Isabelle Briens French Pastry Cafe

These croissants are so flaky and buttery. If happen to be lucky enough to catch a pear croissant you’re in for a delight. The combination in flavor as well as texture will send your taste buds over the moon. Everything is in perfect balance, as it should be with proper French baked items. The place is small and unassuming but that doesn’t capture the robust aromas that waft around filling the air with a warm buttery hug. Do yourself a favor and indulge in a little slice of France right here in Encinitas!

Isabelle’s has the BEST croissants in all of North County San Diego… if not in all of the US! So flaky, buttery & delicious. Not to mention Isabelle herself is so personable and kind, she sits down to talk with you whenever she’s not running around or making cakes. It’s truly a one of kind, authentic experience.

Yummy croissants and their latte is so good! My favorites are ham or Turkey croissant and their turnovers. It is a true French bakery. The savory crepe is another favorite for us. It is a clean and friendly place. Definitely recommend it.

We ordered a cake for my mom’s 75th birthday party and there was a small issue. Not only did the owner come to our house to fix it, she also decorated the cake with fresh flowers and it turned out 10X better than ever anticipated. In addition, the cake was the most delicious cake I have ever had. I will never order a cake from anywhere else! This bakery has my loyalty for life!!!

Jan 2024 (10 months later) Almond croissants are still over-baked to dust on the inside and NO baguettes at all?? Question the use of "French" in their name since the French would not tolerate this....Original review: arrived 20 min after opening and no baguettes for another 45 min since they had not started baking them :( Almond croissant was over-baked/burnt making it so dry, which almond croissants should not be, and with little flavor/filling so would not recommend them. only saving grace were the croissants that were good but a bit over-baked on the bottom too. I live in France so I’m a bit picky but feel they could do better with a little more attention to baking times.

We have been a fan of Isabelle’s for many years. The croissants are better than any we have had in Europe and we always order the Bouche de Noel every Christmas. Yum!!!

Such a great place! This reminds me any French Bakery in France! You have to stop and try what we call Le Pain au Chocolat! The owner is French, worths the stop! We also order our 10yo Birthday Cake, such a delice!!!

I got the Monaco egg cheese & ham crepe, and a double shot cafe latte while waiting for Discount Tire to install new tires on my car. The crepe was so good, I thought I was in France! The cafe latte also tasted really good. This is a nice, cute little French pastry cafe, with friendly staff, great food, and a relaxing environment. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Highly recommended!

The food was amazing. we all got something different and each one was wonderful! The staff also kind and works hard! lots of seating and parking was easy too! a true Gem- in every way! highly recommend you try it.

Having a coffee and croissant her makes me feel like I am in the south of France and not in a strip mall. Outdoor seating, French music over the intercom and delicious coffee and treats... even the owner (I believe she is) very pleasant and focused on her customers. If not the owner, she deserves a promotion. Very enjoyable.

Everything at Isabelle Brian's French Pastry Shop is authentic! Isabella is from France and brought with her hometown favorites. The croissants are light and flaky with a buttery taste! The cakes, muffins and fruit tarts amazing and the sandwhiches make my mouth water just writing about them! I love the Monte Crystal. They also have fresh brewed coffee and teas and specialty coffee drinks. Our favorite time to go is for breakfast and sit out under a covered table just like we would on the Paris streets. Comme c'est mervielleux!

Delicious French Cafe with excellent customer service. We stopped here on the way back out of town for breakfast. There are outside and inside tables to enjoy your yummy selections. Inside there is beautiful and soft French cafe music, with about 5-7 tables. Outside I saw a customer with a Corgi enjoying her breakfast, so you may bring pets for patio dining. Both dining areas are very clean, LOVE THIS! We were greeted right away by a very nice woman (I assume she is Isabelle). She was very cheerful, kind, and welcoming. She answered a couple of questions that my husband and I had about the menu. We ordered a Monaco Croissant Breakfast Sandwich, a Monaco Breakfast Crépe, an Apricot Danish, a Cafe Au Lait, and a Hazelnut Latte. I love that they have real metal utensils for dining in, awesome! Our food came out within about 10-15 minutes, perfect. Everything was hot and prepared deliciously. The eggs were prepared perfectly and tasted delicious! Croissants are LARGE AND PERFECT consistency; melted in my mouth. We normally go to the French Oven in Scripps Ranch but the choice to come here was a great one. Definitely a great experience here and we will come back. The owner talked us into trying a freshly made Florentine to go on the road. Although it needed to be refrigerated, we definitely wanted to try it, so we brought it with us.

We ordered 2 trays of crepes and a tray of chocolate croissants for our family Easter party. Isabelle was fantastic in helping me on deciding which crepes were best for my order. We decided on one tray of savory chicken crepes and one tray of spinach crepes. Both were exceptional. Everyone in our family couldn't stop raving about them. Additionally one of our guests brought Isabelles fabulous lemon cake for dessert. That was equally a huge hit. I'm already planning my next order of crepes.

This place is a hidden gem and a must visit if you are nearby! The pastries are impeccable and absolutely delicious. From the croissants to the macarons they are authentic and made to perfection. We went in early one morning because my husband had to bring something to work for a birthday celebration and the ladies working were so attentive and helpful and put together a beautiful box for us to go. I would give it ten stars if I could!

I really wish I could have given them a 5/5. It's a lovely bakery, well decorated and the staff are very nice. It's a little on the pricy side which I would not have minded if my sandwich was good. But the bread was half toasted and a bit stale. I was thinking I'd get a nice fresh French loaf. It was thrown together and not good. The tomatoes were either old or had been in the fridge too long.

I just want to say a big thank you. I stopped by here while waiting for my tire to be fixed after it blew out on the freeway, and between the coffee, the atmosphere, and the best chocolate almond croissant I've had in my life, this turned from a bad scary day to going back on the right track. Pastry was perfect, coffee was delicious just black and paired well with the sweetness of the croissant, and sitting on the patio with the smell of the bakery and the Parisian vibe was calming and centering.

Authentic French baked goods. They play French music on weekdays. Good service. I went back for seconds

Oct 9 2023 we were on an emergency mission for crème puffs , or a birthday cake , a fruit tart maybe ? , something ! The beignets I had ordered from another bakery were inadequate. Horrible , they were little dry balls of dough So off we go to Isabelle Brien French Pastry We walk in after 1pm to an almost empty pastry case This place sells out fast. No cakes or crème puffs were left Fortunately the lady taking orders remembered an order that was either canceled or not picked up. She showed us this beautiful homeless cake White cake , whipped cream with raspberry jam inside. We could have it and they would change the birthday greeting to "happy birthday sam". I'll have to say we couldn't have ordered a more perfect cake than this one. Tonight we sang happy birthday and cut into the cake and WOW! My gosh it was amazing. Everyone commented on the cake. Where did we order it from ? It's so light , the raspberries add the perfect contrast to the white cake and whipped cream. The almonds on the side gave it an amazing flavor and crunch ! Today was our lucky day! Just perfect. Oh !! I was given a discounted price for the cake too !! Thank you

I happen to enjoy this simple place to have a coffee and pastry. I have been a fan for years and used to order Yule Log cakes for Christmas when I had lots of family!

Delicious! The frosting is made with real cream, not fake stuff. Dropped by here for dessert after an amazing meal at Pokemoon next door. The staff was super nice and friendly, very welcoming. Was craving serious sweets. Got the mini cheesecake and a cinnamon roll. Cheesecake was absolutely amazing, smooth, and I love the consistency. There was a clump of cream frosting at the top, and the frosting was probably one of the best of had in my life. Made with real cream, and tasted thick and delicious. Quality ingredients, definitely recommend.

In my opinion, the BEST croissants in town! Isabelle is always there and always greets me with a "bon jour"! Great place to practice my college French!

One of the best bakeries in North County, if not San Diego as a whole. I can't speak about too many items on the menu like lunch items or crepes. I only ever seem to buy pastries, and usually 1 in particular - the apricot danish. My Mom's favorite, I try to buy them when I'm nearby the bakery. If there's only 1 left, then I buy something else for me and let her have the apricot. The staff are helpful, and Isabelle makes sure that the quality is up to her standards. So give it a try, I'm sure you'll find something to love. Just leave me the apricot danish, ok?!

Drove to discount tire before they opened after my night shift and at 7am I was carried across the parking lot to this delightful shop like a cartoon mouse wafting through the air on fresh bread steam. The cafe was darling and I'm so happy with the food and coffee!

Hands down the BEST croissants I have ever eaten in my life. Their croissants are $4 but they're HUGE. They have the perfect texture and taste. I heard that their other croissants are just as good, but I am in love with their simple original ones. This place is known for their crepes, so I'll definitely be back try those as well as the desserts in the case. I would highly recommend this place and the service is excellent! They are consistent with their quality service and food. I will definitely be back.

First time we came here about two months back the owner was present and the coffee was good as were the pastries. Today we came and ordered: a croque madame (what came out was a very dry ham and cheese sandwich with an over east egg on top), the Biarritz omelette which fine, nothing special bacon and sausage and added some cheese, Monaco crepe which was a sweet crepe stuffed ham and cheese, also it should have not have been a sweet crepe and it too was average at best, then the pain chocolate (tasted dry and not good) and a Nutella sweet crepe (this honestly was the last straw, because it tasted like the crêpe was made yesterday, flavorless and gummy) my husband said, at least it was only $7. I see they're still hiring bakers and honestly I think the owner needs to be there as the staff didn't even know the pastries they were selling. I asked what is it this pastry here? The reply: oh those are those almond things. Yeah almonds ones. I get you are training a staff but I think there needs to be the owner or someone knowledgeable to stand by the product.

Delicious! We were fortunate to have them cater a small gathering at our house. What a amazing brunch they served. You get to the option of picking a savory and sweet in an wonderful palate pleasing way. My kids even went back for 2nds and thirds which is saying alot since they tend to be picky eaters . We would definitely use them again

Stopped in for a bite of something and found an incredible breakfast/dining/brunch experience. Crispy croissant exterior, light even delicate buttery flaked insides, an extraordinary tooth and texture contrast. Serious depth to these beauties. I'll be back. Never been to Paris, but these French speakers goods make me want to explore the goodness.

For the quality of the product, I would say the price I paid for is a good deal. Like leaving French bakery paying less than $20 was a surprise for me. But the product was not flawless either. But smart culinary business means the operation is sustainable so in that sense this place is doing the right thing

Delectable croissants and other bakery delights. They also cater at the house, making a special event very memorable. They made crepes for our guests day after a family wedding and it was perfect!

We always like stopping by when we're visiting my sister. My favorite is the almond croissant with custard filling and my dad's favorite is the almondine tarts.

My family has been ordering cakes from Isabelle's for years for special occasions. Her Christmas log cake deserves extra recognition (I look forward to it every year), but I also adore her pastries! Everyone who works there is lovely, but it's always nice to say hello to Isabelle herself when I go. If weather allows (which let's be honest, it usually does in Southern California), the patio is a perfect place to take in some sun and catch up with friends over pastries and coffee.

I ordered 2 eclairs, 2 fruits tarts and 1 iced mocha. I had to ask the girl behind the counter what the eclair was because they were huge!! Never seen eclair's that big before. Eclair- Skip it. The real disappointment was the choux pastry. It was dense, dry, crumbly and tasteless. Like it was made of almond flour. It was so crumbly! When I pulled it out of the box it crumbled all over the fruit tarts. The cream was ok. It was thick and creamy but needed to be just a little bit sweeter. $11.30 for 2 Fruit tarts- They were good. Perfectly sweetened. Tasty crust and gel and the fruits were delicious. Probably used the same cream as the eclairs but everything on it was perfectly sweetened. The blueberries had the perfect snap to them (you don't want limp soggy fruit)! $11.70 for 2 Iced mocha- sadly no. It's was bitter. I got it because I know it isn't as sweet and I wanted to counter act the sweetness from the eclair but you know how that went. $5.20 They play French music inside and outside so you can enjoy your pastries outside. I expected more for almost $34 (tip included)! Maybe I'll try again but 2 out of 3 is no bueno.

I had a blueberry muffin a year ago and it was really good. I try not to eat too many cupcakes because they are usually loaded with fat but I had an urge so I went to buy one. First thing that surprised me was that the case was loaded with blueberry muffins, they were usually out of them whenever I stopped in. I now know why. When the muffin was rung up it was $4.95! For one freaking muffin. They used to be around $3. I bought it anyway as a treat but when I went to eat it that night I was surprised at how bad it was. It was dry, had a different consistency as before and had an odd aftertaste, nothing like I remembered. So, not sure what happened here and if they are going to charge ridiculous prices the quality should not be going down. I realize rents are high everywhere as are labor costs but at least keep the quality high and don't raise prices to comical levels.

I love coming here for an occasional treat. The pastries are flavorful and unique. However this is the second time I was sold a burned pastry to go. See pic. It's like eating a dry burned shoe sole. Simply unacceptable and very disappointing. Now I will make sure to check before I leave

I get this tart for my wife's birthday every year and it does not disappoint. I only thought of taking a picture after we ate over half - you'll have to see the tart for yourself at the bakery.

Very Lovely Family owned and operated café located just a few minutes from my favorite, the Botanical Gardens. The food here is light and fresh, but most importantly, delicious! We had the quiche, a pest chicken on bread and Paris Omelette and they were all very good. They were busy, but tried to move quickly and were polite and accommodating. I would definitely recommend supporting this authentic local business:)

Ordered Yule log cake for Christmas party. The cake Was delicious and beautifully decorated.

Stopped in late afternoon to get some bread. Fortunately we got the last baguette! We also selected a slices of cake to take to someone for a small birthday treat, we chose chocolate mocha cake. It's great for a mature palette that doesn't like desserts that are too high in sugar or too sweet, this a good choice. Moist & flavorful. It's a triangular shape large enough to for 2 to spilt, or 4 the taste a big bite. The chocolate mousse cake also looked decadent & appealing. If we were having a larger party with sweet lovers, I would have gotten the large cream covered cakes in case sides covered with toasted almonds, but alas not vegan. Quick pleasant service. This stop was to put my houseguest in the mood for her upcoming travel to Paris.

Coffee was pretty bad. Super light and watered down with no flavor. Palmier was only ok. It was very buttery, and I say that in a good way, but lacked that snap/crisp and sweetness. It wasn't sweet much. It tasted stale but I doubt it was. You had to work really hard to break a piece off because it was so hard, it didn't just snap off like you would've hoped a palmier would. Then the almond croissant was an absolute winner. So deliciously amazing I already want another one. Very buttery and flakey, it's got a slight crisp. The filling isn't paste like most places, it's more like crushed almonds into a filling. Amazing!!

Amazing Encinitas staple. Love their pastries every time. Been a while since I went but their crepes are good if I remember right.

I have had many French pastries this one just wasn't it ! I would not recommend it to someone who is looking for a nice breakfast, also the pastries didn't feel or taste fresh. Along with this my customer service experience was unsatisfactory.

The best catering we've ever had! Delicious crepes all prepared on site. People are still talking about it. Delightful catering staff - personable and professional. Crepes were absolutely delicious and plentiful. Wish we had another event coming up so we could hire Isabelle Brien's again. Will have to think up an excuse to throw another party!

I love this place so much!! The staff are wonderful and always so incredibly kind and welcoming!! The pastries are absolutely heavenly!! It's hard to pick only one bc I want them all! They have tables outside as well where you can enjoy your treats and maybe a nice coffee in the sunshine! One of my favorite little spots in Encinitas for sure!

A great place to meet friends for a cappuccino and a small bite to eat. A few indoor seats are available and a small outdoor patio. There was a constant line of people for the chocolate almond croissants and a wonderful smell of baked goods inside.

Cake and pastries are the best. I have to try their crepes. The staff are great and very helpful with my orders. Great location and very clean.

This has become my go to place for cakes and pastries. The cakes are super delicious and the pastries are so fresh and yummy. I was told that they never use peanuts, which is great because my daughter has a severe peanut allergy. Everything in the displays always look amazing but my favorite are the cakes!! I've bought two cakes from there and they are always a hit. If you get there early enough, the owner will write a message on the cake. Highly recommend, this cafe has been here forever and it never disappoints.

Stop in for crapes they don't close until 6PM but guess what kitchen closes at 2PM. Where does it say this? No where on the website or online? Hours say until 6.

This place is as good as it gets for croissants. In my life I've had 100s of croissants at various places and the recipe they use that they bake here fresh every morning is undoubtedly the best ive eve had. Do amazing!

I had the most wonderful experience in savoring the delicious crepes at a Celebration for Life in Alpine, catered by the French Pastry Cafe. Not expecting crepes (more like chicken or lasagna for these types of events), I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy their brunch crepes filled with everything you might want in an omelette....so delicious. Was stuffed and happy. Not to be done, however, they served crepes dessert -- creamy custard filling alongside your favorite fruits -- strawberries, blue berries, sliced almonds, all wrapped neatly in these mouth-watering crepes. They were so both delicious....and healthy, too. So, yes, I recommend if you ever want to have a unique, different meal for your guests, try their French Crepe Parties.

We had the pleasure of enjoying breakfast and dessert crepes at our Baby Shower today. Everyone at the party thoroughly enjoyed the selection of delicious eggs, spinach, tomatoes onions cheeses and more ... the dessert crepes were delicious berries; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries with mouth watering cream ( 2 choices ) The servers were so professional and pleasant and they were such a joy to have at our party. We will recommend your company to our family and friends. Thank you Isaiah and Rayelyn for making our party the success it was ! Carol Lovejoy Brandee Fay 9/25/2021 El Cajon, CA. 92071 clovejoy@lovejoymoving.com

Oh I was so embarrassed and disappointed when I tried to pick up an order from DoorDash today at this store. The order was for me, but I don't know if they realized that because they were absolutely rude and dismissive when I went to pick it up. It wasn't until I got to my car that I read a note saying that they were out of the product; I returned to ask for a replacement And when I chose some thing that seemed similar to me, they had a several sentence conversation in French in front of me that I could not understand although I could pick up after a moment that the cashier was debating whether they should charge me. I said that this was not my mistake, and she said but you should have called this morning to see if we had this product. I'm pretty surprised that that is the way they treated me, I just don't feel like I could ever go back. That's not what I look for when I think about a place to spend my money. It's pretty sad.

This is by far the best bakery that I have had the pleasure of visiting in all of San Diego. I have had many of the pastries , which are all very good almond chocolate croissants, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate croissants etc.. They also make very good crepes. We usually get crepes filled with strawberries, which my kids cannot get enough. They have very good coffee, from cafe moto. They have a very nice outdoor seating area. My family and I visit often as we can't get enough of their pastries.

Such a gem of a spot. Their pastries and coffee is delicious. I love the vibe and the owner Isabelle is so sweet. I can't wait to go back for some crepes and other treats!

Cute little bakery and very sweet staff. The croissants were huge! Not as buttery in taste as I was expecting but still a decent croissant. The apple turnover I was told was just made so it was still warm and flaky. It wasn't too sweet as some tend to be which was nice.

PROS: + loved the service here!! + easy parking + next to Kebab shop :) + MACAROON + Cinnamon roll + Cheese danish + Creme brulee !! + Gluten free options available + cutesy interior CONS: - all the way in Encinitas I love that the pastries are not too sweet, and everything we bought was perfect. Special thanks for SUZANNE for her FANTASTIC service :)

The café that my friends and I wanted to go to was closed on Sundays so we searched on Yelp for another place nearby. I was surprised that I have never noticed this place before!! The Bakery is located in a shopping center and was super easy to find and there was so much parking available. They have tables inside and outside. We ordered all kinds of stuff...Panini's, Almond Croissant and a Lemon dessert that was like a super light cheesecake (AMAZING). Everything we had at the Bakery was fresh and delicious. There was someone in the back baking and a young woman working the front. She was so sweet and answered our million questions about each dessert. They had pumpkin pie samples out and it was seriously the best I have ever tried. My friends and I sat there for hours catching up and we never felt pressured to leave or anything like that. There was a restroom which was a total plus. Before leaving, we ordered several pastries to go. The only one we didn't like was the Opera Cake but I never like Opera Cake pretty much everywhere I've tried it. One thing we took home was a Napoleon...it is SO hard to find a place that has good Napoleons in general and even harder to get one that is totally crispy like they are supposed to be. I ate the Napoleon the next day and it was AMAZING, PERFECTION! Even after being in the fridge for an extra day - it was so crispy. I am so happy that we've discovered this gem! My friends and I agree that we all will be back!

Great crepes! They have both savory and sweet crepes and I tried the chicken crepe and the raspberry custard. Both were amazing and very filling for a lunch.

We frequent this bakery frequently not only for the bake goods but also for the crepes. Friendly service and such a treat. Next best thing to going to Paris!