Crocante Cafe & Gourmet Bakery — Restaurant in Coral Springs

Picture it - Valentine's Day, 2014 and you've polished off a Laspada sandwich at the beach. Still.....you're in the mood for a little something as sweet as the guy you're with. "Let's Yelp French Bakeries", you suggest! Okay.......so you find this one on the route home. Most of the reviews mention that it's Argentine, but pastry is pastry. So you walk in......

Immediately you smell the enticing aroma of coffee and pastry. You look in the cases and find so many luscious items looking back, that you don't know where to start. Palmiers are always a favorite......so is tiramisu, but why not have something you've not had before?? "What's that big sorta lumpy pastry down there?," you ask the lady at the counter. She gives you a lovely smile and a small chuckle. She has obviously been asked before. That's a "Balcarce" she says, "It's got cake, caramel, a creamy filling and meringue on the outside." Okay, I've GOT to have one.

You go to one of the nice tables outside and wait for your order to come out. OH MY! you dig into the light as air, crunchy meringue (which is all but impossible to maintain in FL) to find a smooth as silk creamy filling and the promised dulce over the sponge cake. It was just a tad sweet to eat the whole thing, but each bite was still a bite of heaven. My honey, being able to only partake of a limited amount of sugar, had gone with a classic NY cheesecake. We have a standard by which we measure all cheesecakes - the one we got from a NY deli. This one was so close that I could close my eyes and see the Empire State Building. Finally, a REAL NY cheesecake.

The only negative I can come up with would be the decaf coffee. While I don't have any DNA for proof, it really looked and tasted like instant. If the coffee had been as good as the pastry, this would have been a...

This place is truly a hidden gem and has quickly become our go-to breakfast spot. From the moment you walk in, the aroma of freshly baked pastries and brewed coffee hits you in the best way. The pastries are always incredibly fresh, flaky, buttery, and clearly made with care. Their desserts are just as impressive: rich, flavorful, and beautifully presented without ever being overly sweet.

The coffee? Absolutely delicious. Whether you’re grabbing something simple or a specialty latte, it’s consistently smooth, bold, and satisfying.

But what really sets this place apart is the made-to-order menu. Everything is cooked fresh, with obvious attention to quality and detail. You can really taste the difference, this is breakfast and lunch done right.

My kids are obsessed and always beg to come here over chain places like Dunkin’. That says a lot! It’s become a family favorite, and we’re grateful to have a spot like this in the neighborhood.

Highly recommended for anyone who...

Came here for the first time with my coworker who has always been raving about how good the food is. She ordered the chicken pesto sandwich and I ordered the chicken breast in a baguette. Takes about five-ten minutes for the food to come out which is good timing. Workers are all very kind ladies. Beautiful interior and the pastries look delicious in the display. You know the food is cooked fresh to order because the chicken is grilled nicely hot and tasty. I only removed two stars in the food ranking because the sandwich lacks flavor didnt taste much if any salt and pepper unfortunately. I definitely would use a decent amount if you’re not going to add any sauce to the sandwich. Although I highly recommend them adding some kind of sauce or dressing perhaps to it. If not then offer some to be added or served on the side. I do recommend people coming here for fresh bite and I think I’d go back to try...