandwich was excellent. Thin shaved ham, a thin spread of some horseradish mayo with some pleasant herbs, lettuce on a superb French roll very fresh, of course. I gave this a "4" for food quality. It's not a restaurant so other than poor purchasing difficulties giving them a 3 didn't seem fair. You can also but their bread at Elroy's but they charge $12.50 a loaf for convenience.

Really good desserts, like really good. I was so tempted to buy the bread from the look and smell it had but UNFORTUNATELY I resisted the temptation for it. I'll get some next time I go to mty. The lemon tart was rich and very tarty. We sat outside so we were able to people watch and enjoy the vibes, I like how if we sat inside we would be able to see the kitchen from the windows. Service was great and reasonable with my hesitancy with making decisions and bread philosophy.

Uniqueness: Excellent Loaves here! Wait Time: [x][x][x][x][x] Food Quality: [x][x][x][x][x] Service: [x][x][x][x][x] Setting: [x][x][x][x][x] Cost: [x][x][x][x][ ] Recommendation? Get any of their loaves here and you won't be disappointed! It was a brief visit for me here at Ad Astra Bread Co. Plenty of loaves on the shelves to choose from, for which I got the olive loaf and it was perfect with some cheese (or jam) after toasting a slice at home. The choice of pastries were pretty limited and I got a Kouign Amann that was excellently made. They also have an arrangement of jams and merchandise as well. I'll definitely be curious to come back again to see what else they have in store as for a place that serves loaves, I'll definitely be back to buy another loaf if I can.

My love for Ad Astra has been steadily growing for a few months now since I had their garlic rosemary loaf and strawberry matcha cake. Both unreal! I bake my own sourdough at home but have to come in for loaves every once in a while because theirs is incomparable. (And sometimes I'm impatient). Today Ad Astra stole a permanent place in my heart. I went in to get a classic sourdough loaf and saw that they had what looked like bagel dogs. (Croissant dogs?). My kids absolutely love hot dogs so I thought it would be a great treat for them. However, I learned that the hot dogs have kimchi in them. My husband, son and I love kimchi but we stopped eating it once my 3 year old daughter developed a shellfish allergy. (Often times Kimchi has shrimp paste in it). I passed on the hot dogs and explained the allergy to the gentleman behind the counter. While I was waiting to pay another gentleman popped out and said he wanted to let me know the Wild Goat kimchi they use is vegan. He said he also looked it up right now to double check and there's no shrimp paste in it. How did he hear my conversation? "I hear everything." He said. They also sell the wild goat kimchi in the store. Yay! As an allergy parent I can't tell you how much it means to me that someone would go above and beyond to make sure something is safe for my child. I was willing to just pass on it but the fact that he took the time to look it up was amazing. We ended up buying the kimchi dog and it was incredible just like all of their other items. Thank you for caring so much about your customers. I will be back often.

There is this apple pie croissant with a vanilla cream on top. So good, have gone back a couple times just for that specifically. The inside super cute and cozy with some merchandise as well. Their sourdough is also delicious as well! Just parking is a struggle sometimes.

I get the seeded sour dough loaf fresh 2-3 times a week. It is amazing! I also occasionally pick up their ciabatta and flatbread. So fresh and great tasting. I've been a customer since they were located in Other Brother Beer and they have never disappointed me. Servers are friendly and move quickly. I'm always able to find free parking on the block or 1 block over.

Run from this place. Better yet run to it. Then run from it. Because every pastry we ate here was so good, if you don't run, you'll gain five pounds on the way back to your car. WTEF? Yes, they know how to make a cardamom bun, kouign aman, cinnamon roll, twice baked pistachio bun, and whatever else they decide to make. Flaky, crusty, pull-y, sweetened just right and baked like they mean business. I can't go back, but I must go back. So, I'll run until I get there again, then run after. Because I will eat once I walk in the door. Did I say run? Why? Because it is good for you and because they don't count calories when they bake...I mean, that's good, but bad?

Wow, just wow!!! You can smell this phenomenal bakery from down the street, the seeded sourdough is outstanding, a huge loaf (though a bit overpriced at 11$) they have loads of pastries and fresh bagels on the weekends. 100% worth a stop and they also sell wild goat organic products like their nut butters and various organic coffees. Great spot and service was excellent

3.5 STARS I don't know what sorcery Stokes Adobe did but the first time I tried Ad Astra Bread Co's seeded sourdough there, it was love at first bite. Crispy, crackly, caramelized seed-studded crust with the most satisfying chew and roasty-ness. Served with a side of soft, velvety salted butter: https://tinyurl.com/4892xdjm. I don't recall much tang for a sourdough tho. But, it could very well be the 5 cocktails I had that night but who's counting?! The next time I was in the area, I made a point to stop by Ad Astra Bread Co, a microbakery located inside Other Brother Beer Co. to grab some items before heading back home to the city. You can also find their goods at the local farmers market. M E N U Bread and pastries are all bagged up and placed on a wire shelf for self-serve (no pizza or sandwiches you see on yelp). There's labels on the shelves but you can't really see what you're buying. Watched the lady in front of me touch and pry open a dozen bags on two shelves to find the "best" loaf of bread. Covid times or not, it's cringe. An hour into opening, they were already sold out of most of their pastries but plenty of bread available. So, come at opening time for the best selection. M Y P I C K S * Seeded Sourdough ($10): https://tinyurl.com/mr3ajut6 Bought a tub of Kerrygold Butter and tore into this bad boy at the park...sans the 5 cocktails. Disappointing. =( Obvs, it's not going to be as bomb as the restaurant because they grilled it and worked their magic BUT freshly baked bread should be just as good. The seeded sourdough had a sturdy crust with a good chew, and the inside was soft and slightly airy. Biggest gripe: No tang. I kept taking extra bites hoping the tang would eventually hit but it didn't. So, I guess it wasn't the alkie. * Almond Pear Tart ($5): https://tinyurl.com/yws86pd4 The crustless "tart" had the texture of dry cornbread. Again, because it was bagged, I had no idea it would be crustless. Had I known, I wouldn't have purchased it. S E R V I C E Self-service and pay with the brewery counter. A M B I A N C E Industrial but cozy with indoor seating and parklet seating. Dog-friendly. P A R K I N G Easy street parking. Overall, I know there may be slim pickings in the area compared to the Bay Area but the two items I purchased were underwhelming and didn't match their item names (off day?). If you have "sourdough" in the name, it needs to have a tang. Amirite?

Everything about the Ad Astra story and experience is exceptional. I have watched with excitement and amazement since the arrival of this business on the Monterey Peninsula... from discovering their bread at area restaurants to purchasing their loafs at local Farmer's Markets and Other Brother Brewery to their beautiful new home on Alvarado Street. I make it a point to visit regularly, I love the energy and ingenuity of the place. The staff and crew are committed to their craft and the owner is a tremendous asset to our community with an incredible amount of energy that seems to never end. He even offers bread classes to small groups on occasion and he teaches them himself! The quality of the bread and the baked goods rival Europe and I can say that because I have enjoyed bread in Europe for many years. Ad Astra is the real deal... 3 ingredients of superb, organic quality: Flour, water, salt! There is a 4th ingredient and that's what makes it exceptional, you can taste it... LOVE!

I tried the turkey sandwich it was fresh and taste so good! I've also bought bread... sourdough plain and one with olives. The one with olives is my FAV!!! Will surely come back :)

Today is a special day! Hot cross buns! They are freshly made, delicious and filled with dried orange peel and other fruit. Very flavorful, soft and not too sweet...just the way I like it! Reminds me of an excellent pannetone bread which is really hard to find. They also have a specialty sandwich everyday as you can see. I also love their coconut milk green tea matcha latte! By far my favorite place for excellent and fresh food and matcha green tea latte. Service is friendly! They also have a point system so you can earn a free drink which I already claimed.

Got some sourdough for a dinner party, which was amazing. But the Pain Suisse was one of the best ham and cheese croissants I've ever had.

Great pastries and coffee. The first time we went there was no line and service was great. Coffee tastes great and doesn't taste burned like other mainstream establishments and with great flavor. Took home some loafs and pastries -- did not disappoint at all. Second day we came and there was a long line, but still worth it. Best time to come is before 8 it feels like, but either way I found my go to place for coffee when in the area. Highly recommended it!

Discovered this place because I had brunch earlier at a restaurant who used Ad Astra Sourdough. Made my way on over to check it out and was greeted with a really cool commercial bakery in downtown Monterey. Their selected of baked good is quite good. I ordered a loaf of their signature sourdough and a couple croissants. The sourdough is some of the best I've ever had. The outside is crusty while still maintaining a soft and airy inside. It's a great vessel for avocado toast. Also in the shop is a curated selection of other local goods including honey, tin fish, and ceramic cups.

I love their bread and pastries. The quality is off the chain! The service is top notch and I know I'll enjoy whatever I buy. The shop is always tidy and organized. It can be pretty pricey but worth it.

I visited Carmel over Thanksgiving and enjoyed pastry and sourdough from the shop. Bread is the star, outstanding, each bite crust to center like a Platonic ideal manifest. Then, I visited Ad Astra myself, bought seeded sourdough. Best twelve dollars spent! I made a turkey salad with mayo, celery and za'atar served open face on the fresh bread. The roasty seeds on the crust elevated each bite! Honestly one needs only this bread, it stands alone, whispering "I am enough." Wine cheese and butter? You know what to do with this constellation, but the bread solo is an independent star, true north.