Darshan Bakery

Stopped by to get a sweet treat, we ordered an almond croissant and a cinnamon pull apart, they were both hard and dry and almost burnt. Would have been better warmed but we weren’t offered to have them heated as we took them to eat on the go. Very disappointed. $13 for 2 pastries

When you're paying nearly $15 for a small sandwich, you don't expect to bite into inedible ingredients. Just landed my teeth into the hard stem/crown of a tomato that apparently was too much effort to remove. I have never seen this before in any dining experience. I have tried this place several times because of the convenient location, but am always disappointed with how overpriced the food and drinks are for what you get. This was my last visit. Based on other review I'm guessing this place won't be around much longer...

We stopped by Darshan Bakery hoping to grab a cinnamon roll, but they were out at the time. We ended up getting the pull-apart cinnamon roll instead. The flavor was good, but I do wish it had been served warm or at least offered the option to warm it up. The bakery itself has a cozy vibe, we went at 9:20am, we’d definitely give it another try earlier in the day next time.

I love an Open Kitchen! Watching the Bakers work, using quality flour, and a clean environment, all the key indicators of a wonderful Bakery! I got the whole wheat focaccia and a baguette, Amy picked up a morning bun and an almond croissant, everyone loved the croissant, I heard remarks such as perfectly balanced, sweet but not too sweet and “did you finish it?” The baguette was sweet and begging to be made into a sandwich. I’m big into focaccia these days and I appreciate a whole wheat half pan, crisp on the edges, large pockets of air and a gentle finish of olive oil. This is a great snack and ready for any dipping or side action. The coffees were excellent! I had an oat milk latte with an extra shot. I’ll be back!

A wonderfully chill and cozy bakery. The croissants were delicious and the coffee drinks were great too. They have Indian inspired drinks (like Bombay lattes) and a big selection of chai that we want to come back and try!

The pastries were terrible. This bakery does not understand the real art of a french bakery, so i’m not really sure why they call themselves that. The atmosphere was not clean and in desperate need of renovation. They gave us paper plates the size and thickness of a COFFEE FILTER. How expensive is it to offer a proper, regular sized paper plate? It took us several minutes just to cut one piece of our pastry. I hope they take the feedback from this and several other bad reviews to make some changes before they go out of business.

Used to come here whenever I was in town and I loved the cute atmosphere and pastries but something has changed this visit. No greeting from staff, took forever to be acknowledged and served when I was the only one there to 3 employees. Not sure why there’s no prices for anything but boy was I shocked that a tiny breakfast sandwich with 1 hard boiled egg was $15…. The menu is a chalkboard, I don’t understand why prices can’t be added and/or changed if ingredient pricing has increased. It feels deceptive and I don’t think I’ll return.

Baked goods and coffee drinks are great, and I like the atmosphere. However, the owner recently decided to remove prices, which can lead to a big shock when you discover your simple croissant cost you $7.50. Sure, they will have to raise their prices because of tariffs on ingredients from Paris, but hiding prices is insulting

My husband loves this spot. He likes the pull apart and baquette It has the crunchy texture in their pastries. I like the ham and cheese croissants and my daughter likes the chocolate. ( she takes off the crunchy shell). The best thing is the prosciutto and Brie baguette sandwich. That will change your life. Also the fresh baked bread with the fresh herbs baked in to the bread is fabulous. Coffee is okay. The service is a bit lacking, no warm and fuzzies, maybe it's occurred once.... But the bread is great and the line is out the door from when they open at 7 AM. Also it's weird that they give you 5 little bags... we continuously have to asks for a box or a large handled bag for our deliciousness. Other wise you're juggling several bags of pastries. They do have a nice seating area outside but we are the early birds. The inside has a few seats and you can watch the bakery chefs throw the window. This is kind of cool. :) Note Brie and prosciutto baguettes are available later in the AM.

After attempting to wait in line at another coffee shop, I walked 40 minutes to Darshan Bakery! I was nervous that it would be closed, because one time a few years back I came to this location wanting to try out the French bakery & it wasn't open at all. Luckily for me, the place was bustling with people. Which ensured me they were open for business. There were several people seated outside as well as inside. I'd say inside is more seating for solo, double, or three people at most. And the outdoor tables can seat +4! Ordering section was super easy, the menus are located on boards above. And they have a small & compacted area with the pastries displayed. Their tablet is quite a new one with a very sensitive swivel on it. I love the sleek look to it. The place was very homey, parisien feel to it. I went with an iced vanilla latte and pain aux raisins! The vanilla latte was good, I'm unsure of it was vanilla bean syrup or it was espresso grounds in the latte. The specks of what could have been vanilla bean seemed much larger and more dispersed than other iced vanilla bean lattes I've had. Who knows, I could be looking into it too much. // Next time, I will get the courage to ask what is the Bombay latte. The pain aux raisins was interesting and delicious. Of course it wasn't warmed as it was sitting in the display case for a bit. Apparently their pastries are made with butter imported from Normandy! It was interesting to see a pain aux raisins that alternated the raisins (regular raisin and golden raisins) for each of the swirl. The golden raisins were more plump (juicy) and had a light taste to it. While the regular raisins were more "dry" and shriveled-- with a deeper taste. The pastry itself was flaky and caramelized, and as you got closer to the center swirl it became more soft and airy. The only thing that looked different than normal was that it didn't have that glistening glaze on top. It was a bit dull, but you could see some color and caramelization to the pastry. I would get this again! I recommend it for breakfast with your coffee. The workers were friendly, patient, and adapted well -- to the morning rush! They kept the flow of the coffee counter moving as well as ensuring customers received their drinks. Coffee beans are from Cafe Virtuoso! Love that. I sat at a table which had some flaky pieces of pastry on the table. I feel like this would deter some other people to sit down here. I think people should do their part to clean up after themselves if they leave a mess on the table. (The trash can and napkins were just an arms length away. Wiping up crumbs take no more than 5 seconds to do). It's just common sense. There were several people on their computer at this bakery so I guess it's safe to say, their wifi is good! Prices: Iced medium vanilla latte for $5.65 (lovely price!) & pain aux raisins for $6.25. Just noting that the pain aux raisins price was $1 more than I usually would get it elsewhere. I didn't realize the price until the screen was turned towards me and I paid. This is a 'hidden' -- or an overlooked gem of a place to come eat at! They also have sandwiches so if you want to come here for lunch it would be lovely as well.

They had limited choices in the afternoon, and they'll heat plain croissants ("savory") but not chocolate croissants ("sweets"). Still a nice place to visit! But the warm plain croissant (good butter!) is excellent, even if I would have preferred a warm chocolate one!

Executive summary: good but not great croissant. If you like buttery, this is the spot. Flavor is very buttery with the right savory note. But texture needs improvement. Table is too clean after a bite with no flakes flying all over. And coffee is not to my taste profile - I think likely due to skill level of barista. Tempo pace, 18.35 mile bike ride to Darshan to make sure I deserve the croissant. Feels great to sit on the patio with a cool breeze, in the shade, and my bike sitting right in front of me. I wanted an almond croissant, but they ran out. Chocolate croissant (B): It's a good croissant. Pungent and buttery with just the right amount of savoriness. And the chocolate is good too although a little more would be better. But the texture needs improvement, and where Wayfarer is a significant step ahead while losing out a touch on flavor. Would I eat 4 of them if they were sitting in front of me? Of course. My latest top 3 croissant ranking (price agnostic, although I still wouldn't buy Izola): 1) Izola 2) Wayfarer 3) Darshan Cappuccino (C+): I'm definitely not a coffee expert and prefer chocolatey flavors. Not a very sophisticated palate profile according to coffee experts I know. But regardless, my thoughts are: too heavy with not enough microfoam and not enough milk in general, with a coffee too fruity for my liking. Not bad, not great. The barista looks really young so there's a good chance it's simply a lack of experience.

Oh My God - talk about shrinkflation extreme! Combined with good old fashioned inflation, it produced this thing they sold as "almond croissant" - for $6.25!!! It was dry, hard, dark brown, almost seemed burned, light as a feather (when I picked up the bag, first I thought it was empty!). It was so small that it fit into the case of my iPhone with space left over. And did I mention Darshan charged $6.25 for it? What happened to this place? They used to have good croissants, luxurious sizes, big, soft, heavy almond croissants, never cheap but, hey, this is Del Mar - now this? Unbelievable!

What a great way to spend the morning! I ordered: 1. cardamom latte- tasty but not 100% sold on the cardamom yet...lol! It can be a polarizing flavor but I am still on the fence. The caffeine was strong in this one. 2. Kouign-amann: delicious! It is one of my favorite pastries of all time and this one didn't disappoint. The egg-cream in the center was so decadent, and those buttery layers are irresistable. 3. Rosemary focaccia: what a deal! The entire loaf for under $10? I don't know if they had any more earlier but I got the last one. Ended up sharing it for lunch with a friend and we devoured almost the entire loaf. The rosemary and salt were divine. I will be coming back as often as I can to score more of the focaccia! The staff were incredibly sweet and informative! They also have their own parking lot which I love!

The service was very good from the young man we ordered from. We did ask some questions and the woman in the back who answered was not so receptive. This is what we experienced this time. Coffee - Excellent as usual! Baked goods - all looked burnt so we didn't purchase. $15 Ham sandwich was good, bread was excellent. Quiche - Kinda gross due to the texture. It was gooey, like uncooked eggs but the crust was excellent. Serving a piece of quiche on a very small paper plate with plastic utensils is lazy IMO. Try cutting anything on that gracefully as your plate is sliding all around the table, it's a recipe for a mess and a bad experience. A small plate and real utensils are much preferred. Less waste is also a benefit. I have been here several times, primarily for the coffee and usually a sweet treat. Not up to par today. The location is great and it's a cute place. Usually able to get a parking space.

Overpriced & underperformance. I went to this bakery to purchase surprise morning pastries for my daughter's family. The pastries averaged almost $6 each. Despite reading back my order, we received a couple wrong croissants. All of the pastries were small and with very small amounts of featured ingredients, eg chocolate, fruit, etc. A very disappointing experience--"fool me once..". This bakery would do very poorly in my hometown in comparison to the size, quality & price offered by local bakeries. Photo of "chocolate croissant".

Cute little café that's perfect for a post-Torrey Pines hike pick-me-up! Food prices are definitely French (aka a bit high ;), but so is the quality so it's fair. Artisanal ingredients and fresh, daily preparations are the name of the game here. You can't go wrong with either sweet or savory, but do yourself a favor and just get both - you deserve it! The flaky pastries and flavor-packed quiches are fantastic, but Darshan could use an upgrade when it comes to serving utensils (e.g. actual silverware vs. the flimsy and wasteful plastic stuff currently on offer), and a better warming oven - our still-delicious quiches were hot on the outside but unfortunately cold in the center.

Picked up my wonderful provisions for the weekend along with the terrific house blend coffee. I love how you can also see the bakers at work, and the patio area buzzing with locals out for their morning walks. Parking is easy too.

This was a hit this am. A French bakery Across from our lodging. Filled rolls and special breads. And a delish hot chocolate. So good, we ll do it again tomorrow. This will be breakfast.

This place caught my eye because there's a big sign that read "French bakery" on the front. It's also across the street from the Del Mar Civic Center. The pastries were really great, we tried the almond croissant, chocolate croissant, blueberry scone, and cheese croissant. The almond was by far my FAVORITE. Everything about it was perfect! The cheese croissant unfortunately tasted a little weird to me, a cross between sweet/savory, but I couldn't quite figure it out. I tried the iced coffee black, and in my opinion it was too watery. When I do come back, I'll definitely try a different coffee drink and snag another almond croissant, yum!

Yikes! This place is legit! I passed by a sign that said "French bakery" and immediately pulled a U-Turn to check it out. I walked in and noticed the make table and bakery glasses off near the dining room. How cool is it to see the bakers in action?! You know you're getting fresh baked goods when you see it being made. The coffee is robust and delicious, but not too acidic. I ordered the albacore sandwich on wheat focaccia and it was incredibly delicious. The arugula bitters were complimented by the sweet balsamic vinaigrette and thinly sliced cheese. The focaccia was cooked perfectly and had a rich olive oil flavour. This crew really knows how to make legitimately French pastries. Support your local businesses and check this place out. You will not be disappointed.

The baguette was not baked right. It was pliable and mushy inside instead of being crunchy and well baked inside. Coffee mocha had only the taste of strong bitter coffee, not enough milk and notaste of chocolate at all even after stirring it. Butter was not fresh smelling old!

Very good pastries and sandwiches ! Coffee and Chai were lovely! Easy place to sit with dog and relax. Close to the dog beach.

The baked goods are amazing. I had the chocolate croissant and the cinnamon roll. So great! Soft and delicious. I did heat them both up a little at home.

I'm disappointed in this place, the service was sad, the pastries are average to below average and feel overpriced for the quantity you get. The coffee was watery and flavorless. I can't recommend Darshan at the moment.

Only French Bakery items. Nothing gluten- Free. Friendly staff but they looked at me like I have two heads when I asked if they made anything gluten-free. The Mango Lassi was good.

The sign says French Bakery. I enjoyed the best Florentine Quiche I've ever had - spinach, Greyere, slightly crispy crust, moist. OMG

A SPRING OCEAN BREEZE, PLEASE The bakery sits on a hill with ocean views you won't want to miss. We dropped by Darshan's for a quick bite with blue skies and scattered clouds complimenting a cool ocean breeze. We popped inside and grabbed a sandwich and pastries. After the shop keep smiled and adjusted her round glasses, the soft-spoken soul quietly asked and took our order. TUNA ARTICHOKE SANDWICH ON FOCCACIA The sandwich was gourmet befitting a French café. · Focaccia bread was pleasantly toasted with a rich buttery flavor. · Marinated artichokes hearts blended well with the fresh tuna and peppery arugula. · Manchego cheese unified flavors while adding a creamy texture to the entire experience. LEMON PASTRIES Imagine a bite-sized, double crust pie barely filling the palm of your hand. This pie is smaller in diameter than a cookie but stands about 1-2 inches tall. The pie has a hole in the upper crust, is filled with delicious lemon custard, and is topped with a tiny pie crust cookie! Stop in for a sun-filled, perfect breakfast, brunch, or lunch for adults seeking a refined, satisfying snack or meal with an ocean view. And the menu is a bit pricy and is justified by the amazing, consistent quality offerings and service.

Do not recommend! I was so looking forward to trying this French patisserie, but man was it a FLOP!The service was horrible, I couldn't believe how rude they were and would not heat up some of the food even though we requested it, the pastries when asked to eat there were served on mini paper plates with the food hanging off. The "almond croissant" had vanilla ish flavored goo in it and I'm not sure besides the almonds on top why it was called that. Just a horrible experience, service and pastries

Cute French bakery. Plenty of sweets and sandwiches, but we took the last two chocolate almond croissants. The other guests behind us were disappointed there were no more coming out from the oven. We were lucky! With a small cappuccinos and our warm croissants we sat outside, the weather still cold from the ocean breath, enjoying our talk we finished our treat content and began our Saturday morning.

Food was decent. Got an iced Indian chai and a caprese sandwich. The sandwich was good until I found a hair in my food. They refunded me for the caprese, but still disappointed.

Over priced and the baguette bread is not that great. I like Darshan as meeting point with some European friends when hanging out in Del Mar. I like the pre-made croissant sandwiches but too pricey and cold. I have tried all the pastries and the croissants are the best (not great as compared to other bakeries). I like the patio at the entrance with several tables and ocean views. Coffee drinks are ok. Again, I would expect more of what seems to be a French bakery but I am happy that it is there, in that location and a place to meet friends.

The yelp reviews about the almond chocolate croissant is all true! Because it's located in beautiful northern San Diego, be mindful of parking. The lot is small and fast cars are the street

I don't know what's going on with this place. Perhaps changed owners. Quality of the croissants and other pastries and tuna sandwich on focaccia is superb. It's also expensive but I'm okay to pay these prices for quality pastries. But what really irks me for the last 6 months is that the service is terrible. The baristas are all super slow (like 10 minutes for one mocha), and the counter staff today took, I'm not kidding, 12 minutes to pack and sell me 6 pastries, after dumping one of them over in the box and ruining a $8.25 pastry. And I had to ask for a new one. They are all young, sweet and stupid. She couldn't remember my order 3 times. They really need to hire better people with experience and who are fast behind the counter. It doesn't seem to matter what time or day of the week it is, service is always slow and incompetent

Best spot for an after surf brew -- and hot chocolate for the groms.

We were out and about and wanted a light lunch. I have visited this bakery before and love their bite size treats but never tried their sandwiches. My husband and I both got the tuna sandwiches made with herb flavored focaccia bread. I knew it was a hit when I bit into the sandwich and tasted arugula... I love arugula! The sandwich was flavorful from beginning to end and even though I initially thought $13 was steep for a sandwich, it was worth every penny. The ingredients and fillings were well balanced and absolutely delectable.

I really like the espresso here and $7 croissants.... They refused to heat up another customers sticky bun. They said the oven is too hot. Well maybe with the exorbitant prices, you can afford an oven that will suffice? Or at least not put all your pastries in front of an open door on freezing mornings with the wind on blast. Could use some tweaks for sure. I would love to try a sandwich but I don't care where that turkey is from, I'm not paying $15 for a pre wrapped turkey sandwich..

Have driven by the place but have never stopped. Everyone was really nice and helpful. The almond croissant was DELICIOUS!

We stopped by to get coffee. But looking at the menu, we decided to get a little nosh. So I ordered... 2 Large iced Bombay lattes Pesto pasta Tuna and artichoke sandwich Financier cookies The lattes took so long to make that we were done eating by the time our drinks were ready.

I've been on a croissant spree recently, and this is one of my newest favorite bakeries for croissants! I plan to come back here and try out their other items.

I came across this sweet bakery over the summer, when I was in Del Mar for a weekend. They offer a huge variety of baked goods, and all kinds of coffee drinks. The service was great, patio was airy, and I particularly liked the fliers and informational signs the cafe had posted on their walls. Neat little spot. Wish I lived closer. I'll visit when I make my next trip south.

Cute bakery, friendly staff but for 2 sandwiches, 2 drinks & 2 croissants it was very expensive for what you get, over $50. The sandwiches were small and served on a tiny 6inch paper plate. The person I was with ordered a tuna sandwich and it had maybe a tablespoon of tuna on each side. We ended up asking to pay for another serving of tuna but they kindly gave us more. They also didn't have any napkins. They should have had an employee run up the street to Vons to buy napkins. The chocolate croissant barely had any chocolate in it. I really wanted to like this place but for paying over $50 I want a plate large enough for even a small sandwich and definitely napkins.

I was worried that the quality would suffer with the move but it has not! I compare Darshan with Arsicault, B. Patisserie and Tartine in SF and all others in SD. Amazingly great bakery!! Just wish they would make Kouign Amann. Your cheese croissant is epic.

Love the Almond Croissant! Everything else I tried was nice, nothing truly special; the baguette, the plain croissant, a lemon bar... Don't get me wrong, I really like bread, so there's "nice, "which means average, and then there's "love," which means I can easily be a glutton right now. Small little place, not much seating indoors or out. There are two different doorways to get in or out. (Not sure if there was a difference.) Customers kinda seemed rude and didn't want to wait for slow orderers. (That would be me, the glutton who likes bread and takes forever to choose a few things because I want it all. At the same time. I can fit it in, I swear. Ok, so I can't, but it's not for a lack of trying)

Inconsistent. Today's almond croissant must have been leftover from yesterday - cold and a bit stale. Sometimes they're great. Too expensive to not receive consistent quality imo.

Going downhill. The last two times I have been here I have been sold day old croissants. Or at least I hope that was the problem. No excuse for a bakery to sell day old bread as fresh. The croissants were crunchy, not flaky. They used to be perfect. So either they are selling day old crap or they have lost their ability to make a fresh, quality croissant. I will not be returning.

Their almond croissants + espresso are my favorite part of the week!! Very yummy very good

How this place doesn't have 5 stars is beyond me. Croissants are insanely good. That's worth 5 alone. Plus a great array of other baked goods. And great coffee / espresso.

Almond croissant...cafe au lait, outside socially distanced seating A wonderful way to start a Sunday morning after a stroll along the Pacific ocean beach Absolutely Fabulous

The croissants are delicious (quality chocolate in the chocolate croissant) , the honey raisin oatmeal cookie is amazing and the chocolate eclair, to die for!! We are going back to NY state tomorrow and I am seriously sad to leave these behind!! The service is slow.

First time visiting and I already fell in love with the place. They have their own parking lot, they take credit cards, the staff was super courteous, they offered me a free sample of their focaccia mmmm (chef's kiss). They have indoor seating but I took advantage of our lovely weather (73° in July folks) so I sat in the patio, in the shade and looking at the ocean. Service was prompt despite being a busy moment. They use a lot of organic and in-house made ingredients. I love that they have a glass partition so you can watch the bakers work. Sorry my picture of the food isn't that great but I forgot to take one before I started eating haha. Also, bonus points for having a water bowl for pups AND they have a sign stating that the patio is "public seating area, no purchase necessary" very kind of them.

Finally stopped by here this weekend after wanting to check it out for quite sometime. Overall was disappointed for the most part and feel that you can get a better value at a lot of other places in the area. The main highlight was the iced vanilla latte as it wasn't overpowering on sweetness. The Napoleon we ordered also had a flavorful tipping though the dough layers underneath left a lot to be desired. We also tried the apple turnover and we felt that the inner filling was like a gelatinated apple sauce that didn't really have much flavor. Perhaps their breads, quiches and sandwiches could be good but I probably won't bother coming back for some time. They also didn't really seem to be doing much on the social distancing front on their patio.

This place has the best almond croissants in town - no, actually in the world! They are so good and popular that they often run out but the almond croissants are SO good when you finally get hold of them that the place is worth a 5 star only for that! Otherwise I would go down a star due to their extreme prices, but I do understand. I am sure they also have to pay an extreme rent in Del Mar so... Their sandwhiches are really good, as is the other baked goods and their baguettes, top class. And it's so awesome that you can watch the bakers bake and prepare the dough! Great place to bring your kids and sit by the window into the bakery. Oh, and Coffee is good too :)

Nice little French bakery on Camino Del Mar with viewing windows into the pastry kitchen. Coffee and croissant were good, and the freshly baked bread looked awesome. I would have purchased and reviewed had I not been backpacking! Very nice patio area. Would recommend as a place to pace the time when the weather is nice.

Wonderful! Love everything about this bakery. You have to try it, croissants first. Parking available.

Great bakery: croissants, pains au chocolat and almost croissants are EXCELLENT ! Didn't have a chance to try anything else yet but definitely will! Staff is very friendly and helpful. Highly recommended

Ordered a sandwich and instantly gave me the one sitting on the counter. Hard as a rock bread and it was $15+!!! You're not paying for quality, you're paying for the location. I tell the staff at the end for notice on the quality and taking no accountability of serving me an old sandiwch, one worker explains to me how baguettes are hard, talking to me as if I never ate one before. You think I've never tried a baguette? I don't often write reviews but I didn't appreciate the subtle ignorance. Over $30 for 2 coffees and a whatever sandwich? I'm good

Amazing food, great atmosphere! If you want an authentic French croissant, this is the place to go. Great sandwiches too... and be sure to try the blueberry scones... YUM!!