Blue House Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Carlsbad

We've heard nothing but good things from friends so we had to try for ourselves. It really does feel like a home, along with the hustle and bustle of a big family.

There was a good amount of parking, which were thankful for, and we got there relatively early. It had a sort of "beat the rush" mentality, because once some of the baked goods are sold out, that's it. There was an okay amount of outdoor seating, and we instantly got a "locals" vibe from it. We made our way inside and we were surprised by how cramped it felt. For our first visit, we didn't feel it was very friendly to us... we more or less had to shuffle around the entrance a few times trying to find a menu, trying to read the signs without bumping into anyone, and making room for people trying to get in and out with their to-go orders. There seemed to be a lot of folks just having coffee and sitting reading the paper, which seemed very cozy to us.

I had the spinach and feta croissant and fully-loaded egg bowl, and ordered a round each of French toast for the rest of the family. I had a cappuccino and my wife had a mocha latte. The place was VERY busy, so the staff was a little rushed and didn't have a lot of time to be extra friendly or extra attentive, which we totally understood. The atmosphere had this organized chaos feel, that if we visited again, we would probably have been way more comfortable with. It's like having your whole extended family and everyone is trying to eat and get ready before starting a family trip. People get bumped into, a casual smile, and you need to get what you need and move.

We were a little lost on if we needed to wait for our drinks or food, or how to bus our table afterwards, but we got lucky with one of the staff members taking pity on our confused looks. We had to wait to the side for our drinks, but they brought the food to us outside. The staff members that came outside were very friendly and attentive to any dishes collecting in the outside bin.

Overall, the drinks and food were pretty standard. The reason you would come here would be the homemade baked goods, the special treats like rosemary cookies, and the cozy, home feeling this place provides. Your first visit may be a mess, but I think if we lived in Carlsbad this would be our spot for mornings and weekends for sure. There's more I wish we...

We got there about an hour an half before closing. The pastry case was almost empty. A good sign their stuff is good? We reached for a breakfast menu and was told very snottily by the girl at the register that they're out of breakfast items except biscuits and gravy. This place was open for another hour and a half and they were out of breakfast food and only had a few pastries left. This shows very poor planning and management. I would think a business wants to sell product, but this business seems content to run out of product and lose money to willing customers.. 🤔 The attitude of the counter person was very stand offish and rude. She seemed annoyed we wanted to actually order stuff. Go figure.

Update: We came back to Carlsbad for a visit and decided to give The Blue House Bakery & Cafe another try. This time we went at 8:30. They had plenty of bakery pastries and a full menu. I got a breakfast croissant. It was very good. We also got a caramel mochioto and it wasn't very good at all. The service is still really bad and the elderly gray haired lady taking orders at the register was really rude, arrogant and snotty. The girl that brought our breakfast to our table didn't bring cutlery or napkins. We asked for them and was told to go get them ourselves inside. The place has an environment of rudeness that doesn't belong in a service...

This was our first time there. It was crowded. There were not any signs or anyone to direct you where to go. Everyone is pleasant though. If you ask, they'll direct you. Basically, you walk in and go to the left. The line starts there. You need to ask for a menu. Serve yourself your choice of drink. Coffee, hot tea, OJ, water, etc. They sell pastries, breakfast burritos and sandwiches, waffles, oatmeal, bagels, etc. You seat yourself after placing order. You buss yourself when you're finished. It is a cute place. We went to sit at the only table left, it was dirty. I asked for a rag, staff said they would get it. The only table left was an 8 seater. I noticed the chairs were dirty. When a staff member wiped the table (and shook the rag all over the floor), I tried to ask if she could get the chair too. She was distracted by another customer-it is a popular place. Another family wanted to sit down. We were only too happy to share the table. I mentioned the chairs being dirty. The same staff member snapped at me and said she didnt know the seats were dirty. The other family looked as surprised as me at her attitude. That was the only issue. The other staff members were very nice, the other cutomers were friendly and happy to answer any questions. I do recommend the place. It was good food, reasonably priced and mostly friendly people. I would...