Carlsbad French Pastry Cafe

We had our breakfast/brunch at this establishment. I ordered breakfast croissant with ham (added avocado), and my friend had breakfast crepe. We were both delighted how fresh and tasty each plate was. My croissant was crispy outside and moist inside…many layers of ham with cheese and avocado were prepared delicately. I would recommend this establishment and will definitely come back. I understand they are moving to a new location near Palomar Airport.

Carlsbad French Pastry Café is always a must-visit whenever we’re in the area. It’s honestly one of my favorite restaurants in all of California! I even brought my sister, who lived in Europe for three years, to get her opinion on the pastries. She said they were better than what she had overseas—I knew it! My husband and I have tried several items from their menu over the years, including the Danishes, bran muffins, ham and cheese quiche, spinach and cheese quiche, ham and cheese croissant, bacon, egg, and cheese croissant, and the French onion soup during our last visit in the past 3 months. Every single dish is consistently delicious, and even the sides to the plates are too. I always make sure to order a latte—especially their seasonal ones—and they never disappoint. Everything is just *so good*! Adding to the charm, Olivier often plays with his band near the café door, and the music is such a wonderful touch. His son, Cassien, is always so kind, genuinely caring about every order and each customer’s experience. The entire staff radiates happiness and passion for what they do, which creates not just great food, but a fantastic atmosphere. If you’re in the Carlsbad area, don’t miss this gem—it’s a truly special spot! I’m glad to hear that they will be opening another location soon.

The place looks nice on the inside but it was so cold inside on a beautiful day that people trying to enjoy this cafe had to be in coats. It was colder than a hospital. Poor service, they kept rushing me to order when nobody was waiting in line and when I had questions their response was “I dont know,” the correct response is “I don’t know but let me find out. Now onto the food, all I can say is this is a low end bakery trying not hard enough to be a French Bakery. If you want phenomenal tasting French desserts and parties and great customer service I highly recommend Paris Baguette in Carlsbad. I ordered the pear tart, blueberry fruit tart, tiramisu cake and a chocolate croissant. I am from Europe where we have phenomenal food so trust the review. -The tiramisu cake was underwhelming and the cream on top was gross so I have to remove it. -The pear tart was very dry and the pears had no tase to them. -the blueberry fruit tart also disappointing because the cream wasn’t that good and there was barely any of it in the tart because they add in this grain junk under it when it’s only supposed to be the crust, cream and blueberries. The only pro was that the blueberries were really good. -The chocolate croissant was pretty good. Buttery and flakey and the right amount of chocolate. My total was only $23 which is very low but it makes sense with the low quality food. I will definitely never return and continue going to Paris Baguette because the cream they use in a lot of the pastries is phenomenal! Definitely not like the Boston cream crap at Dunkin Donuts. Yes Paris Baguette is pricey but you get what you pay for and they have a rewards program which is awesome. I would have rather saved the $23 and gone to Paris Baguette (no I don’t work there, it’s just the food is amazing!) I have attached pictures below, the last pic is everything we chose not to continue eating and tossed it and the cream was taken off the tiramisu.

We got a cake here tonight and it was DELICIOUS! We came in last minute and picked up a cake from the case. We got the white cake with strawberries and whipped cream and all 13 people in our party enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend, it was fabulous!

Exquisite bakery! Everything tastes as good as it looks! Dine in is very nice as well. The service is very friendly, personable and professional! It's just the Best‼️

This used to be our favorite spot for getting French style cakes for every birthday or celebration. This is the last time we will buy from here. I’ve never experienced finding hair in my food but we cut into a part of the cake and we saw a big hair come out of the frosting. We paid $45 plus tip for a half sheet of cake and couldn’t serve it after finding that. I am extremely disappointed with the quality that we used to rely on.

Desserts are amazing! Unfortunately today, after purchasing 12 pastries I kindly asked for 12forks 1per pastry. Wife owner said “No we can’t hand out that many “with such an attitude. The husband is always way more polite & respectful. Hopefully they can hand out more forks in the future.

This place has some of the most delicious pastries and baked goods! But be prepared to spend more money than you anticipated. Donuts are around 6 bucks and other smaller pastries are too. It sure is delicious though!

Carlsbad French Pastry Café is always a must-visit whenever we're in the area. It's honestly one of my favorite restaurants in all of California! I even brought my sister, who lived in Europe for three years, to get her opinion on the pastries. She said they were better than what she had overseas--I knew it! My husband and I have tried several items from their menu over the years, including the Danishes, bran muffins, ham and cheese quiche, spinach and cheese quiche, ham and cheese croissant, bacon, egg, and cheese croissant, and the French onion soup during our last visit in the past 3 months. Every single dish is consistently delicious, and even the sides to the plates are too. I always make sure to order a latte--especially their seasonal ones--and they never disappoint. Everything is just *so good*! Adding to the charm, Olivier often plays with his band near the café door, and the music is such a wonderful touch. His son, Cassien, is always so kind, genuinely caring about every order and each customer's experience. The entire staff radiates happiness and passion for what they do, which creates not just great food, but a fantastic atmosphere. If you're in the Carlsbad area, don't miss this gem--it's a truly special spot! I'm glad to hear that they will be opening another location soon.

The gal that waited on me was super friendly so the service was very good. The long sweet was longer cuz I already gnawed on it. Delicious!! I haven't tried the Florentine yet, but oh my gosh, the pistachio mousse cake is very good with a surprise chocolate bottom. The real issue is I really went in there to get crêpes, but the dining room appeared closed w chairs all up on tables. The hours posted say open to 5 so perhaps they quit serving earlier than that. It's now 2:45. I also planned to get some sort of coffee drink. Between the dining room being closed and a very unhappy customer discussing a cake issue with one of the owners, I was fine to take my sweets and leave. With all the criticism the owners seem to get, I think it would be in their best interest to perhaps give a little? Sometimes the customer is wrong, but you decide they're at least partially right. I know they lost a customer with that couple who insisted the birthday cake they ordered wasn't what they got.

It's always a pleasure to come in and get my lattes here, customer service is always great. They always have the yummiest pastries!!! The ambiance is super chill, prices are very reasonable!!

Always greeted when you walk into this bakery. This morning, I opted for a cheese danish. It looked pretty in the pastry case, but still wanted to confirm it wasn't a cream danish. It looked silky buttermilky cream. I ate it once I got to work. Indeed, it is on the creamy side, and also sweeter than cheese danishes typically are. I prefer the version that is not as sweet and creamy. I wouldn't order this one again for myself. I paid $4.10 for my danish.

For all our birthdays, we ordered the chocolate cake with strawberries and banana and whip whipped cream. And they have great eclairs. Also Customer service is very kind and helpful. Keep this business going as they're going to rip up that corner in the next couple of years ,great Bakery.

if you want beautiful, expensive specialty cakes-they're here. But that's the only thing I'd get here. for some reason the croissants tasted dry and stale even tho they sweared they were fresh that day.... the French owner was stuck-up and rude. Here's a pic of my friends chocolate croissant...maybe they added a piece of chocolate AFTER baking???

Dude charged me for 2 pastries but forgot to put 2nd pastry in the bag. It's my fault for not checking the bag but I was upset to find a lone pastry in the bag when I got home. The place is already stupid expensive as it is.

My daughter works here and I asked her to bring some goodies from the bakery, to serve last Thanksgiving after dinner. She brought along some Florentines and other delicacies to try from the bakery on that visit, and now I wish I lived closer cause I'd eat those bad boys every day if I could! The cookie part of the Florentine and its delicate crunch as you bite into it- it's so good, then it just melts in your mouth! Then all you taste is that delicious frosting-like filling, (I have no idea what they're made of, so bear with me), and a hint of chocolate... and it's Perfection! It's simply, Perfection! I can't wait until my daughter comes to visit in August! I'm going to ask her to bring me some more Florentines! I'm going to hide them too, so I don't have to share! (I'm awful, I know!)

I don't understand. All the "French" pastry shops around here sell exact same things. I have to say they don't make them, but they buy from someone. Trust me. Go to Arely's in Claremont and French Bakery in Vista. They have exactly the same cakes and pastries as these guys. I am so disappointed that no one makes anything around here. Moving here from one of the top foodie cities in the country, I need to see more skills.

I've been living in Carlsbad for more than 8 years and never had an opportunity to come to this French Pastry shop until recently. I've past it frequently since it's in the Smart & Final Extra! shopping center near the I-5 exit. When I entered the clean shop, I was confused on whether I needed to sit down to order or order at the register then I just stood in line to order the breakfast croissant avec jambon and a 16 Oz chai latte to dine in. I thought I'd receive some water since I was dinning in but received my hot latte instead. The ladies there I guess was really busy but oddly there wasn't a lot of people. Overall, I enjoyed the music and laid back atmosphere while eating my tasty meal. Because of my sweet tooth, I'll return to try the baked goodies.

French Pastry Cafe is a-okay. I was excited to have found another bakery as the Village has many. Decor is cute and family oriented. I've come here 4 times now and have not itched to run back after. When comparing to the other 2 in the area, the taste is not there for me. Everything looks great! If I need a snack, I'm still eating it but I might not care to finish it. I love the nice big lobby. Some out door seating too.

It was ok. Order at the counter service. They have a pretty good assortment of pastry available. Reasonable prices, but not memorable quality of food. They use a "whipped topping" instead of real cream in many of their pastry, pretty indicative of the quality.

Shorter than my average review because I only popped in quickly for a quick batch of pastries to hit my veins. Got three things: the tiramisu caake, the chocolate mousse cake, and the vanilla puff pastry thing. The tiramisu cake was more cake than tiramisu (no ladyfingers, seemingly no marscapone, mostly cake frosting with that artificialish taste in the background). The chocolate mousse cake was also mostly cake... Can't even tell if there was chocolate mousse? And the puff pastry thing was stale, so I mostly just scooped out the whipped cream and custard to eat and get some kind of value out of it. I did finish the tiramisu cake thing but definitely not something I'd get again. Service was quick and attentive at the register but that's what I'd expect. And the place itself had a vague staleness to it, but there was an effort made to make it seem at least a bit warm. E.g the wall decor etc. 2 stars for food, minus one for not taking Amex.

Food and service is great although I find it extremely inconsiderate for them to clean the bathroom in the middle of my morning breakfast with strong, smelling bleach. This forced me to have to sit outside due to the strong smell and then closing the bathroom down for 20 minutes. I understand they need to clean the restroom but do it after they're close not in the middle of rush-hour

pastries were beautiful and delicious, but several were clearly day old and should have been marked and priced accordingly I'd try again

Picked up several items and everyone was delicious. My mother has been coming here your over 20 years.

First time here. The place is clean. The food was great. It has great flavor. The restroom is also clean. And they have good pastries

Was introduced to this lovely bakery by a friend who comes here all the time. (I totally see why!) So dangerously tempting especially since it's so close to the freeway with plenty of parking. Upon entering, there are a bunch of tables off to the right and the display of all the wonderful array of pastries and cakes to the left. Not only are these confections plentiful and beautifully crafted, they are hands down delicious! There is something for everyone. Fruity items, chocolately items, fruit and chocolate items... the hardest thing is to choose! In addition to the sweets, they also offer sandwiches and other savory items that I haven't had the chance to try yet. The last time I was there I was too late (I heard that they stop making those items around 2pm and I got there at 4). My first time here I had a lovely coffee and an almond croissant that was buttery, flaky and full of almondy goodness. The last time I had the Strawberry Montarte and my friend got the Raspberry Chocolate Mousse. We were both in taste bud heaven with them! The Mousse is a rich chocolate flavor but not too sweet. The montarte is lighter than the cheesecake which was the other pastry I was eyeing. The staff is knowledgeable about their items and even though they usually say everything is good, they do give an opinion of which one they like slightly more if pressed. Overall it's a great place with a nice atmosphere. Definitely stop by when you can!

We found this little place ok our way to the Flower fields. All the tourist restaurants were packed and this is a local place. Service was excellent and so was the food. It was a popular place when we went. It tries to evoke a Paris cafe.

It was my first time here and not because I wanted to come, but because I was sent by my best friend to pick up her mom's cakes she had previously ordered. There was a long line and on my friend's note it said "pick up at 2PM". I was not sure of their protocol for pickup so I stood in line for a bit but then saw some people waiting for their order at the register so I though "let me ask for it there, that must be the pick up window perhaps"... because most food establishments have two different lines: one for pick up and one for ordering and usually, they're not all in one line. I approach a blonde, mid age woman, with tattooed sleeves and asked if I could pick up my cakes. She didn't even let me finish when she said "you have to get in line" with an attitude. I finished my sentence and repeated myself to make sure she understood what I was trying to communicate and again she said "you have to get in the line". I had to get to the end of the line. Waited for 20 min total, and handed my note to someone else at the front. How the heck does that make any sense?! What is the difference between giving me the cakes now and making me wait for who knows why. It makes no sense. That lady with the attitude was just huffing, puffing, slamming things... she seemed so stressed and was taking it out on customers. Again, unnecessary. Their pastries and cakes are delicious but this experience was so upsetting to be honest. Please consider having a more proactive and efficient pick up protocol that way you decrease your line. I promise you is worth it!

A friend gifted me a box of pastries from this place for a dinner party, and they were divine! What a nice hostess gift. The tiramisu and the pistachio cake with sliced almonds were delicious! Great flavor, texture and presentation.

The birthday cake 1/4 sheet I think was absolutely to die for strawberries in the layer and huge strawberries on top with a whipped cream frosting well worth the $56.00

My 81 year old mother and I went here for coffee and breakfast today. We have been coming here for years and we are local residents of Carlsbad. While eating, my mother needed a knife to slice her croissant. The ladies were busy and the nearest employee was at.the table next.to us. It happened to be the girl with winged eyeliner. My mother tried to get her attention and ended up "touching" her with the tip of her finger. She is actually still hesitant to touch anyone because of covid and her age. The girl immediately turned around and said, "I don't like to be touched, don't touch me." Understanding this, my mother apologized and asked for the knife. The girl then went to her manager and seemed to discuss this with her. After eating, my mother needed to use the ladies room and the same girl was at the door of the bathroom. I told her I thought someone had just gone in and she said no, there is no one in there and that the toilet was clogged. My mother, being hard of hearing did not hear her say this and walked over letting her know that she needed to use the bathroom. The girl then asked her if she wanted to see the clogged toilet. My mother understood and sat down. I walked up to the counter to speak with the girl to let her know that it was inappropriate for her to ask a question like that and explained that my mother is older and can't hear very well and did not hear her when she said the bathroom was clogged. She then brought up that she was already bothered by my mother touching her and said that my mother had slapped her on the back of her arm. This was a lie! When my mother went to speak to the blonde Owner/Manager, she ignored her. She is certainly friendly with the male customers though! Another employee turned.to my mother and said, she is NOT going to speak to you! We tried to explain the situation, that the girl has some mental issues being that she lied and the manager ignored this. The other employee began to have an attitude and said that my mother should not have slapped her arm. We tried to tell them that no one slapped the girl, it wasn't even a poke!! It was a touch. I told them that we had been coming there for years and this is not the way to treat a loyal customer that has referred many people to them. The girl then said, well, we have other customers, if you dont want to come here. What the actually heck? I will not be going there again and I urge anyone not to go there! Go to the Paris Baguette on El Camino Real! Their pastries and everything that I have tried, so far, are very good and so is the customer service! Even Cafe Topes! They have some of the best breakfasts! Their fish lunch is outstanding! There are so many other restaurants in the neighborhood to go to that actually show appreciation and respect to customers!

BEST BIRTHDAY CAKE I'VE HAD. I celebrated my daughter's 10th birthday and I convinced her to have a cake from this place.... What a success!!! Even the kids ask for seconds...

My coworker dropped brought in a box of pastries and they all looked too good to eat! I grabbed the horseshoe and it was flavorful(sweet but not too much) and had a dense but moist texture! Next time I'll try one of the tartes.

Stopped by to check out their strawberry sponge cake for a birthday celebration and stayed for lunch. We had delicious savory crepes filled with ham and mushrooms. So good!

2.5 stars, rounded up. I stopped in on a whim while waiting on a buddy to meet me for lunch. I ordered a fruit tart and it was "just okay". It had a cookie-like filling inside the crust, and both were mushy. The ones I've gotten from O'side Bakery have been similar in structure but are sooo much better. The girls working are super friendly! I will admit that the limited credit card options made paying a bit challenging, as I typically carry the cards they don't take (I should have snapped a pic, but I do remember one is Amex). I ended up using cash even though another sign said that cash isn't ideal. Anyway, I would return to try something else. Pros: - lots of parking - super friendly - clean interior Cons: - tart was meh - limited pastry selection - limited credit card options

Great food had the strawberry crepes, egg sandwich, and cafe lysette. All was great. Will definitely be back!!!!

Croissant tasted disappointing like from Vons . Not what I expected . I had the egg breakfast croissant and my friend had another breakfast sandwich w 1 cup of coffee and bill was $40. I felt that was way too much for tasteless eggs and bread . My friend agreed .

The service was very Parisian, but not in a good way. We both spoke good English but seemed unable to understand each other. This modern world frightens and confuses me.

Nice place to have a breakfast break. I find it pricey for the taste and quality of the food. Taste could improve on the pancakes. tHowever, the ladies provide amazing service.

Great cakes and yummy food. Place is small and usually busy. Cakes have changed over the years and no longer have the same amount of chocolate sprinkles or shavings it once did. Guess inflation took a toll. Still very yummy.

The best patisserie anywhere I've been. All patisseries are made at the location. They even have breakfast and lunch items. The almond croissant is great. The breakfast sausage links are the best I've ever eaten. I don't know what it is but the sausage links are just tender and perfectly spiced, it's not your typical sausage link.

Chocolate ganache with raspberry preserves was delicious and beautiful. I ordered it without crème and instructions were followed precisely!!The fruit tarts I have tried before have been amazing!

Best strawberry crepe ever! The breakfast croissant sandwich and the quiche are also excellent. Desserts are all great, as well. Everything is fresh and made on site.

After 5 different times I've tried the amazing pastries from here I finally come in to visit for the first time! We came in last minute and we were greeted with big smiles! Both guys had a great attitude and we joked about coming last minute. Cassie even mentioned how they like last minute customers because we take product that they would have to clean up to close. That made me want to buy more! And purchased pastries along with our tart cakes! I don't encourage you to come in late like I did because earlier you get more options of all the delicious pastries they offer. Cassie mentioned that the blueberry scones are delicious but always sell out early!

Yummy treats. A bit of France in Carlsbad. Good place to have coffee after being out and about.

How is it possible this amazing place is 3.8 stars? Honestly the best French bakery in San Diego for cakes and pastry bar none...delicious, fresh, great prices, great service and reliable. I've been afraid to review it so others don't discover this family owned gem. Strawberry shortcake, rasberry chocolate mouse cake and fruit tarts are the way my family celebrates every birthday for all 7 members. This place is a 10/5!!

BEEN TO FRANCE A FEW TIMES - PRODUCTS ON PAR I ordered a small and medium box of assorted items - here are my favorites: #1 - Raspberry Macaroon dipped in chocolate was phenomenal. It had a thin layer of raspberry spread between two golden brown, moist macaroon layers. I only bought 1 - big mistake...sooo delicious. #2 - Chocolate Chip Macaroon was a surprise. Most macaroons are just shredded coconut, rolled into a ball, and baked. Not a bad thing, but an even better thing is when the shredded coconut leaps from being strands into firm, delicious baked good inside and out with tiny, delicate chocolate chips inside - no worries about chocolate all over your fingers or melting - it's preserved inside...genius. #3 - Croissants were quintessential. They were light to golden brown, light and airy inside, but still having the expected rich, mouthwatering bread inside that stretches and gently breaks in half with golden flakes falling gently on your plate or lap (if you eat then in the car). Perfect. #4 - Raisin Brioche was subtly sweet. This is the perfect coffee or tea companion for me. It was like a baseball pushed in, on top, and filled with a few raisins. Warm it and slice down the middle for jam, butter, or just eat it alone - it is the perfect bread paired with a hot beverage - loved it (I bought 2 and wish I had 4). #5 & #6 Cranberry and Chocolate Chip cookie was well executed. The cookie was crisp around the edges, filled with (Cranberry/Chocolate Chips), dense, and moist edge to edge. Most importantly, it was big and thick, which made it so attractive, rich, and satisfying. I will say that I was concerned one person had their mask below their nose, while conversing with a peer in the back - he was reminded and the mask was placed over his nose and mouth. Service was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient overall.

So French and so Carlsbad at the same time, this charmingly decorated cafe is worth a visit. Located in the Smart and Final shopping area, it is off the main tourist track. The owners are very present and engaged in the superior production of French delights. We especially enjoy their crepes. To further amp up the local ambiance, you might want to check out the owner's band on Saturday mornings. Outdoor seating is available . The local band plays a soothing assortment of bluesy, vintage hit songs. Good place to see the decor, good place to listen to the music, and great place to taste a lovely French pastry.

Croissants are the best I've tasted so far. Very soft and flavorful. The strawberry Nutella crepes were also delicious. For drink I had the hammerhead (coffee w/espresso) and it was very smooth tasting with a nice kick.

O'side Bakery has better breakfasts and pastries. And they're friendlier. I've eaten many times at the Carlsbad French Cafe and Bakery. But I think I must have made a mistake by bypassing a couple of people I think were shopping the pastries. I thought they'd just take my eat in order and I'd just sit down. I waited and stepped back to allow customers coming from the pastry counter to pay. They absolutely ignored me, three of them including the owner. I would have complied with whatever they expected and apologized if i misunderstood. Rather than simply saying anything they intentionally and completely ignored me. O'side Bakery displays local artists' work too.

The french onion soup had the flavor of water. Lots of onoins, bread and cheese but absolutely tasteless. the Chocolate eclairs had vanilla pudding center, not creme. The palmiers were not crispy and had no light dusting of sugar. The panini was as hard as a rock. Terrible food. Staff were very pleasant

I used to get pastries and cake here a lot, then I moved. I went today. I was surprised that they now charge $1 for a box. I bought over $40 and I wanted to order more but in a separate box. I was told that'll be $1 for the box. So for $1 addtl charge, they just lost over $15 dollars of addtl. sale. I made the effort to drive to this bakery from Escondido and I wanted to get orders for different people. Anyways, just a bit disappointed and I'll just find another bakery closer.

First and last time here. We had a similar experience to another poster in that the sign at the entrance indicated "take out" with a left arrow and "dine in" with a right arrow. We went to the right, and the people at the counter never made eye contact. They had to try hard not to look at us as it was almost empty of customers (on a weekend). We finally found our way to the register to place our order (crepes and a sandwich) and asked for one item to be excluded from one dish: "no problem." Sure enough, there it was on our plate. In the end, the food was so bad we couldn't eat it. Very metallic tasting, likely due to liberal use of canned ingredients.

I've only been here a couple of times and oh my....what a delight! The selection is amazing and you can tell someone is taking their time with these goodies because it shows! It would be nice if there were signs with names for all items. I say this because I thought a brownie was a cake. Also, there's some pastries that I am not familiar with. I did have to ask the employee what a couple of items were. She seemed to patiently respond. I was on the hunt for a slice of Chocolate Cake and was happy to find it here. It was decorated so nicely and she said she really enjoyed it. I would like to try their breakfast next time!

Please please rules! Where do I start? Pastries are insane And holy smokes their sandwiches?! Wow! Try the pastrami which comes with hard-boiled egg slices inside...mmmmm. Comes with salad and the vinaigrette dressing is quite tasty. Just ordered a pecan pie for Thanksgiving and it blew everyone away! Including me. Now if you really wanna be the star of the Xmas party, order up one of their Yule logs. Just trust me on this one. Staff is always great...And did I mention that there's a hardware store next-door? Come on man! How could it get any better? Just get in your car and head on down there

Love love love this place. It always smells good and everything looks good! We have the cake the past couple times and they were great, even the chocolate cake weren't as sweet as i was expecting. I highly recommend this place for pastries or any cake that you need. I don't think you'll get a bad one!

Almond croissant was good, pistachio cake tasted ok, more fake artificial pistachio flavor. Coffee was good. Cookie shaped like cannoli with buttercream was good as well, can't compare to a cannoli.